Ellison Ranch Camp

Veering off the main road and hitting the long gravel road leading into the valley, we were greeted by rolling hills framed by snow-capped mountains and filled with grazing cattle and wildflowers. We added a good hour onto our arrival time simply from stopping to take in the incredible scenery and wildlife along the creeks and West Boulder River; we even watched an osprey fly off with dinner from the river.

When we finally pulled up to Ellison Ranch, Kent invited us in and we shared a drink and discussed the different camp site options. Since it was getting late, we decided to set up our tent on a closer spot next to the West Boulder River and "Ted's beach," named after his son.
We hit up Holly's Road Kill Saloon (a cool spot a couple miles away) with Kent for dinner, and he gave us a tour of the other incredible spreads in the valley; his neighbors including a well-known actor, a former anchorman, a Hollywood stunt man, and an author to name a few.

In the morning we planned to photograph Kent and a few others as they moved cattle from one field to another. When we met for coffee, we learned that plans had changed, and Kent offered to give us a tour of the ranch. We hopped in the gator and my pup Dylan ran along behind us with Kent's cow dog (and her new best friend), Niña. We stopped at our next camp spot on a ridge overlooking the valley, went through the fields where some of his cattle were grazing, and went up to a vista where we looked out on seven different mountain ranges and the Yellowstone River; it was absolutely breathtaking.

After the tour, we were lucky enough to be invited to move cattle with Kent and two other cowboys, which was a dream come true for both Branno and myself (neither of us having extensive experience with horses or cattle). We rode through fields of wildflowers with Kent as our incredibly patient and gracious guide.

Immediately after, he gave us a tour of the old homestead where Ellison Ranch began and where Kent's mother-in-law grew up with her 10 siblings. A tiny, one-room school house built in 1910 still stands next to the larger home that was added on in 1918. The buildings are rich with history and filled with gems such as an old phonograph record player and one of the first maytag gas engine washing machines.

Later that night we hiked up to the ridge we visited earlier, set up camp, and woke up to the sweet smell of sagebrush and the sound of cattle in the distance.

What an incredible first Hipcamp experience. We can't say enough good things about Kent, who is a wealth of knowledge and life experiences, and his stunning property tucked away in the mountains. We can't wait to go back.

My husband and son stayed there last week and loved the beautiful setting and the hike up the bluff. Got to see a few horses and some great views. They enjoyed camping by the river.

It is a beautiful ranch with horses, dogs, and cows all roaming around and a creek running through it. Kent was a great host and happy to show all the animals to you. Would definitely recommend a stay here!

Ellison Ranch was spectacular. The land was beautiful and our stay was incredibly peaceful. One of our family's best stops on our vacation. We were able to park our RV along the river with incredible views of the mountains in the background. With no one else around, it was our own oasis. The Ellison Ranch made us feel at home and we would enjoy visiting again.

Nice setting by the river. We had a bit of a confusing arrival --- no one around --- but figured it out. Hipcamp's map gives location in gps. Might benefit from providing address as signage is nonexistent.

I had a great couple of days at Ellison Ranch. Kent communicated with me very accurately and promptly to my questions. Eric met me the day I arrived and lead the way down to the campsite right on the river. A perfect place for solitude and beauty! I would have explored more but I have an aging dog that can't take the physical stress of long hikes anymore, however we still roamed around a bit. Perfect place for fly fishing, in fact I met a local guide who was leading clients to that particular stretch of the river my second day. The only negative was purely weather related....the smoke in the entire area was very bad and made visibility poor when looking into the distance. So, I'm already planning a trip back to get more incredible pictures.

Highly recommend this site if you enjoy backcountry primitive camping and your vehicle can withstand dirt roads. We went during summer and it was slightly cool bit very comfortable. Kent was very hospitable and let us shower in his gorgeous lodge. Nothing fancy here but you get private views of unadulterated mountain landscapes

The area was beautiful, but the entire process was more unclear than I had hoped. There were multiple sites to pick from, but not much information about them. After booking, we were given the location to a spot on the property, but there weren't any specific directions about how to get there. Upon arrival, I drove onto the property assuming we'd be led to where we needed to go. Nobody was there for quite awhile...luckily someone finally showed to take us down to the location.

I think if the directions had been a bit better, it would've helped, but even upon arrival the price seemed a bit high considering it was an unkept area in the tall grass that would've needed a bit of maintenance to be a workable campsite. You can get a similar experience boondocking for free nearby and avoid the confusion altogether.

Absolutely loved staying here. We were along a flowing river in a gorgous field, with antelope grazing on the hill. The owner was super nice and shared interesting stories of the history of Ellison Ranch. Loved his book he so kindly gave us.