K BAR L BACKCOUNTRY RANCH
K BAR L FAMILY RESPITE
This is a rare opportunity to visit the backcountry of Montana and stay in a very comfortable cabin. The K Bar L Ranch is not accessible by road. In the spring and early summer, the ranch is accessible by boat from the Gibson Reservoir. Once the lake pool lowers from irrigation draw downs, boat access is not possible, but the long-established and well maintained Sun River trail provides three season access by foot or horseback over the seven miles of National Forest lands from the end of paved road at the lower end of the Gibson to the ranch. A sturdy pack bridge, rebuilt in the August of 2016 and rebuilt by the Forest Service after being damaged in the infamous flood of 1964, crosses the North Fork of the Sun River and onto the ranch in the last leg of the overland route. The ranch also is accessible anytime by helicopter with an adequate landing site on the grounds of the property.
THE ACTIVITIES
The K Bar L Ranch retreat is offered by the generosity of the owners, The Wallis Family. They sponsor our guests for a once in a lifetime experience in the wilderness of Montana. Horseback riding, fishing, and hiking are the main activities in the spring on the sponsored trip. This is a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with family members after years of demanding deployments in an environment where there are no distractions.
In the fall guided big game hunting is also available. Nestled 7 miles in from the nearest road against one of the most pristine and untouched wilderness areas in the lower 48. The K Bar L is home to the second largest migratory elk herd in the United States and sits within the boundaries of the Sun River Game Preserve.
The Ranch is located in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, filled with dense pine valleys to limestone mountains scratching the sky at 8000 feet. These mountains appear to jostle for position with sheer cliffs that leap another 1,000 feet as if to protect the Chinese Wall marking the Continental Divide. Not a single road cuts through the woods and mountains to disturb an abundance of wildlife that is unequaled elsewhere in the United States. Travel “home” to a warm cabin, a hot meal, and tranquil soak in the Medicine Hot Springs. These hunting grounds silently call out to a special breed of hunter who values Mother Nature’s splendor as much as her bounty!