• Dude ranches are ranches that are both open to tourists and still fully operating. Vacationing at one, you'll pay for a complete package that includes lodging, food and ranch activities, often featuring horseback riding. Dude ranches are meant for vacationers who want to experience life on a working ranch with a mixture of hospitality and adventure.
  
  

Laughing Water Ranch

• Laughing Water Ranch is in the Rocky Mountains, near Glacier National Park, a national park encompassing more than 1,000,000 acres. The ranch provides a variety of available activities, such as horseback riding, cattle drives, campfire gatherings, hayrides and wilderness pack trips. The ranch also has programs for kids, as it is a family-friendly place. Your child can participate in a youth horse program, youth cavalry program or Native American program. Babysitting services are also available. During certain seasons -- in 2010, this was May 9 to June 6 and August 22 to September 17 -- the ranch is open to adults only, with special singles programs and no scheduled activities for children. The ranch is also open to hosting weddings or reunions. For lodging, you can stay in either a two-room suite with adjoining bathroom in the main lodge or in a cabin. The main lodge also contains a dining room, game room, two fireplaces and Internet access, all usable by guests. The cabins each contain a bedroom, bathroom and porch.
  
  Laughing Water Ranch
  
  926 Curtis Rd.
  
  Fortine, Montana 59918
  
  406-882-4680
  
  lwranch.com
  
  

Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch

• Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch is located in an area just north of Yellowstone National Park, surrounded by wilderness. It also borders one mile of the Boulder River, and provides fishing lessons to guests. You can also go hiking, horseback riding, take a Jeep trip to the nearby ghost town and gold mines, take a boat tour of the nearby Yellowstone River on the same route explorer William Clark took in 1806, explore a prehistoric Indian archaeological site. The ranch also has board games, horseshoes, volleyball, campfires and cookouts, and you can even go on a guided elk hunt. The ranch has three cabins for lodging, each of which contains: a bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a loft with two twin-sized beds, a bathroom, a living room and a small refrigerator. One of the cabins also has a screened-in porch, and another has a kitchenette with wood burning stove. You can also stay in the lodge, which contains four A-frame rooms with a queen-sized bed, bunk bed, bathroom, refrigerator and private balcony with a cliff-side view. The downstairs of the lodge is a giant meeting area, and also where meals are served.
  
  Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch
  
  P.O. Box 4
  
  McLeod, Montana 59052
  
  406-932-5791
  
  hawleymountain.com
  
  

Rich Ranch Outfitting and Guest Ranch

• Located in the Blackfoot River Valley, Rich Ranch offers horseback riding, fly fishing, hunting and snowmobiling, depending on the season. Its lodging includes both one-bedroom cabins with private baths, and a four-bedroom mini-lodge for families or larger groups. It offers buffet-style dining, three meals a day. The ranch is family friendly, and offers supervised youth programs. You can also go mountain biking or hiking, visit local fairs and rodeos, explore nearby ghost towns and Native American sites, go on an overnight pack trip or enjoy whitewater or scenic rafting. Discounts are available for groups.
  
  Rich Ranch Outfitting and Guest Ranch
  
  939 Cottonwood Lakes Rd.
  
  Seeley Lake, Montana 59868
  
  800-532-4350
  
  richranch.com