White Ranch Park preps to open

George and Betty White always wanted to leave a legacy for their community. This Memorial Day weekend, the foundation that has worked for more than a decade to fulfill their vision invites you to visit a new recreation destination on the outskirts of Sundance.

Sundance White Ranch Park is a 100-acre private ranch at the base of Sundance Mountain. It features a number of trails for hikers, bikers, dog walkers and runners, as well as space to simply relax with a picnic and the family.

“When George passed away, 25 years ago, Betty gave that 100 acres to the Children’s Home Society in Rapid City. It was supposed to be for children in Wyoming that needed a home,” says Kathy Lenz of the George & Betty White Foundation, which was founded immediately after George passed on.

“After about ten years, they couldn’t figure out how to cross the state lines and manage it, so they turned it back to the foundation.”

In Golden, Colorado, George’s relatives had transformed a 3000-acre piece of land that originally belonged to George and Betty into a ranch with hiking, mountain biking and more.

“Betty wanted that for this last 100 acres and we said yes, we can do this,” Lenz says. “We’ve been working on it for ten or 15 years, but she didn’t want to do it while she was alive.”

About five years ago, Lenz says, Betty changed her mind and decided to move ahead with the plan.

A conceptual drawing was created to show her how the ranch would eventually appear.

“This is what she wanted it to be,” Lenz says.

After Betty decided to move ahead, Steve Lenz, also of the foundation, began work on bringing things together to create an overall recreational experience.

“We accelerated from there,” Lenz says. “It really started taking shape, with the pieces falling in, and now it’s time to open it up.”

The trails have also benefited from the assistance of the Sundance Chain Gang and Black Hills Trail Builders, who worked to create trails that would specifically appeal to mountain bikers. Meanwhile, the hiking opportunities range from the easy Serenity Trail at 0.4 miles to the challenging Outlaw Trail Open Space, which tackles more diverse terrain.

Thanks to its simple topography, the area is easy to navigate, Lenz says. Climb upwards to go deeper into the park; head downhill to come back to the entrance.

The lower area of the park is also ideal for a more tranquil outdoor experience, she adds.

“For the people who can’t really get around that well, they can sit by the creek while the kids play and have a picnic down there,” Lenz says.

“The bottom is pretty level, but once you start going up it’s pretty steep, so it’s not for everyone. But we do have plenty of flat area where you could just go out there on a lunch hour and walk around and come back.”

The park will be open daily from dawn to dusk. Parking is available on site, near the picnic area and where the trails begin.

Portapotties have also been installed in this first area, while maps are available to help you plan your hike, along with the trail markings along each route. The park is intended to appeal to the whole family – including pets.

“The more the merrier was Betty’s personality,” Lenz says. “George too – they were amazing people and quite a gift to our community.”

While the trails will soon be open to the public, this isn’t the end of the process for the foundation.

“It will be an ongoing project – it’s not perfect today, but people will be able to come and have open space, to ‘wander and conquer’,” Lenz says.

In the future, for example, the foundation would like to fulfill Betty’s wish to offer an affordable outside venue for weddings and other events.

“But we wanted to open the trails first, that’s been our focus,” she says. “We wanted to bite the sandwich a little bit at a time.”

Memorial Day marks the soft opening of the site, to give the foundation time to get the bugs ironed out and take feedback from visitors on any changes or additions that might be welcome. Follow Sundance White Ranch Park on Facebook or visit whiteranchpark.com to leave your comments.

“Betty’s birthday is in August, and so we hope to do a grander opening then,” Lenz says.