TRAVEL – Silvies Valley Ranch

Silvies Valley Ranch
Golf and Play on the Ranch

Story by Heidi Chackel
Photography provided by Silvies Valley Ranch

When you want to get away, a ranch resort just might be the ticket, and Silvies Valley Ranch is the perfect destination. Lying east of Bend and north of Burns in Central Oregon, it’s about a half-day drive from Medford and about three hours from Boise. Silvies is an operating ranch with around 4,500 head of cattle and 3,000 goats, along with horses, cowboys, and ranch hands. Golf is one of the main reasons to head to the ranch, with six new, award-winning courses. But there are myriad other opportunities to recreate and relax year-round on 150,000 acres with rolling hills, forest and meadows, as well as creeks, wetlands and the Silvies River. Whether golfing, exploring, or engaging in other activities, you are likely to see grazing antelope, deer, elk, sandhill cranes, osprey, bald eagles and much more.

A stay at Silvies is an amazing adventure for the whole family and an incomparable golf experience for players of every skill level. The six courses were designed and built by Dan Hixson and maintained by Torin Foster, who also helped build and maintain the courses since design began in 2009. The courses are built on 600 acres of high desert ponderosa pine forest and are the highest elevation courses (5,000 feet) in Oregon. The reversible Hankins and Craddock Courses, both 18-hole championship courses, ranked in Golfweek’s top 50 courses in the United States. McVeigh’s Gauntlet is a stunning 7-hole razor ridge challenge course, and Chief Egan is a fun, mountain meadow 9-hole par 3 course.

A “must play,” The Bucket List Golf. The 18-hole courses were the first reversible championship courses built in the world in over 450 years (since the Old Course at St. Andrews in 1552) and the first ever in the U.S. The course direction is reversed each day to create a different and more sustainable layout with a variety of pin placements and tee box options, creating an opportunity for thousands of unique rounds.

Named for the pioneering Hankins clan who homesteaded much of the ranch, the Hankins course provides an unforgettable perspective of the natural landscape and elevations—at 5,000 feet in the desert—that highlights the playing experience and gives you long drives. The course was voted Best New Course in the U.S. by Golf Digest (#4) and Best Resort Course by Golfweek (#25). 200 golfers have recorded driving the longest drive of their lives on Hankins, The Hixon hole. The course is located on Paiute Creek, which is believed to be close to Chief Egan’s last camp. (Chief Egan was the last War Chief of the Paiute Tribe who engaged the U.S. Calvary in 1882.)

McVeigh’s Gauntlet is named for Myles McVeigh, a homesteader from Scotland, known to drink “a little” whiskey with the Craddock and Hankins boys, and with Charlie Owens (rumored to be his moonshining partner). McVeigh’s Gauntlet, a challenge course for you and your friends, also features the now world-famous Goat Caddies, who grew up on the ranch and really know these courses. McVeigh was named Best New Golf Experience in the U.S. by GOLF Magazine.

The Craddock was named for Jake Craddock and his four sons, who originally settled much of the ranch and helped consolidate it from over 70 smaller ranches into the ranch you experience today. Craddock’s championship 18-hole layout was voted Best New Course in the U.S. by Golf Digest (#3) and Best Resort Course by Golfweek (#32).

Course Details

Hankins Course

18 Holes, Par 70 | 7,075 Yards from Back Tees

G.O.A.T. Tees (Highest and Longest Course in the Pacific Northwest)

Chief Egan Course

9 Holes, Par 29 | 875 Yards from Back Tees

McVeigh’s Gauntlet

7 Holes, Par 25 | 1,177 Yards from Back Tees

Craddock Course

18 Holes, Par 71 | 7,035 Yards from Back Tee

Claire’s Courses

18 Hole Reversible Putting Course

Orange Course, 720 Yards, Par 36

Black Course, 720 Yards, Par 36

Property Amenities

Spa, Horseback Riding, Disc Golf, Lap Pool,
Hot Tubs, Saunas, Shooting, Fishing

Restaurant/Dining

The Dining Room, The Posse’s Den,

Egan’s Hideout, Boxed Lunches,

Picnic, Chuck Wagon

Rooming and Accommodations

Ranchers Suites, Sunrise Cabins,

RV Spaces, Lakeside Log Cabins,
Eco Rental Cabins

Lodging

Eighteen Ranch House Suites are available, each with its own entry/exit to the golf course, the spa, or any number of other adventures. Silvies Valley Ranch also has eight Lakeside Log Cabins, three new Sunrise Cabins, and three new rental eco cabins. The Rendezvous Coach and RV Park offers excellent amenities and a shuttle service to The Retreat, Lodge, and activities.

Spa Amenities

Whether you want to relax and be pampered or exercise, The Rocking Heart Spa is there for you with a half-size Olympic lap pool, saunas, hot tubs, and a climbing wall. Other treatments include body and foot massages, facials, manis/pedis, skin and nail treatments, and more.

Outdoor Activities

If you want to put on your walking shoes or hiking boots, there are 50 miles of private trails to explore. With so much to see, you might find one of the ranch tours more suitable with a private ATV tour. Or, jump on horseback—our horses graze on some of the finest grasses this region has to offer. Maybe fishing is your thing, or biking, or disc golf. To experience ranch life, guests may witness cattle roundups and goat herding. Young or old, you will want to sign on for a wagon ride in spring, summer, or fall. In winter, there is disc golf, snowshoeing, sledding, sleigh rides, snow bikes, state of the art XC ski trails, ice fishing, and cool golf.

Pasture to Table Dining

When it comes to food, the ranch has the best to offer—The Lodge, The Posse’s Den (for private dining), Egan’s Hideout, The Patio (for snacks and sweets), boxed lunches, picnics, and an authentic chuck wagon. Meat served at Silvies Valley Ranch is their own, grass-finished beef and chevon (goat). Heritage Beef, their special line, is from cattle developed from old lines and fattened naturally on grass, clover, and wildflowers. At The Lodge, guests enjoy meals at the Ranch Table, meeting other guests and ranch hands. The breakfast menu offers various meat and egg combinations featuring the ranch’s own beef and sausage, as well as sourdough toast and pancakes house made from a 100-year-old family starter. The lunch menu lists burgers, sandwiches, soup, or salad. Dinner entrees include steak and sausage (from their own beef), and trout, which you may catch if you wish). Guests may sample over 110 different scotches and 50 other whiskeys and select from an extensive wine list.

Real Estate & Eco Cabins

If you love Silvies Valley Ranch so much you want to return again and again, you might consider purchasing a vacation cabin. The cabins fit the ranch’s commitment to being environmentally friendly by operating with solar, geothermal heating, a greywater system, and utilizing sustainable materials and native plant natural landscaping, plus a view you have to see to believe.

Events

Silvies Valley Ranch is the perfect setting for a family getaway, reunion, or wedding. With its views and amenities, your family and guests will enjoy their Big Day, as well as the added ranch attractions. It is also ideal for business meetings and conferences with two- three- and four-day packages.