A Western adventure awaits RVers at the Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
By Chip Deyerle, F179160D
August 2015
You may recall watching movies of your favorite cowboy as he rode the range, saving damsels in distress and slugging it out with crusty cattle rustlers. At some point in the film, he usually sang a cowboy song. Tunes by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers made us secretly yearn to live the ranch lifestyle.
Many RVers, especially once they reach the United States’ wide, open spaces, hum those old tunes as they think of Western adventures. If you do, pardners, get your cowboy hat, boots, spurs, and jeans and mosey to Cheyenne, Wyoming, to see what real ranching is all about.
Not far from the “Welcome to Wyoming” sign on northbound Interstate 25 as you head out of Colorado, your eyes are drawn to the Terry Bison Ranch sign on the right side of the road. The bison at the ranch are not immediately visible, but miles of grassland set the stage for a great Western show. The 27,500-acre ranch hosts a herd of 3,000 to 4,000 bison, as well as a number of exotic and not-so-exotic critters: horses, ponies, cattle, camels, llamas, alpacas, ostriches, pigs, and goats, among others.
Driving beneath the stone archway entrance to the park, we knew we were in for a memorable treat. We parked our horse and wagon (okay, it was a motorhome) at the Terry Bison camp office and general store, which was bedecked with horseshoes, ropes, and branding irons. The RV park can accommodate all kinds of campers, with drive-through sites, regular RV sites, and tent sites on grass and gravel. Large RVs are offered 30/50-amp electrical service, plus water hookups. The park uses two large fields for overflow and dry camping during the summer months. If you decide to dry camp, make sure your RV batteries can handle the load.
If you travel with a stock trailer (and haul your own horsepower), be sure to call ahead to ask about facilities for horses.
After a good night’s rest at the campground, motorhomers who desire a taste of the Old West and a delicious breakfast meet with wranglers at the ranch’s Tombstone Café. Be sure to arrive early so you can converse with the cowboys over a cup of fresh coffee. The Southwest Omelet is the featured breakfast dish; it is served with black beans, a thin slice of roasted bison, and corn, and topped with pico de gallo (fresh salsa), queso (cheese), and lightly drizzled with cilantro/jalapeño sour cream. That’s mighty tasty when chased with a cup of chuck-wagon coffee served up by Nichelle, chief cook and waitress.
You can take one of the daily trail rides led by the wranglers in between their ranch duties. Astride your horse, follow them among the bison as they describe many adventures of cowboy life. Or, maybe you’ve always wanted to try your hand at steer roping. With professional rodeo cowboys and wranglers working on the ranch, you may have the opportunity for one-on-one time with a roping expert. Here’s your chance to impress your friends with your new skills, or surprise your grandkids by knowing all the cowboy lingo.
The Trading Post Gift Shop stocks Western-style merchandise as well as limited RV and camping supplies. Food and snack items are offered along with cowboy hats, Western-style shirts, T-shirts, bandanas, candy, and Western-themed toys for children.
At some time during your stay, enjoy a meal at Senator’s Steakhouse and Brass Buffalo Saloon, located near the ranch office. The meals are great, and there is nothing like watching the sun set over the Western plains with a glass of your favorite wine, a big juicy bison steak, baked potato, salad, and dessert. You will meet a friendly barkeep and maybe hear a country-western band. The bison short ribs are outstanding, and the bison burger is tops in my book.
The ranch offers excursion-meal packages that may be of interest. One is a two-hour morning horseback ride, followed by breakfast at the Tombstone Café. The other is a two-hour horseback ride that is followed by dinner at Senator’s restaurant. In summer, the Sunday Lunch Train package features a train ride followed by a meal at Senator’s.
In the evenings, ranch hands set up a bonfire near the restaurant patio. Relax as the sun sets over the fir trees and two old-time chuck wagons. Some nights feature Western storytelling, while other nights the entertainment consists of quiet contemplation of the moon and stars above the prairie. Somehow, the stars all seem brighter in Wyoming.
Out on the open range, the huge herd of bison goes about its daily business of eating lots of prairie grass. Fortunately, ranch visitors can see a herd from the sight-seeing train that runs daily. Joe, the engineer and tour guide, provides bags of dried alfalfa treats so visitors can feed the hungry critters from the train. Just be careful not to drop your sunglasses, hat, or cell phone, because the bison might decide to make some long-distance calls or take a “selfie” with you in the distant background.
For little cowpokes, this place is a fascinating Western experience. There are pony rides and amusement park rides, as well as a barrel train ride. The youngsters can also work on steer roping at their own teaching spot.
If that’s not enough, the ranch has two playgrounds with all the favorites, including slides, swings, and climbing platforms. It’s enough to wear down any young wrangler before bedtime in your motorhome “bunkhouse.”
The Terry Bison Ranch is located approximately nine miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming, off of Interstate 25. It got its name from Charles Terry, who owned the ranch before it was purchased in 1885 by F.E. Warren. Warren was the first territorial governor of Wyoming and later one of the new state’s first senators. He served in the U.S. Senate for 35 years.
The ranch house still stands, as does the original bunkhouse, where President Theodore Roosevelt visited Warren in 1903 and in 1910.
Just like the president, you likely will start planning some kind of return trip once you experience Terry Bison Ranch.
Further Info
Terry Bison Ranch
51 Interstate 25 Service Road E.
Cheyenne, WY 82007
(307) 634-4171
info@terrybisonranch.com
www.terrybisonranch.com
Camping is available at Terry Bison Ranch; call ahead to assure space is available. If you have active or retired military members in your family, the F.E. Warren Air Force Base Family Campground may be available as well (307-773-3874).
For more area campground details, see your camping directory or FMCA’s RV Marketplace (at FMCA.com and in the January and June issues of FMC). Or, check with the Visit Cheyenne visitors bureau (www.cheyenne.org; 800-426-5009, 307-778-3133).
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Each July during Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cheyenne, Wyoming, comes alive with parades, an official Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Rodeo (billed as the largest outdoor rodeo in the world), an airshow by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a pancake breakfast, a carnival, a cookoff, an Old Frontier Town, and other attractions, plus live music nightly.
For 2016, Frontier Days is July 22-31. It’s never too early to plan for next year! Visit www.cfdrodeo.com or call (800) 227-6336 or (307) 778-7222. The Frontier Days headquarters phone is (307) 778-7200.