Dude Ranches Get Luxurious
Echo Valley Ranch & Spa
Wildcatter Ranch & Spa
Triple Creek Ranch
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Far removed from the traditional working ranch, wanna-be wranglers with a penchant for the finer things in life can partake in a wider range of activities than simply rounding up the cattle. Saddle up and check out this different kind of holiday.
The modern day resort ranch might have you gourmet grilling, sampling fine wines, playing croquet on the lawn, shooting clays, or taking a helicopter ride over the mountains. Some ranches offer a more of a holistic holiday, with aromatherapy sessions, traditional Thai treatments, yoga, and even massage therapies matched to your particular adventure activity.
Here are five fabulous places to ride and unwind.
The Red Horse Mountain Ranch (Idaho)
Red Horse is more of a resort than a guest ranch. Stay in a uniquely designed cabin with log furniture and private decks, and ride one of the 60 horses on site, ready to match every level of experience. The massages are centered around specific cowgirl activities, and yoga and contemplation are also offered. A six-night stay costs £939 per person from May through September.
The Triple Creek (Montana)
A Condé Nast Johansens’ award winner, the Triple Creek is described not simply as a ranch, but as a wilderness hideaway. Offering pure escapism all year round, it is a match made in heaven for those who have comfort at the top of their list. Situated at the base of the highest peak in Western Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains the landscape is breathtaking, each spacious log cabin nestled exquisitely amongst the pines. Seasonal activities vary from cross-country skiing, snowmobile rides and snowshoeing in the winter, to croquet on the lawn, scenic float trips and mountain biking in the summer. Riding is done year-round, and seven nights start at £1609 per person.
The Echo Valley Ranch & Spa (British Columbia)
Echo Valley is a fine blend of East and West - a vision dreamed up by the owners who spring from the UK and Thailand. As such, the Thai therapies are as authentic as you would find in South East Asia, and the spa was designed by the architect to the Thai Royal family. Holidays here are about feeling and looking good from the inside out. Accommodations are as luxurious, with a hideaway cabin perfect for those seeking a bit of privacy. Ride, hike, fly over glaciers, take a forest safari. Seven nights start at £1374 per person including car hire from May to October.
The Wildcatter Ranch Resort & Spa (Texas)
The Wildcatter offers unadulterated luxury, but this isn’t a sanitised version of the real West. The 4,000-acre ranch, located in Young County, Texas, revels in its colourful past: the lodge and its 16 accompanying suites showcasing pictures of local historical events. The Wildcatter is only 20 minutes from the famous Goodnight-Loving trail, and was the location for two of John Wayne’s Westerns. Ride, hike, bike, fish or pay prairie golf through trees and cactus, and ride ATVs or mechanical bulls. Then visit the Sage Spa and have a 32-ounce steak. This is Texas, after all. Seven nights start at £1515 per person year round.
Vista Verde (Colorado)
Get an insight into gourmet grilling at Vista Verde, where you can learn how to skin a salmon without a knife or perfectly plate a special dish. The hands-on cooking classes cover meals from checkered to linen tablecloths, cowboy coffee to crème brûlée. Accommodation is in deluxe lodge rooms or private cabins, which offer up to three bedrooms and hot tubs on the deck. Seven nights start at £2049 per person, departing June to September.
The above prices are based on two people sharing, and include transfers, gratuities, meals, and all ranch-based riding. Prices do not include flights, which can be booked through Ranch Rider. For more information, please visit Ranch Rider.
Here are five fabulous places to ride and unwind.
The Red Horse Mountain Ranch (Idaho)
Red Horse is more of a resort than a guest ranch. Stay in a uniquely designed cabin with log furniture and private decks, and ride one of the 60 horses on site, ready to match every level of experience. The massages are centered around specific cowgirl activities, and yoga and contemplation are also offered. A six-night stay costs £939 per person from May through September.
The Triple Creek (Montana)
A Condé Nast Johansens’ award winner, the Triple Creek is described not simply as a ranch, but as a wilderness hideaway. Offering pure escapism all year round, it is a match made in heaven for those who have comfort at the top of their list. Situated at the base of the highest peak in Western Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains the landscape is breathtaking, each spacious log cabin nestled exquisitely amongst the pines. Seasonal activities vary from cross-country skiing, snowmobile rides and snowshoeing in the winter, to croquet on the lawn, scenic float trips and mountain biking in the summer. Riding is done year-round, and seven nights start at £1609 per person.
The Echo Valley Ranch & Spa (British Columbia)
Echo Valley is a fine blend of East and West - a vision dreamed up by the owners who spring from the UK and Thailand. As such, the Thai therapies are as authentic as you would find in South East Asia, and the spa was designed by the architect to the Thai Royal family. Holidays here are about feeling and looking good from the inside out. Accommodations are as luxurious, with a hideaway cabin perfect for those seeking a bit of privacy. Ride, hike, fly over glaciers, take a forest safari. Seven nights start at £1374 per person including car hire from May to October.
The Wildcatter Ranch Resort & Spa (Texas)
The Wildcatter offers unadulterated luxury, but this isn’t a sanitised version of the real West. The 4,000-acre ranch, located in Young County, Texas, revels in its colourful past: the lodge and its 16 accompanying suites showcasing pictures of local historical events. The Wildcatter is only 20 minutes from the famous Goodnight-Loving trail, and was the location for two of John Wayne’s Westerns. Ride, hike, bike, fish or pay prairie golf through trees and cactus, and ride ATVs or mechanical bulls. Then visit the Sage Spa and have a 32-ounce steak. This is Texas, after all. Seven nights start at £1515 per person year round.
Vista Verde (Colorado)
Get an insight into gourmet grilling at Vista Verde, where you can learn how to skin a salmon without a knife or perfectly plate a special dish. The hands-on cooking classes cover meals from checkered to linen tablecloths, cowboy coffee to crème brûlée. Accommodation is in deluxe lodge rooms or private cabins, which offer up to three bedrooms and hot tubs on the deck. Seven nights start at £2049 per person, departing June to September.
The above prices are based on two people sharing, and include transfers, gratuities, meals, and all ranch-based riding. Prices do not include flights, which can be booked through Ranch Rider. For more information, please visit Ranch Rider.
