HAWLEY MOUNTAIN GUEST RANCH - Montana

[Music] ready to break out of that daily grind traffic jams and great cubicle existence and discover what's really important in meaningful in life like unspoiled open country and mountains clear water rushing streams snow-capped mountain peaks [Music] wildlife relaxing with family and friends and surrounded by natural beauty in all directions well then grab your family and friends and head to south-central Montana where not much has changed since the first settlers arrived and that may be one of the best things about this guest ranch getaway welcome to Holly Mountain guest ranch in McLeod Montana [Music] serene and tranquil known for its exceptional fly-fishing this region was chosen as the backdrop for the 1992 movie a river runs through it [Music] although the ranch dates back to 1917 when the jurat family purchased the ranch from tom hollie who first homesteaded the property in the late 1880s the earliest inhabitants date back over eleven thousand five hundred years ago as tribes of prehistoric man dwelled on the property later crow Indian tribes settled on the property and during your week stay owner rod Jared will share a fascinating presentation on artifacts discovered right here on the ranch and recovered from a 1972 excavation by Montana State University [Music] and Tom off like grant great-grandmother tell me the story that tom hollie told them that there was gold on high up but it was too old was still there as screams in the bottom a screen most of the dirt just looking back up this way again this area here has recovered and this area here is tree government but what's a week and a guest ranch like well we're glad you asked when you arrive you'll settle into warm and rustic accommodations and take in all the peace and serenity surrounding you at the ranch [Music] the focal point of the week's activity is the main lodge a warm and restful place where tasty and nutritious meals are served [Music] friends and family can share and compare notes of the activities they've done during the day there's hangout and fire the spectacular views of Holly mountain and the Boulder River [Music] or watch the horses Lok through the lush pastures for the evening the lodge is built on a high rocky Bluff offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains [Music] and interestingly enough part of the rock Boulder the largest built on extends into the main lodge [Music] the mules are lovingly prepared by the kitchen staff and you'll never go away hungry and when you hear them ring the dinner bell you'll know it's time to eat [Music] as the Morning Sun comes up on the Montana mountains as it has for centuries the Wranglers bring in the remuda from their night's pastures [Music] as many times as the guests may see the horses come in or get turned down for the nights this site never gets old [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] after a hearty breakfast slip on your boots and make your way to the corral where the Wranglers will carefully match you with the horse well-suited to your writing abilities [Music] so if it's been a while since you've been on a horse not to worry the trails you'll ride explore the surrounding mountains streams and high pastures and you'll ride some trails that may have been written by the earliest Montana settlers [Music] [Music] ranch manager Eric Brady talks about the writing program at the ranch well our horse program up here it's something that I guess a lot of other ranches kind of do it we pair the rider to the horse based on a skill level we get a lot of first-time riders that come up to the ranch or those who haven't ridden in 2530 years and they are comfortable around them but don't have that experience to go out and get on a green horse or something so we'll put put that rider on a horse that is gonna take care of them for the week our terrain out here is a little rockier than most places that would be maybe down the valley we're able to climb pretty steep areas that I wouldn't even think about bringing a horse up from sea level up here and try going the places that we go to a lot of rock it's not kind of stuff that the horses have been doing it for years this is their job they pretty spoiled horses in my opinion for what they have to do for work or four months out of the year and the rest of the year they're off it's not too bad of a lifestyle for them they but they're good at what they do we pick the ones that work and if they don't work we find a different home forum and find a horse that will work out for us our guests are happy with that they're very pleased with the horses and we get people that have horses back home that come out and want a ride up here will come and ride our horses for a week and by the end of their and absolutely in love with our horses that says a lot to us it means a lot to us that our verses are that good so our location is very unique because we sit in the holder Valley right along the Volga River there's wilderness you're surrounded by wilderness and hiking trails and access points either to the north or south of us so it kind of gives us an area where we could pick a direction and just go for the day almost and would see new country none of our rides we try not to repeat our rides unless someone absolutely falls in love with that ride and wants to do it again some of the locations to go to will ride down along the boulder river there's Manny just to the north of us and we'll right through our past year and go down drop down into the canyon follow the river there's another point out here we have about 150 acres privately in the past year that the horses go through so we got nice little meadow meanders to get the it gets acquainted with their horse isn't comfortable with riding and then we also got rides that go up back into the mountains and there's all sorts of neat valleys that people just you wouldn't even know we're there unless you got off the road in Rome Yeah right that we call our all-day riding it goes up we're hunting camp is and we'll have lunch over there it's a spot that very few people go to hardly run into anybody when you're out there it's breathtaking when you get up there some of the guests think the right brutal but it's definitely worth it when they get there they are very they enjoy it when they come back to their and the scenery and just everything that's up there is just absolutely amazing it's breathtaking [Music] during the week guests will enjoy a cookout have bitter around or ruin campfire and we all know steaks just taste better so still very open fire [Music] we're tendering Montana California we don't do a river [Music] after dinner the Wranglers will teach the youngsters had a rope Norman or you can work it off in a spirited game of tug-of-war [Music] [Music] or volleyball work the ever-popular sack races in three-legged races [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] or cap off dinner with so roasted marshmallows and s'mores [Music] I would say the feeling of family being welcomed here and feeling right at home with everyone eating together with the staff and everyone else really gives it a hometown small-town family feel this is our first time at a horse ranch we've done cruises we've done vacations in other states where we've planned our own activities but this has been an exceptionally exceptionally good time I'm not an experienced Horseman by any stretch of the imagination but the Wranglers have been fantastic they've given us enough direction to get us going they've been very patient teachers the horses are fantastic and we have really enjoyed our time here [Music] if fishing is what you came for an instructor will teach you how to fly fish at this stocked trout pond and direct you to some clear water streams to wet sand flies and reel in the rainbow cutthroat and brook trout that inhabit the Boulder River and surrounding ponds [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for some real adventure the ranch has an Austrian pin scowler altering vehicle which climbs through the trails like a seasoned mountain goat and on a trip up to the higher elevations and Blue Lake stops at some of the historic gold mines that topped his region and were the dreams of some of the early Montana gold prospectors [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] even in July you'll find some snow in the higher elevations now when was the last time he could build a snowman or make snow angels in July all right oh yeah okay oh yeah I let them have it [Music] and if you're fortunate enough to book the week of July 4th the Ranchos a spectacular fireworks display weather permitting for the guests [Music] [Music] aside from spectacular scenery great food incredible fishing and trail riding perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from a guest ranch vacation are the new relationships people creates as Ron Jarrod explains well I think one of the things that that people get out of it is is something different than what we're we're trying to sell you know we're trying to sell the spectacular scenery and the great horseback rides and what people come back and tell us is that that it's people here but maked we interact with our guests we take missed a few you know roughly 20 people and by the end of the week we were all friends everybody comes from different directions and they all join together and we're one big happy group and that's what that's what I see for what people are telling us how their vacation was and and they have the you know they enjoy the activities too of course and the scenery well haul ranches are unique in the place that they're that they're at you know we're sitting here in the middle of this spectacular wilderness area so that's one of the things that makes it unique our 6x6 trip up in the mountains to the gold mining areas Blue Lake is I don't know of anybody else it has a ride like that it gets people off their horse for one day rest a few sore muscles and we do other thing you know we have a full trip for people might want to not want to ride all day one day and all those trips we guide ourselves you know there are other ranches that have fishing and they usually send somebody out with a guide somewhere else here we have the fishing right up right out our back door and they don't have to go anywhere else well the most memorable is is the reunion week we have a group of people that have been some have been have coming here for you know close to 20 years and they all started coming at the same week again every time because I had so much fun together and we look forward to that that we call years that's in September and that's a week that we all look forward to we have another group that's been here I don't how many years they missed one year out of twenty four or five I don't know but until you maybe I'm not sure how many years it is that they'll they'll remember and tell us when they get here guests come to Holly Mountain guests range from all over the world and from all walks of life and all leave with memories that will last for a lifetime but what's the best thing about Holly Mountain guest ranch well we'll let the guests answer that question [Music] I've never been to one before and I had such a fabulous time the food is fantastic and they treat and they were truly do treat you like family it is such a great time it is so much better than going on a cruise ship it's very personal and oh my goodness Ron and Phyllis they're like your aunt and uncle they just and they feed you my goodness and the horses are just fabulous I'm a beginner Rider and after six rides I felt more confident I'm holding the horn of brains with one hand I'm sitting up straight the Wranglers are fabulous they're patient with a newbie like me and the horses are just great I had such a fabulous time and I I highly recommend this vacation to anyone it's such a fabulous experience and another thing I love about this place is you get disconnected from the world there are no TVs there's no cell service if you need Wi-Fi desperately you can always come up to the lodge to get it I highly recommend it and hope that you take the chance and come out here and visit Ron and Phyllis and the whole gang and you will never regret it if you're ready to break away from that daily digital lifestyle if you're ready for a spectacular scenery wildlife and clean air clean water streams and peace and solitude like you've never experienced if you're ready to make new friends from all over the world and create memories that will last a lifetime well then gather up your family and friends and head to south central Montana for the experience of a lifetime [Music] [Music] your horse is ready we'll see you at the corral [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: HorseTV Global

Views: 86,361

Rating: 4.8526316 out of 5

Keywords: ranch, dude ranch, guest ranch, montana ranch, vacation, fishing, horseback riding, western, saddle, campfire, canyon, horses, pony, hiking, riding, trails, trail riding

Id: 99HhSLlFU7k

Length: 30min 1sec (1801 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 06 2017