We are deeply saddened to share that, after consulting with public health experts and talking to our guests, we have canceled our 2020 season due to the unpredictable circumstances surrounding COVID-19. As difficult a decision as this is, our priority is the health of our guests and our staff. COVID-19 is still circulating in the US and around the world. Our staff members and guests travel from across the country (and sometimes even across the world!) to come to our slice of paradise. We are not in normal times and clearly can’t operate the ranch normally. More importantly, the need for social distancing precludes us from being able to give our guests the vacation they, and we, expect. While new scientific findings are being made daily–and we hope and pray for an effective treatment in the near future– we can no longer delay a decision.

Opening and preparing the ranch takes weeks of hard work and planning to ensure your vacation is truly a vacation of a lifetime. While our chefs can whip up a mean batch of cookies in no time, the rest of our preparation takes a little longer. While we wish we could wait and see what mid July and August bring, we don’t want to leave our guests and staff dangling when we simply don’t have the answers. We’ve made our decision preemptively to ensure that when you do pull up the ranch driveway in future seasons, we’re ready for you.

While Wyoming itself is great for social distancing, having 30 guests and 20 staff members on the ranch, is not. Trying to picture our guests square dancing, while 6 feet apart from one another, may have brought a chuckle or two, but the reality is current guidelines mean that many of our activities and traditions would be unable to continue through the summer. Kids playing with each other, fishing guides helping you reel in a big trout, new found friends mingling at happy hour, tours through Yellowstone, rafting the Shoshone River and many more of our activities either could not be offered or would lose their magic 6 feet apart. We simply do not want to open and offer our guests less than our best.

When you leave the ranch, you’re a part of our family. We get to know you, your children, parents, spouse, and often extended family. Together we celebrate your momentous occasions that have brought you together to the ranch. We reminisce about loved ones who previously visited the ranch and newly created precious memories. Being unable to spend extended periods of time together, share meals together, and be in proximity with one another would prevent us from gathering as the family we are.

Throughout this experience, we’re learning to take less for granted. From necessities, like toilet paper and food, to smaller unquantifiable moments, like a final goodbye hug to our guests on Saturday morning. From now on, we promise to relish the moments a little more— the look on a child’s face during their first horseback ride, the unbreakable bond between grandmother and granddaughter, the laughter spilling out of the saloon. We’re taking this time to better ourselves and the ranch. We will be spending our summer not only savoring the Wyoming mountains, but also improving our ranch for you. We will complete projects that have been on our to-do list. We will beautify the property and become better prepared for your future visits.

We’re grateful that many of our guests have put their trust in our decision and rolled their reservation over to next year. We invite you to join them and make a reservation for our 2021 season. After these challenging times, the ranch and its staff will be waiting for you with open gates and open arms.