• Elk Creek Ranch

    An Unforgettable Horse & Wilderness Camp for Teenagers

  • Horseback Riding

    Our rides cover over 100 square miles of this area and expose our riders to the Rocky Mountains at their primitive best.

  • The American West

    The surrounding mountains, many of which are snow-capped year round, climb from the valley floor at 6.000 feet to nearly 13,000 feet.

  • Summer Fun & Lifelong Friends

    Elk Creek Ranch is a unique summer camp limited to an average of fifty people, including all teens, staff, and family who fit together in a rich mosaic of varied backgrounds, interests, and talents.
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Elk Creek Ranch Summer Camp

Elk Creek Ranch offers teenagers a unique summer camp experience combining a traditional ranch setting with a variety of wilderness activities in Wyoming's Northern Absaroka mountains.

Elk Creek Ranch Summer Camp Video

horseback riding summer camp for teens

Horseback Riding

The central activity at Elk Creek Ranch summer camp is western horseback riding. Each teenager is given his or her own horse and riding gear for the entire summer camp experience. The climax comes at the end of each session with a four-day pack-trip that embodies the essence of western horsemanship.

 

 

Backpacking wilderness summer camp

Backpacking

Backpacking at Elk Creek Ranch is an extensive and challenging adventure into one of the few remaining wilderness areas in the continental United States: the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountain Ranges in northwestern Wyoming and southwestern Montana.

 

 

Summer camp activities

Work Crew

We have always believed that a ranch experience without some ranch work is as unrewarding as it is artificial. The work itself ranges from the normal chores of a ranch operation to ambitious building projects and horse training.

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Elk Creek Ranch is a summer of enjoyment, with groups sharing the camaraderie of youth and the recreational opportunities of the West. It is a summer of challenge, confronting each individual with rugged wilderness surroundings and a rustic life style. It is also a summer of involvement, with each teenager participating in a small camp community.

Elk Creek offers a taste of the Old West through training and riding horses as well as working on ranch chores and projects. Our Ranchers also receive an introduction to the New West, backpacking and packtripping through the high country and wilderness of Shoshone National Forest.

The Elk Creek Ranch experience has been for almost sixty years and remains today many-faceted, appealing to a variety of interests and abilities. Our purpose is to provide a challenging summer for each teen. The challenge is partly physical in that we are very active and mobile. It is partly mental in that the individual encounters a totally different mode of life. The challenge is also environmental in that the ranch is located in one of the few truly wild areas left in the continental United States. In meeting this blend of challenges, each individual gains a widened awareness of himself or herself and a greater appreciation of our western wilderness heritage.

We hope you will join us for a truly unique summer.

In September of 2021, we look back with newfound confidence in our response to the pandemic, with thanks to all of the parents who were careful in their own homes and also so supportive of our policies and efforts, and with relief that we made it through the summer free from any covid cases. We fully expected at this point to be able to relax, but that unfortunately is not the case. At this point in time, Cody and northwestern Wyoming are experiencing a surge of Covid 19 cases. We have gotten out of the prognostication business. We hope that we can return to normal for the summer of 2022, but we know that we can have a good summer even if the pandemic continues.

What was most important last summer is that almost all ranchers, staff, and family were vaccinated. The few not vaccinated were Covid-tested within 72 hours of leaving for the ranch. We continue that emphasis on vaccinations and boosters, if available. Any people planning on not being vaccinated must contact us beforehand about their plans to be tested.

Beyond the vaccinations, we are prepared to do all of the things at the ranch that worked well. We “podded” up for the first week. We spread out our dining adding a large tent, and we were masked when in the dining facility be served or working. We improved the ventilation and added air purification in the bunkhouses, recreation room, and dining facility. We did not take our normal trips to Cody for the rodeo and to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. General cleanliness was stressed.

We will update this Covid Information on our website as things change. As families enroll for the summer of 2022, we will also update them directly. We will be following CDC updates and will share those insofar as they impact us;. In the meantime we hope that America will rally round the best pandemic practices to enable camps and schools and American business to operate as normally as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at or 307-587-3902 with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for applying to Elk Creek Ranch!

Started by Emily & Doc Ridgway in 1957, Elk Creek Ranch has been owned and operated since 1957 with that philosophy that every child deserves a great summer. Our hope is that each rancher will help mold his or her summer experience by taking advantage of the varied opportunities.

Next Steps

Now that you have completed your application, there are a few additional steps to take:

  • A Deposit of $1,500 is required to reserve your spot. Please send a check made out to Elk Creek Ranch to Elk Creek Ranch, PO Box 1476, Cody, WY 82414.
  • You'll also need to fill out a Health Form for your child.
  • All your child's packing needs can be found here:

Please feel free to contact us with any questions at (307) 587-3902 or .

We look forward to seeing your child at Elk Creek Ranch!