Live Out Your Fancy Cowboy Fantasy on a Luxury Ranch Glamping Trip

“Honk if you tonk,” read the bumper sticker slapped on the rusted pickup trundling along in front of us as we turned off the highway and onto a dusty road toward Ellison Ranch. It was the perfect playful cue to loosen up and shift gears from deadlines to daydreams. As we pulled into our campsite situated on the border of the Custer Gallatin National Forest, big skies stretched above pastures dotted with cows, and the sound of the West Boulder River came rushing through.

Thomas J. Story

“Cows outnumber people here two to one,” jokes our host Michelle Holdener, whose company Wild Productions outfitted the Few & Far campgrounds, which included luxury safari tents circled around a covered base camp, complete with a lounge area, full bar, rustic dining table, wood-burning sauna, and of course, a firepit.

Thomas J. Story

It’s hard to imagine that these luxe glampgrounds were grazing land a couple of weeks ago. And that once we’re gone, they will be again. It’s all a part of the ephemeral magic that comes with a journey with Few & Far, whose new private trips are a fleeting haven for reflection, adventure, and renewal.

Thomas J. Story

Few & Far was founded by Sarah and Jacob Dusek, the visionary duo behind Under Canvas, the chain of luxe glamping-tent hotels located near national parks that became the category leader, thanks to their smart combination of five-star amenities and proximity to profoundly beautiful nature. Few & Far further builds on the sustainable safari legacy with a forward-thinking approach to travel. They are currently operating customized private trips in destinations like the Seychelles, Rwanda, and the Dolomites, but the Western trips to spots like Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Mendocino are where they really shine.

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Through their investment firm Enygma Ventures, the couple has supported more than 10,000 women-led enterprises across Africa, and now they’re applying that same spirit of empowerment and restoration to travel. Campsites are solar-powered, zero-waste, and designed to vanish without a trace. But it’s just as much about the experiences that come along with these bespoke journeys as it is the creature comforts in nature.

Thomas J. Story

When we arrived, the team from Yellowstone Hat Co. greeted us with whiskey and a custom fitting session. Husband-and-wife owners Russ Fry and Susan Byerly shared stories of the time-honored tradition of millinery while mindfully hand-shaping each brim slowly over steam, transforming them into something personal. My hat—a cognac cattleman that we thoughtfully adorned with mussel shells and a matchbook from a local seafood shack—became an ode to my coastal cowgirl California roots.

Thomas J. Story

Each day at Few & Far unfurled like this, a meditation in motion. Mornings began with the slow ritual of a wood-fired sauna and stretching beside the river, its steady current acting as nature’s sound machine. One morning after breakfast, we soared above the Gallatin Range with Bozeman Paragliding, an experience that redefined perspective both literally and figuratively. Later that afternoon, Bozeman-based HAAN Aesthetic Medicine set up a full-service spa in one of the tents, offering CO₂ laser treatments that felt surprisingly at home against a backdrop of mountain sunflowers and sage. The afternoons were marked by hikes through wildflower-adorned trails, and evenings brought live-fire dinners by local chef Robin Hill. One night, a local healer performed a sound bath at moonrise under the stars.

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This pace invited both stillness and surrender. On a horseback ride outfitted by our in-house wranglers Katie and John Clark, we crossed open meadows that bloomed in bursts of pink and gold. Around us, the snowcapped peaks framed a valley that seemed untouched by time. One evening before bed, we were awakened by some hoots back at base camp. It turns out everyone was marveling at the northern lights. This wasn’t intended as a journey to chase the aurora, but that’s the magic of travel: experiencing the unexpected. In a world that often moves too fast, it’s trips like these that remind us to slow down and embrace laughter, connection, and moments of grace that catch you off guard.

Thomas J. Story

As cowboy poet John Clark said, “Memories are something nobody can ever take from you.”