Alberton Orchards Guest Ranch — Hotel in Alberton

We stayed at Alberton Orchards last week (July 24-28, 2023). This experience, especially for young adults was very interesting. My boyfriend and I are only 20&21 years old and we are very laid back people, but some of the previous reviews about the actual resort / ranch are somewhat true. I will start off by saying the ranch itself lies in a BEAUTIFUL mountainous region of Missoula! Pictures of these mountains do not do justice! So if you are looking for a scenic experience this is something to check off your list. However, the website does imply that the cabins and tents are within walking distance from the main house to get meals. The tents are within walking distance, but the cabins are not. We stayed in one of the rock cabins listed on the website and sure it’s walking distance, but you need to go uphill, cross active train tracks, and then walk at least a half a mile path whilst passing the free range cattle on the resort. The activities that are listed on the website are available during certain circumstances. For example, they do have mini Vespa’s to take on the property, but Leslie one of the ranch keepers said they were still trying to get them working on the property but my boyfriend and I had no problem taking the mini bikes out for a ride, they were so much fun! As for other activities like fishing, cattle feeding, gun shooting, and horseback riding. Most of the itinerary is built based on what you want to do on what day. If you talk to Leslie or Christine they will definitely accommodate your activities. We thankfully had no issues whatsoever planning our activities. The cabins themselves are very isolated though, there is no tv inside, which is not horrible because most of the activities you do during the day wear you out so much you want to just lay down and relax at the end of the day. BUT I will say that when you are on the way to the actual resort please stop and grab some snacks! You are served a full breakfast and full dinner, but if you are the type of person who likes to have a little munchie here and there after dinner you should bring something easy to pack and throw out. There is a mini refrigerator so maybe bags of chips or prepackaged food that does not require large refrigeration is my recommendation. The inside of the cabins are beautiful though! The beds are very comfortable and the bathroom is very spacious!

As for the ranch organizers. I will say that Christine, her husband Steven, Leslie, and Josh are all very passionate about Alberton Orchards. Our experience with Leslie was definitely one we will never forget. She was very helpful and allowed us to do all our requested activities. She makes the BEST French toast and killer steak kabobs! In all honesty, if Alberton Orchards didn’t have Leslie or Josh there wouldn’t be an Alberton Orchards. They are such hardworking people and wholeheartedly care...

I will start by saying the property is absolutely beautiful, cabins are gorgeous, and activities are fun. However, at the time of this review (July 2023) there are some misleading details on their website. Their website claims an orchard where you can press your own fresh cider. While we didn’t visit during harvest, from the size of the trees they are years away from having any type of actual functioning orchard. Similarly with the vineyard- it is planted but there was no wine in sight that was produced on property (another claim on their site). The garden where you can pick your own herbs and accompaniments for dinner- no where to be seen. Leslie did cook some real stand out dishes during our time, but they were also interlaced with a lot of Costco pre-packaged salads/foods and a frozen lasagna. None of the food was bad, but promoting it as a beacon of agrotourism, similar to Tuscany, is a leap to say the least. All the complaints thus far are easily solved by just updating their website to be more accurate. However, when I brought up two of my concerns to the owner (no daily house keeping and no refrigerators in cabins- both promised on the website), she was fairly defensive. In their defense, the other owner did the next day go buy us mini fridges for the units. The activities on their site are more or less accurate, but not all were available and we were not told until we arrived that we could only do one guided activity a day. Two activities we couldn’t do were a group scooter ride as the vintage scooters weren’t working, and we couldn’t float the river as the owner told us the water was too high. However, they took other guests and our horse back guide told us the river level was fine. Again, just a confusing situation that made us feel as if we were getting put off. Our favorite thing we ended up doing was riding little motor bikes around the property. The ATV ride to the top of the mountain was also a highlight. As far as staff, Leslie and Josh were incredible and both went out of their way to make our time...

UPDATE ON THIS REVIEW: I got a call from the owner who was somewhat upset about my review. He wanted an explanaiton as to why I wrote what I wrote when in fact, the Vintner Grill welcomes the public to dine with them. I explained to him that his website states the exact opposite and I quote directly from their webpage: "available exclusively to Alberton Orchards guests". He explained that that statement isn't true and they welcome general public and he will be revising the website. A revision will hopefully increase his business. He then cordially invited us to come and enjoy a meal there soon. I agreed. I did not offer an apology because based on the information that I had, I stand by my original statement. But I am looking forward to dining there soon and writing a raving review. From the reviews I have read the food is outstanding. I can't and won't be reviewing the overnight facilities because I can't afford "clamping", lol.

Even though my family has lived in Alberton since the late 1920's and we still own a home there WE ARE UNABLE TO PATRONIZE THE RESTUARANT. For this owner or group of owners to call it "the Alberton Orchard" is really an insult to the many families ( a lot of them generational) who are unable to enjoy a simple meal on property that many of us hiked, hunted, fished and camped on. Big corporations and the ultra rich are buying up our land and turning it into dude ranches and clamping sites. Well, at least they don't offer hunting.....yet. It would be nice and beneficial, in a business sense, for you to at least let the general public enjoy what I've read is a delicious meal there. Hopefully, you will remove this restriction and get to know the wonderful people who live in Alberton and the...