Activities at the Bar-W

Horseback-riding is the ranch’s main attraction. The experienced staff, trained horses, and the assorted terrain which riders traverse, make for an unmatched riding experience. You’ll ride in the mountains, over the foothills, and across the open prairies of Big Sky Country, in addition to enjoying riding events that take place in the indoor and outdoor arenas. Bar W offers riding lessons for beginners and, for those more experienced riders, advanced lessons that include roping and cattle work. You'll feel reborn!

Visitors to the Bar W Guest Ranch also can choose from a number of other exciting activities. Glacier National Park, affectionately referred to as the “Crown Jewel of the Continent," is just 23 miles from Whitefish. For boating, fishing, sailing and more, Flathead Lake, the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi, is just 30 miles down the road or there is Whitefish Lake just 2 miles away. The Big Mountain ski and summer resort (second largest area in the country) is just 7 miles away, offering a host of winter and summer activities. Whitefish Lake Golf Course, a world-class 36-hole course, is a mile and a half east of the ranch. nd the ranch is just minutes from tremendous whitewater rafting, mountain biking, hot air ballooning and more.

The Bar W Guest Ranch sits at the base of Spencer Mountain, between two pine-covered ridges on Spencer Lake. The ranch itself consists of a 6,200-square-foot lodge, guest cabins (coming this fall), indoor and outdoor horseback-riding arenas, stables, a barn and an entertainment area. In the surrounding countryside, you’ll see mountains and rolling ridges in all directions, helping to make the Bar W an idyllic piece of paradise.

Horseback Riding

The Bar W has developed the most advanced and diverse equestrian program in the West. As you may have already guessed the Bar W Guest Ranch is a very horse oriented ranch with a diverse horseback riding program and some of the most experienced training available anywhere.

The Bar W offers riding in the mountainous terrain surrounding the ranch, the foothill country of the Rocky Mountain Front range, and the wide open prairie of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in addition to the indoor and outdoor arenas on site at Bar W. The Bar W is a horseman’s dream!

In addition to the exciting and challenging ranch sorting and team penning in the arena, some cattle work is also available on the ranch.

Your vacation on horseback will begin with the proper matching up of you and one of the well trained ranch horses, followed by a morning clinic. The clinic is designed to help you begin to get your “seat.” Emphasis is always placed on your safety and the welfare of the horse. That’s the idea. By the end of the first morning you’ll be doing barrel patterns in the arena and ready to begin putting on the miles.

Your rides during the course of the week can incorporate a variety of horses or if you find the horse you like and want to request it for the week – we’ll be happy to oblige.

Riding the mountains is normally more deliberate with attention paid to moving up and down in elevation while keeping an eye open for wildlife and the next spectacular view of the Rockies just ahead. Riding the foothills is generally a more aggressive, faster ride moving through more open country with a trot or a lope thrown in. Many of the foothill rides are all day rides with lunch in a meadow.

You’ll begin to recognize names, like the Flathead, the Two Medicine, Buffalo Bridge and the Marias Rivers. Finally, when you ride the wide open prairie of the Blackfeet Reservation you’ll think you’ve arrived at heaven on earth! There may be no other place quite like it on the face of this earth – there really are “purple mountains majesty.” Furthermore, if there are cattle to be moved that week, you’ll be moving back in time to an era when life was difficult but simple. No cell phones, faxes, emails, or palm pilots. Just horses, cattle, mountains, grass, your cowboy and cowgirl compadres and you! Your riding experience will last you a lifetime.

Summer at the Bar W

Summer is the most awesome time to be in Montana. The fishing is as good as the sunsets! And then there is Riding, nothing like exploring on horseback to see what Montana has to offer.

Summer activities include:

• Glacier National Park
• Championship Golf
• Aerial Tours
• Whitewater Rafting
• Lake Fishing
• Fly Fishing
• Hiking
• Kayaking
• Horseback Trail Rides
• Carriage Rides
• Day Spa
• Big Mountain Resort
• Lake Cruises
• Water Sports

Winter at the Bar W

Winter days in Montana are filled with great days on the mountain, warm cabins, fun nights out, and great dining.

• Big Mountain Ski Resort
• X-Country Skiing
• Ice Skating
• Guided Winter Day Trips
• Snowmobiling
• Ice Fishing
• Dog Sledding
• Sleigh Rides
• Day Spa
• Glacier Park Ski Tours
• Cross Country Skiing
• Winter Horseback Riding

Vacation packages range from three to six day stays at the ranch. Bar W is also available for special occasions like weddings, reunions and corporate retreats, and if you just want to stay for a night or the weekend.