I'd like to share my trail riding experiences just outside the very Western little town of Dubois, Wyoming. Dubois is located on the Wind River, approximately an hour from the south gate of Yellowstone and about 1½ hours from the tourist center of Jackson.
Even though this location is near two famous summer tourist destinations, the Wind River Valley is still a little off the beaten path. So don't worry that you will be caught in the summer migration of vans, SUVs, and campers.
The Ranch
If you read my last story, you may remember that I started in northern Montana and wasn't happy with my location. I then moved south to Torrey Mountain Log Cabin Rentals and had a great time. I also spent the entire month of June in Montana.
This year was different on several levels. First, I couldn't stay as long. I had to fit 17 days of horse vacation for Buddy and me into the month of July. Buddy is my 6-year-old buckskin traveling partner. He's a seasoned traveler and never asks, "Are we there yet?"
I chose Wyoming rather than Montana for the sake of variety, and because it's a bit closer to my barn in Indiana (1,460 miles vs. well over 1,600). While that may not seem like much difference, it meant that I could make this trip with only one night layover each way. They were two long travel days to be sure!
This time, headquarters was a place called Mackenzie Highland Ranch. I've really wrestled with my conscience about sharing this information. It's a really nice, quiet place. I do plan on revisiting the ranch, and I fear if I let the cat out of the bag, they won't have room for Buddy and me. Nevertheless, if you're looking for an ideal place for riding in Wyoming, I highly recommend you check out Mackenzie Highland Ranch!
The ranch has six cabins available for rent. One is a large duplex. Another is a rather rustic one-bedroom cabin that may be torn down soon. The other three are called pioneer cabins. They were originally built in Yellowstone and were moved to the ranch in the 1930s. Likely, they're more than 100 years old! They are called pioneer cabins, because they are only one room and they don't have bath facilities. They do have a refrigerator, and a bathhouse is very near.
The ranch also has recreational-vehicle hookups that include water and electric. All guests receive a corral for their horses at no extra charge. The corrals don's have any shelter, but this isn't a problem during the summer.
I reserved the rustic one-bedroom cabin the January before my summer trip. However, a couple of weeks before I was to leave on my trip, I received an e-mail from Ruth, the ranch manager, stating that the cabin I'd reserved wouldn't be available. But she assured me I'd get an "upgrade" at no extra charge. My upgrade was the duplex cabin that sleeps 10 people, is on two levels, and has two bathrooms and laundry facilities. Truly an upgrade!
David Mackenzie and his family purchased the ranch about 12 years ago, and it's been operated as a guest ranch since. Mr. Mackenzie and his wife actually live in Pennsylvania, but he does visit on occasion. The ranch managers are a husband-and-wife team, Tom and Ruth Verheil. If you visit the ranch, you'll enjoy meeting Tom and Ruth.
