A unique Utah Christmas tradition — Hardware Ranch — opens this weekend.
Originally developed 70 years ago to keep hungry wildlife from feasting on farmers' winter hay reserves, the ranch has grown into a family elk-watching and sleigh-riding custom.
Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Cache County opens Dec. 12.
The annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival, which kicks off the season, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 13. Activities during the free festival include displays at the visitor center, interpretive talks about elk and other wildlife in Blacksmith Fork Canyon east of Hyrum, and family friendly crafts.
Elk are the state mammal of Utah. Between 400 and 700 animals move onto the state wildlife management area each winter when Division of Wildlife Resources managers start feeding them, usually once winter forage grasses are covered in snow — a practice that started in 1945. The ranch grows its own feed each summer for the elk.
As many as 25,000 visitors go to the ranch each winter.
Visiting the center and seeing the elk is free. Sleigh rides, or horse-drawn wagons when there is not enough snow, take visitors through the elk gathered on the ranch's meadows. Rides are $5 for visitors over 9 and $3 for 4 to 8-year-olds.
Wagon rides are available Fridays and Mondays from noon to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Rides are not offered the rest of the week, but people still can visit to view the elk.
Food is not available at the visitors center, but visitors can bring their own picnics.
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Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Visitors to Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon bundle up for a ride amongst the 500 or so elk on a recent winter weekend. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Randy Grover guides a pair of Clydesdales over the snow pack at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon for an up close view of the wintering elk. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Teams of Clydesdales pull wagons at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, giving visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune A pronghorn doe hangs out on the fringes of the main meadow at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Other commonly seen wildlife in the canyon or at the ranch include: mule deer; moose; bald eagles; coyotes and wild turkeys. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune A pair of cow elk challenge one another in a move called boxing at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune James Larsen holds his daughter Maya, 2, alongside his wife Rachel as the family from Magna experience the elk up close with extended family at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune A pair of Clydesdales pulling visitors through Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon keeps a long family tradition alive, as it gives guests a unique up close experience with anywhere from 400 to 700 head of elk depending on the winter. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Clydesdales names Beauty, left, and her daughter Little Foot pull guests close to hundreds of feeding elk in Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Several wagons being pulled by Clydesdales at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon take visitors on a unique 20 to 30 minute ride amongst the 500 elk on a recent winter weekend. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hugh Jenkins spins a few tales that he likes to mix in to the hard facts as he has some fun with a round of guests to the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The ranch, managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources was created as a way to curtail elk/human conflicts in nearby Cache Valley. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hugh Jenkins is helped along by Clydesdales at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon as he takes visitors on a unique 20 to 30 minute ride amongst the 500 elk on a recent winter weekend. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Marni Lee | Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources The annual Elk Festival at Hardware Ranch in northern Utah is being held Dec. 14. The ranch opens its popular wagon rides through the gathered wild elk the same weekend.
Marni Lee | Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources The annual Elk Festival at Hardware Ranch in northern Utah is being held Dec. 14. The ranch opens its popular wagon rides through the gathered wild elk the same weekend.
Marni Lee | Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources The annual Elk Festival at Hardware Ranch in northern Utah is being held Dec. 14. The ranch opens its popular wagon rides through the gathered wild elk the same weekend.
Marni Lee | Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources The annual Elk Festival at Hardware Ranch in northern Utah is being held Dec. 14. The ranch opens its popular wagon rides through the gathered wild elk the same weekend.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience wild Elk up close. The working ranch maintains healthy rangelands for wildlife as well as increasing public awareness through community outreach and education programs. The ranch opens Dec. 12 with the annual Rocky Mountain Elk Festival being held Dec. 13. The ranch will offer sleigh rides through mid-March.
