Bitterroot Ranch Dude Ranch Vacations — Attraction in Dubois

Late August 2024. Great rides & great food, but I Cannot Recommend

We recently visited Bitterroot Ranch and wanted to share our experience with fellow travelers considering this destination. While the ranch boasts stunning scenery and offers some nice riding experiences, our stay was significantly impacted by the owner's belligerent behavior and the quality of accommodations.

Positives • The natural beauty of the ranch is truly outstanding. 5 stars • The wranglers were knowledgeable, friendly, and provided excellent instruction. 5 stars • The ranch offers a variety of riding opportunities, including trail rides and potential cattle drives. 4 stars

Negatives • Unfortunately, the owner's overly critical and dismissive attitude created a negative atmosphere. 1 star • The log cabins needed repair, with issues like pests and uncomfortable beds. Sleeping was a terror!! 1 star • The owner's demeanor was particularly discouraging for novice riders during the skills assessment. 1 star

If you can make it past the first day, there might still be worthwhile experiences ahead. However, be prepared for potential negative interactions with the owner, Mel. While she has a wealth of know-how to share, her delivery leaves much to be desired—not what you expect on a vacation for the price you pay.

This was our third annual ranch trip, following wonderful experiences at Bar-W in Montana and Vista Verde Ranch in Colorado. Those previous vacations included an assortment of equine activities like all-day rides and team penning, making them truly magnificent.

Sadly, our time at Bitterroot Ranch was bittersweet and marred by several negative experiences that began on day one. Our initial experience felt rushed as Mel's rapid-fire overview instructions left guests confused about basic riding concepts regarding deck vs direct reining, when & how to post, etc. Every ranch has its own style & similar lingo, but they do things differently, so for assessments, guests often head into the arena for the orientation ride and “go with the flow.” That did not turn out so well for my wife and long story short, Mel pulled my wife from the assessment, and “parked” her in the middle of the arena for the rest of the evaluation as the rest of the guests completed their evaluations. This set a negative tone for the rest of our stay. This encounter set a negative tone for the remaining days at Bitterroot. Mel's curt and dismissive attitude made it difficult for my wife to enjoy ride-outs, and she completely avoided any cattle work as she was not willing to “have that ruined, too.” It was heartbreaking to see my wife upset and disengaged. We contemplated leaving after the first day, but she wanted to make the best of the situation for my sake.

Despite this, we did find some positives during our visit. The riding itself was enjoyable, with beautiful scenery featuring lots of climbing and descents into streams. Just a heads-up—you will need to bring your riding helmet (no exceptions) and request to carry your own water during rides. Rides typically last 2-3 hours in the morning and afternoon, allowing you to experience different horses throughout the week.

A saving grace during our stay was Hadley, Mel’s daughter-in-law. She was sympathetic, encouraging, and an outstanding trainer who navigated challenging situations with grace.

Regarding accommodations, while charmingly situated along the ranch’s streams, some of the guest cabins were inhabited by mice, making it difficult to sleep due to scratching and clawing noises once the lights were turned out. Additionally, the bed sagged deeply in the middle, and a trap had to be set in our closet to capture a bigger critter.

In summary, while we enjoyed the rides, food, and company of other riders, negative interactions with Mel and poor accommodations overshadowed our stay. We will not return. It is disheartening because they have a beautiful ranch rich in family history.

On a brighter note, I am grateful this was our third ranch experience rather than our first; otherwise, it would have...

I stayed at Bitterroot Ranch at the beginning of June and my trip was one of the best riding holidays I have ever experienced, I truly do not understand the negative comments.

Mel and Hadley were both amazing hosts who were helpful, kind, had a vast amount of knowledge and experience and made me feel extremely welcome (I was travelling solo). We had snow on my second day, and I only had a mac so Hadley kindly gave me her own coat to wear so I would not be cold out riding. Mel bought me some milk from the kitchen when I arrived so I could have my tea just as I like it – as a Brit who loves her tea this was most appreciated. These small kindnesses set the tone for my stay.

The cabins, ok yes they are basic but you are staying literally in the middle of nowhere and they are more than adequate with a hairdryer, a kettle, a selection of teas and coffees and even the thoughtful touch of Epsom salts in the bathroom so you could have a soak in the tub and ease any aching muscles. There was a heater which worked well – there was nothing I needed that was not provided.

The horses and riding – wow wow wow! The views were unbelieveable and the horses were amazing, well schooled, well mannered and carried the guests up and down some very steep terrain so safely and surefootedly. I rode three different horses and enjoyed each and every one of them, but one in particular stole my heart and he was an absolute joy to ride. Forward going but well-mannered, a soft mouth, responsive, absolutely stunning to look at and very much my type of horse. I would have taken him back to the UK with me in a heartbeat if I could.

Each ride was different and what I loved about Bitterroot was that they would split the guests up into as many groups as were needed in order to cater for all abilities. So if that meant four different groups went out then that is what happened. I thought this attention to detail was amazing, so many places just split guests into a “slow” ride and a “fast” ride but here you really got a ride that was tailored to everyone’s individual experience/ability. I have seen complaints about the riding assessment that each guest is required to do – but if they did not do this assessment, they could not possibly cater for all of the different riding abilities of the guests in the way that they do. I loved the vast expansiveness of the riding, the incredible wildlife we saw (wild horses and a close encounter with a coyote being examples) and the varied terrain and different paces of the rides.

Everyone who worked at Bitterroot was helpful, friendly, and looked out for the guests in so many thoughtful ways. They were always checking that everyone on the group was ok when we were out riding and were full of fascinating information about the areas we were riding in and the history of the place.

Finally the food. I am a vegetarian, and although most places these days will happily cater to vegetarians, often I feel that there is just a “token” vegetarian offering, with as little thought and effort put into it as possible. Not so here. Every single meal had fantastic vegetarian offerings. Some of the vegetable side dishes were so delicious I could have happily just eaten them but the wonderful chef, Leon, made sure there was a “main” vegetarian offering at every meal, whether it was a delicious home made veggie burger, or a tasty cheesy stuffed squash. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every meal and the food was a very unexpected highlight of the trip. Thank you so much Leon, I really enjoyed your wonderful and creative food.

All of the kitchen team were phenomenal, and we were literally waited on hand and foot and every single meal, three times every day. Even breakfast was cooked to order – there were no buffets at Bitterroot!

I honestly had the most fantastic time here and have warm and fond memories to take with me. I hope one day to return but in the meantime – Mel, Hadley and all of the wonderful team at Bitterroot – thank you from the bottom of my heart and please take care of “my” special boy for me, you know...

Bitterroot Ranch is not "exactly" a dude ranch because it helps to have SOME basic riding skill before you come. Your introduction packet is clear about the riding expectations and what to expect from the horses and the facility itself. Wyoming is the least populated state in the union and the ranchers who live there spend the winters living in isolation, sometimes for weeks on end when the weather socks them in. They are self sufficient, have learned to live among the wild creatures, and adapt to ever changing environments and weather. It's amazing that the family of Bitterroot Ranch are willing to open their home and their lives to those of us who are totally unaware of how hard that life can be. The West is a culture. It's not for everyone, but it was the PERFECT vacation for me!

I felt at home from the minute I arrived. Mel was warm and welcoming, and my friend and I felt an immediate connection to her as she showed us around the lodge, gave us information about meal times, the extensive library, and got us prepared for our group introductions at dinner. The lodge was warm, clean, and welcoming - plenty of couches and chairs. The dining room was large and well situated, and I found an Ivan Doig book that I hadn't yet read but which Mel said I was welcome to take to my cabin.

The morning introduction to our horses started with very clear information about how the horses should be ridden. They use Australian saddles, and the expectation is to ride like they do in the outback - posting trot, two point canter. No surprise since that was clearly laid out in our information packet before we sent in our deposit. I had had an unauthorized dismount from my personal horse two days before and was still very sore, so I told Hadley that I wasn't sure I could even get ON a horse but really wanted to try. She selected the perfect mount for me, and instead of an evaluation ride, I had a private ride (at a slow walk) with my very own wrangler. The rest of the week built up my body - adding a bit more challenge to each day, to each trail, with each new horse, and by the end of the week, I felt like I had been through a totally awesome physical therapy experience in addition to seeing some of the prettiest country in the nation.

Our cabin was adorable, clean, and well appointed. The house keeping staff was fantastic, and the midweek laundry service was a welcome surprise. We had access to a community refrigerator to put our special dietary needs, and the schedule for each day was accomodating - we could ride or not, as we chose.

The drive to town takes a full 45 minutes, but DuBois is worth visiting, if only to get a better idea of the culture of the west. The Friday night rodeo is not to be missed.

Mel, Hadley, Richard, the wranglers, Leon (an accomplished chef - the food was INCREDIBLE) treated us like family. I felt that I WAS by the end of my visit. I cannot wait to go back next summer.

Five stars isn't enough. This was the best...