Bison Tours
Take a tour and learn more about the Zapata Ranch bison herd. A knowledgeable staff member will guide you through the 50,000 acre portion of the ranch known as the Medano, with the aim of getting you up close to the herd of 2,000 North American plains bison.
Bison Tours at the Zapata
The tour is designed to provide you with opportunities to view and photograph the bison, but, more uniquely, it is also designed to educate you about the ways in which we manage this “conservation herd.”
A quintessential stop on the tour is the bison barn–the ranch's bison handling facility–an impressive series of alleys, pens, and catwalks culminating in a hydraulic squeeze chute. We run the entire herd of bison through this specially-designed facility every fall.
The tour will also provide some history of the Medano Ranch, including a stop at the Old Medano Headquarters, a set of ranch buildings that date back to the 1870s and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
What to Know
Bison tours are available March to October Thursday through Sunday. They depart from the Zapata Ranch Lodge at 10am and advanced reservations are required.
Cost is $50 per person and each two hour tour is limited to seven participants.
Transportation is provided in a ranch vehicle.
Reservations are only available within 30 days of the tour date.
Since the bison have free-roaming access to 50,000 mostly road-free acres, we can not guarantee bison sightings on every tour. We keep an eye out for other wildlife like pronghorn, foxes, elk, porcupine, birds of prey, and more.
Bison Tour reservations can be made by phone at 719-641-2089 or by email at stay@ranchlands.com Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm MST.
Questions about Bison Tours the day of your tour or outside of regular weekday business hours may be answered by calling the Zapata Office at 719-378-2356 daily, 8am - 5pm MST.
