at the border of Wyoming (WY)  and Montana (MT), USA

Pryor Mountains Cattle Drives

As you  leave the paved highway and start up the canyon along the rutted road toward the mountain, you actually feel as if you are traveling back in time.
Your hosts of this Pryor Mountains working ranch have been in the cattle business for generations. The ranch lies in a very beautiful, peaceful, and quiet country which is located about 50 miles south of Billings, Montana. It is rolling, native grasslands with areas of pines and canyons, laying along the Eastern slope of the majestic Pryor Mountains which run East and West along the Montana and Wyoming border. Very few people have ever invaded its serene and spacious lands. The cattle are wintered just east of Lovell in Wyoming, where the ranch grows the feed to complete the yearly cow and calf operation.

SPRING CATTLE DRIVES
Our spring cattle drive season starts in mid-April to early May with three cattle drives from Wyoming to Montana. We trail between 250 to 300 mother cows with their calves over an old Sioux trail that stretches between 50 to 55 miles from Wyoming to Montana. We will return to the ranch each night.

SUMMER CATTLE DRIVES
Our summer cattle drive season starts the last week in June and the first week in July. We trail 300 head of cattle up into the Big Horn Mountains (elevation 10,000 feet). We take our guests and ride with our neighbors up the steep mountain trail pushing cattle that need to go to summer pastures in the top of the mountains.
We always visit the historical Medicine Wheel Historical Site and marvel at the beautiful countryside. You can easily see for several hundred miles toward Yellowstone National Park from the top of the Big Horn Mountains. This is definitely a photographic paradise.
All riding levels are easily accomplished.

FALL CATTLE DRIVES
Our fall cattle drives begin the fourth week in October when we begin to gather our cows from 30,000 acres of ranch grazing pastures. The calves have already been weaned in late September and the cows are ready to leave the high country and make the 50 mile trek to farm ground pastures in Wyoming for the winter. We will return to the ranch each night of the drive for a wonderful home cooked meal and a warm dry bed.
Fall is a varied season to ride in Montana. The trail home to Wyoming is full varied temperatures and varied challenges and rugged awesome beauty. This is what REAL cowboys experiences are made of.

Come ride with the Cowboys.....
......It will change your life.

CDWY01
Rates include 7 nights lodging, all meals except last night dinner, 6 riding days
8 days/ 7 nights  $ 1,475
Single : + $40 for last night hotel
Taxes: 9%
Gratuities: 10-15% suggested   
2008 Dates:  
04/20-04/27    04/27-05/04    05/04-05/11
06/15-06/22    06/22-06/29    06/29-07/06 
08/17-08/24    10/26-11/02    11/02-11/09
  make reservation

Meeting: Lovell
Airport:   Billings at 4 PM
Transfer: $75 - to pay locally
Tack:      Western 
Horses:  Quarter Horses
Pace :     Moderate with trots and canters 
Level:    Intermediate
Max :     14 riders
Notes: Sunday 4 pm to Sunday 9 am. last night in hotel (dinner not included on last night)
Also available are Working Ranch Weeks  during the summer months or  Horse Drives .

Each trip starts on Sunday afternoon with a pick up in Billings at 4:00 pm and transfer to the ranch. You ride until Saturday late afternoon and spend the last night at a hotel in Billings (dinner is not included on this day).

Accommodations
During the time at the ranch you will stay in the bunkhouse, at a room in the ranch house or in one of the cabins. In the bunk house there are six comfortable western style guest rooms and a shared bathroom. The bunkhouse also has an inviting front porch to sit on and enjoy a quiet moment or share cowboy stories with other guests.
The ranch house has 3 rooms with shared bathroom. The small ranch house has a living room for the guests.
The cabins are reset and ready for guests. We have decorated them with old ranch pictures of guests and landscapes as the old blends into new.

Meals
Our guests eat three meals a day with the family and our cowboys in the cookhouse. Our ranch home-style meals are served with hot homemade breads. Each week we serve tender angus beef steaks, top sirloin roast, healthy vegetables, fresh salads, homemade desserts and lots of chocolate chip cookies for the kid in all of us. We promote beef on our ranch from pasture to plate.  One of the meals we are famous for is our Indian Tacos, you can only eat one.
Our cook does a great job dealing with special diets. Please let us know if you have special food needs. Our meals are served buffet-style and several times a week we pack a lunch when we ride out all day to move and work cattle.

    Video

  see Summer Images
  see Fall Drives

 
Photos by Steffi Pilz