Tucson Dude Ranch Industry Becoming Dud

Another dude bit the dust in 2007.

Citing difficulty in sustaining a dude guest ranch, the owners of Lazy K Bar Guest Ranch in Marana have leased the property and changed its focus to a venue for weddings and corporate gatherings.

Its departure from the dude ranch scene leaves Tucson with just two spots where guests can check in, saddle up and play cowboy, or cowgirl.

``We are one generation away from no dude ranches existing in the way that we know today,'' said Russell True, co-owner of White Stallion Ranch in Tucson. ``I've watched Tucson go from 30-plus dude ranches to two.''

While some smaller ranch owners survived by letting their guests ride on vacant land around their property, Tucson's growth boxed them in and the sight of rooftops discouraged some visitors, he said.

``Riding through people's backyards is not the scene people wanted,'' said True, who is also vice president of The Dude Ranchers' Association, a national group.

Part of the dude ranch charm is that they are small, he said, but the operations still incur big-hotel costs such as offering gym facilities and full kitchens.

That, True said, is the bright side of the business.

``There won't be a chain of Wal-Mart-style dude ranches moving in,'' he said. ``There's no money in it.''

Although Tucson's tourism image is always evolving, interest in the rustic West is still high, said Jonathan Walker, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau.

``The dude ranch and the Wild West culture is still an important part of what we are,'' he said.

And, it's an image that the visitors bureau actively promotes, especially in Europe, Walker said.

He lamented the latest closure but predicts Tucson will always have some form of dude ranch presence.

The state has 11 dude ranches from Wickenburg to Patagonia, according to the Arizona Dude Ranch Association. In the 1940s, there were close to 50 just in the greater Tucson area.

Aside from the White Stallion, Tucson's only other dude ranch is the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch.

As for the Lazy K, near Continental Reserve, its 25 guest rooms are no longer available to rent for the general public, said Peter Evans, one of the property owners.

Big Sky Riders Inc., which now leases and manages the property, is promoting it for weddings, conventions and corporate retreats with a Western theme, and the guest rooms can be used as part of a package. The property can accommodate up to 500 people for under-roof dining.

Evans said encroachment was definitely part of Lazy K's demise.

``Part of the appeal of a dude ranch is that it's remote,'' he said. ``Lazy K is no longer remote.''

At this point, Evans and his co-owners, wife Kathleen Orr, Jim Shiner and Amy Shiner, don't plan to sell the 157-acre property.

``Our plan is to let it sit there for a while and see what happens,'' he said, noting that the decision to relinquish the dude ranch part of the operation was difficult.

``It's sad for us,'' Evans said. ``Another dude dies.''