River Meadow Ranch
We just returned from spending a few relaxing days in Whitefish, Montana. During our time there we hiked in Glacier National park, cooked delicious meals together and enjoyed being outside as much as possible. However, a majority of our time was spent enjoying the comfort and beauty of a wonderful place called River Meadow Ranch. River Meadow Ranch is a gorgeous property boasting not one, but two spectacular rental homes. The first home is a five bedroom, three bath fully restored hand hewn log home and the second home (the one we stayed in) is a newly built five bedroom, four bath house located on seven acres and offering stunning mountain views.
Kirk kindly greeted us shortly after we arrived making us feel right at home. He wasn't certain when we would arrive, so he had stopped by to turn on the lights prior to our arrival. We were so glad he did because he informed us of a local dairy just down the road where we could get milk, eggs and yogurt (the three things on our grocery store list) As we unpacked the car and drove down the road to the dairy I immediately started asking myself "why we don't live here?"
The five bedroom home was spacious for our little family, but we appreciated having the extra space to spread out. We enjoyed dance parties in the basement, late night movie watching once Jasper went down for bed and barbecuing on the deck. We spent hours upon hours hanging out on the massive wrap around deck keeping our eyes peeled for ducks, geese, horses, deer and elk. The thing we appreciated most about the house was how it was fully stocked with dishes, spices, towels, tin foil and even a high chair. It was wonderful being able to visit a place without having to bring the kitchen sink along with us.
At River Mountain Ranch we spent our mornings making breakfast and hanging out on the deck, our afternoons hiking and exploring the nearby areas and our evenings making dinner and cozying up inside. My favorite part about Montana is how our trips are always the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. Most people don't visit Montana for the tourist attractions, so you can go at your own pace and for the most part feel like you have the place to yourself.
The local eggs we were able to pick up when we got our milk and yogurt at the Kalispell Creamery.
There are so many things I loved about River Meadow Ranch, but the custom woodwork and thoughtfully decorated rooms were among my favorite. River Meadow Ranch epitomizes everything you love about Montana from the rugged spirit to the wide open spaces. It is the type of home which begs you to slow down make some french toast, fry up some bacon and sit with a big mug of hot cocoa.
During our time at River Meadow Ranch Jasper was able to experience his first fishing lesson and had an opportunity to play a little in the snow. We were hoping for a Winter wonderland, but Spring is almost here and the temperature was more mild than we had been anticipating. However, the warmer temperatures allowed us to feel right at home and spend a majority of our time outside. For those chilly mornings out on the deck, the house even had infrared heaters to keep us warm.
River Meadow Ranch would be the perfect place for a family reunion, a great vacation house to share with friends or a wonderful excuse for a family whether small or large to sprawl out and relax for a few days. The owner, Fred, was easy to work with, responsive to my questions and attentive to our needs. We are already anticipating our return and look forward to spending a few warm Summer nights watching spectacular sunsets color the sky accompanied by big bowls of ice cream in our laps.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by River Mountain Ranch. All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.
