Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga Wyoming
Brush Creek Ranch is a slice of paradise located near Saratoga Wyoming in South Central Wyoming’s North Platter River Valley. It has been featured in Condé Nast, Robb Report and Travel + Leisure as one of the best resorts in the world. I would classify it as a luxury dude ranch. I am an outdoor enthusiast and was attracted to the activities like horse back riding, sporting clays, and fly fishing; however, in looking for a place where my wife could accompany me it has many other offerings as well, such as world class dining, cocktails and accommodations. There is something here for everyone, it has a 5 star spa and activities that can range from yoga to ATV riding tours.
One thing that impressed me about our stay is the attention to detail and the personalized attention each guest receives. Months prior to our visit they contacted us several times to find out what our expectations were and spent time accessing our skill levels in the activities that we were interested in like horseback riding and fly fishing. When we arrived we were treated like honored guests and they customized every detail of the experience to our needs.
My wife and I are equestrians and own several horses, riding weekly on trails in our home state of Alabama. In conversations prior to arrival we expressed that, if it were an option, we did not want to go on the typical “nose to tail” trail rides you typically experience on vacations and would like to do some trail blazing and have opportunities for cantering and a more challenging ride. The staff arranged a trail ride for us where it was only my wife and me and a wrangler and they delivered exactly what we asked for and met every expectation. They also allowed us to go on a cattle drive to actually move cattle where we were the only guests accompanying the wranglers and we had an awesome experience.
Another enjoyable aspect is that they do not have a lot of guests on the ranch at one time and we had the opportunity to share meals family style and get to meet many of the other guests and form friendships. None of the other guests that we were sharing the ranch with had experience in horsemanship, fishing, or shooting. I was impressed that the same care that went into customizing the experience for our ability levels went for everyone. I enjoyed watching the patient staff help these guests experience and learn to love the sporting lifestyle and do so in a safe and instructional style.
We only stayed for three nights and did not get to experience everything they had to offer. My wife took barrel racing lessons and had a big time doing that. I was able to fish Brush Creek and Elk Hollow Creek and land some beautiful Browns on my 6 weight fly-rod. We also had the opportunity to spend time on the range, shooting 5 stand and long guns and pistols on the range.
We stayed in the main lodge, the rooms were excellent, and the lodge was speculator. I especially liked hanging out in the room called the mancave, it had a leather floor, wood paneled walls with big leather furniture and taxidermy. The staff overheard me having a conservation with another bourbon connoisseur about our plans for hanging out in the mancave that evening. When we headed that way later in the day they had arranged a beautiful cart with a selection of fine bourbons and scotch whiskeys that came with a tray of tasting glasses, bucket of ice and a staff member to pour for us. This is an all-inclusive resort, so we paid one price and it covered all the beverages, wine, tips and even the shells at the range. I enjoyed being able to fully enjoy the whole experience and did not have to pull my wallet out on any occasion. I would highly recommend this place for anyone, and especially for anyone who is an aficionado of the sporting lifestyle.
