Lane Guest Ranch

06/18/2024

Exciting LGR News
From Tyler Burke, LGR Staff, 2011-2014:

Wonderful Guests and Friends of LGR,

I am reaching out with some exciting news to potentially REOPEN THE RANCH as soon as the summer 2025 season!

For those who don’t know me, my name is Tyler Burke, and I worked at LGR from 2011 to 2014, with another stint in 2016. I started as a dishwasher, but many of you might remember me as the fishing guide for the majority of my time at the ranch. Like many of you, LGR holds a special place in my heart. It should be a guest ranch. This way, many future generations can experience the magic and charm of the place!

I’m working with the current owner to reopen LGR. I would be running the operations and be in charge of LGR. My intention is to buy it myself in the near term and continue the stewardship of LGR for years to come. The goal is to welcome guests back starting in 2025.

The ranch will continue to run as it was. It will be an all-inclusive resort with amazing hospitality and meals. It will be in a casual yet sincere environment that feels like a home away from home. The program's structure will remain largely unchanged. We'll provide guests with adventures on horseback, hiking excursions, fishing trips, etc. But, we will make some modern improvements. These will make the experience great for guests and staff alike.

I've talked with some of our amazing former staff who are open to returning. I hope many former guests will feel the same.

With time, and non-electronic storage methods (no surprise), we've lost past guest information. I’m hoping to gather former guest information, and to keep everyone updated on the process.

So, I have a request: Please provide your basic information at the link below. Include your preferences and desire to return to the ranch. This will be a huge help!

LINK: https://airtable.com/appYpWzpy2IZgpGaH/shr4FhtcVqAH7HphJ

There's still much work to do. The property has been dormant since 2019. But, with enough guest demand, I'm sure we can get it running. Then, we can welcome guests back to our little slice of heaven.

Please feel free to share this news and message with others who may not see this post.

Thank you all for the support. LGR has given me so much. I owe my career to it (Shout out to former guest Jeff Harris, who set me up in commercial real estate). I suppose Paul Suwalski was right. When I came back between "real jobs", he said "you’re one of us." He was prophetic all those years ago.

I hope we’ll be seeing each other in person soon, enjoying a morning coffee on the porch or an afternoon wine and cheese ride!

It would be an honor to be a steward of the ranch.

Regards,
Tyler Burke

P.S. If anyone wants to discuss further or be more involved, I can be reached via Facebook or email ([email protected]). I'd love to hear from you.

06/05/2021

Hello Lane family!
We have changed ownership, and I am happy to say that we will be working this season on giving the cabins a well deserved face lift. The new owner does not plan to make major changes to the cabins, just let LGR be what it has always been, just enhanced! We are not sure yet if we will run as an all inclusive guest ranch in the future.
I will do my best to keep you all updated on what is going on, but at the present, the new owner also owns Meeker Park Lodge, and we are getting that going for the season. There will be some beautiful log cabins to rent out this season over there. I will also be running a small horse program as we create new relationships with the park and forest services. Feel free to contact me through [email protected] for info on the rides 🙂 I am excited to move forward with both of these amazing ranches, and look forward to seeing old and new faces as we progress!

06/05/2020

From our friend Paul Suwalski:

With a heavy heart, it saddens me to report that the Lane Guest Ranch will not open this summer. Lloyd Lane made this decision in late April. The tragic world events helped to prompt his difficult decision.

Lloyd is 95 years old. He helped create one of the best Guest Ranches in the world. It operated for 66 consecutive years! Looking back, it feels like a delirious dream.

Lloyd has listed the Ranch with a commercial real estate company. It's a lot of history for sale. There is a chance a former staff member may give the ranch a fresh new life under the Lane Ranch name; our fingers are crossed. Plus, there are other interested parties.

My name is Paul Suwalski. I was the Program Director and Lead Guide. A large chunk of my life has been spent at the Lane Guest Ranch (forty years). I'm a bit of an outlier (a nice name for a non-techie weirdo). I do not partake in social media or Facebook. I'm a screen-a-phobic?? An overly competent ranch friend strongly encouraged me to (Facebook??) something on behalf of our past guests and staff. So grab an Ovaltine, I'm happy to share a few words.

The Lane Ranch left fond memories to many of our guests that appreciated our casual yet sincere vibe. Adventurous and smart guests always seemed to get us and we (mostly) lucked out on the great guest lottery. Our jaw dropping scenery wowed many guests but it was our authentic staff that were the steady heart beat of the ranch. Boom...Boom. You all gave the ranch LIFE, SOUL, and the MAGIC. A heady trifecta that would dizzy the minds of our competitors.

The quirky Lane Ranch has entertained thousands of our amazing guests. Our spirited and tireless staff made it look easy (it really wasn't). Many of our guests became part of the Lane Ranch culture. Some have even said it's like they found their lost tribe.

Quite a few would return to our perfectly imperfect ranch for a much needed mental hiatus. Think adult kid's camp. Our ranch was their needed therapy to offset the insanity of returning to normal life. Many of our guests became cherished friends. This is not common for most resorts, so this is pretty neat stuff!

I started my own ranch career as dishwasher when I was a pimply nineteen year old. Not too long afterwards it became my job to hire the majority of the LGR staff. I looked for personal energy and kind eyes. Maya Angelou said it nicely, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Thank you for crafting our guests indelible ranch memories. I was so proud to work along side each of you. You honored the guest ranch profession. Please be good to yourselves. It's your good karma dividend.

Lastly... "Don't cry that it's over, smile because it happened." ~Dr. Suess

Your friend,
Paul Suwalski

11/28/2019

07/29/2019

Wouldn’t you like to run through this field with us?? We are still running for a few more weeks and have space available! See you soon!

06/28/2019

It’s beautiful out, and we are finally getting summer weather out here! Can’t wait to see everyone that’s booked for this season. We still have space for those thinking about coming, give us a call!

06/11/2019

Hey friends of LGR! Our good friend Paul Suwalski turns the big 6-0 on 6/23! Can you all help me out by posting your favorite pictures with him and/or favorite stories? Here is a picture of Paul tele skiing down Meeker— I’m not sure who the photographer was, but one of my faves of him! The other is of Paul and Maya during the flood in 2013. We all know Paul won’t be checking Facebook anytime soon, but I’ll be sure to share your stories and photos with him. ~Melissa

06/05/2019

The trail crew is working hard so you can come and play hard!

05/31/2019

It’s almost time for our season to begin! The horses are arriving, and we are cleaning everything up! We can’t wait to see everyone this season!
We still have room for those who would like to book, give us a call!

04/14/2019

Come and join us on our steak cookout! An easy horseback ride and a big steak, doesn’t get much better than that!

04/01/2019

No time for fooling around, book your mountain getaway today!