Wyoming is one of our largest states and yet it has the smallest population. This leaves vast open spaces unspoiled by development and ideal for horseback riding vacations. Much of the state is mountainous and over half of it is public land. It is home to Yellowstone National Park and, even more important, much of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest wild ecosystem left anywhere in the temperate part of the Northern Hemisphere.
The ranching/cowboy mystique still dominates Wyoming's culture and horseback riding remains a very popular sport. Local rodeos attract many participants and spectators. Dude ranches have a long history in the West dating back to the end of the 19th century. They were the major part of Wyoming tourism in the 1920s when the elite came by rail from the East and from England, staying a month or more to share the life of working ranchers. Dude ranches have done much to preserve the finest traditions of the West which were so glorified in books, movies, songs and poems. They give guests the kind of vacation where they can ride for miles in open country, eat wholesome food, and live in a natural way.
Wyoming is an ideal place for wilderness pack trips on horseback. The first European visitors to the area traveled like this and it is the best way to appreciate the wild beauty of the back country which affords excellent habitat for wildlife of many kinds. On a pack trip riders are totally dependent on their horses and it is a great opportunity to bond with your equine companion.
There are several herds of wild horses in Wyoming, many of which are descendants of the original horses brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. Some herds are still protected in Wyoming in the Red Desert, in the McCullough Peaks Area and the Pryor Mountains. A few remain on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Our dude ranch adjoins the Greater Yellowstone System to the north and to the east it borders the 2 million acre Wind River Indian Reservation, one of the largest in the country. This vast area of land was given to Chief Washakie and the Shoshone Tribe soon after the Civil War in gratitude for their help in fighting warlike tribes like the Sioux who were later moved to other reservations.
Wyoming - BITTERROOT CATTLE DRIVES - The Bitterroot Ranch's cows are driven into the mountains on July 1st and must be rounded up and taken off the forest by the end of September. They fatten well on the succulent grass which grows quickly as the snow melts. We frequently move them from pasture to pasture on the high alpine meadows interspersed with forest and guests have the opportunity to help with this interesting and often difficult work. The last week of September we round up the cows and bring them down from the forest to winter on our lower ranch. It is quite an undertaking to find them all over 50 square miles of rugged mountains and forest. We and our guests spend many hours in the saddle hunting for them in this vast area.
Wyoming - DUDE RANCH - The ranch raises purebred Arabian hoses and Black Angus and Scottish Highland cattle. Guests have a chance to take trail rides and work cattle which graze for three months of the year in the adjacent national forest. It is also a fine place to assess and hone riding skills and to prepare for a riding tour abroad. The Bitterroot is the last ranch in a remote mountain valley traversed by a rushing stream. It is located at the place where the plains meet the mountains so that one can ride on all types of terrain.
Wyoming - PACK TRIPS - The Bitterroot Ranch makes a wonderful base for wilderness pack trips as it is adjacent to the 6 million acre Greater Yellowstone ecosystem (the largest wild area left in the lower 48 states). After leaving the ranch you can be deep in the wilderness within a few hours leaving all signs of civilization behind. The scenery is spectacular and there are almost always snow capped mountains in sight. Topping over a high mountain pass one can often see a herd of elk grazing in a meadow below or spot a big horned sheep perched incredibly on the side of a cliff. In the valleys one sometimes sees moose or grizzly bear.
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A good lope over a clean trail
Dude ranches in Wyoming offer rides in some spectacular country.
Wyoming dude ranch vacations often
include a chance to try your skills working cattle on horseback.
Horseback riding at a ranch in Wyoming.
Wyoming is an ideal place for
pack trips on horseback.
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