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Reviews of Lonesome Dove Guest Ranch

2.5 out of 5
Lonesome Dove Guest Ranch
1805 Haywire Gulch, Kalispell, MT

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 172 out of 340 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 82 out of 340 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 31 out of 340 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 18 out of 340 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 37 out of 340 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.8/10

Amenities

7.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Karen

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Arlo

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very rustic
Perhaps value for price was okay. Stayed in a tepee. very spartan. Communal shower and toilet facilities were 250 yards away and not at all clean. They did provide toiletries however.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Sky

Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Brandie

Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I will start that I was super excited about staying here, booked way in advance, and was ready for this Montana experience. It ended up with leaving and trying to find a hotel in Kalispell on Labor Day weekend, and paying for two stays. In communication with what I’m assuming was the owner, she basically called me a liar in all accounts. Started with saying the office was open, even though it clearly said closed. She stated I never picked up the map and instructions and they were still in the mailbox, even though I have the map in my possession. She stated I never called to report a problem, which my call log on my phone shows otherwise. She said I went to the wrong tent and that is why it wasn’t made up and I could call some random guy to talk to him about him leaving late, even though I went to the tent that was designated, called someone and they came down not once but twice and never said anything about me being in the wrong spot. It WAS the tent on the map! The bedding /tent was dirty and stained, which I also have photos of. Now I’m a country girl and fully understand that I’m not in a five star hotel, but cleanliness isn’t to much to ask for. It was disgusting. When I said I would forward over my phone log, pictures, and a copy of the map she said I didn’t have….communication completely stopped. Customer service and respectable communication speaks volumes, as well as cleanliness. I highly recommend finding somewhere else to stay!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It is adorable. I thought I was on a dude ranch. People were super nice and breakfast was simple and delicious. Room was clean. I want to bring my family back here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Its a ranch, nothing fancy. Our tent was exactly as pictured and met my expectation. The communal bathroom is a bit of a walk through a dirty grass path. The facilities match what I've experienced camping. If the bathhouse was closer and on a better path it would help. Was not letting wife walk at 0300 alone to pee. Only other issue is breakfast at 0830. Was up at 0500ish and headed out. No was i was hanging out for a meal and coffee. 0830 is a very late start. Overall, a good place to sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Phillip

Travelled with family
Liked: Amenities
I liked the ruggedness, but not the noisy mattress.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Amy

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rob

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our stay at the Lonesome Dove was great. We arrived late and didn’t need to bother with anyone to check in. Super easy. The free breakfast is super home style. Super friendly staff too. We will stay again in the future.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Rebecca

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One night stay on the way to Glacier
It was just as advertised. The tent was comfortable, not heated, but the beds had warm blankets and we slept very well. The breakfast was outstanding. The bathhouse was a few minutes away. It would be nice in the future to expand it, since there was only one unit for men and one for women. The tent had no electricity, but we had a portable battery. Maybe you could run a line out to the tents, to at least provide one outlet. The wifi was adequate. These are only suggestions; we were very satisfied with our stay. My son even said he would definitely stay there again.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

David

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were very surprised that the only shower, or bathroom ,available to the Tipis and tents was a quarter mile walk that you could not drive to. The nearby portapotty was not clean and lacked much paper. And if you stay in the Tipis their ceiling is wide open to any rain. Everyone froze at night if they didn't bring their own sleeping bag, the one thin blanket supplied was not enough. The first impression of the place was Appalachia. The breakfast was good.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Petah

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The breakfast was good and kitchen staff were friendly. However the teepee sleeping experience was disappointing. On an afternoon with temperatures above 90 degrees F we were given no places to sit out of the sun as our teepee was in full sun... to hot to sit in. No chairs provided to sit outside in the shade. The walk to the bathhouse was along a dirt track for 330 feet. not close to teepee. we booked a trail ride in the morning but the horses were not prepared and the wrangler was not available... so we cancelled. We would not recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Trisha, moses lake

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice place. Cool animals. Delicious breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jason C

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you so much Scott! Thank you for stayinhg with us.

10/10 Excellent

Karalee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A peace of heaven on earth
We came to share a camp with our fellow scooter club. Our cabin was fantastic, the service was great and the staff are friendly.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
You all were so awesome! We had as much fun with you as you had with each other. I told everyone about all of your scooters. Please come back. We loved having you!

10/10 Excellent

BEATRIZ JOVITA

Travelled with partner
Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
For the 0rice, it is worth the money. You get to experience staying at a Ranch, see different farm animals, the teepee was spacious, breakfast was superb! Great service from the staff.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you Beatriz. We really appreciate your review and are so happy you were pleased!

10/10 Excellent

Jessica

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Such a great and fun stay for the family! A camo that's already set up for you with comfortable beds! Loved everything about it! Never really saw staff, but they left everything we needed!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you so much Jessica! We all are happy you enjoyed your stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Cindy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was wonderful sleeping in a teepee beds were confy. Shower was great
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you for your review Cindy. Please come back and see us again!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clamping but no electricity or lighting in the tent. Beds were comfortable. Breakfast was very good. Girls enjoyed horseback ride
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you for your review. We don't have the amenities of electricity, but we hope we make up for it in other things. We do have battery operated lanterns - kind of fun if you are adventurous.

2/10 Terrible

Tony

Don’t do it!
We stayed in the Tipi. No water close by, no power, no shade, no toilet close by. A terrible portable loo without hand washing. They have a ‘no cancellation’ policy. Friendly reception, food OK
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Tony, sorry you didn't get the feel of our ranch. We have two beautiful bath houses, one for men and one for women with newly tiled showers, restrooms and great showers, electricity, and all of the amenities. A tipi is a tipi - no electricity as we advertise, but we do provide you with a lantern. There is hand sanitizer in the porta potty, placed for night convenience. Our cancellation policy is 90% with 15 days notice.

10/10 Excellent

david

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked everything about this place
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 11 Aug 2023
Thank you David. We are so happy you were pleased. Please come back and visit us again!

2/10 Terrible

Marca

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 12 Aug 2023
I'm not sure what the problem was. You can always call or email us directly to tell us.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Check in.
The cabin wasn't ready when we checked in. It wasn't ready until 10pm at night.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 12 Aug 2023
I'm sorry you had to wait. It was our fault, for sure. However you arrived after 10 pm and we brought in staff immediately to take care of it, as well as buying you beverages while you waited for everyone in your party. We do feel badly about the wait, but it was an honest mistake.

2/10 Terrible

Shari

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness
I took one look at the “ accommodations” and left and drove home 140 miles… it could have been just me but no way I was staying
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 12 Aug 2023
It's hard to respond when I don't know what your accommodations were, when it was and what was not right. I'm sorry that you were disappointed.

2/10 Terrible

Matthew

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I booked a cabin at this place back in December of 2022, as soon as the dates for Under the Big Sky came out. When I arrived, I was informed that due to unforeseen circumstances the room in the house that I had booked was no longer being used for guests. The problem with that was I hadn't booked a room in the house, I had booked a cabin. The solutions offered to me were A) stay in a cabin the first night, move mine and my girlfriend's luggage out early in the morning, return later, and dry camp in a wall tent for the second night. Then repeat this process the next day to stay in a different cabin for the third night, or B) accept a full refund and find other accommodations, knowing full well on short notice during the busiest weekend of the year, the full refund would barely cover the cost of a single night at a hotel in town. My girlfriend and I chose to not take our chances elsewhere, so we endured the daily moves for the whole weekend. Now, I understand things happened that were out of the ranch's control. But I booked this stay 7 MONTHS in advance, and my first notice that something was wrong wasn't until I drove 2 days and 1148 miles and was standing in their office. No phone call, no email, nothing. And as far as my girlfriend and I could tell, we were the only guests subjected to this arrangement, despite having booked a completely different accommodation than what they said we had over half a year earlier.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Matthew, you did book the Western Room in the bed and breakfast, which is in my home, and at a discounted rate (please verify with Expedia). I told you my husband had just passed away. I had no notice to give you. You could have stayed there but you agreed that it would be fine. I explained I had family about to come in from all over, not to stay with me but to help me with arrangements. I thought it would be best to upgrade you to a cabin for 2 nights and the wall tent for the 3rd instead of just being subjected to all of the sadness and chaos, or cancelling you, leaving you without anywhere to stay as I could have. All of our accommodations had been booked for months so I changed what I could to make you as happy as I could. You were the only one that I changed, as you were the only one booked in my house.

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
So fun away from the Glacier traffic…
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Thank you so much for your kindness!

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Thank you for staying with us. I'm so happy you had a good time.

8/10 Good

Jeffrey

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Unique Experience.
My daughter, 5, loved it. The novelty of the tipi, along with the farm animals and the Buffalo kept her entertained. Beds were comfortable, pillows blankets and towels. The camp Porta potty was gross, no toilet paper and an empty bottle of hand sanitizer. The shared showers/bathroom were a good walk up the hill and functional, but shared with the ranch hands. Didn’t stay for the breakfast, but the office staff was friendly.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

Robert

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
What I signed for and what I got were two different things. My tent had no electricity no cell system and the bathroom was a porta-potty. YUK. I didn't stay, i left.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Robert, I am sorry you weren't pleased. There is no electricity in tents. There is cell service, but I admit it can be spotty as we are in the woods. There was a porta potty, but we also have our newly remodeled bath houses with restrooms and showers, electricity, etc. I wish you had said something to us. We would do our best to please you.

8/10 Good

Steven

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Patricia A.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in a tipi at Lonesome Dove for two nights. The environment was quiet, beautiful and peaceful. The morning breakfast was generous and delicious. If you are a person who loves being in Nature, you will enjoy this place as I did!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Patrick, thank you so much for your wonderful review, and for sharing your travels with us. Please come back again!

10/10 Excellent

edward

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very enjoyable stay, staff were amazing and the breakfast was really good too. Will try to visit again in the future.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Thank you Edward! Please do come back. Thank you for your wonderful review as well.

8/10 Good

David

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 12 Aug 2023
Thank you for your review David. We are happy you stayed with us.

6/10 Okay

Sherry

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Breakfast was delicious but the late time for the meal didn’t care for. Everyone were nice but nothing to do there
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

Janet

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dusty....wow!
The floor, rugs, abd furnishings were covered in thick layer of dust. The air conditioner filter hadn't been cleaned. So I rinsed the filter, rolled up the rugs and put on the porch, then went to the store and porcha dust mop and cleaned the floor and under the bed 4 times. That's how much dust there was. It meant I could finally breath. The blankets probably needed to be washed too, but fortunately we had a blanket with us. Nice stay after that. Montana is dusty. That's life.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
I'm sorry you felt the need to do all of that. I wished you had said something, but then, it should have been clean to begin with. We have a lot of dust between the dirt and gravel roads and the horses go up and down, but it still should have been cleaned properly. I will speak with the girls. Thank you for your review.

10/10 Excellent

Dawn

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Rustic cabin with plenty of room for all of us. Comfortable beds. Owner and staff were fun and friendly. Met the local dog & cat. They have a bison and there are horses & cattle. Saw turkeys and lots of other wildlife. They also have tents you can rent. Nice addition to our trip!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Sharron on 3 Jul 2023
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We are so happy you were pleased. Please come back and visit again!

8/10 Good

Samuel

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 3 Jul 2023
Thank you for taking the time to give us a good review. We all really appreciate it!

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Adventure
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 3 Jul 2023
Thank you so much from all of us! You have brightened our week.

2/10 Terrible

Carey

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
DON’T DO IT!!! Hands down, the worst hotel/motel/B&B experience we’ve have ever had! Most of the staff was very friendly and helpful, with the exception of the woman who appeared to be “running the show”. She was extremely condescending to us and argued with the staff openly making any interaction extremely uncomfortable. She admittedly attempted to run a credit card for additional charges without permission or communication. The cabin was awful, stains on the bedding, we found two 3” nails in our bed, clumps of hair in the sink and shower, we went and purchased our own pillows, blankets, etc. I wish we would have spent an extra $100-$300/night to feel comfortable for our stay. We planned to do trail rides and spend more time at the ranch, but we ended up not spending much time there at all and dreaded coming back each evening. This is definitely not how to run any establishment in the hospitality industry. There seems to be no interest in any type of customer satisfaction.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Scot

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The staff was great. Our breakfast was fresh and made to order. They did a great job.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Thank you so much! We really appreciate you and your review.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Positives: Friendly helpful (the two that actually seemed to be busy) staff, rustic outdoor fresh air setting, comfortable beds, quiet, and yes, rustic. Negatives: bathrooms are VERY, very far away especially when you need to use the restroom in the middle of the night...it is a significant walk through the woods. When you get to the bathroom...showers do not work and very dirty. No paper towels in the dispenser the two days we were there. This property needs attention and some TLC. It is not well maintained. I feel like they had a lot of staff but only two people were actually "working." Sad because this place has a lot of great potential.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Barbara

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Heaters should be included in the tents. Would be good to have more garbage bins around and at least 2 chairs available for each tent.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 3 Jul 2023
Thank you for staying with us and for your comments. We actually do have heaters for the tipis and wall tents but safety regulations require an adult to check them out. They are free and we supply all the propane. We have the picnic tables as well as the logs at the fire pits for guests, however your comment on additional chairs is a good one. We purposely don't put garbage bins in the village as if we should have a bear, it is best far away from people. We pick up trash a couple of times a day and put it in our bearproof containers. But I do appreciate your comeents!

10/10 Excellent

Camila

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Sharron on 20 Jul 2023
Thank you so much Camila. I appreciate you staying with us and your review. Please come back!

2/10 Terrible

Lisa C

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets, Travelled with group
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
They were very not organized. The breakfast came out servings one to two of us at time out of seven. The eggs were not cook right and the food was cold. The wait staff was super nice. There was mole in the cabin bathroom.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The gal who checked us in said someone had been living in the cabin until a few days ago. She proceeded to look for the key, eventually she said she couldn’t find it. We did not feel safe staying overnight without a key, in a place someone had been living in. The kitchen was a mess the dining room did not even look open or prepared. Inside the cabin, she explained the wood stove was just “too complicated “ to use, so just use the space heater.. Really? We left after 5 minutes and had to drive into Kalispell and find a hotel. Upon talking to the assistant, she said we could come back and have a complimentary night free. Why would I go back to a place I had paid for (3 ) nights, when they were clearly not prepared and wouldn’t refund even half of my money. We stayed for 5 minutes and left, never touching the bathroom or beds.
Response from Sharron on 7 Mar 2023
I'm sorry you were so unhappy. I wish you had given us a few minutes, as we did find all of the cabin keys. This is our time to do our spring housecleaning and we were getting things cleaned and ready for your breakfast the following morning. When Melissa called you and offered you a free night, it was in addition to the 3 days, so you would have received 4 nights for the price of 3. The cabin was very clean and ready for you. Locks are in the inside as well, so safety is not an issue. Regarding any refund, we were only disputing paying the commission to Expedia on a reservation we had to refund.

10/10 Excellent

Lian Wu

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
good breakfast
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Nickie

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022