Elk Creek Ranch was founded in 1957 based on the conviction that the Rocky Mountain wilderness would provide teenagers with a unique summer experience. The ranch started small and has stayed small, with no more than 50 folks including ranchers, staff, and family. That smallness promotes a wonderfully close community where every child is important. The ranch has remained a family operation with the third-generation, many of whom are teachers during the winter, now taking over the leadership. The ranch is located in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming. With Yellowstone Park just to the west, we enjoy one of the largest wilderness ecosystems in the 48 states.

Elk Creek has two programs, the Ranch and the Trek. The Ranch is a residential program combining horseback riding and ranch work in an authentic western experience. It also includes a number of optional activities such as backpacking, fishing, and van trips to Yellowstone. The Trek is a 20-day backpack through the high country of the Beartooth and Northern Absaroka Mountains. It teaches basic skills such as low-impact camping, first aid, diet, map and compass work, and an introduction to technical rock climbing. Often children combine the two programs in one summer or over two summers in order to experience both the “pioneering” past and the wilderness-exploring present of the West.