OC Families share how their trips to Rankin Ranch, a Central California Dude Ranch, have become treasured traditions.
I thought I had traveled every part of California until my son, Shane, and I visited Rankin Ranch last month as part of a longer trip through Kern County. The family-run dude ranch and cattle operation spans 31,000 acres in a scenic and remote spot in the Tehachapi mountains called Walker Basin. The basin is a 8-by-4-mile pear-shaped valley that sits between 7,579-foot Breckenridge mountain and 8,440 Piute Peak. It is south of the Sequoia National Park and Lake Isabella, at an elevation of 3,500 feet, and it is only a 3.5 hour drive from Orange County. But driving into the basin is like traveling in a time machine set to the late 1800s.
Once off the main highway (we took the 14 to the 58), from the miniscule town of Caliente to Walker basin, we saw only one other car on the winding road. Plenty of scrub oak, but no cellphone service, no traffic, no homes. Finally, a small sign marked the driveway for Rankin Ranch. Blink and you miss it. But once you take that turn off, you enter another era in a shady oasis surrounded by tall trees, and a 160-year old ranch house, a swimming pool, barns, cabins, and horses. Courtesy of the Rankins, you enter an era of Old West hospitality so welcoming that you will feel like part of the family, like you are the newest member of this cattle-ranch clan. You will also be unplugged here, with no TV, no phone, and very limited internet access.
This place has been home to six generations of the Rankin family. Their ranch, established during the days of the Civil War, has been raising white-face Hereford cattle for over 160 years. In 1965, third-generation Helen Rankin began the guest-ranch business. Today, 4th, 5th and 6th-generation Rankins make up the core of the operation. Bill and Glenda, their four children—Jason, Rebecca, Amanda and Sarah—and their spouses and children. You will also see Shelby Newman everywhere. While not a Rankin by name, she joined the family full time in 2017. They all make guests feel like family, visiting with the children and parents, and sharing something about themselves, the horses, or Rankin family history. As busy as they all are, time spent with the guests never seemed hurried. In between rides or during meals, smiles and warm handshakes accompanied tales of the ranch and the story of how it all got started.
For the next two days Shane and I were cowpokes. Shane joined in the guided rides on a Clydesdale named Tonka, we cooled down in the pool, played billiards in the clubhouse, enjoyed delicious meals featuring Rankin grass-fed beef, and visited with Glenda, Bill, Shelby and Amanda. (By the way, if you want to take home steaks from Rankin, bring an ice chest, as I did. All the cuts are rated prime to high-quality choice grade). In addition to two trail rides per day (for ages 6 and up), other activities at Rankin include a small zoo called Sarah’s farm (full of barnyard animals), trout fishing in the pond (bring your own gear), hiking, horseshoes, archery, star-gazing, volleyball, and square dancing and line dancing. Amanda, who also heads up the Rankin beef business, shared stories with me of families from Orange County and connected me with Lindsay Hermance, from Lake Forest, Julie Tait of Anaheim, Cindy & Rick Drake also of Anaheim, and their daughter Becky La Nuevo. Each of these families made it an annual tradition to vacation at the ranch, and when I reached out to them, they all shared a similar experience, a feeling that going to Rankin each year was like visiting extended family at a familiar place that, thankfully, never seemed to change.
The Hermance Family
Some regular Rankin visitors from OC who were brought here as children, now bring their own children each year. That’s true of Lindsay Hermance and her family. Lindsay visited the ranch many times as a child. Then nearly 20 years passed, and in 2019, she brought ther own family back to the ranch so her sons (then ages 7, 9) could experience the same great memories. They have returned to the ranch each summer since, bringing friends and other family members along with them. The boys are now 12 and 14 years old and always looking forward to their annual trip.
“The Rankins make you feel like part of their family when we visit the ranch,” Hermance says. “So it’s like a reunion every year we go, like seeing close friends and family. It’s unlike any other vacation our family takes. The first time I went back to Rankin Ranch as an adult, I was almost in tears as the memories of my childhood there came flooding back. So many things about the ranch were exactly like I remembered as a kids. Now my kids absolutely love it and look forward to going every year.”
The Tait Family
Tom and Julie Tait made their first visit to Rankin Ranch in 2021. They were a party of 16 then with their children and grandchildren. The Taits will have 22 in 2025 with the addition of their newest grandbaby. What stood out for Julie Tait from her visits to Rankin? “This past year, our daughter and her family arrived late. A spring snow storm came in and the pass to get to the Ranch was hazardous. Without us asking, the Rankins drove over the pass and waited for her family and escorted them to the Ranch. I was deeply touched by their kindness. They truly care.”
The Drake Family
Rick and Cindy began coming to the ranch with their three daughters in the summer of 1997. The Drakes daughters are now grown and their family has expanded to include grandchildren (ages 3 – 12). They have celebrated family birthdays and anniversaries over the years and made lifelong friends who also return to the ranch each season. Says Cindy of her devotion to the ranch: “When we first started going to the Rankin Ranch our daughters were pre-teen and teenagers, and they wanted to come back. So if your pre-teen and teenagers want to be with you on vacation you keep going there. Now 29 years later, they bring our grandkids with them who love it also.”
The Drakes youngest daughter, Becky La Nuevo, jokes that she could do a Ted Talk on what she loves about Rankin Ranch. “Having been going there since I was 11,” says La Nuevo, “I would bet an obscene about of money that any of my friends know about ‘the ranch’ I go to every summer. I tell anybody willing to listen. One year, after my parents had taken their first cruise together, my dad mentioned that maybe our next family vacation, instead of the ranch, could be a cruise. Now, I was around 15, so 4 or 5 ranch trips under my belt, but the idea of them taking away the closest thing to the garden of Eden was unacceptable and warranted a teenage tantrum. “
Tips on Visiting for the First Time
La Nuevo
Slow down and breathe. It might feel like a culture shock but it’s worth it. You won’t want to leave and you’ll be booking for the next trip on your way out. If you’re a teenager, make friends and explore. I remember horseback rides with people I only met that one summer for a week that still make me laugh.
Hermance
Have the mindset that you are stepping back in time…like to a simpler way of life. Ask how you can get involved with getting the horses ready for their daily trail rides. Bring fishing poles if you like to fish in their pond (they will even cook what you catch!). Make your stay include one of the days with the wagon ride to the meadow.
Cindy Drake
Bring comfortable clothes. Be prepared to meet new families and establish new friendships. Be prepared for some great food. This is not the place to diet. LOL.
Participate in as many of the activities as you can, including horseback riding, horseshoes, fishing and bingo. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time to lounge around the pool.
Julie Tait
You don’t need to pack much. Take advantage of the after dinner games and activities. Enjoy every second of the experience.
Written & Photographed by Randall Tierney
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