Medicine Bow Lodge — Local services in Riverside

Wow. 🥹❤️ This was the single best trip, EVER. I have so many incredible things to say about this lodge, its wonderful owners, and the incredible staff. ❤️||First of all, if you want a down-to-earth, homey dude ranch experience, this is THE place to go. I would make this review shorter, but there are just so many things I want to emphasize so future travelers discover this amazing place!!! Tim and Debbie (the owners) deserve the world. ||The Welcome & Setting|I wanted to go to a small family-owned ranch (instead of some corporate, impersonal, and structured place) and choosing Debbie and Tim's place was the best decision in the world. As soon as you arrive, the cutest Aussie dogs greet you with their lil wagging tails and sweet kisses :). Debbie and Tim came to welcome us personally and show us our cabins (which were built when the lodge first opened in the early 1900s – so incredible and so much historic significance!! There are framed newspaper clippings in the cabins to read about the lodge & cabin history)!||Debbie and Tim were extremely flexible with our arrival time and emphasized they wanted us to make this our own adventure with all the amazing things we could do. The only structured activities were lunch and dinner times, and certain events that needed structure (ie involving the horses, etc). || The Food|WOW. The food was literally the best food I have ever had. Debbie and Tim make everything from scratch – I left begging for all the recipes! They're so on top of allergies and making sure to accommodate everyone's food preferences before you arrive, and they plan the menu for each week depending on what people like. I am very allergic to nuts and seeds, and they were so on top of allergies and made the best nut/seed free food for us. Debbie's butternut squash lasagna is to die for, as are her homemade dinner rolls, her peach cobbler, and literally everything else. Everything is extremely fresh and handcrafted, and I'd never looked forward to meals like I did here! ||The Activities|There are so many different activities you can do, and you can ride twice a day!!!! We also did an all-day ride, and their adorable Australian Shepherd, Duke, ran beside us the entire 15-mile ride – it was incredible. Like something out of a movie. One evening, Debbie and Tim brought in entertainment, and the musicians were so talented and fun to be with around the campfire, and we sung along to our fav songs with some of the amazing employees too. It was truly a family experience. || The People|Debbie and Tim take such good care of you, and you can tell how much they care about their guests, their horses, their pets, their staff, and their land. I have never met more kind, genuine, and down-to-earth people. We were only there for four days because of work, but I teared up when we left because of how meaningful and beautiful the experience was (and I didn't want to leave). ||Most of the staff are younger and they're so fun to be around! Debbie, Tim, and the staff are just the most wonderful people I've ever met and genuinely care so much for their visitors and treat them like family. I already miss Otis and Clyde (the hilarious and adorable mules), Magnum and Duke (the Aussies), Spice (my horse for the week), Debbie, Tim, and everyone who made our trip so incredible.||Final Thoughts|This is the opposite of a corporate, impersonal vacation – if you want a down-to-earth, family-like, true immersion in dude ranch life, and incredible family cooking, this is the best place you could possibly go. I am endlessly grateful I got to spend my bachelorette at Medicine Bow Lodge, and I want to make this a yearly trip! 🥹||Truly a perfect 10000/10 experience! THE COZIEST, COOLEST, BEST DUDE...

I posted this on Tripadvisor but wanted to also post here to tell people how AMAZING this beautiful place is. :)

I have so many incredible things to say about this lodge, its wonderful owners, and the incredible staff. ❤️

First of all, if you want a down-to-earth, homey dude ranch experience, this is THE place to go. I would make this review shorter, but there are just so many things I want to emphasize so future travelers discover this amazing place! Tim and Debbie (the owners) deserve the world.

The Welcome & Setting I wanted to go to a small family-owned ranch (instead of some corporate, impersonal, and structured place) and choosing Debbie and Tim's place was the best decision in the world. As soon as you arrive, the cutest Aussie dogs greet you with their lil wagging tails and sweet kisses :). Debbie and Tim came to welcome us personally and show us our cabins (which were built when the lodge first opened in the early 1900s – so incredible and so much historic significance!! There are framed newspaper clippings in the cabins to read about the lodge & cabin history)!

Debbie and Tim were extremely flexible with our arrival time and emphasized they wanted us to make this our own adventure with all the amazing things we could do. The only structured activities were lunch and dinner times, and certain events that needed structure (ie involving the horses, etc).

The Food WOW. The food was literally the best food I have ever had. Debbie and Tim make everything from scratch – I left begging for all the recipes! They're so on top of allergies and making sure to accommodate everyone's food preferences before you arrive, and they plan the menu for each week depending on what people like. Debbie's butternut squash lasagna is to die for, as are her homemade dinner rolls, her peach cobbler, and literally everything else. Everything is extremely fresh and handcrafted, and I'd never looked forward to meals like I did here!

The Activities There are so many different activities you can do, and you can ride twice a day!!!! We also did an all-day ride, and their adorable Australian Shepherd, Duke, ran beside us the entire 15-mile ride – it was incredible. Like something out of a movie. One evening, Debbie and Tim brought in entertainment, and the musicians were so talented and fun to be with around the campfire, and we sung along to our fav songs with some of the amazing employees too. I felt like I was invited into their beautiful family :).

The People Debbie and Tim take such good care of you, and you can tell how much they care about their guests, their horses, their pets, their staff, and their land. I have never met more kind, genuine, and down-to-earth people. We were only there for four days because of work, but I teared up when we left because of how meaningful and beautiful the experience was (and I didn't want to leave).

Most of the staff are younger and they're so fun to be around! Debbie, Tim, and the staff are just the most wonderful people I've ever met and genuinely care so much for their visitors and treat them like family. I already miss Otis and Clyde (the hilarious and adorable mules), Magnum and Duke (the Aussies), Spice (my horse for the week), Debbie, Tim, and everyone who made our trip so incredible.

Final Thoughts This is the opposite of a corporate, "everything looks the same" basic, impersonal vacation – if you want a down-to-earth, family-like, true immersion in dude ranch life (and incredible family cooking) this is the best place you could possibly go. I am endlessly grateful I got to spend my bachelorette at Medicine Bow Lodge, and my girlfriends n I are already discussing when we'll be back next year - we want to meet the new foals...

Just got back from an unplugged week at Medicine Bow Lodge and since the reviews here helped me chose this place, I wanted to add my own. Tim & Debbie, along with their staff, welcomed us from Day One and was there with activities when we wanted entertainment and left us alone when we wanted to be still. ||The Food: Every.Review.Was.Right. It was Ridiculously delicious and Debbie catered to my food preferences with ease. My favorite meal was the Buffaloaf- Meatloaf made with Buffalo. And dessert every night, with leftover dessert on the breakfast table. Carrot Cake and Oatmeal cookies were a welcome treat with my bacon and French toast. My husband would like everyone to know Tim makes a mean omelet with the right amount of veg. Side Note: Alcohol was permitted after 4pm- we brought our own. With the altitude, one beer or cocktail was plenty a night. ||The Lodge: The right mix of comfort and rustic with comfy beds, our own bathroom, and enough space to stretch out. For those of you with devices, there were several outlets in our room. Shoutout to the reviewer who said the rooms get a little warm during warm days. We brought little usb fans and were fine during the warmer evenings but Debbie said she had some fans if we needed a bigger one. Our room had a small heater as the first few days were COLD and we were grateful to have it. Bathrooms were perfect with shower, toilet, sink and provided amenities meant you weren’t missing anything if you forgot to pack something. ||Location: They are only a few hours from Denver and a few hours from a ton of little towns. No trip would be complete without going to Encampment and seeing the two story outhouse.||The Price: Very Reasonable. We were there at the same time as a friend group and it was nice to see that there is a place everyone could afford. ||Overall, if you want to go to Wyoming, this is the best home base. At the beginning of the week, we were definitely trying to savor it as we figured we would never be back. After the week, we know we will...