With this all being said, I am very picky about companies
and outfits that come into the state and want to represent themselves as
“Montanan”.
Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to stay at The Ranch at
Rock Creek for three days. A Virtuoso, Relais & Châteaux, all-inclusive,
luxury ranch, located out of the historic and charming mining town of
Philipsburg, Montana. Owned and dreamed up by James Manley, the CEO of Atlantic
Pacific, a boutique investment bank in Greenwich, CT. The Ranch at Rock Creek is the culmination of
Mr. Manley’s boyhood love of the old west and the dream to own a ranch one day.
After searching for twenty years for the perfect location that met all ten of
his criteria, an opportunity finally arose in Montana’s “Gold West Country”,
and The Ranch at Rock Creek was born in 2010.
It was a beautiful winter drive through Rocky Mountain
passes and country roads where everyone you pass, waves at you. After the two hour car ride from Clancy,
through snow and wind, I made it to The Ranch at Rock Creek. The location was
prime, the views were idyllic, and from first impression, I am intrigued by the
ranch’s cozy setting.
fireplaces. The décor was perfect, and the attention to detail was
spot on. The best marriage of rustic and authentic meets luxury. Not
pretentious at all, but of obvious class and sophistication.
I was warmly
welcomed and shown to the “Sharps” room, a lovely King room with a spacious
balcony to look out on the courtyard. Beautifully appointed and designed, it
was a perfect room for a three day working weekend.
I was so happy Mr. Manley accepted my invitation to lunch when I first
arrived. A self-proclaimed “number man”, you can see that his mind works like a
calculator; very intelligent and precise. An obvious visionary, I was very
appreciative of the opportunity to get to chat with Mr. Manley. He dreams in my
wheel well, and it is impossible to not catch his enthusiasm for his dream come
true.
That afternoon my first round of inspections began at the
Rod & Gun Club. An element of The Ranch at Rock Creek (TRRC from here on
out), that I don’t think many people REALLY understand, is the fact that TRRC
is all-inclusive, meaning that all of your activities, gourmet dining, and premier
wine, beer and spirits are included in the price of your stay. The only
additional costs would be if you wanted to splurge on a bottle of Cristal, or
something else on their impressive reserve list. There are only a few
activities that are not included because they are located off property, or
outfitted by a third party – like hot air balloon rides, or skiing at Discovery
Basin. There is also an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course in
Anaconda, if you are a die-hard golfer. I think most people forget about
wanting to leave the property after they are spellbound by the many activities
and opportunities the ranch allows you to really disconnect from the “real
world” and reconnect with nature and your loved ones.
The Rod & Gun Club is the epicenter of the ranch. It is
where guests sign up for all of their recreational ranch activities and will
meet their guides every day during their stay. It is a perfect place to gear up
with everything you will need for day fly fishing on the river, as well as get outfitted with a whole selection of
cowboy boots, snowshoes, and hiking boots. With all-inclusive activities
including fishing on the legendary Rock Creek, a blue ribbon trout stream
home to six different trout species, or taking part in “The Cowboy Shooting
Program”, where guests shoot reactive targets with western-style single action
revolvers, as well as a lever action rifles to really feel like they’re living
in the old west. There is also a sporting clay program, a 3D Archery course,
Paintball, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, snowmobiling, snow cat
tours, sleigh rides, sledding and ice skating.
There is also a “Little Grizzlies Kid Program” for those guests ages 4-12 years of age. With morning and afternoon activities with themes that feature cowboys and horses, plants and rocks, rivers and ponds, bugs and critters, raptors and birds, the olden days, and wilderness survival. All of this is ALL included in the price of your stay at The Ranch at Rock Creek.
During my stay I got to see most of the homes and
cabins. Each accommodation that I inspected was unique, yet authentic. Every
room, every turn, every shelf was appointed and decorated expertly. I will even
say I had a few deja vu moments, where I was transported in time by the power
of smell alone. IT smelled authentic. I could close my eyes and be on the Avon
homestead ranch or at one of the cabins at Frontier Town. I also got to see some
of the awesome family canvas cabins. Composed of combinations of canvas, wood and
stone structures and located right on the bank of Rock Creek, this is glamping
at its finest. There was one specific cabin I had really anticipated seeing
after hearing quite a few of my wedding industry friends talk about it,
including Katalin Green, the founder and editor in chief of Montana Bride
magazine. There is also a “Little Grizzlies Kid Program” for those guests ages 4-12 years of age. With morning and afternoon activities with themes that feature cowboys and horses, plants and rocks, rivers and ponds, bugs and critters, raptors and birds, the olden days, and wilderness survival. All of this is ALL included in the price of your stay at The Ranch at Rock Creek.
The next day I had breakfast with the sales team before they
all headed off in their own directions. You know how sometimes you just “click”
with people? Well, we all shared a touching and humorous breakfast chat, and I
think we may all be linked for life now. Ha-ha – I really had a great time
getting to know them for just the short time I did.
I'll take this time to say
how much I sincerely enjoyed everyone at the ranch. I had the opportunity to
dine with The GM, Adam Schoen, a couple of times. A Minnesota native with an
impressive resume of guiding and working at other luxury resorts from Alaska to
Africa. The shooting instructor, Theo Statler, was so sweet as to chain up his jeep and took me
up to “The Top of the World” and drove me all around on his playground through
the fresh snow we had gotten the night before. It’s obvious this guy is living
the dream, and is loving life working at TRRC. I think they all are living the
dream. Most of the staff lives on premises at the staff camp, composed of
cabins as well as canvas cabins for the summer hires. Someone made the joke
that a previous guest had really wanted to go down there one night, and joked
that she was going to try to carry a watermelon into camp, making a joke referencing the
classic movie “Dirty Dancing”. It felt like the whole team at TRRC came across as a
family unit. Everyone helping out anywhere they needed it, and happy to do so.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I absolutely left the ranch wishing I could be
more involved and a part of TRRC family.
I was treated to a massage with a Reiki Master and Energy
Healer, Ms. Shawna Reisner. The Granite Spa was heavenly, and it was easy to be
relaxed with such a gifted and talented therapist. The spa itself was quaint
and perfect, and also offered Yoga classes. I think I may have left my body at
some point – it was wonderful.