Koyote Ranch’s new owners ‘aim to please’
By Julie Whitmore 
If you’re driving or pulling an RV, instead of traveling on a bike, you might think you’ll never get there because Highway 16 between Medina and Kerrville seems to go up and down and on forever.
But persevere. For just over the Bandera County line and past Medina Children’s Home, you’ll discover Koyote Ranch.
A working ranch until about 10 years ago, Jack McClelland and his wife, Denise, of McAllen recently acquired the 100-acre property. The couple intends to make Koyote Ranch a full-service resort stop for bikers, campers, RVers and Snowbirds, or those who want luxurious bed and breakfast lodgings with antique furnishings.
What makes all this possible without apparent chaos is the setting, which is of course extremely hilly. Turning in from Highway 16, a driver seems to be entering a combination large convenience store and truck stop with a diner. However, lush natural vegetation and landscaping naturally separate parts of the extensive resort plan from one another.
Of course, the ranch includes gas pumps and the store and café, but winding paths also lead to 31 upscale cabins, some with lofts, some for honeymoons and one that will sleep 10. There are also 50 RV pads with hook-ups, with daily, weekly and monthly rates. For campers, there are “groomed” sites with grass located near hiking trails.
The McClellands, however, have bigger plans. Ranch chef Roy Ayala brings 20 years of catering experience in the sports world, including 10 years with the Dallas Cowboys, NASCAR, the Mavericks and Rangers. The café – newly named the Koyote Grill – is now open for lunch and dinner on weekends. Ayala is experimenting with new menus featuring local American cuisine.
At a recent lunch visit, the dishes were hardly truck stop fare – a chicken salad in a taco shell with mixed baby greens and rotisserie chicken chunks with Ayala’s own mild spice mix, and a real barbecue sandwich with seasoned steak fries.
Mountain Home resident James Haynie, a local water well service owner who often stops at Koyote during his business day, called the service and food, “delicious and dependable.”
Friday night dinner is all-you-can-eat fried catfish, with more good things to come, Ayala promised.
But wait, there’s more. Beyond the RV sites is a rustic “dance barn” suitable for quinceneras, reunions or wedding receptions.
General manager of the operation is Pete Cook, a comfortable, amiable, native who brings realty and banking experience from Kerrville, as well as resort experience from Brackettville. “Koyote Ranch has been a hidden gem, and I’m thrilled to be on board,” he said during a tour on a golf cart.
Situated behind a row of trees, the main lodge is used as a bed and breakfast with rooms and suites available for a weekend or for a week. The lodge front porch overlooks an infinity edge swimming pool and Jacuzzi with a gorgeous view.
The new owners plan to combine local usage – for getaway weekends and local events like the Bandera Stock Show – with a national destination for bikers. Many locals, Cook pointed out, don’t realize that several roads in the Hill Country Roads are nationally ranked for biking rallies.
A successful Koyote Ranch will stimulate the local economy, and with a little luck, still remain secluded.
Koyote Grill hours are 8 am until 6:30 pm, Sunday; 11 am to 6:30 pm, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 am until 9:30 pm, Friday; and 8 am until 9:30 pm, Saturday. The grill is closed Monday and Tuesday; however, sandwiches are available in the convenience store.
Koyote Ranch is located at 23195 Highway 16 North, at the Bandera and Kerr County line. Telephone is 830-589-4695.
