Rates:
Adults: Age 12 to adult...$960/week, $495/3 day pkg., $175/day.
Children: Ages 6-12...$720/week, $375/3 day pkg., $135/day. Ages 2-6...$480 week, $255/3 day pkg., $95 day. Under 2...free.
Minimum Stay: No minimum.
Deposit: 30% down holds reservation.
Payment: Cash, Money Orders, Travelers Checks, Personal Checks.
Closest Airports: Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah
Transportation: Pickup for additional fee, rental cars at airports.

Lodging
4 authentic, rustic homesteader cabins, each renovated with electricity, hot water and bathroom. 3 cabins have a double and a single bed, and the 2 bedroom cabin is just right for a family, sleeping up to 8. Wood floors, throw rugs, and old-fashioned iron bed frames with metal spring mattresses and covered with hand-crafted denim quilts, make the cabins a cozy and comfortable place to rest after a day of activities on the ranch.

Recreation
A flexible activity schedule gives guests a say in the plans for the day. Trailrides with beautiful scenery, winding through scenic meadows, then up through dense forests and canyons, on up to mountain trails and wind-swept ridges, give a variety of terrain to ride in and offer spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and the distant Teton Peaks. Cattle drives take place throughout the week, moving some of the 500 head of cattle and calves to pasture or herding them into the corral to tag the small "dogies". Guests can learn to "throw a rope", then actually rope calves...a favorite activity. Team-penning will be an adventure for the whole group to practice their newly acquired "cowboy" skills. Canoe on the lake, and fish for the famous Idaho Cutthroat Trout, go hiking, or simply relax in the hammocks and watch the leaves of the Quaken Aspens dance in the breeze. Nearby "off-ranch" activities are many: Yellowstone National Park in Montana; Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole in Wyoming; shopping in Idaho Falls; swimming at historic Heise Hot Springs, with cool and naturally hot pools, and a scenic 9-hole golf course; Western dinner show and wagon ride at Mountain River Ranch; exciting Whitewater float trips; guided Fishing/Float trips down the famed South Fork of the Snake River; Palisades Dam and Reservoir; Yellowstone Bear World-a new attraction to the West-is a drive-thru bear and wolf park. All these and more are within a 2-hour radius of the ranch.

Interest for Children
Children love the animals on the ranch. We usually have a litter of kittens to hold, and sometimes puppies and a few rabbits. Always we have a few calves that need to be bottle-fed. Two miniature horses and a Shetland named Sugar are enjoyable for the young children...hand-led pony rides are available for children under 6. Archery and leatherworks can be taught. The old-time barn with its hay loft is also a great place for kids to play, and learning to paddle a canoe on the lake is great fun.

Food and Liquor
Meals are hearty, ranch-style meals, generally cooked outdoors and in Dutch Ovens. Lunch and breakfast are served in the lodge and dinner is eaten out around the campfire. Liquor is not served on the ranch, but is available within a few miles at bars and restaurants in Swan Valley. All buildings and rooms are non-smoking.

Business and meetings
Ranch is available for corporate groups. We can take a group of 12-15 in sleeping quarters, about 30 in the lodge for meetings. Delicious Dutch Oven meals can be served to groups. We would love to combine canoeing and great horseback riding and/or a cattle drive for your next group adventure!
Memberships
Idaho Dude & Guest Ranch Association, Idaho Outfitters and guides Association, Chambers of Commerce in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Swan Valley, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Yellowstone Teton Territory Association.

Region and Customs
Granite Creek is one of the most scenic cattle ranches in the West. Located in a beautiful agricultural, yet mountainous corner of Idaho, the ranch is nestled at the base of Streeper Mountain. The cluster of buildings is situated by the reservoir which is fed by a small clear creek which runs by the cabins, barn and corrals, and is surrounded by 4000 acres of timber and range land and some farm land. It borders the Caribou National Forest. Buildings are rustic ranch style, most of them built around the 1900's by the original homesteaders who used logs from the pine forests. Electricity and bathrooms have been added, making the cabins very cozy and comfortable. The guest ranch is operated in conjunction with the working cattle ranch and farm.

History and Hosts
Peter Zitlau, a German immigrant, came to America at the age of 14. He came West to Idaho in the late 1800's and "homesteaded". Homesteading was a process in which new settlers could claim 160 acres of land by living on it and improving it for at least 5 years. Then the land, which the government had obtained by driving off the Indians, became the property of the new settlers. Homesteading was essentially over when he came, but one farmer had left his 80 acres before the five years, so it became available again. Peter took this land up as his homestead in the valley, but since he was eligible for another 80 acres, he went to the courthouse and looked over the land maps. He found another 80 acres on Granite Creek next to the Caribou National Forest, so he applied for and was granted the land. This gave him a start and over the next 30 years he and his son, Fred Zitlau, bought up land from other homesteads until they had acquired over 3000 acres. This passed on to Carl Zitlau, Fred's son, and since then, more acreage has been added. Carl and Nessie Zitlau are the owners and have 7 children, who are the 4th generation of Zitlaus to enjoy this beautiful ranch.

Itinerary
A hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes greets guests each morning at the lodge, or a simpler meal of cereal, fruit and juice gets everyone going for the day. Wranglers teach guests how to saddle, ride and care for your horse, Western style. Trailrides and cattle drives leave from the corral and barn. Riders are on the trail for a few hours, enjoying the beauty of the forests and all the incredible vistas. Lunch and a cabin break bring them back to ranch headquarters.

The afternoon will be filled with another trail ride, or fishing and canoeing, or hiking, or practicing calf roping. Team-penning is a major activity for the whole group. Guests who like unlimited riding will have their dream fulfilled, while others might enjoy learning a bit of leatherworking.

Trailrides are many and varied...from flat meadow land to the tops of the mountains surrounding the ranch, or onto the Caribou Forest land and down into Garden Creek and up the Old Stagecoach Road, which was the main entrance into Swan Valley in the early days. Moose, elk, deer and coyotes are often seen on the ranch, as well as skunk, beaver, porcupine and other small animals and birds.

Evening finds us gathered around the blazing campfire for a luscious, home-cooked meal. Tales of the old west, or bear stories, or stories of the new adventures begin, along with campfire songs. The coyotes may begin to howl as the night descends. The moon peeks, then rises over the hill, enormous and golden, and the stars begin to twinkle in the clear night sky. As the fire dies, and the days events catch up with us, we retire to the cabins. The entire ranch experience gives the feeling of going back in time and being a part of the "Old West".