Tag Archives: Gene Kilgore

New Website Spotlights Guest Ranches That Add Wellness, Spa Dimension to Horseback Riding

Many guest ranches today, in addition to offering horseback riding and a cowboy spirit, are base camps for a host of outdoor adventures, and some are going beyond, with new additions to their offerings of spa and wellness facilities and Mind, Body & Spirit programs.

SONOMA, CA – Gene Kilgore, one of the world’s leading authorities on ranch vacations, has launched a new website dedicated to spa and wellness ranches: https://wellnessranches.com/

“This is the perfect moment to highlight the wellness work that some innovative ranches are focusing on,” said Kilgore. His new website shines the spotlight on 11 such ranches in North America that are breaking new ground in the wellness movement, a multi-billion dollar Mind, Body, Spirit phenomenon.

These properties in Arizona, British Columbia, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming represent the best of the best in both traditional ranch activities (life in the saddle) plus healthy wellness and spa-focused offerings.
 
He noted that the personal wellness movement is spurred on, in part, by the desire to recover from life under a pandemic and by a new-found appeal of America’s Wild West, its cowboys and ranch life, as evidenced by the popularity of Kevin Costner’s hit TV series Yellowstone.
 
Originally, ranches offered horseback riding activities for adults and families as the main focus of a ranch vacation, while ranches today are base camps for a host of outdoor adventures.  But some are beefing up what they may have offered in the past with new additions to their offerings of spa and wellness facilities and Mind, Body & Spirit programs. Wellnessranches.com is organized into these categories:

In addition to exploring the wellness-related features each ranch offers, the website provides the following services to potential guests:

  • Check for Availability Form  which is sent to ranches that match search parameters (budget, dates of stay, party details and preferred location). To begin the selection process, visitors to the site are invited to fill out the form with as much information as possible for ranch staff who have committed to respond the same or next day.
  • Personalized Concierge Service assists those who wish a little extra help in trying to choose the right ranch for themselves. Although not a booking service, no fees are charged for this assistance. The only goal is to give the user ideas that hopefully will assist them in finding one’s perfect “home on the range”. To use this service, visitors to the site can call 707-217-5205 or complete the online form provided.
  • Travel Advisor Center provides access to the website to professional travel advisors to help them expand their portfolios and business. There’s a simple interface for viewing select ranches, rates and more. Advisors simply log in or sign up via the online form to get started. 

While there are a host of ranches to consider, here are four examples of properties that combine focused wellness programs matched with traditional ranch activities.
 
Bishops Lodge – https://wellnessranches.com/wellness-ranches/bishops-lodge: Near Santa Fe, NM, Bishops Lodge combines nature’s offerings, such as river floating and hiking, with outdoor mindfulness sessions. The Wellness Lodge offers relaxation massage, deep tissue massage, couples massage, EMF learning, aromatherapy massage, meditation, land dance, CBD massage, botanicals remedy, sound healing, sound healing facial, sacred sound massage, intuitive healing and energy medicine
 
Echo Valley Ranch and Spa – https://wellnessranches.com/wellness-ranches/echo-valley-ranch-and-spa: A small, eco-luxury ranch located near Clinton, British Columbia is known for its warm, sincere and anticipatory service. When guests are not on horseback riding the spectacular backcountry you may find them mountain biking, engaged in Yoga, bird watching, hiking, enjoying some archery, marksmanship, canyon tours, and meditation. Although a major draw is the spa offering relaxation massage, deep tissue massage, couples massage, scrubs, manicures, facials, and pedicures.
 
Bitterroot Ranch – https://wellnessranches.com/wellness-ranches/bitterroot-ranch: Near Dubois, Wyoming, Bitterroot Ranch retains its original commitment to making matches between riders, new and old, and their mounts. The ranch’s yoga program focuses on stretching and conditioning muscles that are most engaged when riding. Resident Yoga instructor Hadley Fox is a certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher and on set weeks offers clinics with instructor Marc Holzman, a certified Ayurveda practitioner with over 18 years of experience teaching Hatha Yoga and Meditation.
 
Rock Creek – https://wellnessranches.com/wellness-ranches/the-ranch-at-rock-creek. This ranch near historic Philipsburg, MT, offers yoga and golf along with such treatments at its Granite Spa as relaxation massage, deep tissue massage, rock treatments, couples massage, scrubs, manicures, facials, pedicures and its signature Saddle Sore Soak.
 
Kilgore also offers these other ranch and western lifestyle vacation-related websites to make the journey from research to booking as informed, fun and easy as possible:

Kilgore (https://genekilgore.com/) began his ranch journey some 40 years ago and has spent most of his adult life and professional career taking the ranch message to the world.

“Our Ranch Vacations websites reconnect travelers with unparalleled natural beauty, hospitality and a goodness that weary city folks are craving,” Kilgore says. “The pandemic has only heightened this demand and for years to come ranches will offer this magnificent way of life for all to enjoy.”

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Gene Kilgore Guides Guests to Ranches Ideal for Winter Escapes

The quest for travel experiences that maximize outdoor activities way off a beaten track as the antidote to COVID-19 are bringing many newcomers to ranch vacations and to Gene Kilgore, a leading expert on ranch vacations.

SONOMA, CA – The quest for travel experiences that maximize outdoor activities way off a beaten track as the antidote to COVID-19 are bringing many newcomers to ranch vacations.

“In lieu of traveling outside the country for a winter vacation this year, guests who embrace the relaxing routine of life on a ranch may well wonder why they waited so long to discover the joys of ranch vacations,” says Gene Kilgore, a leading authority on vacations ranging from cattle wrangling to fly fishing to spa.

His ranch-driven websites thoughtfully assist travelers by offering free concierge services.  These are RanchWeb.com concierge service and Top50Ranches.com concierge service.

Here are his recommendations for sourcing ranch vacations ideal for winter.
 
In Arizona are three ranches to make a snowbird’s dream come true. 

  • At Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenberg, AZ, in the Sonoran Desert guests can divvy up their days between playing golf on an 18-hole course and horseback riding. Other activities include tennis, nature hikes, bird watching and skeet shooting.  https://ranchweb.com/ranches/rancho-de-los-caballeros
  • Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia, AZ, is all about riding horses on 100 miles of riding trails nestled in southern Arizona’s Sky Islands, an area renowned for vast grasslands and vaulting mountain ranges. Other activities include tennis and guided tours with naturalists. https://ranchweb.com/ranches/circle-z-ranch
  • In Tucson guests can hype their adrenalin on the shooting range at White Stallion Ranch or pursuing rock climbing based on top rope bouldering and top rope, single pitch climbing. Fat tire E-biking, hiking and always horseback riding make the days fly here on the Sonoran desert bordering Saguaro National Park. https://ranchweb.com/ranches/white-stallion-ranch 

Powder hounds, on the other hand, will enjoy the pleasures winter affords on guest ranches in Colorado and in Montana. 

  • In Kremming, CO, the snow at Latigo Ranch averages over 200 inches a year, making this a winter paradise for cross-country skiers and snowshoers who embrace 50 miles of cross-country trails and 200 square miles of backcountry powder. Tubing, sledding and fat bikes add to the fun. https://www.top50ranches.com/ranch-vacations/latigo-ranch
  • Vista Verde in Steamboat Springs, CO, enjoys proximity to Steamboat Ski Resort’s alpine ski slopes. Guests can also stick close to home and cross-country ski and snowshoe or hop on snowmobiles, fat bikes or snow tubes.  Sleigh rides, dog sledding, ice fishing and winter horseback riding also shine. An indoor heated arena offers a comfortable space for winter riding, lessons and clinics. https://ranchweb.com/ranches/vista-verde
  • In Big Sky, Montana, guests of Lone Mountain Ranch enjoy proximity to Yellowstone National Park plus benefits of plenty of powder that falls on the Rockies. Think cross-country on 85 kilometers of carefully maintained woodland trails over mountain terrain, plus alpine skiing at Big Sky Resort, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and winter fly fishing.  https://ranchweb.com/ranches/lone-mountain-ranch 

www.ranchweb.com, founded in 1995 and regularly updated, offers an array of dude ranches in the US, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Canada. Arranged alphabetically by destination, these ranches also organize themselves along the lines of the number of guests accommodated at one time, the activities, and if they are meeting friendly. A multitude of activities range from horseback riding and instruction, fishing, hiking, swimming, archery, shooting, rodeos, games, cattle drives, mountain biking … and more. Potential guests of properties listed on this site may also contact a Ranchweb Concierge Service for additional assistance in sorting through the myriad of options now being listed into 2017.
 
Founded in 2011, www.top50ranches.com focuses on where to locate and then what to expect when it comes to the world’s top dude, guest, working and luxury ranch vacations in the United States and Canada as well as Argentina, Mexico and New Zealand. The site outlines special ranch offers, events and opportunities and makes available Top50’s Concierge Service, a no-fee advice service by phone for valued Top50 Travelers who seek extra help while choosing the right ranch for their family or business group.

Follow RanchWeb and Top50 Ranches on Social Media:
RanchWeb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ranchweb
RanchWeb Twitter:      https://twitter.com/ranchweb
RanchWeb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranchweb/
Top50 Facebook:         https://www.facebook.com/DudeRanchVacations/
Top 50 Twitter:             https://twitter.com/top50ranches
Top50 Pinterest:          https://www.pinterest.com/RanchVacations/

For more travel features, visit:

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