Calling all cowboy and cowgirl wranglers! With summer vacation-planning season almost upon us, here are eight dude ranch-worthy properties for sale on Lands of America. According to the Dude Ranchers’ Association—formed in 1926 to preserve and promote the unique ranching lifestyle—dude ranches are the original, all-American all-inclusive vacation. Looking at the dude ranches for sale below, we’ll raise our Stetsons to that.
ROUTT COUNTY | COLORADO | $17,000,000 | PROPERTY ID: 1754999
Colorado’s Vista Verde Guest Ranch epitomizes all the virtues of the outdoor-loving Western lifestyle, along with all the trappings of a luxury modern resort. This beautifully appointed 552-acre ranch sits beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Zirkel Range in the Rocky Mountains. A recent round of renovations upgraded guest cabins, the main lodge and existing infrastructure. A large indoor riding arena offers horseback riders a chance to hone their skills before heading out on hundreds of miles of trails that thread through surrounding Routt National Forest. The four-season mountain-resort attractions of Steamboat Springs lie only 30 minutes south of this spectacular property.
SUBLETTE COUNTY | WYOMING | $6,500,000 | PROPERTY ID: 3013364
Purchased in 1965 by Lowell Hansen, former Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, Flying A Ranch is on the market for the first time after 50 years of operation as a family retreat and dude ranch. The 360-acre property conveys with a main lodge, eight well-appointed guest cabins, barn, on-site saloon—the Gilded Moose—and three stocked lakes. The location here can’t be beat, with unrivaled views of Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Mountain Range to the north and rugged Wind River Mountains to the southeast. Located 55 miles southeast of the upscale cowboy town of Jackson, Wyoming, Flying A Ranch is on the doorstep of over 40 trails and the wilds of 3.4-million-acre Bridger-Teton National Forest.
BANDERA COUNTY | TEXAS | $3,995,000 | PROPERTY ID: 2858036
As befits a property located in Bandera, Texas—the “Cowboy Capital of the World”—186-acre Twin Elm Guest Ranch takes its cowboy heritage and hospitality seriously. In operation since the 1930s, the ranch’s location, facilities and amenities befit its place as one of the country’s oldest operating dude ranches. The Hill Country property comes with a main ranch house, 21 guestrooms, game room, a swimming pool and pool house, pavilion, rodeo arena and 18 trail horses. There is also a 30-stall horse barn attached to a corral. A new addition to the property is the adjoining 2E/RV Resort, which currently offers 30 sites for RVs (with plans to expand to 50). The rodeo arena is a popular local venue, as are the eddies and swimming holes of nearby cypress-shaded Medina River.
DESCHUTES COUNTY | OREGON | $3,500,000 | PROPERTY ID: 3042211
Rock Springs Guest Ranch is on the market for the first time in 60 years, offering buyers the opportunity to position this upscale property as a family-friendly dude ranch, wedding venue or corporate retreat (functions for which the ranch has operated through its history). The 78-acre spread features seven cabins with 31 rooms, plus a 1,808-square-foot duplex for on-site staff. Equestrian facilities include a 2,960-square-foot barn with ten stalls, plus 22 acres of irrigated pasture. Horseback-riding and hiking trails await in nearby Deschutes National Forest, while Rock Springs Guest Ranch’s proximity to Bend, Oregon, makes for easy guest access (not to mention access to the town’s vibrant foodie scene).
BECKHAM COUNTY | OKLAHOMA | $2,950,000 | PROPERTY ID: 2563885
While Oklahoma lacks the vivid mountain peaks of a Wyoming or Montana, say, or the easy transportation hubs of its Texas neighbors, it more than makes up for it with its authentic cowboy culture and heritage. Case in point: west Oklahoma’s Flying W Guest Ranch, which sits on the Great Western Cattle Trail, a north-south path used by 19th-century cattlemen to drive cattle up through Texas and Oklahoma to railroad connections in Dodge City and points east. Live and breathe this authentic history on a property that features its own western town and overnight lodging facilities.
PLUMAS COUNTY | CALIFORNIA | $2,750,000 | PROPERTY ID: 968011
Set high amidst the fresh alpine air of California’s Sierra Nevadas, Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch was originally established as a farm and homestead during the mid- to late 19th century. Later owners evolved the business into a guest ranch in the 1960s, taking advantage of acreage that includes fish-stocked ponds, 16 pine-shaded guest cabins, equestrian facilities and access to thousands of miles of beautiful trails in the surrounding forestland. Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch offers 600 acres of tranquil mountain repose, yet it’s within easy range of the amenities and attractions in mountain towns that eventually connect with Lake Tahoe to the south.
BANDERA COUNTY | TEXAS | $3,775,000 | PROPERTY ID: 2842100
West 1077 Guest Ranch bills itself as a dude ranch but its true calling card is perhaps its pledge for simplicity and a non-commercialized “Old West” experience. Thirteen newly-renovated cabins ring the well-tended property, which sits on the doorstep of 5,400-acre Hill Country State National Area and boasts two private access points to the state park’s network of quiet, unspoiled trails. Facilities at West 1077 include a roomy main lodge, staff quarters, a swimming pool and a 5,800-square-foot horse barn with 32 stalls, tack room, feed room, vet lab and large arena.
FREMONT COUNTY | WYOMING | $700,000 | PROPERTY ID: 2721868
Voted one of the “Best Rural Towns” by American Cowboy magazine, this historic property in Dubois, Wyoming, speaks to an owner who truly aspires to live and breathe the frontier lifestyle. Dubois—population: 995, according to the 2013 U.S. Census—was settled in the 1800s by pioneers and homesteaders; in 1909, one of the country’s first dude ranches opened to the west of town. Dry Dude Ranch is like a small time capsule of this history, with two historic log-frame guest cabins, a two-bedroom guest lodge and more modern guest house. The 2.3-acre property abuts the Wind River and offers easy access to abundant recreation opportunities in nearby Shoshone National Forest and Grand Teton National Park.