Western Pleasure Guest Ranch

Western Pleasure is a small, family-run guest ranch on about 1,100 acres of forest above Gold Creek, around 16 miles from Sandpoint in north Idaho. It began as the Wood family’s cattle ranch in 1940 and opened to guests in 1991, and part of the land is protected under a conservation easement. With room for only about 20 guests, it feels more like staying with a ranching family than at a resort.

The ranch is open all year. In summer, stays start at three nights and the program centers on Western riding with a small herd of around 30 horses, including a long day ride to Grouse Creek Falls and weekly cattle gathers from June to September. Children aged 6 and over join a hands-on horse program in which each child looks after their own horse all week, ending in a horse show with ribbons and trophies. In winter there is no minimum stay, and guests can ski cross-country, head to the downhill slopes nearby, go snowmobiling or take a sleigh ride.

Guests stay in four log cabins or in rooms in the lodge, and meals, often featuring the ranch’s own beef, are served family-style in the lodge’s great room. The rate includes lodging, meals, riding, activities, beer and wine; gratuity and tax are extra, and the shuttle from Spokane International Airport, about 90 miles away, costs $350.

Published nightly rates are about $290 to $440 per adult in summer and $130 to $220 in winter, which makes Western Pleasure one of the more affordable ranches on our list. Confirm current rates with the ranch.