Horses gallop from one corral to another at Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch near Cody, Wyoming. The ranch, which dates to 1915, is one of 26 historic dude ranches in the West. Photo courtesy of Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch

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The stampeding horses galloped furiously past me, just a couple of feet away. If I had stepped off the porch of my cabin, I would have been trampled. It felt like a Western movie, except I was in it.

This dramatic scene was repeated every morning at 6:30 during a six-day stay at Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch, as the ranch’s 45 horses were moved from the upper corral, where they spend the night, to the lower corral near the stables, where they are saddled up every day for trail rides.

Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch is a historic dude ranch in the mountains of the Shoshone National Forest in northwest Wyoming, the first federally protected National Forest in the United States. At an elevation of 6,000 feet, the ranch is situated just 15 miles east of Yellowstone National Park and 45 miles west of the historic frontier town of Cody.

Teddy Roosevelt once called the area “the most scenic 50 miles in the U.S.” Even today, there is nothing else around other than the occasional ranch and picnic site.

Located in the woods at the bottom of a red-rock canyon, Blackwater Creek Ranch can accommodate as many as 35 guests in 12 historic log cabins with private bathrooms.

My wife, Katherine, and I stayed in a roomy, attractively decorated cabin immediately adjacent to the “stampede” trail. Other than the early wakeups, we slept soundly every night in a comfortable king-sized bed.

Historic dude ranches sprouted up in the late 1800s, when cattle ranchers began renting rooms to urbanites, whom they referred to as “dudes.” Today about 300 dude ranches offer immersive Western vacations.

Blackwater Creek Ranch includes areas for archery, cornhole, horseshoes, volleyball and axe throwing. The lodge, where all meals are served, features a fireplace, communal dining tables and a full bar. But the main activity, the reason everyone was there, was to ride one of the beautiful, sleek, well-groomed horses on the trails leading into the surrounding mountains.

Horseback rides

My horse-riding experience is limited, and the results have been mixed. My seminal experience was a horse-packing trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains more than 30 years ago.

For the most part, that ride was mellow — and a lot easier than shlepping a 50-pound backpack up a rocky trail in the thin mountain air. But at one point, my horse lost its footing on a steep, muddy section and went down. With stories of hapless riders being crushed by fallen horses flashing through my mind, I scrambled on all fours like an agile teenager to get out of the way of the stricken steed. My old football coach would have been proud.

The memory of that near disaster was front of mind when I considered signing up for this trip. The spirit of adventure, however, prevailed, not to mention the prospect of spending several days away from summer heat in the city.

On the first day at the ranch, I mounted my assigned horse, Cook, with trepidation. My fears soon vanished. Cook was steady, responsive to my hesitant, amateurish commands, and seemingly unconcerned by the weight of the elderly, overweight dude on his back.

The trail rides took us into the mountains behind the ranch, where we took in some great views. To my relief, the horses just walked; there was no trotting, cantering or galloping. It was the perfect pace for me, if a bit frustrating for the more experienced riders.

Rafting, Yellowstone and rodeo

Riding wasn’t the only activity at the ranch. We also went on a short hike nearby and a whitewater rafting trip on the Shoshone River in Cody. We saw no one else on the river the entire day. The rafting was pretty peaceful, mostly Class I and II rapids with an occasional III, but I still got slapped in the face by several waves and ended the day soaking wet.

Another day, we explored the central part of Yellowstone National Park. Shortly after we entered the park, we saw hundreds of bison, my spirit animal, large and shaggy like me.

Then we visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone for one of the most scenic views in the American West, followed by a walk through the rainbow wonderland of the thermal Grand Prismatic Spring. The day was capped, fittingly, by the climactic eruption of Old Faithful.

The quintessential experience of the week, besides horseback riding and Old Faithful, was the Cody Nite Rodeo.

The evening rodeo — after Yellowstone, the top tourist attraction in the area — was quite a “trip,” in the words of the Grateful Dead, for this urban, blue-state guy. In addition to the truly incredible feats of riding, roping, acrobatic trick riding and wrestling of hapless calves, we were immersed in twangy country music, patriotic displays and religious exhortations.

Museums in historic Cody

We also spent a day in Cody checking out its charming, historic downtown as well as its excellent museums. Our first stop was Old Trail Town, 28 historic buildings that were moved from their original sites, reconstructed and arranged like an old Western town. We peeked inside Butch Cassidy’s cabin and Rose William’s Roadhouse and Brothel.

We also visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, which, as you might have guessed, focuses on the man and his wildly popular show, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World,” which toured the world from 1883 to 1913.

The center also houses the Whitney Western Art Museum, which displays original paintings and sculptures from both traditional and contemporary artists, including Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. Other wings house the Plains Indian Museum, the Draper Natural History Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum.

On our drive back to the airport on our last day, we stopped at the Heart Mountain WWII Interpretive Center, just a few miles outside of Cody, where 14,000 Japanese American citizens were confined during WWII. The Interpretive Center, also a Smithsonian affiliate, includes sobering exhibits about this difficult period in American history.

I don’t know if I’ll get another opportunity to ride a horse on a scenic mountain trail. I’ll probably never see another trick rider standing on her head on a galloping steed. I doubt I’ll ever again witness dozens of these sleek, beautiful beasts stampeding past me from the safety of a comfy cabin porch. It’s not likely I’ll get back to Yellowstone or to Cody.

So, I’m glad I didn’t let my horseback experience from 30 years ago deter me from spending several days exploring the natural wonders and history of this dramatic, vibrant region.

If you go

One-stop, round-trip airfare to Cody on United is about $500. Blackwater Creek Ranch provides transportation to and from the airport. The cost for a six-day stay for two people starts at around $7,000. Three-day stays are also available. Don and Katherine were hosted by the Ranch and by Cody Yellowstone, the local tourism bureau.

For other vacation ranches in the West and Canada, see duderanch.org.