Lonesome Ranch Experience

The Lonesome Ranch Experience is not a dude ranch. It is a real working ranch, where you are invited to participate in the day to day activities. After the work is done there is always time to have a little fun!.

This Ranch is a fifth generation, working cattle ranch lying in the Clarks Fork Valley, between the Pryor Mountains and the Beartooth Mountains. You will love to share the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, white tail and mule deer, an occasional elk, mountain sheep or moose, the howl of the coyotes and the fleeting sight of the red fox from the rustic lodge.

Guests are invited to join in at branding time the first weekend of May and trailing the cattle to summer pastures around the middle of June. Throughout the summer the ranch works on horseback, monitoring the condition of both cattle and the range, and moving the herd from one area to another as often as needed to preserve the health of the ecosystem and the cattle, checking water holes and fences.

The ranch round up the cattle for weaning and market in mid October and trail the cows home for veterinary check ups and on out to the fall pastures. The summer and fall ranges consist of approximately 30,000 acres and approximately 1200 acres on the home ranch. In addition to the everyday ranching activities, guests are also given the opportunity of participating in horseback activities such as team penning, cutting, sorting, team roping and fun games on horse back.

While vacationing at this ranch you will be invited to partake in a variety of activities including. Viewing the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, touring the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming and visiting the Old Trail Town, reliving the Battle of the Little Big Horn, experiencing the scenic Beartooth Highway, conquering white water on a rafting trip down the Yellowstone river and a real "whoop um up" rodeo, all depending on the season.

Ranch hand Lonnie is a past bullriding champion and was quite respected as a steer wrestler in the NRA circuit. He enjoys sharing with our guests many of his adventures and explaining what is "really" taking place during the rodeos.

The ranching experience also has an overnight camp weekly overlooking the Bighorn and the Pryor mountains, where you can sit by the campfire and experience real cowboy oven cooking and hear local folk lore and family history, wake up to cowboy coffee and breakfast, then it's off to catch your horse, check cows and ride the range, and see the herd of 500 buffalo grazing on the open range. With this Ranching Experience you will also have a weekly river float where you can enjoy fly-fishing down the river or just go with the flow and watch the native wildlife on the river banks, whilst enjoying the beautiful sunset the choice is yours!

The ranch has a Catalina hot-tub where you can soak away your aches and pains after a hard days play at the ranch, relax and watch the stars in the evening in the hot-tub, or perhaps enjoy a soothing aromatherapy massage in a real native American teepee. Meals with this experience are served in the lodge, family style. You may need to let your belt out a notch or two after spending time at the Ranch! Fresh-baked breads, mouth-watering and decadent desserts, salads, vegetables out of the garden, and good Montana beef.

The accommodation on the ranch consists of two log cabins, decorated in western theme with log furniture, which each has a separate restroom/shower. All ranch accommodation has air-conditioning, heating and a refrigerator provided in each room, also we provide complementary fresh fruit, snacks and drinks in each room for all Pure vacations guest, a gift of toiletries are provided for your comfort.