On the morning of May 29th, 1805, the explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark worked their way up the Missouri River and passed the mouth of a “handsome” river.
Clark named it the Judith, in honor of his future bride. At the headwaters of the Judith, where its forks meet and spill out of the Little Belt Mountains, sits Circle Bar Guest Ranch, where in 1880 a sixteen-year-old Charlie Marion Russell came to the Judith Basin to learn to wrangle and paint.
About the Circle Bar Guest Ranch
Montana is a magical place in the summer. The rivers are cool, the air is crisp, and the sun feels good on your face. At 5000’ in elevation, Circle Bar Ranch hosts the best of Montana’s weather. The 520 acres sit at the base of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest allowing guests to explore the mountains by horseback, fish for trout in cascading streams, hike to see the bountiful wildlife, or take guided tours into the National Forest. There is enough time to do it all during your Montana dude ranch vacation.
The Lodge is where guests mingle over cocktails before dinner and then enjoy the evening’s dinner selection. The Lodge also features suites and well appointed guest rooms. The Cookhouse is our Honeymoon Cabin and is designed for romance with a sunken fireplace and king bed. Then there are the historic cabins — no two are alike. From the Meadowlark to the Cayuse, the styles and decor vary. Some have four bedrooms, some just a bed and a fireplace.
Horseback riding is what the Circle Bar Ranch is known for. We have horses suitable to every level of experience. You'll traverse the wide-open prairies, ride along—and through—the Judith River and explore the mountains of the Helena Lewis & Clark National Forest. For more experienced riders, trotting and loping can be incorporated into rides where the terrain allows. Embrace your inner cowboy and participate in our cattle drive ride. For those who would like to get more comfortable in the saddle, lessons are available for an additional charge.
There are plenty of activities from archery to hiking to shooting. For the more adventurous, take a UTV tour to the Helena Lewis & Clark National Forest and hike to the nearby caves. Or visit nearby Sapphire Village for a taste of the local culture. The nearby mine is the only place where the precious Yogo Sapphires can be found. Prospector Jake Hoover discovered them in the late 1800s, and he just so happened to be Charlie Russell’s first friend in Montana. You can take a UTV tour to the Hoover Cabin where the two lived for a couple years after Russell first arrived in the state.
The Circle Bar Guest Ranch offers an all-inclusive style dude ranch vacation, perfect for single travelers, couples, friends and families. Welcome to Montana!
Check out the Circle Bar on this episode of Today’s Wild West with Mark Bedor!
NEWS FROM THE RANCH
The CW’s “The Wranglers” Features the Circle Bar Guest Ranch
The CW is exploring the world of professional cowboys and cowgirls on a Montana dude ranch in an eight-part docuseries. The Wranglers, which launches on October 24, 2025, follows the personal and professional lives of young staff members working at the Circle Bar Dude Ranch in Montana.
Charles Marion Russell
THE COWBOY ARTIST
Russell came to Montana in 1880 to learn to be a cowboy — and that he did. But it was his passion to capture his experiences in paint, wax and ink that created the artistic legacy he passed onto the world.
His love of Montana and the life he observed shaped his art and his personal philosophy. His art is first and foremost that of a storyteller, and it was informed by his remarkable ability to capture the personalities and events of his time and place in the West. For this reason, Russell knew his subject matter intimately, setting the standard for many Western artists to follow.
The C.M. Russell Auto Tour uses Russell’s art to tell the story and history of the Judith Basin on an interactive driving tour that passes through the Circle Bar Ranch.
“A Quiet Day in Utica” — Charles Marion Russell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Circle Bar Ranch History
The Circle Bar Ranch was originally inhabited by the Blackfeet Native Americans who used it as a hunting ground. By the late 1800s, the United States of America claimed primary ownership of the area and men began staking out their claim on the land. The ranch assumed the name “S Lazy 4 Bar” in 1890, which was one of the earliest brands in Montana.
The land later became the Middle Fork Cattle Company and was used to buy, sell and raise cattle and horses. The business eventually developed into a hunting and recreation business and in 1904 the owners procured a hotel license, as they planned to serve meals and become a guest facility. In 1920 the ranch took on the new brand and name of Circle Bar Ranch.
Proud Sponsor of Montana Trout Unlimited
The Circle Bar Guest Ranch is a proud supporter of Montana Trout Unlimited, which is working hard to restore the Middle Fork of the Judith River and other fishing waters around the state. The Middle Fork project will restore natural stream functions in degraded portions of the Middle Fork of the Judith River. The scenic Middle Fork meets the South Fork a stone's throw away from the ranch to become the Judith River which winds through the Circle Bar Ranch.