Wyoming’s
Brush Creek Ranch Unrivaled Luxury, Angling & Activities for All
By Charles Gehr Brush Creek’s spectacular centerpiece, Trailhead Lodge. Photo: Brush Creek Ranch
I
n my mind this place wavers like a dream, except that I know with certainty that I was actually there and it was real. I admit that I am biased towards Wyoming. From southern Colorado north through Banff, I know and love the Rockies, but for a number of reasons, I most revere Wyoming. By choice I went to college there, and by choice I committed several crimes of angling passion there, the most relevant of which was deliberately “poaching” a certain reach of Brush Creek. It’s the only time in my life I’ve knowingly fished water on private property. It was under different ownership then and I too was a different person, not that either excuse the offense. But the truth was I had heard of a particular pristine tributary of the North Platte called Brush Creek that was the type of trout stream where fly anglers wanted their ashes scattered. Fast-forward 15 years. I am now an “established fly fishing professional.” I spent three years working in fly shops, I spent five years guiding the Deschutes, and six years ago moved to Ashland, Oregon as the Rockies travel specialist for Fly Water Travel. Then, roughly a year ago, I learned that a new and reportedly fabulous facility, far beyond the scope of the specialized fishing lodges with which I most often work, had opened somewhere east of Saratoga, Wyoming. It was called Brush Creek Ranch. I googled it and zoomed in on the upside-down red teardrop. It was, of course, the same gorgeous creek I had briefly poached my junior year. Yet as I made plans to legally
revisit, I had no idea that this property had recently become the benchmark for western dude ranches; a place where pampered elegance, an enormous number of adventure activities, fly fishing and hunting all prospered together. In 2009, the current owner of Brush Creek Ranch, who shall remain anonymous, purchased a grand sprawling property smack-dab in the middle of Wyoming’s stunning Sierra Madre Mountains. Subsequent land acquisitions have brought the total to 30,000 acres. His intention was to create a lavish getaway retreat for family and friends. Given his history of creating high-end hotels across the country, no comfort, detail or expense was spared in the building of his personal log cabins, main lodge and recreation facilities. After a year of private operation, the guests and owner alike agreed it was unfair to keep such an incredible experience hidden from the outside world. The facility and setting were just too spectacular and the level of service too refined to withhold it from the public. Starting in 2011 Brush Creek Ranch opened to the public, and the response from guests confirmed that this property holds a truly special place in the upper echelon of the world’s luxury sporting lodges. Simply put, the spectacular Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch offers couples, families with children, and serious sportsmen alike the greatest variety of quality activities and experiences that we have ever seen.