Montana is in the United States of America and shares a 545 mile-long border with Canada. The Rocking Z Guest Ranch is in the Western half of Montana and is central north-to-south. Helena is the state capital of Montana, and is just thirty minutes drive south of the ranch. The nearest airports are Helena (HLN) and Great Falls (GTF).  Both airports receive connections from Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Minnesota. The nearest direct-flight airport from Europe is Calgary, Alberta, just six hours stunning drive north of the ranch. If flying to us, we offer transfer services for free at select times on Sunday and Saturday and offer a transfer service at any other time for the price of $100 round-trip from Helena and $200 round-trip from Great Falls (price is per vehicle). 

If driving yourself to our ranch, take Interstate 15 to Montana and drive to Exit 216. The exit's name is Sieben, and for those who are not American our Interstate exits are numbered by mile-marker (so if you were in Helena at Exit 194 on Interstate 15 you would know automatically that the ranch's exit is 22 miles north). Once down the ramp you can only turn West. The road is paved for 2 miles, and we are 1.8 miles down the road. There are two large rocks on the North side and a large Rocking Z brand on a rock at the turn (as shown in the banner).

The Rocking Z is equidistant from Glacier National Park in the North and Yellowstone National Park in the South of the state.  These parks are truly two spectacular and unique places, and if you are interested in seeing wildlife, incredible natural phenomenons like Old Faithful or Triple Falls, and the best scenery in the world we highly recommend visiting the parks!

Weather

The climate in Montana is one of extreme temperatures. We suggest packing layers, because the night-times are far cooler than the day-times. When planning your trip, we suggest checking the annual average temperatures both high and low for the dates that you intend to visit. 

 Accuweather.com offers average temperatures when you choose their "Month" tab and allows you to select which month you would like to see.  This makes packing much easier, for even Spring and Fall you may wish to bring layers including long underwear, or leggings, to wear under your jeans or jodhpurs. If you check the extended forecast before you leave home, you should also be forewarned for possible rain or snow during your stay.

The ranch altitude is near 4000 feet, which is about 1220 meters high.  The sun is more fierce than at sea level, so please always remember to bring sunglasses and some kind of hat that offers shade. Also, long-sleeves for both hot and cooler weather that you can put on and off while on horseback.  Many people believe sunscreen is enough to protect them, and while it may stave off sunburn it does not protect from sun sickness and dehydration like a long-sleeve top does! We have very dry air, so this can be a real problem if you're coming from a moist environment.  Remember to drink lots of water and electrolytes and, also, use lotion and lip balm as well as covering your skin and shading yourself to keep comfortable. Sunglasses are used year-round by Montanans, so live like the locals and remember to bring some shades!