Photos by Mark Bedor

There’s nothing quite like a week at an American dude ranch. Located in some of the most beautiful and pristine parts of the American West, this type of destination offers the opportunity to not only experience our country’s cowboy culture, western lifestyle, and horsemanship but also disconnect in a way few other places offer.

Compared to Disneyland or an ocean cruise, a dude ranch vacation is a truly rare experience. Sonja Gerrard, a guest at California’s Hunewill Ranch, sums it up best. “I like the horseback riding for sure,” she says. “But for me, it’s more of a complete break from day-to-day reality. There’s no working, and I go on a media-free diet. It’s a time to just mentally take leave of your life.”

That’s precisely the mindset that inspired two Arizona men to help such places not only survive but thrive, culminating in the True Ranch Collection of properties.

From the ashes

Dude ranching began in the late 1800s, with working ranches taking in guests from the eastern United States who wanted a taste of the disappearing Old West. In 1926, the Dude Ranchers’ Association (DRA) was founded to support the industry. Yet even as the association celebrates its centennial this year, many of those early dude ranches have disappeared. There are still about ninety DRA member ranches, and while the industry remains alive and well throughout the West, it is a fraction of what it was. For example, Arizona was once home to dozens of dude ranches but has a mere ten official DRA sites in 2026.

Russell True has seen that decline firsthand. When his family bought Tucson’s White Stallion Ranch in 1965, there were about two dozen such places in the area. Today, only two continue—yet there would be even fewer if not for the True Ranch Collection. Founded by True and his business partner, Jaye Wells, the company is committed to preserving, restoring, and operating historic dude ranches.

A true mission

Most of the properties in the nationally recognized True Ranch Collection had either been shut down or were in foreclosure but have since been brought back to life. In Arizona, its growing list of ranches includes Tombstone Monument Ranch, Rancho de la Osa, the White Stallion, and Kay El Bar. (The state’s first dude ranch, Kay El Bar is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.) In addition, True Ranch owns Montana’s Circle Bar Guest Ranch and Wyoming’s Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch, which is based near Yellowstone National Park.

Each location offers not only unique accommodations and dining but also outdoor adventures such as horseback riding, archery, and sport shooting. Not sure where to begin? One of True Ranch’s experts can help you plan the ideal ranch getaway for you and your family.

No matter where you stay or what you do, though, the heart of every experience is hospitality, history, and authenticity. “Russell’s a lifetime dude rancher, and he’s been out on White Stallion since he was five years old, and the architecture of the old historic buildings is my bailiwick,” states Wells, an architectural preservationist. “So the two of us have really complemented one another and enhanced our ability to get the properties not only looking right but also functioning right.”

And visitors to the True Ranch Collection of dude ranches are the beneficiaries, getting to experience these beautiful hideaways in the American West that otherwise might have been lost forever. “I go to our places and see them thriving and people enjoying them,” concludes True. “For me, that’s plenty reward.”

For more info, visit trueranchcollection.com