Giddy up for a Wild West Adventure in Northern Idaho

Dude ranches are enjoying a resurgence due in part to the popularity of the hit television series “Yellowstone.” When enamored viewers get a hankerin’ to head out West to a guest ranch, they may envision Stetson-wearing cowboys astride spirited mustangs, sprinting across the sprawling Dutton family ranch in Montana.

These would-be buckaroos probably don’t expect a top-notch dude ranch to exist in a state famous for potatoes, with a former high-tech entrepreneur who shovels horse manure at its reins. USA Today and Newsweek rated the maverick resort one of the 10 best dude ranches to visit.

Tucked away in the sublime lake region of northern Idaho, Red Horse Mountain Ranch transports travelers to the tranquility of the trail. The private mountain valley surrounded by thousands of forested acres is a five-minute drive from Coeur d’Alene Lake and 1.5 hours from the Spokane, Washington, airport.

Rustic Charm

Designed with families in mind, the full-service resort delivers Western adventure and authenticity in equal measure. The thrill of riding horseback across the unspoiled wilderness, the serenity of casting a line into a lake, and the camaraderie found around the crackling campfire create cherished memories and a renewed spirit.

Red Horse Mountain Ranch owner Don Britton was the founder of one of the first cloud computing companies three decades ago. He sold Network Alliance in 2018, and five years later, he bought the ranch. The hands-on boss is not averse to getting down and dirty. “I’m a big believer that I can’t ask somebody to do something I’m not prepared to do myself,” the 55-year-old asserted. “That’s why you’ll see me cleaning dishes, saddling horses, and scooping poop in the pens.”

Britton is known for his heart for hospitality. “If Don learns a guest has a specific request beyond the ranch’s repertoire,” manager Rob Farmer, 42, said, “he’ll make certain it is met.” For example, he recently organized a guided hike to the top of Red Horse Mountain so that a guest could pick huckleberries along the trail.

At dawn’s first light, the serene valley is veiled in blue fog, and dew appears like teardrops on the grass blades. The ranch wranglers rise from their bunks, don cowboy hats, and shimmy their feet into worn boots so that they can chase a thundering herd of horses down from the upper pastures into the main corral. This is in preparation for guests to enjoy a week of horseback riding. All this happens before guests sip their first mug of steaming black coffee or glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and enjoy the property’s hearty breakfast options, such as made-to-order omelets and fluffy buckwheat pancakes, sizzling bacon and crispy hash browns, and scrumptious blueberry muffins alongside strawberry-rhubarb scones.

The 10,000-square-foot lodge’s rustic charm and warm atmosphere, enhanced by a large rock fireplace, is the setting for three-a-day, chef-prepared meals. My wife Maria and I agreed with our fellow guests from coast to coast that some of the most memorable moments were during mealtimes talking about our adventures. Guests share a similar sense of communion during themed events that the ranch regularly hosts, such as women’s-only and singles-only.

The lodge serves an elegant, five-course dinner for the adults, one evening a week, while the kids go on a rootin’-tootin’ cowboy cookout with the wranglers. But the day doesn’t need to end with dinner. You can kick up your heels to live music at a square- and line-dancing shindig in the family-friendly saloon, learn how to throw a lasso over a cow head dummy, and sing along when local artists strum their guitars around the evening campfire.

When not horseback riding, mountain biking, or lake kayaking, you might take a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear swimming pool or a rejuvenating soak in a well-maintained Jacuzzi, or simply sit on the front porch of your log cabin for a moment of quiet reflection.

Family Adventures

The heart of the Red Horse Mountain Ranch experience is horseback riding. When I took the reins of my well-trained quarter horse Cash for a trail adventure in the breathtaking terrain, I forgot that I ever had a desk job. The creak of the saddle and clip-clop of hooves can comfort the restless soul. The wind whispering through the trees and the gentle whinnying of the steeds are soothing strains of nature’s lullaby. The property features a full slate of riding options for the entire family: beginner rides on the valley floor, scenic rides into the mountains with lake views, and more challenging loping rides. About a 5.5-hour round-trip ride goes from the 2,300-foot valley elevation to the 4,000-foot Carroll Peak.

Dedicated to safety, the ranch offers lessons at no additional charge. A riding test is conducted to assess a rider’s ability to perform a controlled trot and lope for advanced trail rides. Preschoolers as young as 3 may saddle up for valley rides with Kids Program wranglers, and sometimes Britton, who walk in front of each horse with a lead line. The Kids Program is geared toward interactive play and learning with other children and wranglers, which allows parents to better relax. It offers supervised arts and crafts such as pottery making and painting, scavenger hunts, and swimming pond parties. Nature explorations include wild turkey feather hunting to find plumage for decorating their cowboy hats.

The Red Horse’s unique challenge course spells high adventure for everyone. Children can go on an obstacle course where they get hoisted in a harness to swing in the air, while adults can try jumping from a 30-foot-tall platform to grab a trapeze; going on a 1,100-foot zip-lining course; and doing the “catwalk”: walking across a telephone pole suspended between two evergreen trees.

In his own family, Britton teaches that you can have fun and work hard at the same time. By the time he returns home from his early morning hike with his two canine gentle giants, his daughters Isabella, 9, and Juliana, 5, have already gotten out of bed on their own, so they can help clean up the horse corrals and earn riding time.

Britton grew up seldom seeing his parents, who divorced when he was 4. “My mother and I didn’t have two pennies to rub together,” he recalled. “She worked hard to give me the best opportunities possible, but the one most important thing I needed I didn’t get: time with her and my father. It warms my heart to see families get time together at the ranch to grow closer.”

Because there is no cell phone or internet service out here, families have to ditch their devices and talk directly to each other. But there are hardcore holdouts. “Some guests come kicking and screaming to the unplugged experience,” Britton said. “It makes you realize how addictive the devices are when you see people showing the same symptoms as somebody going through detox.”

The Red Horse Mountain Ranch vacation is more than a wannabe cowboy getaway. It is a connection to a rich legacy of hospitality, and of finding harmony between strong self-reliance and close-knit camaraderie—traditions that define Western culture. Sometimes the best connections are made with a little dust on the boots and a campfire memory. Whether ranch guests want to horseback ride or just take inspiration from the cowboy spirit, they do it against the backdrop of one of America’s last frontiers.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.