Community - Circle Z Ranch
Best Family-Owned & Operated Guest Ranch 2023 – Arizona
Nestled in the heart of the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona, Circle Z Ranch (Circle Z) has long been held and appreciated as conservation land for present and future generations. Owned and operated by the Nash family since 1976, its down-to-earth style is reflected in its friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We speak to Diana Nash to learn more as the ranch celebrates a win in the Resort and Retreat Awards 2023.
Whether it’s solo travellers, family groups, or friends, all visitors find Circle Z’s outstanding hospitality and well cared for facilities to be the best in the industry. All guests are greeted with clean and comfortable accommodation, quality made-from-scratch meals, hundreds of miles of horseback riding trails, a herd of 100 well-trained and friendly horses, and a team that will go the extra mile in every interaction.
We are family-owned and -operated and we take great pride in getting to know our guests individually and introducing them to the ranch lifestyle,” explains Diana Nash, the third generation owner of the ranch. “Our guests quickly become part of our family and most return to enjoy our ranch for many years.
With core values revolving around its deep commitment to the property, its horses, its guests, and also its staff, it’s no surprise Circle Z is a popular choice for travellers – plus, as the oldest continually operating guest ranch in Arizona, guests can rest assured that the dedicated owners and team really know their stuff and have created and nurtured an upbeat and welcoming atmosphere for every person who walks through the door.
We take impeccable care of our horse herd and our property, and it shows in every detail around the ranch,” Diana elaborates. “Our team buys into our values because our leadership team is positive, supportive, and treat each individual as family.”
In fact, so renowned for the great treatment of its staff is Circle Z, that most of its recruitment comes from word of mouth due to its excellent reputation within the industry. Many of the staff members return to the ranch year after year on seasonal basis (operating from October to April) and the internal culture is that everyone simply works hard as a team and is encouraged to have fun. As both the managers and owners are hands-on, working alongside the staff and nurturing working relationships, they are truly leading by example.
The travel industry is booming after the pandemic and the nature-based travel sector, which has always been a popular choice, is now experiencing an even higher demand as people clammer to engage their wild side and experience as much of the world as possible.
Circle Z is the perfect choice, being situated in the most scenic and most diverse part of the southwest with beautiful landscapes. The ever flowing Sonoita Creek which runs through the property offers a riparian area, a rarity in Arizona, and is lined with cottonwood trees, sycamores, and a habitat rich with birds and mammals.
We ride through high mountain desert, beautiful grasslands, and steep canyons painted in the rich colours of the desert,” enthuses Diana. “Guests typically stay at the ranch for one week, and along with the great horseback riding and beautiful scenery, they also experience cookouts, roping demonstrations, nature walks, and yoga. We have a heated swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a game room, a beautiful historic lodge where we take our meals, and a cantina for guest socialising and evening cocktail hour.” 
Recently, for its dedication and commitment to its staff and guests, Circle Z Ranch gained notable recognition in the Resort and Retreat Awards and was named Best Family-Owned & Operated Guest Ranch 2023 – Arizona.
Now, the 2023/2024 season is already looking set to be a busy one and Diana is adding in extras to the ranch’s offerings, including a horsemanship clinic for those wanting to gain more confidence in their riding. This is in addition to gearing up for the 100-year anniversary which is quickly approaching in 2026 and calls for a huge celebration!
Resorts & Retreats Awards 2023 (lux-review.com)
A young Miko Lorta studying the daily riding orders
Saddle up for adventure: Dude ranch foreman shows you the ropes at Circle Z Ranch
What do people do on a dude ranch? Get a glimpse of life on the range
A family-friendly dude ranch
Rick and Diana Nash are the Circle Z owners, continuing the legacy of Lucia Nash, who bought the 6,000 acres of southern Arizona land that comprise the ranch, which is abutted by the Coronado National Forest and other protected state lands.
Located 13 miles from the Mexican border and 60 miles south of Tucson International Airport, the Nash’s ranch encompasses grasslands, canyons, mountains, lakes, and a section of the Sonoita Creek. The family depends on the Lorta clan — George and Jennie, who have managed the Circle Z for close to 50 years, and their son Miko, who has helped out on the ranch since he was a boy and is now the dude ranch foreman.
Relaxation and adventure in Patagonia, Arizona
With only enough rooms for 36 guests and not a television on site, Circle Z Ranch is a place where one can get away from it all for true relaxation and escape from the everyday. Guests have access to a swimming pool, game room, tennis, and pickleball courts and a cantina. Along with horseback riding lessons, clinics, and trail riding, there’s a host of ranching activities and nature explorations to truly embrace the natural beauty of Patagonia, Arizona.
Circle Z Ranch welcomes guests from October to May each year, but that doesn’t slow down Miko Lorta, the ranch foreman, who is living out life in his dream job, all year round. We asked him to tell us more about what running a dude ranch means to the 36-year-old foreman; not surprisingly, it starts with a love of both the ranch and the horses.
10Best: When did you realize you wanted to be the ranch foreman?
Lorta: From when I was little, and always. There was no second guess. I always pretty much knew what I wanted to do. I really didn’t say it out loud, ‘I want to take over my dad’s job,’ but I knew that I could follow in his footsteps. But it’s kind of hard to follow in his footsteps, because I’ll never be as good as he was. I hope I can come close. He’s perfected the job for so long!
10Best: When did you take over? And tell us what the job really entails at the Circle Z Ranch?
Lorta: I worked for one year in the summer for the Forest Service in 2005. And then my dad’s back went out, so I made a decision and came straight back and started working here full time. Day to day, things change all the time here, but mainly I take care of all the horses. I’m up at 5:30 a.m., and so is my crew of seven. They go feed the horses, and, by 6:30 a.m., we have breakfast. Then I assign all the horses and saddles to the individual guests.
Sometimes I shoe a horse too. By 9:30 a.m., I separate all our rides for the day. That depends on how many people we have and how many rides I have posted. I don’t go on the rides. I have people to do that, but I go every once in a while.
The rest of the day, I am fixing something. There’s always something to be fixed on a ranch! We also have cattle to check on and horses that need to be doctored. I pretty much do anything that needs to be done: fix a water pipe in the kitchen, help birth a foal, whatever needs to be done.
I’m even the cook sometimes. I do some grilling. I’m always doing something when we are cooking on picnic days. We cook barbecue ribs and chicken. On Mondays, we have steak nights. I’m pretty much everywhere on the ranch!
Ranked among the best dude ranches in the US
10Best: Why do you think the ranch was voted among the 10 best dude ranches in the United States?
Lorta: I think what sets us apart is that our ranch is a smaller operation. We take about 30 people maximum in a week. And the people that come and visit us, our guests, we really treat them like family here. We want them to come back, come back every year. And we know they come to ride. I’m going to say 100 percent of the people that come down here come to ride. And we give it to them. If they stay a full week, they’ll probably get close to 70 or 80 miles of riding.
10Best: Is there a next generation coming up in the Lorta family that plans to keep up the tradition of being the dude ranch foreman?
Lorta: I’m very fortunate to have my wife and my daughter here on the ranch with me. My daughter is 11, and I’m raising my daughter like I was raised. She rides; she helps out on the ranch. But right now, she’s playing volleyball, basketball, and softball, so she’s got a busy schedule. I encourage her to be the best she can, whatever she decides to do.
Boynton Beach, FL—-How2Media, the producers of the television show “World’s Greatest!…”, selected Circle Z Ranch to be a part of the popular television series.
For over 96 years, Circle Z Ranch has offered the most sought after and authentic dude ranch experience in the United States. With the vast open spaces of desert, grasslands, and mountain vistas; the expertly trained horses; and the painstakingly appointed cottages, Circle Z Ranch is the gold standard of dude ranches. They are widely acknowledged as one of the few remaining original dude ranches in the country. “We think their story will be meaningful as well as educational to our viewers” said Kyle Freeman, Executive Producer of the show.
“Alongside the Lorta family, we have devoted our lives to providing an authentic and incomparably rich dude ranch experience to thousands of guests and have preserved thousands of acres of the most diverse landscape in the United States. We are humbled to be a part of the Worlds Greatest TV show” said Diana and Rick Nash, owners of the Circle Z Ranch.
Air Times:
Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 2:30 pm Eastern time – Bloomberg TV
Sunday, June 18, 2023 at 2:30 pm Eastern time – Bloomberg TV
Channels:
On DirecTV: Channel 353.
On DISH Network: Channel 203.
On Cable: Depends on your local area and carrierannounced today that they have recently
Join us at the Historic Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia, Arizona for the The Essential Elements of Horsemanship® with clinician and trainer Lee Smith. October 23-27, 2023
To book contact [email protected] or call 1-520-394-2525
You will learn to:
- Establish a relationship with your horse.
- Gain confidence to feel safe with your horse.
- Gain discipline in horsemanship skills.
This “Ranch Clinic” will take place in our covered arena, out on our trails, and at our Creek Ranch location for a day of cattle work. Lee will also have a colt starting demonstration with one of our ranch youngsters. For your participation, you can bring your own horse or use one of our excellent trail horses. We will offer three pricing options: an all-inclusive stay with the use of our horse; an all-inclusive stay and bringing your own horse; and a daily trailer in and trailer out with lunch provided. We only offer the use of our horses if the participant is staying at the ranch. No auditors at this clinic.
NOTE FROM LEE: If you are performing in Reining, Dressage, Cutting, Jumping, Barrel Racing, Endurance Riding, any Competitive Events, or just heading down the trail? Regardless of your discipline, Lee Smith can help you raise your level of performance and presentation. No matter the setting, the partnership of horse and rider working together in harmony is inspiring to observe and even more exciting to experience. Lee will offer insight, skills and instructions to enjoy the events you like now, while developing your horse and horsemanship in the process through feel, timing, balance, and an understanding of equine psychology.
PRICING FOR THIS CLINIC
- Package 1: All-inclusive with use of ranch horse – $3600.00
Includes 6 nights of lodging and meals, use of facilities, use of a ranch horse and tack, 6 night and the fee for Lee Smith. Check-in Sunday 4-6 pm, Check-out Saturday 9 am - Package 2: All-inclusive and bring your own horse – $3350.00
Includes 6 nights of lodging and meals, use of facilities, use of a stall, fee for Lee Smith. Does not include feed for horse. Check-in Sunday 4-6 pm, Check-out Saturday 9 am - Package 3: Daily bring your own horse – $2425.00
Lunch, use of facilities for the day, fee for Lee Smith. Does not include feed for horse.
*Sales Tax and Service Charge included in pricing
*25% deposit due upon booking, 90-day cancellation policy
ABOUT LEE SMITH
Lee Smith lives on a cattle ranch in Estancia, New Mexico. She and her husband Mark have a cow-calf operation and raise quality Quarter horses at their Harmony Hills Ranch. Lee has conducted hundreds of clinics and demonstrations throughout the U.S. and Canada since 1991 as well as teaching ranch horse classes at the Diamond S. Lee considers herself a student of the horse, and lucky to have shared her experience with thousands of horse people from throughout the world.
Lee is a gifted and eloquent teacher who has extraordinary insight into horses and people. She shares what she sees as if speaking for the horse and thus provides her students with the opportunity to observe the exchange of communication between horse and human. Teaching people to learn from the horse.
Lee leads people on a pathway of discovery to the essential elements of horsemanship. She helps them to unlock their potential to understand the mind, body and spirit of the horse using what naturally happens, and then shows them how to appreciate and build upon the incredible moments of harmony that are possible. Lee believes that through life’s experiences (horse related or not), the answers lie within us.
Clinics around the country are conducted to prepare you and your horse for a greater level of performance. While clinic material may vary, each emphasizes communication with your horse without force or fear to establish a willing partnership rather than resistance. The goal is a horse that is soft, gentle and responsive that moves smoothly and relaxed in every situation. Lee will share her philosophy on building the confidence of the horse and rider through mutual trust and respect.
Whatever your interests, Lee can offer you insight and skills to enjoy the events you like now, while you develop your horse and your horsemanship. Join Lee and learn the essential elements of quality horsemanship.
The Circle Z Ranch is officially open for our 96th Season as Arizona’s Oldest Guest Ranch! Our Ranch family is excited to serve you on your horseback riding vacation this season.
Our off season was filled with fixing fences (always!) and working with our young horses. The progression of our 3 and 4 year old youngsters has been very positive under training with Kelly, Diana, Jennie, Miko, and Omar. We were finally able to get Ginger, Lexi, Flash, and Dolce under saddle and riding out on the range this summer. We look forward to many more rides with them!
The summer monsoons started late but brought an above average amount of rain, always appreciated with our drought conditions. If you are here earlier in the season you will see the lovely green grasses and the trees lush with leaves. This Fall should bring some amazing colors to the Sycamore, Cottonwoods and Ash trees which adorn our native habitats.
We are looking forward to introducing you to our new staff so check out the article below introducing the new and the return staff. This is a talented and friendly bunch and we have all been having a great time getting the ranch ready and doing some team building.
Please join us this Season at our beautiful ranch property. We continue to fuss over every detail from the corrals to the kitchen and in the rooms.
We can’t wait to see you!
The Circle Z Family
Our 96th season runs from October 30, 2022-April 23, 2023. We look forward to welcoming our friends from around the world back to the ranch for our 96th year!
Order Our New Circle Z Ranch Cook Book!
The Circle Z Ranch Cookbook features over 150 recipes by Pastry Chef Lydia Fairlamb and Chef Eric Williams that have been branded with an “outstanding and seriously good” approval rating by our valued Ranch Guests, A culinary tradition of our fine cuisine from The Circle Z Ranch kitchen can now be recreated in the comfort of your own home. This historic collection of recipes is now available to you in the first edition of The Circle Z Ranch Cookbook, available in our gift shop or from our online publisher. ORDER ONLINE
We are offering several specials for our 2022-2023 guest season. Here is a brief description of dates that still have availability. Let us know how we can help in planning your Dude Ranch Vacation!
Pre-Christmas Special 10%-20% Off
We have limited availability in our pre-Christmas special dates, which runs from November 27-December 18, 2022. Depending on the week chosen, we are offering from 10%-20% off of our published rates.
Pre-Christmas Short Stay Special 25% Off
There is plenty of space available for this 4 Day stay from December 18-December 22, 2022
New Years Special 25% Off
What a fantastic deal, chose from either a 4 day or a 7 day vacation package from December 29, 2022-January 5, 2023
Adult only Weeks 10% Off
These popular specials run from January 8-January 28, 2023 and there is still limited availability
https://www.circlez.com/ranch-specials/
Announcing our Fall 2021 Re-Opening!
Arizona’s Original Dude Ranch begins our 95th season on October 31st and we are thrilled to welcome our friends back to Southern Arizona! Though much at the ranch has changed over the years, so much has remained unchanged: outstanding horses, great food, comfortable accommodations, and fun for every generation! Each cottage has been remodeled, our horses are fully rested and ready to work after a very long break, and our new kitchen crew is working hard on planning our made-from-scratch menu. Reservations for this season are filling up very quickly, so if you have yet to schedule your vacation, now is the time to do it!
Our 95th season runs from October 31, 2021-April 17, 2022. We look forward to welcoming our friends from around the world back to the ranch for our 95th year!
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Here’s What’s New this Year
DINING: Our dining room is fully remodeled and doubled in size, with nice lighting and ventilation, a full- service buffet area, and an expanded outside patio. We have also placed outdoor tables around the ranch for those wishing to grab a to-go container and eat outdoors.
GUEST ACTIVITIES: George and his crew built a volley-ball court near the tennis court and horseshoe area, spreading sand to soften the footing. Yoga is back twice a week with Mariam, helping you limber up after a long day in the saddle. We have a new offering of “Sip-n-Create” with Heather Buton on Thursdays. Show off your creative side while decorating horseshoes, painting, or jewelry-making and have some wine on us. We have purchased 4 new kayaks for our guests’ use at Patagonia Lake! The kayaks will be stored at the Lakes’ Visitor Center, alongside paddles and life jackets. Just let us know if you are interested in some paddling and we will set you up with a day pass at the Lake!
ENTERTAINMENT: We will have Joe Barr back performing music and poetry at the campfire on Wednesday nights and Bill Ganz filling up the cantina with his guitar and vocals on Saturday night. Vince Pinto will still be leading the way with his expertise in local flora and fauna on Wednesday morning. We are sorry to say that Paul Michaelson has retired this year from selling jewelry and Zapotec weavings and it will take some time to fill his shoes! Heather has agreed to bring along some of her unique creations to sell at Thursday’s Sip-n-Create.
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At the Corrals
Our herd of horses fared very well over their year off. Rested and healthy, they had plenty of grazing when the record-breaking monsoons hit in July! Over the past year we have been working with 7 new horses for our guest herd, so welcome Bueno, Cinch, Dwayne, Picante, Saffron, Rip, and Taz. They will all be great horses for our guests.
You will be seeing more of our young horses being ridden by our wranglers out on the trails: Fargo, Pablo, Cocoa, Apollo, Martina, Comet, Louie, Bourbon and Aztec. We are so fortunate to have the time and expertise to bring these horses along and to watch them progress as friendly and responsive horses.
While getting the horses ready for our guest season, there are so many details to cross off our list: shoeing, dental work, vaccinations, and cleaning burrs out of manes and tails. The trails have become very over-grown following the heavy rains, and it has taken our wranglers a lot of work to clear them from mesquite, cat-claw, and all the other thorny desert growth.
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Our Specials
Along with our always popular pre-holiday, adults only, and rough riders week, we are adding another exciting week: Women’s Only Cowgirl Up Week! Please follow the link for all the fun facts to help you plan your vacation.
Our Staff
Our General Management Team remains Jennie and George Lorta, the best hosts anyone could ask for. Their son Miko is still keeping the horses and guests happy at the Corrals. Jenna has taken over in the office and is doing a great job keeping the reservations and gift shop organized! Meg continues as our bookkeeper, and we are very grateful for her watchful eye! Our kitchen crew whipping up meals will be extraordinary chefs Eric, David, and Lydia, plus our Kitchen aide David. Waitstaff is Mariam, Angie, Sabrina, Autumn, and Emily, who will greet you every day with smiles and fresh coffee. Our meticulous housekeeping team is Maria, Anna, and Myrna. Raul is back to help us keep the grounds lush and inviting. Rounding out our staff are the wranglers! Returning are Alice, Maddie, Kelly and Omar, who is now our year-round ranch hand. We are happy to welcome new wranglers Payden, Kim, and Ted, three great horse-people who are excited to get to know you!
This year we spent a considerable amount of time exploring for, and developing new trails around the ranch property for our guests to enjoy come this Fall. Some of the trails open up new terrain and some incorporate old routes with a new twist! We thought it would be fun to take you along for the ride so you can see what goes into finding and developing new trails, where these new route are, their names, and how we plan on using them!
So the fun part is going out to look for new trails. We always have an idea in mind of the areas we want to explore and open up, so we spend time exploring these spots either by horseback or by hiking, Following old game or cattle trails is super helpful, especially when in steep terrain, because the animals always know the easy ways up or down a canyon! A couple of the trails this year were made to extend particular trails into loops, and it was a matter of visualizing, then hiking to find the best connection.
After we identify the chosen route, the real work begins. We load up chainsaws, loppers, small saws, McCleods and really good work shoes and gloves! With 5-7 staff, we start sawing mesquite trees, chiseling through cat claw (which is a nasty as it sounds) and kicking, lifting, or scraping rocks off of the trail. And just when you think you have found the best way up a steep canyon, Omar or Jennie will find a better way, which is great because that’s team work at it’s finest!
So here are the trails we’ve improved or rerouted.
- Nancy Howard Trail. Widened this trail in several areas and removed rocks. Also made a connecting loop to Bradford Mine (which was only an out and back trail).
- Sand Canyon. Removed lots of rocks from a steep area that circle up and around some large boulders in the canyon
- The Trogan Trail: This is a rerouting of Steph’s Trail by the lake, which had become washed out and was also very steep! The new route is much gentler and adds about 30 minutes to this ride.
And here are the new trails:
- Preston’s Trail connects Nash ridge with the old Stacy’s trail to the North of Circle Z Mountain. This trail does have some steeps, so is more for riders comfortable with that. It opens up some really beautiful views of Squaw Gulch. A good ride for those wanting a longer trail on the way home from the Chuck-wagon cookout.
- Hideout Trail is a replacement trail for Smugglers, which had become too washed out and rocky. This trail connects off of Jesses Trail and is gentle,with great views to the North and Mount Wrightson.
- The DJ Trail heads out of, or towards (depending on your starting point), the Bar Z Cook out area. The views are stunning of the Patagonia Mountain range and of Castle Butte and weaves in and out of some cool rock formation.
- The Hohokam Trail is another near the Bar Z Cookout, and will be great for all day rides or the Bar Z Cookout ride. Whether you take the loop that goes all the way around Castle Butte, or the straight shot to the South of Castle Butte, you feel like you are using trails that were once used by the natives. And there are some surprises along the way!!
- The Sierra Loop will make for a wonderful afternoon ride, as it heads in the direction of the Patagonia Mountains, and the lights and shadows are really great in the afternoon. We are considering offering this ride as a “photography” ride for those wanting a photo on their horse as a keepsake.
We are thrilled to introduce our new Logo for the Circle Z Guest Ranch, which will be used in many different ways including embroidered on our popular ranch wear items in our gift shop. Imagining this new design was a creative group effort, with many members of our team giving their thoughts. We wanted the logo to speak to who we are, and to portray a more contemporary feel, while holding on to our deep and historic origins. It was important to represent the history of the ranch, exuding the simplicity of life here at the ranch, along with the authenticity we continue to offer our guests. And most of all, we wanted to represent the reverence we hold for the foundation of our ranch: our horses.
Many of you who have been to the ranch will recall the beautiful artwork in our cantina, showing Mrs. Zinsmeister, the original ranch owner, and her horse El Sultan, the original ranch stallion, bowing in front of the ranch gate. This was the inspiration for our logo. We hope you like it, and we look forward to introducing it to the look and feel of our ranch.
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Introducing the new team members of Circle Z