Guest ranch vacations let you unplug, unwind and recharge.

by Karen Goodwin
June 2006



The theme of the 1991 film City Slickers was universal. Stuck in a dead-end job and the throes of a midlife crisis, Billy Crystal’s character, Mitch, tries to “fix the broken pieces of his life” by accompanying his buddies on a two-week vacation driving cattle from New Mexico to Colorado. Rejuvenated by the experience, Mitch, who had contemplated quitting his job, has a change of heart. “I’m going to do my job better,” he tells his wife. “I’m going to do everything better.”

The premise of the movie, which cast a national spotlight on dude ranch vacations, still resonates today. The slapstick comedy about white-collar guys on a dude ranch also has a deeper meaning: Removed from the rat race, the urban cowboys learn a lot about life and themselves.

And that’s exactly the message the Dude Ranchers Association tries to get across to potential visitors. “You can leave your life behind for an entire week,” says Colleen Hodson, the association’s spokesperson. “It’s not rush, rush, rush to keep on a schedule or to sightsee. You can be as active as you want, or sit on a porch in a rocker and read a book and listen to the stream go by. Not many people get to do that anymore.”

That sentiment is echoed by Reed Dulany, president and CEO of Dulany Industries, an industrial holding company headquartered in Savannah, Ga. Last year, he and several friends spent about four nights at the Smith Fork Ranch in Crawford, Colo. “We wanted to get away. All of us have pretty hectic schedules. We wanted to be able to blow off steam,” he says.

His group, all members of the Young Presidents’ Organization, meets annually for a retreat to team-build in an outdoor environment—and the luxury ranch, which has meeting space, fit the bill. “The ranch vacation ranked right up there with the best retreats we’ve had,” says Dulany. Besides the magnificent, secluded mountain setting and the horseback riding and fishing, Dulany raved about the ranch’s friendly staff and high level of service. “They anticipated our every need,” he comments. “I know how difficult it is to find good people these days. They were exceptional.”

Dude ranch vacations have a long history of offering sanctuary from the modern world. In the early 1900s, Easterners vacationed at dude ranches to escape the noise and crowds of fast-paced city life. They were also lured by the West’s scenic beauty, sense of adventure and simple lifestyle.

Today, busy workers seek refuge on a dude ranch for pretty much the same reasons. But now the selection of guest ranches runs the gamut from basic bed-and-board to five-star accommodations with spa services and gourmet meals.

Many upscale ranches have Wi-Fi capabilities, Internet access and/or a business center for those who just can’t cut the tech cord, but in many instances, the urge to stay wired dissipates once guests settle in. When they arrive, “They all have their cell phones on their belts, laptops in hand, looking for a place to plug in,” Hodson says. “That lasts about a day and a half. Then you see them in their cowboy hats, no cell phone and no computer. That’s what [this kind of vacation] does for them. People are looking to get away, get unplugged, get recharged and get reconnected with the people they love.”

Sara Dwyer and her family have been doing just that for 10 years at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in southwestern Montana. Their yearly visits began when their son was 10 years old. “We plan on having our grandchildren visit there someday, and our son is only 20, so it may be a while,” she says.


The Dwyers have developed close friendships with other Mountain Sky guests, whom they also visit outside of their annual ranch pilgrimage. Indeed, the percentage of ranch vacationers who return for more is a whopping 70 percent, though within the past three or four years, some are moving to different ranches and different scenery, says Hodson.

“Guest ranches particularly appeal to those looking for a multigenerational experience,” perhaps with grandparents and kids, or for an informal family reunion, says Pamela Lassers, spokesperson for Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), a luxury travel company. The five-star ranches in A&K’s portfolio are “mostly designed for you to be together as a family, but people can go off in different directions doing different activities.”

Some ranches offer structured children’s programs, but families can spend as much or as little time together as they wish. Ranches provide a great family vacation, but couples and singles will not find themselves out of place, because ranch staff and patrons are so friendly. “We felt like family from the moment we walked in [to Mountain Sky Guest Ranch],” Dwyer says. “The happy attitude of the staff translates to guests.”

“It’s really like staying at a friend’s ranch in a physically beautiful setting with wonderful accommodations and a choice of guided activities each day,” says A&K’s Lassers.

Many ranches offer specialty weeks for women, couples, adults and/or singles, in addition to seasonal discounts and theme vacations. Smith Fork Ranch, for example, offers a culinary weekend in September. Depending on location, some ranches are open year-round, with winter activities like snowshoeing and snowmobile trips, while others cater to guests only in the summer and fall.

Of the 108 members of the Dude Ranchers Association, about 15 percent are working ranches, where vacationers can choose to pitch in with cattle work. One such high-quality working ranch is The Hideout at Flitner Ranch, in the Bighorn Mountains of northwestern Wyoming. Then there’s a ranch with a twist: The Forbes Trinchera Ranch, near Alamosa, Colo. (acquired by Malcolm Forbes in 1969), specializes in corporate groups and sports a state-of-the-art conference center seating up to 60.

Myriad outdoor activities are offered at most ranches, such as fly fishing, skeet shooting, hiking, kayaking, white-water rafting, golf, mountain biking, overnight pack trips, etc. Some also have spa services, pools, hot tubs and meeting space.

Horseback riding is still the main pursuit at most ranches, and guests at any riding level are welcome. “Our member ranches assess your skill level and adapt a program to fit,” Hodson says. “Maybe the wife wants to ride, but the husband doesn’t. He wants to golf, fish and sit by the pool. That’s all there as well. It’s a great place to make everyone happy.”

While adults can rediscover the peace that comes from little or no exposure to their personal electronics, children visiting a ranch can experience—perhaps for the first time in their lives—a world without computers, Xboxes and cell phones. “That’s the most frequent post-trip comment we get from parents,” Lassers says.