The Lodge & Spa At Brush Creek Ranch

“A Truly Exceptional Ranch Experience”

My family and I just got back from celebrating Christmas at the ranch, and this was by far one of the best vacation and best ranch experience we’ve had! Brush Creek Ranch surpassed all of our expectations and went above and beyond in so many ways! Starting from the beginning —- travel to and fr… more

My family and I just got back from celebrating Christmas at the ranch, and this was by far one of the best vacation and best ranch experience we’ve had! Brush Creek Ranch surpassed all of our expectations and went above and beyond in so many ways! Starting from the beginning —- travel to and from the ranch is relatively easy, however, they are more ‘remote’ than other ranches we’ve visited. The only commercial flight options are on United through Denver into Laramie Regional Airport. There are only two flights/day to and from, and there are no other commercial airline options. Laramie airport is very small with only one gate, though the airport itself is new and modern. For a fee, Brush Creek will pick you up in Laramie and take you to the ranch. In the warmer months when the Snowy Range mountain pass is open, it’s only a 45 minute drive. In the winter however, it’s close to two hours. They are also within about a 3 hour drive from Denver — though the ranch won’t pick you up there, they can help arrange transport through a third party. If you do have the means to fly private, you can fly into Saratoga which is only about 20 min from the ranch and they will pick you up there. We chose to fly into Laramie and had a very enjoyable ride with Michael who got us there quickly and safely! Christmas week was a great time to visit — this is not their busy season, so there were only about 40 people there (their capacity is much higher), and it was mostly families with older or adult children, so not a ton of kids running around. If you are looking for more of a ‘family’ experience, definitely go in the summer! Though it was quiet, we honestly felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. Several of our activities were just our family with a guide. You also really got to know the staff and it made for a much more personal experience! They also had some fun activities for the holidays including Christmas Morning Gingerbread House Decorating and family photos before dinner. Accommodations: We chose to stay in the main lodge in their remodeled rooms. They were lovely! Very modern and well appointed. Keep in mind this is a ranch — while the rooms are luxurious, they are not intended to be a room that you’d get at the Four Seasons. In the warmer months, the renovated rooms also have patios so you can sit outside with a view of the meadow! There are no TVs (the cabins don’t have them either), but there is WiFi everywhere on the property. The rooms also have illy coffee machines, with illy coffee pods and they also give you a box of tea with a variety of options that you can make in your room. There is also ample complimentary water available and during the winter, there are humidifiers in the rooms since it’s so dry! Housekeeping was great as well — they come in twice/day to clean, replace towels, water and coffee. They also do turn down service while you’re at dinner. Complimentary laundry facilities are also available to lodge guests. They provide detergent and dryer sheets. Though I’m sure the cabins are lovely (and great for larger groups), we were happy we chose the lodge for a winter stay. You are right in the heart of everything, and during the winter, if you stay in a cabin, you have to wait for transportation to take you everywhere. I only have two small complaints about the accommodations: 1) there is no full length mirror in the rooms, which is odd. 2) the rooms are incredibly dark, which made putting makeup a bit difficult at night. Activities: There is SO MUCH to do at the ranch — you will never be bored!! Unfortunately, at no fault of the ranch, Wyoming (like much of the west) has had incredibly unseasonably warm weather, so they had no snow while we were there. We had initially signed up for a few ‘winter’ activities like Snowmobiling, Skiing and Ice Fishing, which we were not able to do, but the activities team was incredibly accommodating at rearranging things once we got there. They also went above and beyond to make things happen in a few instances which really stood out! All of the guides were awesome —- in the winter, because it’s not busy, they only keep about 100 of their staff and it’s their most seasoned people, so you are really getting the best of best! All were incredibly engaging and just all around interesting people with diverse backgrounds. Another thing that really stood out at Brush Creek was that in addition to the typical outdoor activities, they also offer a variety of ‘indoor’ experiences at their other property, the Farm. There you had the option to take gourmet cooking classes, distillery classes, cheesemaking, wine tasting etc. We participated in the Pasta Making, Wagyu Grilling and Cheesemaking classes — all were awesome! My dad was the only person in the Wagyu class, and the chef sent him home with two cuts of Wagyu Beef! The ranch also supplies everything you need for outdoor activities including winter jackets and snow pants if you need. The Food: There are not enough words for how good the food was at Brush Creek! Breakfast is always in the main lodge and they offer a really diverse menu of options. They even have fresh juices and smoothies. They also give you a plate of fresh baked croissants and other pastries every morning! There is also one lunch restaurant at the Pioneer Kitchen. They serve everything from soup to salads, sandwiches and burgers. Everything we had there was great —- definitely recommend the soups and the burger! Again, because this is not their busy season, the same restaurant staff serve both breakfast and dinner — it’s nice to see the same faces! For dinner, each night rotates between Pioneer Kitchen and Cheyenne Club. Pioneer Kitchen is the more casual option, but they still serve elevated dishes. We had a wonderful halibut one night, and a roast chicken another. And their desserts are to die for!! Cheyenne Club is truly a next level restaurant. The restaurant is at the Farm, which is on the property about a mile down the road. The ranch offers transportation to and from. Wagyu beef is the pièce de résistance here — everything from Wagyu Tartare to Rigatoni with Wagyu Meat Sauce to dry aged Wagyu. The meat was incredible!! For those that are not red meat eaters, they also offer fish, and vegetarian options. Nearly everything at Cheyenne Club is grown on premises. All of the cheeses come from the creamery, and they have a full bakery downstairs that makes fresh bread daily. We were fortunate to eat here 3 times during our stay, so really had the chance to sample a variety of dishes. They even make their own pastas! They also have an incredible wine and spirits menu — Cheyenne Club has the fourth largest wine collection in the country and the 7th largest in the world! Make sure you ask for a tour of the wine cellar — it’s incredible! For those looking for pre-dinner cocktails or a post-dinner nightcap, the ranch also has a saloon that serves wine, beer & cocktails. They also have one of the only two TVs on premises, so you can catch a football game. Since it was the holidays, every day there were cocktails and snacks/apps for guests to enjoy. Everything was inclusive! It’s worth noting that they do not serve alcohol until 4pm every day. Due to activities like shooting, horseback riding, etc they are extra careful to ensure there are no accidents. I don’t blame them! A few other notable things: in the lobby, they have drink/snack bar where you can make your own trail mix as well as a variety of other snacks (popcorn, chips, granola bars). They also have fresh baked muffins in the morning and cookies in the afternoon — all complimentary. In addition, you can grab hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate any time. We also enjoyed the spa while we were there — the massage was one of the best I’ve had! It’s a small spa, but the services are great, and guests can also stop in any time to enjoy the sauna and steam rooms. We have stayed at other five-star ranches, including some other more well known properties — they do not hold a candle to Brush Creek Ranch. Everything from the food, to accommodations to activities and their customer service far exceeded our expectations. They spared no expense in designing this property. They are truly focused on hospitality and it shows! Yes, the price tag is a bit higher than others, but you truly do get what you pay for, and the experience at Brush Creek is worth every dollar. We are already talking about going back next Christmas!!!

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