Twenty-five miles down a dirt road in the Wyoming wilderness lies the most remote guest ranch in the lower forty-eight states. Stunning horses and a collection of one-hundred-year-old cabins pepper the beautiful green river valley that is Darwin Ranch. 

A Wyoming homestead, Darwin Ranch actually draws inspiration from safari lodges of East Africa and offers unparalleled experiences with unforgettable hospitality. A 160-acre island inside a vast expanse of public land, Darwin Ranch is one of the few surviving American forest homestead operations that has not been subdivided, and it has a long history of guest ranching in the western lifestyle that dates to the turn of the century. At its outset in 1901, Darwin Ranch was home to a fur trapper and trader named Fred Dorwin. (A misprinted document early in the twentieth century led to the ranch’s current name.) In the 1920s, the ranch began hosting guests from across the country as a “dude ranch” operation, and its characteristic timber architectural style became a familiar nod to homestead design. The enduring appeal of Darwin Ranch and its contributions to the history of the mountain west earned it a recent nomination for the National Register of Historic Places. 

Today, Darwin Ranch is run by mother and son, Kathy Bole and Oliver Klingenstein. Kathy handles bookings, cabins, lodge operations, and the kitchen, and Oliver oversees the physical infrastructure, hydro-power system, rotational grazing program, guest recreation, and the horses. Oliver’s lifelong love of horses and all things western helped fuel his studies in Environmental History, and his training as an EMT and farrier also bolsters his ability to manage a remote guest ranch. 

As a guest at Darwin Ranch, you’ll find comfortable and intimate accommodations. With hand-built log cabins and beautifully blended modern styles, you’ll be sure to enjoy the timeless comforts of cozy beds, wood burning stoves, private baths, and all the modern conveniences of ranch-generated electricity. Darwin offers three free-standing cabins—Spruce, Moose, and Deer—each with a screened-in porch and a newly renovated bathroom. Perched on a wooded hill, Spruce is the most secluded cabin with rustic comfort and a stunning porch, and Moose cabin stands at the southern edge with a spectacular view up-valley and a front porch overlooking the main meadow. Both cabins have a cozy king bed that can be easily converted to two beds, and Moose cabin contains an extra day bed. Deer cabin is set on the banks of Kinky Creek and feels the most removed from any activity. With a porch overlooking the babbling creek, Deer cabin gives its guests a perfect view of grazing horses. Sheep cabin is the Darwin homesteading cabin, and its adjoining bathroom is connected to the building via a deck. If you’re visiting the ranch with a bigger group, the Elk cabin is a recently renovated cozy cabin with four individual rooms under one roof. With private baths, wood stoves, and shared porches, this option is sure to comfortably accommodate everyone. 

World-class hiking is accessible from every porch, and whether you’re looking for a simple meadow stroll or a day-long endeavor scaling ridgelines to unparalleled views, Darwin Ranch has you covered. Trails from the ranch lead to remote peaks, alpine meadows, and glacial lakes, and you’ll journey over hidden mountain passes and along roaring rivers. The Gros Ventre Range has remarkably clear hiking routes that can be undertaken on foot or in combination with a horseback ride.

In fact, Darwin Ranch offers guided rides that will immerse you in the wilderness for several hours or entire days. For beginner riders learning the basics, to more advanced riders who will have the opportunity to reach far-flung alpine lakes and peaks, Darwin offers riding experiences for all levels. Darwin also remains one of a few ranches that still allows some guests to ride without a guide, and guests will be assessed for this opportunity during guided rides early in their stays. 

The ranch can also comfortably accommodate six hunters per week when the season is right for elk, deer, moose, and bighorn sheep. Darwin provides a guide for each pair of hunters and has the facilities to care for all game acquired throughout the week. If angling is more your speed, you can dip your line in the Gros Ventre River and try your hand at fishing! The ranch provides remote access to the pristine Upper Gros Ventre River which is protected by Wyoming’s Wild and Scenic designation. The native Snake River fine spotted cutthroat trout continues to thrive in a healthy fishery alongside the native Rocky Mountain whitefish. Darwin Ranch offers day trips to high mountain lakes and rivers by foot or horseback, where you can wade-fish throughout the entirety of the season. To preserve the natural populations, all anglers at Darwin Ranch practice catch-and-release fishing with barbless hooks, so bring your cameras to capture the memories! 

After a long morning of hiking and fishing, a leisurely float down the Gros Ventre River is a fantastic way to unwind. Swim, nap, or throw your line in as you float back to the ranch on inflatable tubes or kayaks. If you crave an adventurous romantic getaway, or you want a basecamp for further exploration, the Upper Falls Camp lets you see practically unexplored sections of the range while enjoying great food, high-quality walled tents, and comfortable cots with foam mattresses in camps that sleep six. You can book this with or without a guide, but due to limited pasture, horses are not provided to ride at the Upper Falls Camp. 

And don’t count out the winter months at Darwin Ranch! With guided alpine tours, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and skate skiing, you’ll have no shortage of fun activities from which to choose. To begin a winter stay, you’ll meet your guides where the pavement ends at the Forest Service boundary. After you pack your gear on tow sleds and have a quick tutorial on riding snowmobiles, you’ll begin your hour-and-a-half trek to Darwin, taking in the peaceful beauty of winter over the Wind River Range as you go. Once at the ranch, you can choose your daily activities, pack a lunch and thermos of hot coffee, and spend the day in the sparkling wild. 

Like every ranch, Darwin has a lodge that is the hub of the entire operation. With the kitchen, dining room, piano bar, spacious living room, lounge, and a porch overlooking the river, guests can congregate in the lodge and relax by the fire or stop in for coffee and meals throughout the day. If anyone is looking for a peaceful spot to read, play board games, or have a cup of tea, the lodge’s living room is the perfect setting. A wood-fired sauna and hot tub are located outside the lodge, offering picturesque opportunities to unwind and relax after a ranch day. As the day turns to evening, visit the lodge for cocktail hour, family-style dinner, fireside conversations, and a little music and dancing. 

As any hungry cowboy or ranch hand will tell you, good food is essential to morale. Darwin recognizes that quality food is the result of many good relationships, and they showcase the full range of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s culinary offerings. From leg of lamb from Ishawooa Mesa Ranch—Darwin’s sister ranch—to heirloom legumes from neighbouring farms, Darwin’s kitchen creates dishes bursting with the natural flavours of the landscape. The team even makes their own yogurt and harvests vegetables from Ishawooa Mesa Ranch and Shoshone River Farm for mouth-watering salads.

Being off the grid also means that Darwin Ranch is working towards a zero-waste future. Committed to preserving, protecting, and sharing the land, Darwin maintains the lightest possible footprint and operates using holistic pasture management. Darwin also wants their guests to learn about the wonders of the location and broader ecosystem by engaging in conversations about the privileges, responsibilities, and complexities of recreating in a wilderness area. You can experience the wild with or without a guide in a loose-reined atmosphere of curiosity, learning, and self-challenge, and you can gain confidence in the rugged backcountry, learn about local plant life, and dive into horsemanship with Darwin’s team of wranglers. The ranch has even adopted several range-savvy horses and three burros through the local Mustang Training Program that operates through the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program, and they also train mustangs on-site. 

In fact, Darwin Ranch manages their pastures through a rotational grazing program. Over-grazed pastures require good stewardship, and over seven years, Darwin has implemented a grazing pattern that helps replicate the way wild animals graze. Instead of turning their horses and burros out loose every night, the animals are corralled into a large, enclosed pasture. By eating in one spot for a night or two before moving on to a new section, they never return to the same section all summer long. This style replicates a migrating animal herd and has been incredibly effective in bringing back native grasses to the land. When pastures do need some reseeding, chemical fertilizers are never used and Darwin only plants native grass seed specifically designed for the high alpine Gros Ventre area. 

A stay at Darwin Ranch offers all the comforts you could ever desire and all the wild adventures you could possibly imagine. With individualized service, Darwin helps you plan your stay to be challenging or leisurely, gentle or rugged, independent or guided—whatever you’re looking for, Darwin Ranch can bring it to life. So, venture out to the mountain west and explore the wild at Darwin Ranch—your seat by the fire is waiting.

More Info:

https://ecofarmfinder.com/darwin-ranch