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Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Category: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels [Edit]
PO Box 5547Mt Carmel, UT 84755
(435) 648-2700
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
About This Business:
Wonderful roadside lodge with convenient location and incredible views of red hills and Kanab canyon. Completed renovation in Spring of 2011 and return… read more »
11 reviews for Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
11 reviews in English
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Review from Hema K.
11/29/2011
Oh the BEST service and hospitality received in that remote area. FREE WIFI and signal strength is really awesome. Although phone service is NULL and they don't have phone lines inside the cabin. Its a private resort and a mile away from Zion national park. Its about another 5 miles driving on North Fork. Please drive slowly on way to the resort as deers love to cross randomly. We stayed on Cabin 9 and 10. They are closer to mini-golf and main office.
Cabin 9 has bigger bedroom with bunk beds and space to walk but living room is smaller
Cabin 10 has bigger living room but smaller bedroom with zero space around other than the bunk beds.
About the dining: Vegan folks, no need to worry.. they got it all covered. In our group one of them is a vegan and was worried about the trip during Thanksgiving. We made reservations for our party of 9 for Thanksgiving dinner. The chef was very understanding and cooked special vegan food just for him. Any other requests regarding food was made as long as they have enough resources. The chef and the staff were very friendly and even remembered who ordered and who likes what kind of bread/juice despite the number of people who come and go. Special 5 stars to the chef =)
They have a barn area, swing, volleyball court, tennis court, table tennis - all are free for renting. They have other paid activities like wall climbing, zip lining, ATV rides (group or solo) but I find them bit lame except for ATV tours.. we couldn't check out ATV as they are available from 2pm onwards and we were leaving earlier.. so be sure to check with them on ATV ride schedules.
For hiking they suggested a route which goes from their resort to observation point. They have a shuttle (like $20 per person - you can bargain the price if you are a big group) which will take you from the resort to the observation point hike.. where you hike for about an hour to reach the Observation point. From there we chose to hike down to weeping rock trail which took about 3 to 4 hours where at the bottom the shuttle picked us up. This you can opt, if you dont prefer to drive through the windy roads. Or else you can explore on your own.
It was a good stay over here. Clean bathrooms, good AC/heater control, clean sheets, mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker. Will stay at this resort if we happen to check out Zion again. -
Review from Brian D.
Santa Ana, CA
9/5/2011
We couldn't get reservations at Zion National Park so decided to stay here instead. If your main reason for heading to Utah is to enjoy the incredible National park, I do NOT recommend this resort.
The distance is at least 30 minutes from the visitor's center, often more. You have to drive through Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel which is 1.1 miles long and built in the 20's. RV's require an escort. Which means traffic stops in the other direction to let vehicles through. This is not really clear on their website.
Every staff member we met were very nice. The pool was nice (but cold), the shower facilities nice, and the restaurant was better than you'd expect (but I wasn't expecting anything decent).
We stayed in an RV. Hookups were nice. But the RV section is less of a resort and more like your uncle bull dozed a road into a field and let you park there. The spots are randomly placed without much thought. There were no fire rings but the host said just to build one where ever we wanted. There were no shade, nor landscaping.
I'm giving this place a 2 star rating because it didn't meet the criteria I was looking for, which was: 1. close to experience Zion, 2. a nice RV resort. It was neither. Even though we paid for 3 nights, we packed it up to try to get a standby spot at the national park after 1 night (without a refund). We were glad we did.
I reluctantly describe Zion Ponderosa Ranch as a "redneck resort" but I think it adequately describes it. It is underdeveloped in the way I have described but overdeveloped in that it looks like many of the trees have been removed. -
Review from Jamie R.
6/26/2011
I randomly found Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort after an internet search prior to a long awaited trip back to Zion National Park. We were tent camping and booked a site for three people. The ranch is located on the east side of the park, up a winding road. If you're looking to stay in a bustling area with stores on the corner, you may be better off staying on the west side of the park. We enjoyed the east side. After all, we were there for the wilderness and beauty. Other notable features of this place:
1. Activities: There was a small rodeo and square dancing the nights we were there. Nothing huge, but definitely more than we would have gotten at a hotel. They also had a rock wall, ATVs, paint balling, mini golf, etc. which we didn't try.
2. Price: The price was very reasonable for what we got. A young girl on a budget- I'd definitely come back here.
3. Location: This place is not super close to a lot- but they do have a small store and restaurants on location which reduce the need to travel. If you need to, when you leave the ranch and get to the main road, take a left and keep going (maybe 30 minutes) and there will be a gas station on the left with anything else you might need. We stopped in town during the day after visiting ZNP.
4. Pool: The two-tiered pool was my favorite thing here. It was relaxing- with a good view of the ranch and fun for kids with the slides. They also let us bring snacks and drinks to the pool, which was nice.
5. Showers: The showers were impressive. As an avid camper, I rarely have seen such nice showers. They are free (not coin op), very spacious, clean, and the water was always the right temperature. There were also many of them, so I never had to wait.
6. Campsite: Our campsite was clean, flat, and spacious. The only thing I would have changed was that the firepit is communal, and usually taken by people who didn't seem too keen on having strangers come join them. We were able to use it one night, but it would have been nice to have a couple more available.
7. Restaurants: Overall, the restaurants didn't blow me away, but they got the job done. The Blue Belly grill was alright. Based on the website, I was expecting more. I am spoiled with the variety of restaurants in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, so I think I have a warped view when eating anywhere else. I did like the outdoor ambiance. Gus n' Rosy's was good for morning brunch in preparation for a long day of hiking. Narrow's Cafe is not much of a cafe- it's located in the cafeteria (Gus & Rosey's) and offers coffee, standard pastries, and the like. The poolside grill unfortunately wasn't open whenever we were there.
Side note: I highly recommend the Whiptail Grill on the west side of the park. We were expecting nothing, and the food was great. A little pricey, but we weren't disappointed.
Overall, I was really pleased with our decision to stay here and we'll be back. We had a wonderful trip with good memories to last a life time, and Zion Ponderosa Ranch was a big part of that. -
Review from doreen p.
Las Vegas, NV
4/20/2011 4 photos
Nested up in the mountains minutes past Mt. Zion National Park this place is a hidden gem for families who enjoy the outdoors. The house we are renting this week is 2400 sq. ft, 4 bedrooms/31/2 baths, sleeps 8-10, very well appointed, air conditioning, high speed wifi, washer/dryer, outdoor bar-b-que and a huge deck. Homesite #721. Price was $1500 for 4 nights/5 days. We would definitely rent this house again. They do have an outdoor pool ( a little small) and spa up at the Lodge.
They have plenty of activities for the kids i.e., horseback riding, atv's, wall climbing, zip lining, paintball, skeet shooting, jeep tours, kids camp (4-11 yrs. old) pony rides, and hiking shuttles.
They also have Swedish Massages (50 min.) for $90 and Couple's for $170 for the adults.
Plenty of hiking in Mt. Zion. We did a two hour hike at "The Grotto" yesterday which was just right for the kids and I. We lucked out and had the perfect day.
I would highly recommend this place to everyone who likes their privacy but yet has a lot of attractions within close proximity. -
Review from Ada G.
7/11/2010 2 photos
How is it possible that I am the first one reviewing this amazing place??? I had no idea Utah could be THIS COOL!!!
You drive up highway 9, take an exit on North Fork, a few miles before the entrance to Zion National Park, and drive five miles up a winding paved road, passing beautiful ranches and grassy meadows along the way.
Enter the ranch to see all the fun outdoor activities you could ever want to do!!! Zip lines, ATVs, mini golf, a pool w/ two steep and fast mini-water slides, horse rides.......can this place really exist? There are cabins, tent spots, RV spots - every accomidation (except normal hotel rooms) that you can think of! OH - and there's big fire pits everywhere as well for evening camp fires.
We checked in and were worried that our "cowboy cabin" was going to be too much "roughin it" for us, only to be wonderfully surprised by a beautiful high ceiling log cabin with two queen bunk-beds with firm cozy mattresses and nice quality bedding. The place was wonderfully clean and spacious - we could not believe what a great value this was!!!
The "shower house" was kept extremely clean - there are more than enough shower rooms for all the people staying and plenty of privacy. I had no idea a "shower house" could be this nice!!
After getting settled in our room, we went down to check out the food options. They have a buffet for all three meals or a "formal dining" restaurant with a beautiful outdoor patio. Over our two days at this place, we tried both the buffet and the Blue Belly Grill restaurant. The buffet was not great - lunch consisted of sparse sandwich fixings, chips, fruit, some strange variation on chinese food, plus a salad bar. The dinner at Blue Belly Grill was good - the chef is extremely young and creative. The prices are very steep for what you get, but the passion and pride of a young chef can make even the most plain dishes special. The patio is so so cozy and beautiful that I would still recommend it even though it's not a good value for the dollar - it beats the buffet!
Two days was not enough for us - we can't wait to go back. As we left, our five year old cried - every place we stayed after this was a disappointment. I can't wait to go back!!! -
Review from Vivian G.
Sylmar, CA
4/21/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great experience, super friendly staff. Very accomodating. Cowboy Cabins are cute and spacious. Communal fire-pit encourages socializing in the evenings. I can see how this would be awesome in the summer for families.
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Review from David E.
Philadelphia, PA
9/18/2011
Stayed at ZPRR for a trip to duh... Zion National Park. I booked the place without doing the research because the rates were good. Overall - overpaid for what I got. Expect a 50 minute drive to the visitors center of Zion i.e. the hub of the park. Don't arrive at the resort hungry - the only option within a one hour drive is the ranch restaurant. Overpriced and blah. The shared bathroom/showers reminded me of high school gym showers. It rained a few days during my stay. Most roads aren't paved, thus got the rental car stuck in mud. Pay the additional cash and stay in Springdale.
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Review from Lauren Jeanne G.
Grand Canyon, AZ
12/4/2010 1 photo
Nice Cabins and activities (at an extra cost) for kids. I did not like that campsites were dispersed between the cabins, as it made it a little less private. We were in a cabin towards the back of the property, and experienced a strong odor from what appeared to be a sewage treatment plant. I think other cabins further away would be OK. While the grounds staff was helpful, for example, giving me coffee when I woke up before breakfast was served. When we checked in there were 4 young women behind the desk. One was helping someone check in. The rest ignored us and spoke amongst themselves, waiting for the first young lady to help us. The things I did like about this property were the neat heated pool (wish it stayed open later!) which appeared to be heated by a solar tubing system, the cabins themselves, and the girl whom did help us check in. I might go back here when I have kids, because it is so very child friendly.
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Review from David D.
Shelburne, VT
7/8/2008
Close to Zion Canyon National Park this dude ranch is still trying to figure it what it wants to be. There are million dollars home that have been built adjacent to the resort which you can rent for a surprisingly reasonable price. But the resort itself is a wierd mixture of tent sites, RV hookups, cabins and these high end spectacular homes. They seem to be in transition from Boy Scout Camp to Dude Ranch to wanna be vacation resort. Worst of all is the developers made a terrible mistake by putting an open septic pond in the middle of it all rather than investing in a decent waste treatment facility. Our entire week could be characterized as "stinking to high heaven" and we were prevented from enjoying the hot tub on our back deck for fear of gagging. Needless to say we spent most of our time away from the resort during the days. Management compensated us for this and did their best to make us feel better but until this is fixed this resort should be avoided. There are some nice features to the place including a decent pool and great mountain biking trails. Alas, they need to replace their mountain bike fleet as they are worn out. We had to return to base twice because the bikes failed for various reasons. If they fix the sewage problem, make some additional investments in the property, and get rid of the tents and RV's, this place has a lot of potential. But for now it is a resort looking for an identity with a stinky problem.
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Review from Linda P.
Chicago, IL
8/16/2010
Just spent 4 nights at ZPRR and it was great overall. When we checked in they gave us the wrong room, we needed space for 5 and the room they had for us only slept 4. Luckily our cousins were also staying there and they had space in their room for 2 of our kids. If they hadn't been there, i'm not sure what we would have done as the resort was fully booked. They did arrange for the correct room for us the next day and gave us a discount so all was well. The staff is extremely accomodating and friendly. As the previous reviewer stated the only down side is the food. Pricey and not very good. We had breakfast there everyday and dinner 3 out of four nights as the dining options in the area are very limited. The "oriental" buffet was horrible - fried chicken with a gooey peanut sauce and the leftover beef from Saturday night masquerding as teryakai beef, I think not!
Upgrade the food options and you've got a 4 star resort. -
Review from Dorothy L.
Belmont, CA
8/12/2010
We dropped by to get information. They kept us waiting even after helping other people in front of me, and just walked away when it was our turn. Finally, after another attempt for assistance, the same person returned to the front desk. He wasn't much help and just didn't want to be bothered with us, so he just handled us a card and said, "just call this number." We walked out surprised and speechless. A great Impression of this place, wasn't it?
