Howdy there, partners! If you’re dreaming of a home of the range where you can sharpen your horseback riding skills and test your cattle herding prowess, check out these five ranch getaways for your inner cowboy (or girl). Yeehaw!
The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch
From all-inclusive family getaways to cowgirl getaways for the ladies, The Hideout in Shell, Wyoming has it all. After settling into your cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, you’ll spend your stay exploring all sorts of outdoors activities, including working cattle, horseback riding, hiking, canoeing or even a trip to the local rodeo.
Experience life as a California cowboy with a stay at Hunewill Guest Ranch, near Yosemite National Park. The ranch offers seasonal activities like spring cattle work, a fall cattle gathering and an annual cattle drive to move a herd of 600 to a winter ranch 60 miles away. In-between these events, you can enjoy horseback riding through the lush Bridgeport Valley.
This Montana ranch is one of the rare places where you can disconnect from it all and reconnect with nature. You’ll have your own rustic cabin to call your own as you explore Montana’s rugged beauty on horseback, just as countless cowboys before you did. More modern cowboys will also enjoy the ranch’s 9-hole golf course.
Whether you’re planning a ranch getaway for winter or summer, you’ll find plenty of cowboy-friendly activities at the Vista Verde Guest Ranch in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Summers offer horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking, kayaking and rock climbing, and afterwards, you can even cool off in a good old-fashioned swimmin’ hole (i.e. swimming pool). Winters are reserved for sleigh rides, skiing, snowshoeing and a host of other snow-friendly activities. And if you’re looking to escape without the tots in tow, note that Vista Verde offers adults-only weekends in September.
This all-inclusive gem in Idaho is truly an immersive experience for the burgeoning cowboy. Red Horse Mountain Ranch offers cozy cabins and suites, hearty home-cooked meals (with began and gluten-free options), an Old West Saloon, horseback rides into the Rocky Mountains and even a zipline for thrill-seeking cowboys.
(Main image: Red Horse Mountain Ranch)
