Find Your Inner Ranch Hand: Montana Luxury Working Ranch Vacation

Want to spend a week on a working cattle ranch in Montana where you have actual chores to do and live in a bunkhouse and it costs YOU a couple of thousand dollars?  Surprisingly, it looks like there's a market for just that type of thing in Montana.  As my late husband Dave always said, "The answer is always no unless you ask."

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You can actually be a hired hand at a handful of Montana Ranches.  It's called a "Working Ranch Vacation".  (I feel that the term vacation is being used very loosely here.) Check out this website, Montana Working Ranches.

What Goes Down On These Working Ranch Vacations?

That depends on the time of year.  You may be asked to drive or herd cattle, check fencing, feed and water the animals, take part in the yearly branding, or maybe your "vacation" is during calving season.  (I don't know where you're from, but where I'm from, all of those things are called chores, and they can be hard.)

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There ARE Fun Activities Included

All of them offer horseback riding as a main activity as well as things like bird watching, trap shooting, fishing, hiking and photography.

Accommodations

Depending on the ranch chosen, sleeping quarters range from bunk houses with shared bathrooms to private family cabins.

Food And Drink

Most of the ranches I looked at encouraged that you bring in your own adult beverages, but not all of them.

Meals range from the gourmet side to solid, downhome ranch fare.

Price

The prices ranged from $1,900 to just over $2,000 per person, all-inclusive.

In Summary

I love that these hard-working Montanans are making a living on their ranch and that tourists PAY THEM to do part of their chores.  I would never ever ever do one of these ranches simply because my cousins have ranches and if they need us, we go work the branding weekend or fencing weekends or whatever they need us to do for a good meal or two.

I just can't tell you enough what a kick I get out of people from some big city telling their friends they're headed to Montana for the week to do some branding or fencing and it only cost their family of 4 around $8,000, not including airfare.

Believe me when I say to these folks, we've been waiting for you.