Salt Lake City Walking Tour
Temple Square, Pioneer Park and the stories behind them, on foot, in three hours.
3 hours
From
$44 per adult
Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge Adventure
A horse-drawn sleigh into a herd of several hundred wintering elk.
- 7.5 hours
- Maximum 14 guests
- Hotel pickup included
- Instant online booking
Embark on an unforgettable winter journey from Salt Lake City to the stunning Cache Valley. This exclusive small-group tour takes you to the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where you'll encounter one of the most iconic animals of the American West: the majestic elk.
Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Hardware Ranch, a 19,000-acre winter haven for up to 700 elk. As you glide through the snow-covered landscape on a horse-drawn sleigh, you'll have the opportunity to observe these magnificent creatures up close. Learn about their unique behaviors and adaptations from knowledgeable guides.
Beyond the elk, your adventure extends to the charming historic towns of Logan and Brigham City. Explore the rich cultural heritage of the region, marvel at the stunning Wellsville Mountains, and journey through the scenic Sardine Canyon. Discover the fascinating stories of the Native American and European settlers who have called this valley home for centuries.
This is an adventure for the senses, a chance to connect with nature and history. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the magic of Hardware Ranch and the beauty of Cache Valley.
Your day, hour by hour
Weekend departures (winter season)7:30 AM
7:30 AM
Hotel Pick up in SLC
8:00 AM
Travel to Hardware Ranch/Hyrum, UT
10:00 AM
Hardware Ranch Elk Experience/Sleigh Ride
11:30 AM
Travel Logan, UT
12:00 PM
Short Driving tour of Logan, UT
12:30 PM
Free time for Lunch on own
1:30 PM
Return to SLC
2:00 PM
Short Driving tour of Brigham City, UT enroute
3:00 PM
Hotel Drop Offs
What’s included
- Professional Local Tour Guide
- Comfortable Transportation
- Bottled Water
- Applicable Taxes and Fees
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (select hotels only)
The sleigh ride, and what else is in the day
The sleigh ride is roughly a half hour on the feed ground. It is open, which is the point; you aren’t looking through glass, and it’s pulled by a team of heavy horses. Blankets help. The elk are Rocky Mountain elk, the bulls carrying antlers through the winter until they shed in early spring, and they pay the sleigh very little attention. A guide from the ranch talks you through the feeding program, the herd's health, and how a winter range works.
The visitor center has the wider story: why the feed ground exists at all, which explains a piece of 20th-century wildlife management, and what happens in the valley the rest of the year.
Logan gets a short driving tour around midday and free time for lunch. It is a university town, home to Utah State, with a very good 19th-century core: the Logan Tabernacle, the temple on the bench above town, and a Main Street that still works as a Main Street. Cache Valley is also serious dairy country. The cheese here is worth the detour and your guide will tell you where.
Brigham City is the stop on the way home: the Box Elder Tabernacle, the Peach City heritage, and the gateway to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. In winter the refuge holds bald eagles, and it’s not unusual to see one from the road.
The drive itself
Sardine Canyon between Brigham City and Cache Valley is a proper piece of scenery in the snow, and the Wellsville Mountains rise more than 5,000 feet off the valley floor in a very short horizontal distance, which is why they look wrong in photographs.
What to wear: dress harder than you think
You’re sitting still, outdoors, in an open sleigh, in a Utah mountain valley in January. This is the coldest anyone gets on any tour we run, and every season somebody underdresses and spends the ride wishing they had not.
- Coat
- An insulated winter one, over thermal base layers.
- Hat and neck
- A warm hat that covers your ears, and a scarf or neck gaiter.
- Gloves
- Insulated, not thin ones. You’ll want to take photographs, and thin gloves fail fast.
- Socks and boots
- Thick socks, and waterproof boots with grip. The ground at the ranch is snow and ice.
- Hand warmers
- The single best thing you can bring, and they cost almost nothing. Two pairs: one for your hands, one in your boots.
- A thermos
- Welcome. Bottled water is provided, but a hot drink on the return leg is a different order of comfort.
- Sunglasses
- Snow glare on a bright Cache Valley morning is fierce, and people forget them because it’s winter.
Distance and how the day runs
Hardware Ranch is about 85 miles north-east of Salt Lake City, up Blacksmith Fork Canyon east of Hyrum. The drive takes a little over two hours each way in winter conditions, which is the shape of this 7.5-hour day: a lot of it’s road, and the road is good.
Pickups start at 7:30 AM from downtown hotels, departing at 8:00. Arrival at Hardware Ranch around 10:00 for the elk experience and sleigh ride, then on to Logan at 11:30 for a short driving tour and free time for lunch at 12:30. The return leg leaves at 1:30 with a driving tour of Brigham City around 2:00, and hotel drop-offs from 3:00 PM.
Lunch isn’t included. You buy your own in Logan, where there’s plenty of choice and it’s not expensive.
Groups cap at fourteen. Solo travelers are welcome to book; we just can’t run a departure for a single guest, so if nobody else takes your date we’ll move you to another departure or refund you.
Photos
Before you book
- Enjoy a more personal experience with our small group tours (Minimum of two guests required)
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge Adventure: your questions answered
When does the Hardware Ranch sleigh ride season run?
Roughly mid-December to early March, on weekends, but the exact dates are set each year by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources according to snow and how many elk are on the feed ground. The dates move from season to season, so contact us before planning a trip around this tour and we’ll confirm the current calendar.
How many elk will we see?
It varies with the winter. In a normal year several hundred elk use the feed ground through the season, and deep snow in the high country pushes more of them down. January and February are the most reliable months for big numbers. No operator can promise a count, but this is one of the most dependable large-mammal viewing sites in the state.
How long is the sleigh ride itself?
About half an hour on the feed ground, in an open horse-drawn sleigh with a ranch guide talking through the herd and the feeding program. The elk are habituated to the horses, which is why a sleigh can get close where a vehicle could not.
How far is Hardware Ranch from Salt Lake City?
About 85 miles north-east, up Blacksmith Fork Canyon east of Hyrum in Cache Valley. It is a little over two hours each way in winter conditions, and the tour runs 7.5 hours door to door, 7:30 AM pickup to around 3:00 PM drop-off.
How cold is it?
Cold. You’re sitting still in an open sleigh in a mountain valley in mid-winter. Wear an insulated coat, thermals, a hat that covers your ears, proper gloves, thick socks and waterproof boots, and bring hand warmers. They’re the single best thing you can pack for this tour.
Is lunch included?
No. There is free time for lunch in Logan around 12:30 PM, where there’s good choice at reasonable prices. Your guide, transport, bottled water, taxes and fees and hotel pickup from selected downtown Salt Lake City hotels are all included in the fare.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes. For most children it’s the highlight of a Utah winter trip, and child fares are reduced. The limiting factor is cold rather than interest: a child who won’t stay bundled up for half an hour in an open sleigh won’t enjoy it. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
What if there’s no snow?
In a low-snow winter the ranch may run wheeled wagons instead of sleighs, or in a very poor year may not run at all. We monitor conditions and will tell you before your date rather than drive you two hours to a closed feed ground. If it can’t run, we rebook or refund.
Pair this with
The tours our guides most often suggest alongside this one, and why.
Salt Lake City Museum Tour
The other cold-weather day: three indoor stops and a guide.
Park City & Olympic Heritage Excursion
Snow scenery, Olympic venues and a warm lunch on Main Street.
Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island
Winter is the quietest and most photogenic season on the island, and the bison are easy to find.
Read before you go
Longer background on where this tour goes, written by the people who run it.
Salt Lake City in winter, if you aren’t skiing
Half the people who land here in January are attached to somebody else’s ski trip. This is the guide for them.
6 min read
Still have a question about the Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge Adventure?
Ask us anything the FAQ above did not cover: pickup points, fitness level, what to wear in November. We answer within one business day.
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