The drive up the mountain to Rankin Ranch is just nine miles long. Yet it seems a much longer trek as you slowly climb the narrow, winding highway with its hairpin turns, stunning sunset views, and army of fearless cattle that snack along the slopes and regularly amble into the middle of the road.
Cows far outnumber humans in this pristine corner of Southern California’s Tehachapi Mountains, just two and a half hours—and another universe entirely—from Los Angeles. It takes a good 30 minutes to reach the top of the mountain, where the two-lane highway twists through a final set of curves, then spills into a lush green valley. Just up ahead you’ll find Quarter Circle U Rankin Ranch, a 31,000-acre slice of old California heaven.
They’ve raised cattle on the ranch since Walter Rankin imported the first herd of white-faced Herefords in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, and cattle is still the family business. For the past four decades, the Rankin clan also opens the ranch six months of the year to weekend cowboys and nature-lovers.
Ranch Ranch starts its new season in mid-March. It’s one of the destinations featured in my book, Great Escapes: Southern California. Here’s a story I wrote about the ranch for the Los Angeles Times Travel Section a while back.
