Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Leah Hall
Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch lodge is on Highway 12 in Utah, 160 acres of tranquility and comfort. Sweetwater Kitchen is their restaurant in the lodge, with amazing food and cocktails. Be off the grid, but still in luxury!
Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch is located in a stunning Utah valley that looks out on Sweetwater Creek, and near slickrock paradise, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It is also on Boulder Mountain in the Dixie National Forest. It is the lovely location to relax and soak up the peace (it was almost too quiet), as well as enjoy activities in the area and end the day with tasty food and drinks on property! Check out Hell’s Backbone Grill, too!
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As we talked about in our post about Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, we enjoyed our time in Boulder, Utah and the surrounding area.
The Main Lodge at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch is the focal point of the ranch. It offers a variety of different accommodations from rooms with private baths to bunk rooms. It also hosts Sweetwater Kitchen, with tasty food and beverages! We will cover more on that later.
The Great Room, also located in the Main Lodge, is a common area that offers comfy couches, board games, books, and WiFi, as well as a great view of the property. The lodge also has a wraparound deck for taking in the gorgeous views, and is used by Sweetwater Kitchen for outdoor seating.
Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch offers a southwest theme of luxurious camping, which includes hand painted teepees and yurts. They feature 168 acres of hiking paths, pastures, and beaver ponds let guests immerse themselves into the high dessert environment.
What Type of Rooms can I Book at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch?
Like we said above, a tipi is available, as well as Mongolian and Colorado yurts if you would like a elevated glamping experience. There is access to solar water heated showers and flushing toilets in their own little cute sheds. And while you may have to share these, they are clean and just a short walk away from the glamping locations.
There are bunk rooms with shared bathrooms and rooms with private baths in the lodge, as well as 3 cabins on the property. Each cabin has private baths, as well as a different size – there is a 1 bed, 2 bed and 3 bedroom options for all with different group sizes. Check out rates and info!
The Tipis and yurts are each situated on a platform with Adirondack chairs. The cabins have chairs on the front decks and tables and chair set ups to eat outside if you would like.
You can be inside or outside as much as you like, with access to the whole property while you are staying there. There are communal campfire spots that are perfect for making new friends and gazing at the starry skies above. The star gazing here is great, as there is really no light to interfere with it. So, plan on staying up late to see the beautiful skies!
We stayed in the 2 bedroom cabin – which could have slept 6 with 1 bedroom with a queen and 1 with a double and a bunk bed! 1 bathroom, but was nice and spacious and room to spread out. A great kitchen set up with a gas stove, fridge, and nicely appointed with items for cooking your own meals. They do provide drinking water for you, as the water isn’t potable on the property, but you have a water cooler that makes it easy to get filtered water.
What are the Property Amenities?
- Small office store – with some snacks & drinks, toiletries and books.
- Wifi – available in accommodations and lodge only
- Yoga – indoor and outdoor offered
- Stargazing locations
- Massages – can be arranged ahead of time and in your accommodations
- Guides for local tours: fly-fishing, horseback riding, hiking, canyoneering, etc.
- Firepits – 3 available, 1 by the lodge, 1 by the cabins and 1 by the siloon
- Guided property tours
- Hikes on the property – 1 to the waterfall meandering past the beaver ponds surrounded by bio diverse plants and seeing birds. The other is all around the property to showcase the land and water remediation projects they have completed over the years. Spot native plants, wildlife and more without even leaving the property.
- Continental breakfast included with accommodations
- Yard games: bocce ball, horseshoes
- Birding – over 200 species of birds are in the area
- Event Spaces – perfect for parties or weddings, the lounge and deck enjoy a great view of the surrounding area, as well as have outside lights to keep the party going. Sweetwater Kitchen can cater the event.
Location of Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch
Boulder Mountain Guest Rance is truly a property from mountain to desert. Located one mile from the illuminated Painted Desert of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and two miles below the aspen and pine trees of Boulder Mountain.
Surrounded by the Dixie National Forest, it is located between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park and just a few miles from the famous Burr Trail, and about 5 miles from Boulder, Utah.
Off of scenic Highway 12, the whole drive on the highway and off, are unbelievable! BMGR is truly a place to get away from it all.
Check In and Check Out Times
Check-in is from 3:00 pm on, and check out is before 10:30 AM.
Sweetwater Kitchen
The onsite restaurant, Sweetwater Kitchen, is just plain tasty! They cook items up from scratch and uses organic ingredients grown on property. The full service restaurant features delicious food items that change often and they use locally-sourced, fresh ingredients.
Plenty of hospitality with a view makes for a great dinner. The first night we were in Boulder, we emerged from our cabin and walked down to the lodge and got a table on the deck and enjoyed the sunset as well as the fresh cocktails and food.
Sweetwater Kitchen is named after the stream that slowly runs outside the restaurant, so they take a simple approach to cooking: a watercourse way of cooking. Starting with fresh and local ingredients, they try to let them tell their own story.
95% of all their ingredients used are organic. The meats are sourced from Utah and are also organic or pasture raised. The beef is sourced directly from the same property that Sweetwater Kitchen calls home. Chef Eric Arballo has visited several of the farms and participated in a ‘butchering day’ to become familiar with how meat moves from pasture to table.
Vegans, vegetarians, and people with food sensitivities will feel welcome, as they are able to cater to anyone’s requirements.
What we Ate at Sweetwater Kitchen
Jay got the Sand Creek Cocktail, which was a lovely combo of Madam Patrini Gin, elderflower liqueur, club soda and rosemary simple syrup. Light and simple. We ordered the polenta fries as an appetizer along with the bread with olive oil and vinegar. The bread was fresh and warm, and the olive oil was rich!
We are still talking about the Polenta Fries. With fire charred poblanos, Parmesan and spicy house-made ketchup, these are worth going for, just for these! One boy got the mac & cheese topped with a bread/bacon crumb, he fulfilled his mac and cheese dreams!
The other boy got the Trout Tacos, with fresh pressed masa tortillas, tartar sauce and fried trout. Jay got the tomato and honey glazed trout with risotto, and I got the cold trout salad with fried capers. If you have never had fried capers (I had not) you need to. Little salty burst of puffy air. They are amazing, and I need them again, soon!
The boys wanted dessert, but we didn’t have room! But it included a goat cheesecake and chocolate cake. The neighboring table had the chocolate cake and it looked divine. We did however, order a round of beers for the chefs. We love when that’s an option, and it can definitely help with morale on a warm day like we had!
Things to do in the Surrounding Area
- Anasazi State Park
- Scenic Byway – Highway 12 – a gorgeous and amazing drive! Between Boulder and Escalante was our favorite part!
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – Drives, hiking, slot canyons, Hell’s Backbone Scenic Drive (amazing!), Singing Canyon (echoes!), Calf Creek Falls, Petrified Forest State Park, Camping, Burr Trail Road
- Capitol Reef National Park – 1 hour north, hiking, drives, Fruita pies, camping
Other Restaurants
There aren’t many – but there are some other options in the area.
- Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm
- Burr Trail Grill
- Burr Trail Outpost
- Magnolia’s Street Food – at Anasazi State Park
- Kiva Koffeehouse – 20 miles south in Grand Staircase-Escalante
Tips & Tricks
- Pack Layers – Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch is located at 6700 feet in elevation, so the mornings and evenings can be chilly, even in summer.
- No Cell Service – there is none. There is wifi available in all accommodations and the lodge.
- No ATM – closest one is 45 minutes away in Escalante. So, if you need cash, bring some.
- 4 Wheel Drive – while not needed to get to the ranch or even up to Hell’s Backbone Bridge, it may be needed to get to some of the surrounding hiking areas.
- Water – you can bring some bottled water, and they furnish water for your use in the accommodations, but the water isn’t potable on the property.
We hope you make it to one of the most remote locations in the lower 48 states, as it is beautiful and so peaceful. And, you don’t have to give up luxuries to do so, as we show you here at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch! Make sure to check out a whole Utah National Parks Road Trip Itinerary!
Cheers!
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