MOUNT CARMEL, Utah — Jumping off the top of a building and soaring over a meadow while suspended beneath a zip line.
Blasting through huge mud puddles on all-terrain vehicles.
Carefully ascending a climbing wall and rapidly rappelling down it.
Skeet shooting with shotguns and riding horses to the edge of Zion National Park.
You can enjoy more small adventures in a single morning at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort than some people experience in years.
The all-inclusive family resort is a great option for anyone looking for an active vacation in this rugged section of southwestern Utah.
"Zion Ponderosa is one of the only all-inclusive resorts in the West and the only ranch-style resort in Utah that offers one price for all food, lodging and activities," promises Mike Grass, spokesman for the resort.
Zion Ponderosa covers 8,000 acres of forests and meadows that gently rise from the east rim of Zion National Park's canyon toward tree-covered Clear Creek Mountain, which offers a dramatic backdrop on the eastern horizon.
Because Zion Ponderosa is at a higher elevation than the desert of Zion Canyon, temperatures usually are 10 to 15 degrees cooler at the resort. That's an attribute when summer temperatures exceed 100 degrees down in the heart of the park. When it rained in Zion one late October day, Zion Ponderosa got a coating of snow.
The biggest disappointment of my stay was that rain canceled a hike from Zion Ponderosa into the national park. Such hikes begin at high points of some of the park's toughest trails and descend into Zion Canyon.
Guests check in at the attractive log lodge, which has electric lanterns and an artificial waterfall outside. Next to the lodge is the recreation barn, with two doors at the top of its tower. One door is for the zip line, the other for the climbing and rappelling wall.
I enjoyed my ATV ride the most — especially being enveloped in waves of mud that coated me from head to toe.
I was most looking forward to horseback riding. But my horse, Patches, had only one speed: slow forward. And a miserable downpour cut short the ride to a spot where I could look out over, but not appreciate, Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park.
A daily summer "kids camp" provides up to eight hours of supervised activities for children 3 to 12. They can rappel and ride the zip line. However, they must be 8 to ride horses and 16 to ride ATVs. Pony rides are available for younger children.
The isolated resort is more than 15 miles from the nearest town. While evening activities are scheduled during warm weather months, there's not much to do at night in the off-season. Cabins have no phones or TVs. Some don't even have decent reading lights. Although not open round-the-clock, the recreation barn does have foosball, ping pong, pool tables, toys, games, puzzles and a big-screen TV.
Zion Ponderosa's prices include three meals a day. Its food, served buffet-style in the lodge, is basic but good and plentiful. Breakfasts include pancakes and omelets. At supper, guests can order grilled rib-eye steaks, fish or marinated turkey breast.
Zion Ponderosa has 16 Cabin Suites, clean and modern three-room cabins with bathrooms and electric heat. Some even have fireplaces. It also has eight one-room Cowboy Cabins, whose bathrooms are in a separate shower house, two full-size family cabins and campsites.
One couple stayed two nights for an all-inclusive $357.