The wild west is alive and well at Wyoming's Deerwood Ranch. Within its 4700 acres there are wild mustangs roaming through the open fields with deer, elk, coyote and moose using the abundant trees and willows for protection from the harsh Wyoming winters.
Deerwood Ranch is a family-owned operation that has been cattle ranching for over 30 years in the gorgeous Centennial Valley of Wyoming. They are also the first BLM Certified Wild Horse Eco Sanctuary on private land in the entire USA.
With the growing need to maintain the number of wild horses and limited grazing available in the wild, the Bureau of Land Management has turned to private landowners for help.
Deerwood provides these beautiful animals a place to live their lives and be cared for in gorgeous Wyoming setting with open fields to run and graze. 350 wild mustangs call Deerwood home and tours are available to check out these magnificent animals.
The Middle Fork of the Little Laramie River runs through the ranch providing an excellent water resource and a beautiful setting winding through the ranch.
The Snowy Range Mountains and Medicine Bow National Forest are a short 15 to 20-minute drive and the ranch sits on a valley bordered by Sheep Mountain, Bald Mountain and Centennial Ridge. The views are spectacular as the colors in the sky light up as the clouds move slowly over the majestic Wyoming mountains.
We stayed on the property in a rustic barn which also serves as a wedding and special events venue. It is a beautiful space with a master bedroom, full bathroom, kitchen and all the amenities for experiencing a truly unique stay in some of the most beautiful settings in nature. You truly feel like time slows down as you look around the ranch and see breathtaking landscapes along with wild mustangs roaming the open pastures.
As the sun was setting, I looked out the barn's french doors to find a moose and her yearling trotting to the willows. They were only about 20 feet from the barn as they pranced away into the willows. With the colorful sky above, wild mustangs just yards away and the snow glistening off the mountains in the background, I realized I was looking at something that could only happen in the wild.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Move on.
Mark
