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The Ranch at Rock Creek Field Guide

Ranch Life

A group of horses out i the field with dust in the air

Five Tips for Montana Bird Watching from Ranch Guide Samuel Glusker

Learning the Art of Birdwatching When you retreat to our 6,600 acres of Montana wilderness, we invite you to tap into the world of the bird population that surrounds us. From the tiniest Rufous Hummingbird […]

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Overseeing the Forest for the Trees

Happy the man to whom every tree is a friend. ~ John Muir Peeking out any window at The Ranch at Rock Creek you might see a herd of elk migrating, a Northern Pygmy owl […]

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Learning the Ropes on The Ranch

Historically, ropes on a Montana ranch are lariats and lassos, the tools of the cowboy trade. In 2014, we expanded the concept of “roping skills” at The Ranch at Rock Creek by building a year-round ropes course, […]

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Sweet Life of Bees, Year Two

Join us as we follow our new colleagues—the bees—through their second year homesteading in the Rock Creek Valley. The story is in reverse chronological order so scroll down to start from the beginning, or read more about […]

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Sweet Life of Bees, Year Three

The Honey Flows with the First Snows Join us as we follow our colleagues—the bees—through their third year homesteading in the Rock Creek Valley.  Read more about their first year and second year on The Ranch.   by Kelsey Bruns, Beekeeper, Master […]

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Guest Blog: A Week at The Ranch

Behind the Lens During a Summer Stay Photo courtesy of Benjamin Morgan. We often host photographers looking to capture migrating wildlife, iconic ranch scenes and high country views. We delight in seeing our wild landscape from different […]

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Giving Back: A Christmas Season of Stories

Third Annual Granite County Festival of Trees While we are just finished decking our halls for the upcoming holiday celebrations, we’ve been in the Christmas spirit for over a month. The sun sets before the Gala Auction. Look closely […]

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Experiential Travel: State of Play

The words “experiential travel” sound a lot more mature and serious than they need to be. The experience of traveling to The Ranch at Rock Creek should be an escape from normal routine. It should be at times […]

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Celebrating Culinary Arts Month

Gourmet Food with Big Sky Balance National Culinary Arts Month couldn’t come at a better time. Summer produce is rolling in and The Ranch kitchen is highlighting Montana’s freshest food with creative, ever-changing menus. We want to […]

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Adventure in Hospitality

Ranch Life Behind-The-Scenes A job at The Ranch at Rock Creek is not your average 9-to-5 job. In fact, it’s far from the average hospitality job. Last year, we wrote about the unique careers we […]

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A Very Granite County Christmas

The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree can be traced back to 15th century Germany. For many, it is the epitome of family, history and Christmas. In addition to those meanings, we also adore it as a […]

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A Treasure State: 4 Emerging Artisans in “the Merc”

Mercantile Style: Local Luxuries One of the reasons we’re committed to expanding the frontiers of experiential travel is that a story really is the best souvenir. But often, our guests want a memento to commemorate their bucket […]

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A Decade of Forbes Travel Guide 5-Stars & Greener Pastures

We’re happy to share with you not just our 10th Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award but the Greener Pastures initiative that has sought to rehome horses that are no longer able to live on The […]

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Our Ranch Mercantile

Mercantile Style In the first hundred years of Montana’s history, ranchers, cowboys and miners had only one place to go for dry goods—the Mercantile. A Western “Merc” was a general store, part refueling station, part […]

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Kid-Friendly Travel | 9yo Cherie’s Ranch Travelogue

Join us this week for a very special guest blogger, Cherie Hedenskog. Cherie visited The Ranch when she was five and shared her experience with her class by writing a book this past year. As […]

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Private Travel to The Ranch at Rock Creek

Luxury in the Wild The Ranch at Rock Creek stays true to our frontier roots, welcoming guests to private accommodations across our 6,600 acres. With a maximum occupancy of 125 across 29 accommodations each guest […]

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History of The Ranch

Geology of the Rock Creek Valley The land on which The Ranch at Rock Creek sits is part of the Rocky Mountain range, which stretches from New Mexico to Canada. The Sapphire, John Long and […]

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Working Happy for Our 9th Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star

The Ranch at Rock Creek Earns 9th Consecutive 5-Star Award Living out in the wild, it’s easy to disconnect from the buzz of modern life. But every year when we learn we’ve won another Forbes […]

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22 Active Sustainability Initiatives in 2022

22 Ways We’re Reducing Our Environmental Impact As a destination rooted in the landscape, there isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t consider the importance of the natural world that surrounds us. Each […]

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Drift off to sleep with The Ranch’s Calm Sleep Story

The Ranch at Rock Creek on Calm Narrated in a gentle, unhurried pace, Calm’s sleep stories are meditative tales designed to usher you into dreamland. Thanks to a collaboration with writer Dibs Baer, you can visit […]

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The Blue Ribbon Report | Spring Edition

Fly fishing doesn’t stop for winter. In fact, Inside Hook recently published the story, “Why You Should Go Fishing on Your Next Ski Trip.

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Local Food: Lambing Season in Springhill

Living in the land of the cowboy, cattle and horses are often the stars of this blog. This week’s guest post allows us to feature Montana-raised lambs as well as Montana-made writer and photographer, Lynn Donaldson. The […]

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Clark Fork River Cleanup

Since The Ranch at Rock Creek opened as a guest ranch in 2010, we have become increasingly invested in the Granite County, Montana

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Scenes from Montana Brandings

Beyond the necessary business aspects of marking cattle, brandings are big springtime social events on Montana’s ranch lands. The valley snow has melted and green grass permeates the rolling hills of Big Sky Country. When neighbors […]

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Gratitude and Respite | A Ranch-Wide Recharge

Unplugging During an Unprecedented Year in Travel By Jon Martin, General Manager at The Ranch at Rock Creek Thanksgiving is not a day of rest in the hospitality industry. This is when we work harder; […]

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Reviving the past with Sundance Social Hour

Trails, Trailers and Tales When I was growing up, the beginning of July meant the end of a 45-mile cattle drive that stretched from my family’s ranch to the mountains near what is now The […]

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6 Ways We’re Celebrating + Supporting Earth Day in 2021

In our 11 years as a guest ranch, we’ve never had a bigger celebration for Earth Day than we’ve had this week. This year we’ve found more ways to say thanks to nature, which has […]

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Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Award + The Bright Side of 2020

On the Bright Side 2021 is looking brighter. The first reason is we’ve just earned our 8th consecutive Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award! We are proud of that achievement in a normal year, but during […]

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Ranch Traditions: 7 Years as a Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star, 127 Years as a Homestead

The falling snow might as well be confetti today. We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve earned our 7th consecutive Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award! Forbes Travel Guide is the only independent, global rating system for luxury […]

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Master Naturalists: Golden Eagle Rescue

In 2017, The Ranch started its Master Naturalist program to better explain the beauty of our exceptionally diverse eco-system. In 2018, it expanded to include National Geographic’s Year of the Bird, and in 2019 we’ve […]

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Protecting Rock Creek with Trout Unlimited

Sustainability from Field to Stream Guest blog by Teresa Scanlon, project coordinator with Trout Unlimited Why We Love Rock Creek It’s no secret that Rock Creek, the fabled blue-ribbon trout stream tucked away in the […]

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Christmas in Montana: A Few of Our Favorite Things…

Cream-colored ponies, crisp apple strudels and sleighbells may be a few of Maria Von Trapp’s favorite things, but they are also some of ours. While the first snowflakes fly at The Ranch, and we gear […]

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The Nest at Rock Creek

Family Ties This Father’s Day we’re celebrating the Ranch dads that have chosen to live, work and raise their kids in the wide open spaces of Granite County. Families are an essential part of the […]

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Sustaining Five-Stars & the Future by Eliminating Single-Use Plastics

As we approach 10 years as a property, sustainability is on our minds. We occupy a remote corner of the world, and keeping consistently high standards in the sticks, so to speak, is a challenge. […]

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Big Sky Love

We love having a hand in life-changing moments – whether it’s riding a horse for the first time or saying, “I do” surrounded by falling aspen leaves. This past holiday season, we had a chance […]

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Destination Archery: Lead Guide Quinn Wilson & Our ‘Sleeper Hit’ Sport

Behind-the-Scenes with Lead Archery Guide Quinn Wilson One could say Quinn Wilson’s passion is archery, but that would be an understatement. Quinn Wilson instructing on a course he designed. Quinn’s first experience with a bow […]

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Narrative Photography Workshop & Top Tips

More Than a Snapshot Travel and photography go hand in hand like big skies and majestic mountains. (As any Ansel Adams fan can attest.) Since the advent of smart phones, almost everyone can capture the […]

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Celebrating 5 Years as a Family-Friendly Forbes Five-Star Resort

Five for Five Five is our lucky number! We’ve just received the Forbes Five-Star award for the fifth consecutive year. Forbes Travel Guide offers the only independent global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and […]

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5 Unique Jobs at Montana’s Own Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Ranch

Working at the world’s first Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star guest ranch requires a special type of person. Our jobs require people who are highly social, working with The Ranch team and guests day-after-day, and thriving in a […]

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A Joyful Kickoff to the Season of Giving

Giving Thanks Before thanks have even been given in the traditional American way, we’re giving thanks to our community through a local tradition. This Friday and Saturday, we will host the 4th annual Granite County […]

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5 Luxe Ways to Celebrate and Savor the Fall Harvest

The Ranch’s New Fall Harvest Festivities This early October, we are channeling The Ranch’s beehives and buzzing around diligently in preparation of one of our biggest celebrations of the year, Autumn Harvest Weekend. Although we […]

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Announcing Exclusive, Inclusive Downhill Skiing at The Ranch

Now is the time to dream of the next blissful getaway that takes advantage of all a season can offer. We’re thrilled to announce that a winter stay at The Ranch will now include virtually […]

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Sweet Life of Bees: A Montana Apiary Story

Join us as we follow our new colleagues—the bees—as they homestead in the Rock Creek Valley.    Chapter 1, Spring: Welcoming Bees to Rock Creek by Kelsey Bruns, Beekeeper, Master Naturalist and Little Grizzlies Kids […]

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What is Experiential Travel?

Since The Ranch at Rock Creek opened in 2010, we’ve centered our guest experience around the Montana traditions of outdoor adventure and family ranching. Guests discover a still-pristine natural world through a spirit of play. What […]

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Pet-Friendly Hotels Earn Four Paws Up (& a Tail) | Zeus the Dog’s Travel Blog

A Doggone Good Time at The Ranch at Rock Creek Striving for Pet-Friendly Perfection This week we welcome Zeus, an imposing and good-natured Leonberger dog, and his better (human) half, Katie Jackson. A native of rural […]

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Lasso the Stars: Inclusivity, Culture & Wild Luxury

The Ranch Receives Fourth Consecutive Five-Star Rating We are thrilled to announce that we’ve just received the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award for the fourth straight year! We’ve been the world’s only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star ranch, […]

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Montana Moments: Photo Essay by Server & Photographer Willie MacDade

As the seasons change and the holidays approach, we are reminded that a photograph of the exact same spot in the summer looks entirely different in the spring, fall and winter. But, things don’t only […]

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Entertaining in the Legendary West

Silver spurs, gold nuggets and riding off into sunsets—these are the icons of the legendary West. Since the Western states were formed and the barbed wire was strung, the Rocky Mountain states have changed in a myriad of […]

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Montana’s Multi-Generational Travel Experience

Finding a Family’s Happy Place There’s no denying that the Internet has streamlined travel research and booking. Despite the amount of information at our fingertips, many leisure travelers desire a chance to unplug, decompress and reconnect with nature. […]

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Ranch Traditions: Saturday Barn Dance

After Memorial Day weekend, guests start seeing a Saturday barn dance on our list of weekly activities, along with the Friday breakfast ride, Tuesday rodeo and Sunday Wells Fargo stagecoach rides. They are now a feature of our […]

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Supporting Discovery Ski Area, Our Best-Kept Secret

Sunday, April 8th marked the close of a memorable, powdery snow season at Discovery Mountain. Winter refuses to be ushered out without a fight, so late spring skiing was some of the best we’ve ever […]

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Cross It Off Your Bucket List

10 Dreams Turned Reality at The Ranch Every vacation is a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. Here are 10 classic bucket list adventures that The Ranch at Rock Creek fulfills each year. 1. Become […]

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Glamping Under the (Five) Stars

The Ranch Retains Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Status We’re thrilled to announce that we have garnered the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award for the third year in a row!

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A Mystical Mountain Christmas

The 2015 Granite County Festival of Trees This year, we started celebrating Christmas early. With Thanksgiving still on the horizon, we had the opportunity to welcome the Granite County community to The Ranch at Rock Creek […]

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What’s a Ranch Rodeo? Photo Essay on a Montana Tradition

A staff member and talented photographer, Robert Cole, spent his summer at The Ranch documenting our weekly ranch rodeo at Camp Roosevelt Arena. Robert traveled from Northern California to work in Montana this summer. Although he has […]

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Ranch Traditions: Cowboy Breakfast

Summer Cowboy Breakfast at The Ranch at Rock Creek If you’ve never been given the nearly impossible task of trying to book an ideal family vacation, then we envy you. It’s hard to please everyone, especially when […]

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Great Room Cocktails: Huckleberry Season

Huckleberry Bear Traps in the Great Room Montanans take pleasure in foraging for seasonal ingredients. Guests who visited us in the spring might have enjoyed cuisine filled with flavorful morel mushrooms, gathered in the local forest. Now, […]

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Big Fly Country: Spring Fishing on Rock Creek

Montana Fly Fishing During “The Hatch” We’re biding our time in the Rod & Gun Club, because the spring melt has begun in the lower elevations. We know that with the end of spring runoff […]

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World’s First Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Ranch

The Ranch Wins 2nd Forbes Travel-Guide Five-Star Honor The skies have been clear for stargazing lately, but the most exciting constellation we’re seeing today is from one of the world’s most trusted travel authorities. Forbes Travel […]

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Winter Getaways: 10 Calorie-Melting Snow Sports

According to Statista, the most commonly made New Year’s resolutions are eating healthier and losing weight. But it can be hard to stick to a resolution like this if you’re used to being a homebody in the […]

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5 Cowboy-Inspired New Year’s Resolutions

We started out our New Year’s Eve celebration with a drink named, The Resolution, so it’s only fitting that we sit down to write our resolutions for the year. With a sky this big, we always […]

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Mercantile Style: Winter Ranch Wear

November is a perfect time to check your clothing and tack to see if they’re toasty enough for winter adventure. In similar fashion, The Ranch at Rock Creek’s Mercantile has been stocking clothing for winter. In our first volume […]

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Montana Fall Vacation Ideas

If you are searching for fall vacation ideas, our Ranch at Rock Creek staff is a living, galloping guidebook of Montana experiences. They are our knowledgeable instructors, our wildlife scouts and our adventurers thanks to personal […]

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Event Barn Raising: Grand Opening

An Event Barn in Big Sky Country Although the sky in Montana takes center stage, barns are an essential part of the western horizon. Barns dot the countryside in shades of weathered gray and red. Some […]

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Philipsburg Pride: Home Sweet Home

Photo by Michael Chilcoat Photography Philipsburg, Montana’s Hidden Gem To our delight, but certainly not to our surprise, our hometown community– Philipsburg –recently received a Montana Tourism Award at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and […]

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Local Food: Lambing Season in Springhill
Clark Fork River Cleanup
The Blue Ribbon Report | Spring Edition
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