The stunning pool at the Chalk Draw Ranch, one of the Explore Ranches properties that is available for rent through their website. Photography by Lawton Cook
Ever picture yourself swimming in your own private resort-style swimming pool in the middle of the West Texas desert? How about spending a day paddling down the Devils River followed by an alfresco dinner outside of your charming cabin that overlooks it?
A new start-up company called Explore Ranches can make your Texas ranch owner dreams come true—at least for a long weekend. Founded by three Texas natives who are veterans of the ranching and land conservation world, Jay Kleberg, Allison Ryan, and Jesse Womack, the Explore Ranches website launched this month with eight majestic properties—private ranches that showcase a diverse array of stunning landscapes and homes that are available for rent (some for the first time ever) through their site.
Rentals range from accommodation-only getaways to fully staffed trips that include guides, cooks, and led activities like hiking, biking, paddling, and fishing. Rates vary, depending on the property and experiences offered. Kleberg, a sixth-generation Texan who grew up on the King Ranch, is the associate director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation; he started thinking about the idea for Explore Ranches on a hike in the Davis Mountains. “I was with a group of friends who have all spent a lot of time in the outdoors at exotic locales around the world, and they were blown away by the topography we saw that day in West Texas. It got me thinking about how we can open the gates to all the beautiful private land in Texas,” he says. “With Explore Ranches, we want to connect people to the outdoors and make them fall in love with it. When we do that, it builds conservation efforts, and then we have a chance to save these wild places.” Take a tour some of these stunning properties, and learn more about Explore Ranches here.
The Santiago Mountains rise into view from the walls of the Chalk Draw Ranch in the Big Bend area.
Photography by Lawton Cook
A seating area at Chalk Draw Ranch is tucked between the pool and rooftop veranda and provides a private space for outdoor meals and relaxation.
Photography by Lawton Cook
The Chalk Draw guest house, designed and decorated with Texas, Spanish, and Mexican influences, has modern amenities and room for six guests.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Guests to the Chalk Draw Ranch can explore a private canyon on property and hike to a seasonal waterfall with signs of ancient cultures among the 1,000-foot limestone cave walls.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Adjacent to Big Bend National Park and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of acres of desert grasslands and mountains, Chalk Draw Ranch abounds with wildlife, like this speedy jack rabbit.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Hudspeth River Ranch is another special Explore Ranches property, which is located at the headwaters of the Devils River. It has been in the Strunk family since 1905.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Hudspeth River Ranch's historic headquarters rests among a mature stand of live oaks near the banks of a spring-fed stream. The landowners provide guiding and meals to guests.
Photography by Lawton Cook
The Long House at Hudspeth River Ranch is furnished with pieces from the historic W.R. Dallas Furniture Studio in San Antonio and decorated in charming mid-century colors.
Photography by Lawton Cook
From atop the arid mountains at Hudspeth River Ranch, the emerald-colored waters of the Devils River comes into view.
Photography by Lawton Cook
At Hudspeth River Ranch, all the kayaks and equipment needed for a cruise down this remote part of the Devils River are available to guests.
Photography by Lawton Cook
An one-hour drive from Marathon and Big Bend National Park, the 35,000-acre Maravillas Ranch is a high-desert retreat complete with its own mountain in the center of the property.
Photography by Lawton Cook
The four-bedroom house at Bear Canyon on Maravillas Ranch is an original Sears, Roebuck & Co., updated with modern amenities and a style unique to this historic Trans-Pecos ranch.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Miles of ranch roads make mountain biking an exciting way to explore the 35,000 acres at Maravillas Ranch.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Wake up to stunning high-desert views in any of the four bedrooms at Maravillas’s Bear Canyon home.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Explore Ranches Roam the arid Chihuahuan Desert grasslands or climb among 5,500-foot mountain peaks for a dramatic view of the surrounding Big Bend region.
Photography by Lawton Cook
Located near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Middle Creek Ranch is Explore Ranches' first property outside of Texas.
Photography by Daniel Sanders
Built with classic log construction and a wraparound deck, the main house at Middle Creek Ranch boasts four king suites with heated bathroom floors and a children's bunk and playroom.
Photography by Daniel Sanders
Hot days at Middle Creek Ranch call for a dip in the swimming hole complete with sun deck, rope swing, canoe, and lawn games.
Photography by Daniel Sanders
Some of Explore Ranches' properties, like the Middle Creek Ranch, offer horseback riding.
Photography by Daniel Sanders
A sweeping roadside view at Middle Creek Ranch.
Photography by Gabriel Rogers
Deep in the Davis Mountains of far West Texas, the Withers is a private wilderness retreat eleven miles off the highway and accessible only by four-wheel drive.
Photography by Chris Collis
The Withers guest house offers unparalleled natural beauty for the hiker, birder, or anyone interested in exploring the rugged backcountry. A combination of modern luxury and rustic style, it accommodates up to eight people.
Photography by Chris Collis
Wake up to spectacular views and fall asleep to starry skies in the comfortably appointed sleeping porch in the Withers guest house.
Photography by Chris Collis
When night falls, experience some of the darkest, most brilliant skies from the Withers porch.
