Contact us for group rates on
Natural Horsemanship Clinics
this summer!
Call (406) 278-7821 or contact us!
Spend a week with us on our 12,000 acre ranch one hour south of Glacier National Park, where we pasture our 400+ cattle. Stay in mountain cabins and eat all the best of our homemade cooking.
Let the hustle and bustle of life drift away as you stand in awe of the Montana Rocky Mountain Front. Smell the wildflowers and the fresh air. A custom vacation can be planned for you, whether you like an old- fashioned cattle drive or enjoy the peace and quiet while viewing the mountains.
- Customized real ranch vacations
- 5 days/6 nights
- $1250 per person
- All inclusive (travel not included)
- Groups of 8 or less (double occupancy minimum)
- Available June 1st to September 30th
- Reservations required
Special memories
waiting to be made...
Cattle Drives
Roundups
Calving
Branding
Ranch Riding
Natural Horsemanship Clinics
Excursions to Local Historical Sites
Big Game Viewing:
Grizzly, Elk, Moose, Deer, Antelope
Please join us for a
True Montana Experience!
Where We are Located
Coming from Missoula:
- Travel EAST on Interstate 90 for a short ways before the Bonner exit on to Highway 200.
- Stay on Highway 200 through Bonner beyond Lincoln to the four corners marked by a flashing light. It is called Bowman’s Corner and you’ll turn LEFT/NORTH on to Highway 287.
- Stay on Highway 287 for 19 miles through Augusta and another 26 miles to Choteau.
- In downtown Choteau you’ll turn NORTH on to Highway 89. (The intersection of 287 and 89 is behind the courthouse.)
- Travel 10 miles from Choteau to Bynum on Highway 89.
- Just beyond the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in Bynum, you take the first LEFT on to gravel road.
- Once you leave Bynum and turn on to the gravel road it is a total of 15 miles and 9 cattle guards to the Skelton Ranch. Follow the Bynum Reservoir Fishing signs (you’ll go past the old school house on the edge of town and continue NORTH and then curve toward the mountains.
- In 5 miles or so, you’ll go past the reservoir/lake…don’t turn here, it is another 10 miles and 8 more cattle guards.
- At the last (9th) cattle guard, you’ll see the Skelton Ranch sign. Continue NORTH another couple of miles. (Do not turn on to the Black Leaf Canyon Road.)
- From the top of the hill you go down the hill, stay on the gravel road, it will curve and continue up a hill, at the top turn LEFT, go down a lane and make a sharp turn RIGHT, head NORTH down in to the valley to the ranch house.
A True Montana Experience
Ours is an authentic, historic, working cattle and grain operation near the small Montana community of Bynum. We are the genuine deal! You won't find any nose-to-tail trail rides or cowboy pretenders at our ranch. Here we promise you a taste of the real west...a real ranch adventure under the big Montana sky.
The ranch headquarters is the perfect spot to spend your vacation. We're located south of Glacier National Park on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front...a rugged environment offering solitude and adventure. Its where we raise our livestock and harvest our crops, and its where we'd like you to join us for an unforgettable Montana experience.
Ranch Life, Activities and Excursions
As a working ranch, SK Ranch has many activities regardless of the season. This is one of the reasons why you'll find that SK Ranch is unique. The variety and mix of activities is sure to keep you busy and leave you with precious memories.
Spring is calving season, with frisky newborn angus cattle joining our herd. Branding comes soon after...a time when ranch hands utilize their skills of roping, branding and doctoring young cattle, much of the time while mounted on seasoned horses who work just as hard as the cowboys and cowgirls. As part of the branding party, you'll be treated to some great home cooking as you listen to the ranch hands share their experiences.
Summer brings more ranch riding: moving cattle to new pastures, checking the health of the herd and a list of never-ending ranch chores like fixing fence, checking water and stocking mineral licks. Due to the fact that good land management requires that we move our cattle regularly, we can guarantee that you will have an opportunity to participate in a cattle drive. Summer also brings early sunrises and late sunsets, which results in long days perfect for relaxing, viewing wildlife, or exploring local historic sites. Resident deer, elk and other big game (including a few grizzlies now and again) are part of the landscape, and you are bound to see them regularly. The local list of historic sites includes Maiasaura dinosaur breeding grounds, ancient Native American campgrounds and buffalo jumps (pishkuns), and the "Crown of Continent" Glacier National Park. You won't find any shopping malls nearby, but a short trip to one of the small communities in the area may satisfy your urge to shop!
Autumn is a busy season. There's long days in the saddle as we round up the cattle, bring in the crops and get the ranch ready for winter...but its also hunting season! We don't provide guided hunts, but we can provide you with many opportunities to shoot with your camera.
Winter brings a slower time of feeding and bedding the herd, enjoying winter sports and simply relaxing around the fire.
Whichever season you choose to join us, you'll find that SK Ranch is "horse-centric". That means the activities of our daily lives are centered around our relationship with our horses. Natural horsemanship and the training of horses by horse whispering techniques are integral to our relationship with our horses. And don't think that we ride horses only for work...we've got lots of room to ride simply for pleasure. It would be our honor to have you be part of our horse-centered lifestyle whether it be for training, working or pleasure. Interacting with horses is a never-ending activity for us and we are always pleased to include others.
If you have hobbies or if you are interested in other activities not listed here, we'd be happy to accomodate your desires. Please let us know how we can make your real ranch vacation unforgettable!
Meet Your Ranch Family
The hosts for your real Montana ranch vacation are Steve and Alison Skelton.
Steve is a 4th generation Montanan and continues to work closely with his ranching family. Steve is a true Montana ranch owner and loves to share his ranching lifestyle with others. Through necessity and desire, Steve has become quite adept at training horses, and has had the priviledge of being mentored by clinicians Ray Hunt, John Balkenbush and Brian Newburt.
Alison (or "Big Al" as her friends call her) was born in northwest Montana, but she got to the Front Range as fast as she could! She absolutely adores the ranch lifestyle and loves to show her guests true Montana hospitality, especially by filling their bellies with her fantastic home-cooked meals. Be sure to read Big Al's Blog to catch up on all the latest ranch happenings!