luxury dude ranches | The Last Best Blog

October 23, 2016October 24, 2016

How 10 Paws Up Horses Got Their Names

Have you ever wondered how horses get their names? Here’s an inside look on the names choices of ten horses at The Resort at Paws Up.

Traveller was named after General Robert E. Lee’s famous horse that he rode during several battles in the Civil War. Traveller was a tall grey horse, but he wasn’t a draft horse like our Traveller is. Lee’s Traveller actually outlived Lee by several months before the horse died as well.

Little Joe was named after the old country song “Little Joe the Wrangler.” The song is one of the most iconic cowboy songs of all time. It was first recorded in the 1900s and has been covered by such famous Western singers as Chris LeDoux and Marty Robbins.

Rojo means “red” in Spanish, so our horse Rojo was named for his beautiful copper red coloring. Wranglers refer to this type of horse as a sorrel horse. Horses come in all shapes sizes and colors, and wranglers have a different name for almost every type of horse.
Kodiak was named after the Kodiak bear. That type of bear and Kodiak have the same coloring. However, Kodiak has a much better temperament than most bears. He is a sweetheart and loves anyone who gives him a good ear rub!

Biscuit has kind of a silly name. He was born a twin, and rumor has it that his twin’s name is Gravy. We don’t own Gravy, however, so we can neither confirm or deny this fun story.

Tuffy is an old ranch horse who is one of the most mellow and kind horses we’ve ever met—right up until you get him around cows. Then, he remembers the old days, and every now and then he will try to teach the cows a lesson or two.

Spook was raised and trained by our very own ranch manager Kyle Kelly. Spook has a little ghost on his forehead. He is one of our best horses, and we use him as our go-to kids’ horse!

Cherokee was named after the American Indian tribe. He is a black-and-white paint horse with a proud face. At the time that horses were brought to the Americas by Europeans and through until the mid-20th century, paint horses and Appaloosas were considered to be of a lesser quality and not desirable by most prominent horse owners. Thus, horses like Cherokee would have been sent or sold to outlying settlements or traded to the natives much more readily than a solid colored horse. The horse tribes of the Western plains especially took a liking to these “paints” and prized them as mounts.

Doc is another of our cow horses from the Angus ranch days of Paws Up, like Tuffy and Spook. Most horses, being herd animals, are prone to get attached to a particular group of horses. Doc is not. Like his namesake, Doc Holliday, Doc is more of a maverick. He’s just as happy on his own miles from the herd as he is in a pasture with other horses.

Cactus is another of our fantastic kids’ horses. He was named Cactus because of his compact size—he’s obviously not a Saguaro—and the C-shaped white marking on his forehead.

August 28, 2016August 29, 2016

An Authentic Cowboy Experience Comes to The Resort at Paws Up

Do you know what happens when you combine authentic cowboys, rodeo stars, Montana scenery, chic rustic accommodations and gourmet food and fine wine? We do. For the first time The ProRodeo Hall of Fame presents Cowboy Experience at The Resort at Paws Up on October 20–23, 2016.

Your three-day adventure begins and ends with four legendary cowboys honored by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, including Paul Tierney, Larry Mahan, Monty “Hawkeye” Hens and Bud Munroe. These inspiring men will immerse you in the ways of the West with educational workshops, demonstrations, trail rides, sporting clays shooting and campfire stories under Montana’s starry Big Sky. You’ll share in the cowboy spirit and its way of life, and have an incredible time doing it.

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy exists to educate about rodeo, its history and its impact on Western American culture. Our goal is to share the cowboy spirit and its way of life while meeting legendary cowboys honored by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Enjoy horseback riding, cattle drives, fly-fishing, hiking, spa treatments, ATV rides, sporting clays, our rifle range and more.

Schedule

Thursday, October 20, 2016

All Day Welcome in the Reception Barn

Cocktails and Arena Activity: Mounted Shooting

Inductee Introductions in the Saddle Club

Cattlemen’s Dinner

Kick Up Your Heels with the Shane Clouse Duo

Friday, October 21, 2016

Breakfast at the Ranch Table

Up and at ‘Em Trail Ride

Larry Mahan: Conversation and Connection with the Horse

Paul Tierney: Rope ‘Em Cowboy

Monty Henson: Tales from Hawkeye

Bud and Jimmie Munroe: Two World Champions Under One Roof

Cocktails and RoughStock Whiskey Tasting

Larry, Monty, Paul, Bud and Jimmie: Legends Sharing Legends

Cowboy’s Banquet

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Breakfast at the Ranch Table

Up and at ‘Em Trail Ride

Monty Henson: Tales from Hawkeye

Bud and Jimmie Munroe: Two World Champions Under One Roof

Lunch at the Ranch Table

Larry Mahan: Conversation and Connection with the Horse

Paul Tierney: Rope ‘Em Cowboy

Sporting Clays with Bud

Trail Ride with Monty

Stockman’s Soiree

Auction—Bring Deep Pockets!

Cash Bar, Final Gathering

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Breakfast at the Ranch Table

Farewell

To make reservations for Cowboy Experience, please call 877-758-8644 or chat with us.

August 21, 2016June 30, 2023

Where to Achieve Amazing Baking and Horseback Riding Skills in One Weekend

What do horseback riding, fly-fishing, ATV rides, pizza, cookies and pies have in common? We have the simple answer: Upper Crust at the Resort at Paws Up. Spend October 7th-10th getting your hands doughy during this one-of-a-kind kitchen adventure in Montana, which offers more than flour and sugar—glamping®, spa treatments, cattle drives and live music are also on the menu.

Join us this year to learn new skills in the kitchen as well as participate in outdoor activities on our 37,000-acre ranch, including fly-fishing, ATV tours, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian lessons, sporting clays, repelling, archery, go-karts and more.

The Resort also welcomes back the “pie whisperer” herself, Kate McDermott, along with Portland’s Ken Forkish and Chicago’s Mindy Segal for Upper Crust, a culinary weekend of sophisticated cookie, pie and pizza baking. During both events, guests will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with world-class chefs, bakers and winemakers as well as work up an appetite on adventures and excursions in the breathtaking Montana wilderness.

By day, you’ll be creating works of edible art from fresh local ingredients. And by night, you’ll be dining on the cuisine of Paws Up’s Executive Chef, Ben Jones, masterfully executed and paired with exquisite wines.

Afterwards, you’ll retire to the unparalleled comforts of your very own luxury vacation home.

Upper Crust Event Highlights

Friday, October 7, 2016

Welcome reception

Dinner featuring Executive Chef Ben Jones

Fire and Fondue in Tank

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Culinary workshops including kolachke and rugelach cookies,

American apple pie and pizza making a variety of wilderness adventures

Live entertainment in Tank

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Culinary workshops including thumbprint cookies, sweet cherry pie and pizza making

A variety of wilderness adventures

Live entertainment in Tank

Upper Crust is the perfect treat for anyone who’s passionate about homemade, just-out-of-the-oven desserts and pizzas and outdoor bucket-list adventure. Find out more here.

July 19, 2016June 30, 2023

How to Put the Glam into Camping at Paws Up

Luxury camping at The Resort at Paws Up is nature served on a gleaming silver platter. Known as North America’s premier glamping® destination, The Resort at Paws Up features five luxe tented camps that cater to families, couples and groups. Each safari-style tent features fine linens, comfortable beds, chic rustic furnishings, art-adorned walls, electricity, air-conditioning, heat and—most importantly—a camping butler at your beck and call. Learn from our Resort Manager, Charles Daenen, and our Glamping Operations Manager, Eddie Young, how we turned old-fashioned camping into glorified glamping.

1. What are the necessities to “glamp” up a camping experience?

Charles: Be flexible. You are not checking into a five-star suite with a 50-inch television and a minibar, but you are getting ready for an experience of a lifetime.

Eddie: Lots of s’mores, a sturdy pair of boots and a mind that’s open to new and fun experiences.

2. What’s the funniest request you’ve received from a guest?

Charles: I was once asked to sing happy birthday in my native language—Dutch—and it sounded awful, as I cannot sing. But I made the entire group laugh.

Eddie: A guest once asked me to remove ants from a tent, without harming them. (All ants were safely removed.)

3. What about a guest’s most unique request?

Charles: A guest wanted to have one of our ponies come to a camp and stay next to her child’s bed inside the tent until she fell asleep.

Eddie: I had a guest who wanted me to try to get an elk close enough to touch.

4. What necessities should a guest bring to Paws Up glamping tents?

Charles: An open-minded attitude. You are going to experience a vacation like nothing you’ve done before.

Eddie: The tents have pretty much everything you could need, and if they don’t, we can get it for you.

5. What is the most unique aspect of Paws Up?

Charles: There are actually two things that make the glamping adventure unique: the location and the willingness of the staff to go the extra mile time after time. If one of those two things was missing, it just would not be the same experience.

Eddie: Our employees at Paws Up are special. They are friendly, genuine and passionate about giving our guests a great glamping experience.

6. Where is your personal ultimate favorite place to camp?

Charles: The deck of Cliffside Camp early in the morning, drinking coffee and watch the sunrise while eagles soar above the Blackfoot River looking for breakfast.

Eddie: All camps have features that make them individual, and I can honestly make a case for each being my favorite. Moonlight Camp has a special place in my heart, as it was the first camp I worked. It has the true feel of camping, being out in the open meadow and away from most of The Resort, so you definitely feel like you’ve stolen away.

7. If you could tell guests one thing before they visit Paws Up, what would it be?

Charles: Do not hesitate to ask us anything, no matter how crazy your request is. We want to know what you like, but we are also really good at anticipating your needs.

Eddie: Be prepared to get dirty! Whether you are on ATVs, horseback riding or sitting around the campfire, it’s the great outdoors, so—naturally—it can be dusty and dirty. A good pair of old jeans is sufficient here, as we don’t want to ruin your good pair.

8. What’s the one thing you see guests most often forget to pack?

Charles: Sunscreen.

Eddie: A cowboy hat. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. We have a huge selection of hats in the Wilderness Outpost, and you will be feeling country in no time!

9. If you could have one famous camper come stay at the ranch, who would it be?

Charles: Bear Grylls—I’d love to have him run a wilderness workshop.

Eddie: Louis L’Amour. I grew up reading my dad’s old books while we were camping, and he was by far my favorite storyteller. I would love to sit around the crackling fire as he told stories of the Old West, gun-slinging cowboys, outlaws and bandits that would keep me intrigued for hours.

10. How did you become a camping butler?

Charles: I am too old for that now, but if I—just like Cher—could turn back time, this would have been my favorite summer job. Most of our butlers are referrals from other employees.

Eddie: I started working at the Resort as a summer job during college, and it has easily become one of my favorite jobs I have ever held. Being outdoors and helping guests enjoy themselves while glamping is a fun and challenging job, but it is highly rewarding when you see the smiles and continually have guests who don’t want to leave at the end of their stays!

July 5, 2016

Get Hooked At The Resort at Paws Up with Ultimate Fly-Fishing

Fly fishing has been around for hundreds of years, but its popularity continues to increase. What is it about this sport that is so captivating? If you experience fly fishing at The Resort at Paws Up, you will understand after just one outing. Fly fishing gives you the opportunity to relax and spend time in nature, while also challenging yourself with a cool sport that’s perfect for families or individuals. And once you’re hooked, fly fishing may become one of the best excuses for travel.

Montana is known for its abundant fly fishing, and Paws Up itself hosts 10 miles of the Blackfoot River—arguably one of the most famous fly fishing rivers thanks to the movie A River Runs Through It. At Paws Up, we offer spin rods for guests who are more comfortable with this style, but only for independent fishing. All of our guided excursions are strictly fly fishing, and all of our guides are Paws Up staffers, so you’re guaranteed the best learning techniques, assistance and service. We offer a fly fishing experience to remember.

The quality of fly fishing during the next three weeks dramatically increases. “With the water levels continuing to drop and the river getting clearer, the fishing the next couple of weeks will be off the hook! Pun intended,” says Montana Outfitter Justin Capps. “The next couple of weeks we will see most of our summer hatches. With the salmon fly hatch winding down the fish will start to turn their attention toward other aquatic insects. Golden stones, yellow sallies, Pale morning duns, Green drakes and caddis will make up the majority of the bugs we will see. Also, hopper season is just around the corner. Grasshoppers will start moving toward the water for greener grass, and once there they will accidentally get blown into the water by the afternoon breezes. Trout can’t resist them, so it’s a win-win,” says Justin.

At The Resort at Paws Up, we also have an on-site stocked pond that children who are just learning to fish can visit. Spin rods are used here, and it’s always a huge hit. The Resort at Paws Up is an angler’s retreat located within the “golden triangle” of western trout fly fishing. It boasts legendary rivers on property or nearby—including the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Clearwater and Missouri. So whether you’re checking off a few more Montana rivers from your wish list or are ready to pioneer into some true trout wilderness, this is the place for you.

June 28, 2016June 30, 2023

8 Reasons to Visit The Resort at Paws Up in July

What are the components of a magical month of July? My answer would be—hands-down—barbecue, watermelon, live music, epic fireworks, outdoor activities, fly-fishing, horseback riding, picnics, parades, pies (apple, peach, pecan—any variety, really!), kayaking, expansive starry skies, pristine weather (read: no humidity, light breeze), hiking, glamping®, relaxation, mountain air and family time. It’s quite a list, but you can find all of this and even more when you head to The Resort at Paws Up in beautiful Montana. Travel alone, with your family, grandparents, your dog, your favorite person or your best guy or girl friend. It will be an experience you will never forget, and definitely one you will want to repeat. July is an ultimate time to visit the resort, with eight amazing extra events to learn a new skill or just to relax and celebrate life.

1. Great Scotts: Stars at Night Concert Series

July 1–9, 2016 and July 30–August 6, 2016

What do you get when you pair two ultra-talented, cute guys named Scott from the Winder city and bring them to Montana? Join us for a special series of concerts (onstage and in a campfire setting) by Scott Besaw and Scott Schaefer. Scott Besaw has been entertaining music lovers at various Chicago hot spots and all over the United States for almost 30 years. In the past, Besaw has been a featured performer with the Blue Man Group, the Denver Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, the University of Colorado’s Buffoons a cappella singing group and Chicago’s special occasion band Underwater People.

Scott Schaefer has enjoyed a notable presence on the Chicago music scene for two decades as the lead singer of numerous indie rock outfits and has managed several independent record labels in the Midwest. Scott Besaw is available for private guitar and drum lessons. The Great Scotts are also available for private performances. Fees apply to private lessons and performances.

2. July 4^thHappy Independence Day Paws-Up-style!

Celebrate the 4^th with us at The Resort at Paws Up with the ultimate American celebration. Enjoy a craft cocktail mixology demonstration, live music, a live wild west show, line dancing, float decorating contest, lawn games, gunny sack races, chair massages, parades, watermelon eating contest, fireworks and don’t forget s’mores!

3. Gettin’ Primitive with Artist in Residency: Gary Steele

July 10–16, 2016, and August 7–13, 2016

Learn about the old ways from an honest-to-goodness mountain man—Paws Up’s resident outdoorsman Gary Steele. For one week at his self-built camp, you and your kids will get hands-on instruction in primitive skills like edible plant identification, fire making, knot tying, longbow archery, music making, orienteering, shelter building, storytelling, tomahawk throwing, tracking and woodsmanship.

Designed for families to come together in an environment that fosters confidence, curiosity, enthusiasm, responsibility and self-esteem, the Gettin’ Primitive workshop is sure to ignite your kids’ imagination.

4. Montana Long Table: A Locally Sourced Summer

July 16, 2016

For one delicious July evening, we pay special tribute to the people who feed us. Chef Ben Jones and his talented team will prepare a unique multicourse farm-to-white-tablecloth dinner highlighting fresh summertime ingredients. And the close relationships Ben and his kitchen staff have formed with area purveyors will make this a celebration that’s truly inspired.

5. Starry Night Photography with Artist in Residency: Barbara Van Cleve

July 18–21, 2016 spectacular wines included.

Join acclaimed ranch-life photographer and Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree Barbara Van Cleve for a unique and captivating photography workshop. The workshop will take place both indoors and under Montana’s Big Sky at night. Van Cleve is known for her spectacular nighttime imagery, and she will instruct all workshop participants on how to capture vivid, dreamy photographs under a starry, moonlit sky. With more than 50 solo photography exhibits to her name and a lifetime of experience

6. Champion Horsemanship with Barbra Schulte

July 18–21, 2016

Take your horsemanship skills up a notch with instruction from Barbra Schulte, a veteran professional rider and trainer and member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. With an emphasis on developing tough mental strategies, she’s helped elite riders all over the country reach their full potential. In this workshop, with her guidance, you’ll focus on control as you wind through obstacle courses along scenic trails, and you’ll practice your aim on horseback with mounted shooting (using water pistols). The workshop also focuses on providing riders with inspiration to overcome challenges they might have encountered in the past. A limited group size allows for intimate sessions, which are perfect for mastering new techniques.

7. Block Printing and Mosaics with Artist in Residency: Jill Schulman

July 24–30, 2016

Get your hands messy with Artist in Residency Jill Schulman as she teaches adults and children alike the art of block carving and printing, as well as mosaic making in this Paws Up Wilderness Workshop. Schulman is a renowned sculptor and ceramic artist who thrives on teaching her craft to others. No previous experience is required to take part in the workshop—just a willingness to think “outside the block.”

8. Wild Writing with Writer in Residency: Laura Munson

July 29—30, 2016

For centuries, writers have been finding their inspiration out in the wild. And Montana may well be the place where your muse resides. So whether you’re a professional or a seeker with a pen, come find your unique voice under the nurturing guidance of an internationally successful author.

No matter where you are in your creative journey, you’ll learn how to discover your stories and get them onto the page. This custom Wilderness Workshop will give you a renewed feeling of empowerment through self-expression. It’s an adventure within, in the great outdoors.