Ranches

“The new wild is where people and nature thrive together.” These eloquent words perfectly express the Chandler family’s philosophy of the ranch. The vision of making their home a place for guests to enjoy natural beauty and, at the same time, taking care of that beauty was always behind the creation of the guest ranch business. Independence Creek runs clear and steady through the West Texas desert, directly in front of Chandler Ranch headquarters and into the limestone cliffs that form the Pecos River. Escape to the clear cool waters that converge on Chandler Ranch and enjoy swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and exploring.

The ranch lies on the western edge of the Hill Country among the limestone cliffs, spring-fed waters of the South Llano River and magical Blue Hole. The ranch terrain ranges from river bottom to rolling hills covered with live oak and shin oak groves, lacey and chinquapin oaks, persimmon, cedar brakes, the occasional redbud, Texas sophora and elm trees. The Golden-cheeked Warbler, a small songbird that only nests in Texas, has been spotted on the ranch, as has the Black-capped Vireo.

For thousands of years, people have been drawn to the shade and cool waters of the Devils River. In just a few days at Hudspeth, guests can paddle and swim from pool to pool, stopping for a picnic on the shaded bank. If your stay is timed just right, catch a glimpse of bright orange fall colors from more than just the changing leaves, as thousands of Monarch butterflies stop along their migration route from Canada to central Mexico. Hike to one of several mountain peaks and search for bald and golden eagles above or white-tailed deer, quail, turkey, javelina and aoudad sheep in the canyons below. Mountain bike the 10-mile loop through Cedar Canyon, cool off at one of the shallow river crossings, site in your firearm at the shooting range and end the day with a home-cooked meal at the ranch headquarters.

A secluded 10,000-acre jewel tucked into California’s famed Santa Ynez Valley, Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort melds the spirit of the Old West with the seductive charms of today’s most relaxing resorts. Drive 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara and you’ll find Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort’s 50 miles of riding trails, 100-acre spring-fed lake, two 18-hole championship golf courses, tennis courts, pool, spa, western-themed accommodations, fine dining, and endless ways to unplug and unwind. Just minutes away from the Ranch are more than 75 renowned vineyards and wineries and the charming Danish village of Solvang. Whether it’s a romantic weekend getaway for two, a family reunion, or a corporate retreat, come discover the magic of Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort. This is far more than just a dude ranch. With a temperate climate year-round and ever-changing seasonal activities, any time of year is the perfect time to visit us.

This Costa Rican family-run cattle ranch is located in the mountains between Miravalles Volcano, Tenorio Volcano, and its extensive National Park. Hacienda Montezuma is entirely off-the-grid, and the water is sourced fresh from the mountain springs. The lake provides a tranquil spot for lazy afternoons, picnics and fishing. For those feeling more active, they can arrange fly fishing in the volcanic rivers, bird watching, trekking, rafting, a visit to the local town, and riding expeditions through pastures & the jungle. The 3700 acre Hacienda is dedicated to raising and breeding Brangus and Brahman cattle, with more than 1300 head. Visitors can join the “sabaneros”, or cowboys, while they herd and work the cattle.

Elephant Mountain Ranch is part of the Texas Hill Country River Region. With crystal clear rock bottom river beds like the Frio River in Concan and Leakey, TX this Nueces River ranch offers a secluded, private experience. The ranch is named for a baby elephant that escaped from and was returned to a circus traveling through nearby Montell in the early 20th century. Lipan Apache once roamed the Nueces Canyon, Franciscan monks and the U.S. military set up outposts and Charles Lindbergh made an unplanned stop nearby at the turn of the 20th century.

In a 2005 Big Sky Journal article, the author describes the setting of Green Valley Ranch best: “After a short drive off Montana Highway 2, the winding access road opens onto the homestead, where a caretaker’s cabin, guesthouse and main lodge encircle a small pond. In this sheltered meadow, it’s easy to see why the Green family settled here in the early 1900’s. The valley lies in the curve of the Flathead Range with Desert Mountain standing sentinel at 6,000 feet, cradling the collection of buildings protectively. From the hilltop above the lodge a person could look southwest and see right into Glacier National Park.” Green Valley Ranch was originally homesteaded by the George Green family when Glacier Park was newly created. The land was sold in 1947 and operated for fifty years as a dude ranch known as Desert Mountain Lodge. In 1999, the ranch was purchased and restored by the current owners – grandchildren of the original homesteading family. Today, five generations of the Green family ride and ski the logging trails, thin and replant the forest, and are securing the abundance and beauty of the area for future generations. Green Valley Ranch is their family’s treasure and legacy they now share with a select few.

It all began with a move from LA to Austin. Bobby and Gail went from the fast-paced high traffic, “cement” jungle life to a calming, serene, and nature-filled life. They had the extraordinary opportunity to buy 178 acres of raw land. Paired with a dream to create a wonderful place that provides a unique opportunity to nurture in nature, they began to build what you see today. They had the idea that more folks like them wanted to "nurture in nature", to recharge their physical and emotional batteries in a relaxed, beautiful, and caring environment. The Dubois are passionate about the land and the animals, being active, preparing and enjoying good food, and deeply wish to share that experience with others.

First human use of the Tom Miner Basin was by local Native American tribes as summer hunting grounds. The Absaroka (Crow) lived in a large territory bordered by the Beartooth Plateau on the south, the Yellowstone Plateau on the southwest and the Gallatin Mountain Range and Yellowstone River on the west and north. Tom Miner Basin is located on the western edge of that region, in the Gallatin Range. In addition to the Crow, the Sheepeater Indians most likely hunted in the Basin as well. Two hiking trails still used at B Bar– one traveling into Yellowstone and the other over Buffalo Horn Pass into the Gallatin River drainage – were likely used by Native Americans as they traversed the area. Tipi rings are still visible on the land, and some arrowheads and chips have been found in various ranch locales. Although not known with certainty, a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition named John Colter may have been the first person of European descent to visit Tom Miner Basin in the early 1800s. Colter’s stories include trapping in a location that could well have been this Basin. He spent months alone in the wilderness, and is widely considered to be the first “mountain man." In the mid-1860s when Emigrant Gulch was settled as a lively gold mining camp, hunters frequented the Basin as well. It was around this time that Thomas J. Miner began trapping here, and it is for him that the area was named. The first homesteaders arrived in the Basin in the 1890s, following the settlement of Paradise Valley immediately after the Civil War and upon completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad a decade earlier. The first documented resident in the Basin was a man named Burkins, who homesteaded around 1900 where the main B Bar Ranch buildings are now located. In 1906 he sold his holdings to Charlie and Adelaide Scott, who owned the B Bar brand. There were at least six other homesteads settled about this time, as the Northern Pacific sold land in the Basin to ranchers for grazing. Names given to areas of the ranch – the Reed Place, Styers Pasture, Davis Cabin, and Anderson Place – remind us of the families who struggled to make a living in the upper reaches of the Basin. In the late 1930s, Bill Ward (a businessman from New York) came to Montana and consolidated various homesteads into a larger B Bar. During Ward’s tenure, the ranch was managed and operated by Don Hindman, a rancher and furniture maker from Cody, Wyoming. Hindman built our shop, Skully Barn, and much of the Molesworth-style furniture in the lodge. By the mid-1960s the Wards were forced to sell the ranch with the passing of Bill Ward. They sold to the Dunevant Corporation, an agricultural commodities brokerage firm in Tennessee. Very quickly they found that conditions here for raising cattle were very different than what they were accustomed to. When the ranch was again put on the market three long-time ranching families in the Basin purchased it to protect the property from subdivision or other development. Two of the ranchers took acreage for their share, leaving the third as sole owners of the reduced-size B Bar. It was from these owners that the B Bar, as it is today, was purchased by the current owners in May of 1978. With the purchase of eight cows and one bull in 1989, the ranch began its endeavor to operate organically. Today, the ranch honors the historical significance of the area through ecological preservation and stewardship of the land.