5 Top Dude Ranch Vacations for Your Next Travel Adventure
Red Reflet Ranch.
Wide open spaces, breathtaking landscapes, fresh farm-to-table cuisine, and beautiful horses are just a few of the reasons travelers love dude ranches. On top of that, the show Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner, has sparked newfound interest in the Rocky Mountains and specifically luxury dude ranch vacations.
Red Reflet Ranch
Red Reflet Ranch, a 28,000-acre guest ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, has experienced a surge of guests booking five-figure vacations because of their love for the show. Red Reflet even hosted one guest who asked to be called "Kayce" during his stay. (Kayce Dutton is the heartthrob son of Yellowstone Ranch owner John Dutton, Costner’s character.)
With the boom of RV travel and road trips due to the pandemic, guest ranches provide an exciting yet domestic travel adventure. Here are five vacation destinations perfect for enjoying nature and the cowboy lifestyle.
Red Reflet Ranch.
1. Red Reflet Ranch is a 28,000+ acre luxury resort and working ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Activities include equestrian programs, mountain biking, and hiking on 100+ miles of private trails, ATV tours, shooting ranges, fly fishing, family-friendly activities (climbing wall, natural water park, zip-line), cooking classes, cattle branding, farm-to-table cuisine, and more. Guests stay in fully-stocked private cabins at the all-inclusive luxury ranch.
High Lonesome Ranch.
2. The High Lonesome Ranch sits along the Western Slope of the Colorado Rockies. With a national park-scale landscape perfectly situated to help connect large ecosystems, High Lonesome Ranch is located on a key habitat corridor. Fly-fishing for five species of trout, wing-shooting for upland game birds in pristine coverts, dude ranch weeks where families and friends can participate in real cattle drives, glamorous camping in safari-style tents, family reunions, weddings, corporate group retreats, big game hunting, and personal getaways beckon.
The Ranch at Rock Creek.
3. The Ranch at Rock Creek is located in the heart of Western Montana. Originally a working ranch homesteaded in the early 1900s, owner Jim Manley opened it as an all-inclusive guest ranch in 2010. Set among 10 square miles of rugged Montana ranch land, the ranch offers guests over 30 outdoor recreational activities and dozens of unique accommodations featuring four different styles (lodge rooms, canvas cabins, historic barn, and luxury homes), memorable ranch cuisine, and a full-service spa. Families, couples, and friends will discover that The Ranch at Rock Creek is a special place that offers the best of America's “True West” without sacrificing true comfort.
The Bar W Ranch.
4. The Bar W Ranch is a traditional, western-style ranch resort on Spencer Lake in Montana. The 3,000-acre property is a year-round dude ranch that treats guests with true Montana hospitality. All meals are included, as are activities such as horseback riding, clay pigeon shooting, archery, and fishing. There are picnic areas, BBQs, and lawn games, plus a hot tub. Glamping at the Bar W offers a luxury camping resort experience combined with a true cowboy vacation only 23 miles from Glacier National Park.
The Resort at Paws Up.
5. The luxury ranch Resort at Paws Up is sprawled across 37,000 acres in a beautiful, western setting. At Paws Up, guests glamp in luxurious tented accommodations and relax in the outdoors with the comforts of a five-star destination. The resort offers one of North America's largest outdoor activity menus with more than 50 exciting experiences, including ATV tours, an authentic cattle drive, Blackfoot River floats, guided fly-fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, rappelling, sporting clays, yoga, and more. For a little relaxation, Paw Up’s Spa Town is hidden at the edge of an expansive meadow beneath the shade of towering pines.
[Images courtesy of ranches]
Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy