Located at the base of Spencer Mountain and between two pine-covered ridges, Bar W Guest Ranch is just a few minutes from the town of Whitefish, Montana. It is a year-round dude ranch and offers some of the best Glacier National Park glamping accommodations. If you are looking for some western-style adventures, glamping and horseback riding in Montana, Bar W Ranch is the place!
The Bar W Guest Ranch was featured on ABC’s hit romance reality series The Bachelor, do you watch the show? I don’t, I need to go find the episode so I can see all the places around Whitefish that were featured – it is a romantic destination no doubt!
Horseback riding near Whitefish in Montana
While we didn’t stay there we visited Bar W Guest Ranch for our trail ride one afternoon when we were visiting Whitefish, Montana. The horse oriented ranch has over three thousand beautiful acres along with diverse horseback riding programs. The friendly wrangler got me oriented with my horse Quigley before we set out on our trail ride. The horseback rides are in small groups with a maximum of four people which means you go on a slower pace and the ride can be tailored based on your skill level.
We rode through the terrain surrounding the ranch, along the shores of Lake Spencer and then through some pine forests – there were some fall colors along the way, we spotted wildflowers, snowberries and other flora. Quigley was a little lazy and wanted to go easy, stop and eat some grass along the way and I didn’t mind – gave me a chance to soak in all the sweeping Montana landscapes, big beautiful sky and breathe in more of that fresh mountain air. That is what horseback riding means to me – to savor the scenery, experience and enjoy nature, the open space and spectacular views of the mountains, lakes, or meadows and valley!
If you were staying at the ranch, each guest is paired with a ranch horse for the duration of the stay. The trail rides range from one hour to all-day rides! The stay also includes meals, the use of boats on Spencer Lake, swimming, archery, hiking, access to surrounding wilderness areas, fishing, and more. Evening activities including wagon rides, cookout dinners, cowboy dancing, and campfires with cowboy singing. A unique adventure and way of life that you only see in western movies!
Glamping in Glacier National Park, Montana
The Bar W offers four handsomely decorated luxury canvas tents for glamping in Glacier National Park. During summer and fall, the pastures are filled with wildflowers and you can watch the horses graze in the meadow from the front porch. Each tent has a private porch, queen-size bed, a handcrafted log futon, refrigerator and coffee maker. A private, heated bathroom is located just a couple of feet from each tent.
The Main Lodge has 6 bedrooms, large communal spaces, including the main dining hall, parlor area equipped with televisions, pool table, dartboard, card table/chess set, bar area and hot tub. The Lodge is available as a group vacation rental or you can rent the individual suites for stays. Perfect for family reunions, a group of friends on a ski vacation, or a magical winter holiday.
While the glamping tents are available only during summer and fall (May 1- October 31), the main lodge in Bar W Ranch is open year-round. During the winter months of November to April, you can request horse-drawn sleigh rides during your stay. See Bar W Guest Ranch’s website for rates and availability.
I loved my trail ride along the rolling hills, pine forests and the gorgeous Montana backdrop. I would love to go back for some western-style luxury camping, glamping and horseback riding at Bar W Ranch, Montana with the rest of the crew soon. How about you?
Here are a few other places where you can go glamping with kids.
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