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A Working
ranch
in the
shadows of
Montana's
Beartooth
Mountains.

Welcome!

The Lonesome Spur Ranch isn't a dude ranch. It is a real working ranch, where you are invited to participate in the day to day activities. After the work is done there is always time to have a little fun! Ask Nicholas Evans, author of the "Horse whisperer". Mr. Evans stayed with Lonnie while doing research for his best seller novel. The Lonesome Spur was the model for Tom Booker's grandparents homestead looking out over the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. "From its crest you could see the river curving around like a castle moat and in the distance the snowy peaks of the Pryor and Beartooth Mountains."

The Lonesome Spur Guest Ranch is a fifth generation, working cattle ranch lying in the Clarks Fork Valley, between the Pryor Mountains and the Beartooth Mountains. We love to share our beautiful sunrises and sunsets, white tail and mule deer, an occasional elk, mountain sheep or moose, the howl of the coyotes and the fleeting sight of the red fox from our rustic lodge.

Guests are invited to join us at branding time the first weekend of May and trailing the cattle to summer pastures around the middle of June. Throughout the summer we work on horseback, monitoring the condition of both cattle and range, and moving the herd from one area to another as often as needed to preserve the health of the ecosystem and the cattle, checking water holes and fences. We round up the cattle for weaning and market in mid October and trail the cows home for veterinary check ups and on out to the fall pastures. Our summer and fall ranges consist of approximately 30,000 acres and approximately 1200 acres on the home ranch. In addition to the everyday ranching activities, our guests are also given the opportunity of participating in horseback activities such as team penning, cutting, sorting, team roping and fun games on horse back.