Diamond J Ranch Retreats

Just spent three days here this week and absolutely loved it. As I sat there on the last night enjoying the cool weather and the vibrant stars, a small family of deer came up about thirty feet in front of my cabin and grazed quietly. This place teaches you about what's really important.
Before we had even left we were planning our next trip in the spring. There's nothing fancy here, but that's the point. We stayed in the honeymoon cabin. No wifi and no television, just a cozy cabin with a fireplace and a comfortable bed (and desk, coffee maker, etc.) If you're missing something, you're missing the point.
We highly enjoyed our horseback ride with the owner and another wrangler (we did the four hour and had lunch at the top of a clearing, beautiful views). The horses were well cared for and it was a great time. It had snowed on the first day we were there which left the mountaintops dusted beautifully. The breakfast was excellent and left nothing to be desired.
For the reviews below where people had issues with the owners, maybe you misunderstood Diamond J. This isn't the Ritz Carlton of Ennis, Montana. It's a small family owned guest ranch with some friendly staff, quiet but beautiful views, with space for you and your family to enjoy each other's company without the distractions of the 21st century. Every encounter I had with any of the staff (to include both of the owners) was above par.
We're already planning our trip in the spring with more of our family.

I can't say enough great things about Diamond J! Their grounds are pristine and the views are spectacular. Our horse ride was amazing- we didn't have riding experience but we felt safe and comfortable the whole time. Everyone was so accommodating and friendly. I tried to book similar excursions through another ranch in the area and had a terrible experience. If you're looking for a ranch experience, use Diamond J!

10/10 service. Really enjoyed my stay here at this peaceful getaway. The staff was very humble and gracious and truly knew what to do in every situation. The horse rides are super fun and nothing beats waking up in a place as gorgeous as this. The amenities were very well built and gave a true solid experience. Will be back

Deep in the canyons near Ennis, creeks and streams cut through gorgeous meadows creating a paradise on earth. Delightful log cabins, a hearty breakfast at the lodge every morning. The folks there are super friendly, I can't say enough positive about our experience. Go and stay there!

The Diamond J Ranch is one of the most special places... Tucked away up in the mountains, it offers beautiful and comfortable log cabin getaways, horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking trails, and a host of other amenities such as outdoor pool and jacuzzi, indoor tennis court, and skeet shooting. Perfect for couples who want to get away, or for families looking to have an out west experience!

Super beautiful place with very pleasant owners. The place has a nice rustic feel to it with a dose on Montana simplicity. The owners treated us very well and we were respectful of their operation. Hope to stay again very soon. Thanks for a great stay!!

Jim S

If you want to get away from everything, this is the place to go. Amazing views, creek sounds, and the horses. The service was great as well. The only negative is that getting in (and out) is somewhat hard (~20 minutes on a dirt road).

Majestic scenery, great food, horses , labyrinth, hiking, fishing, staff that care that you enjoy yourself. Truly a getaway!

Amazing owners. Great staff, and wonderful horses!

The owner and care taker was absolutely amazing. Best experience possible

The lodge itself was a nice location and very rustic but the owner was not the most accommodating. We were here for a family get together and it seems at about every turn the owner was annoyed with us about something, got very snippy and rude at points. We had a family get together one night at the ranch and rented the kitchen with caterers, and before we even get the family party started the owner came out demanding that we go inside and clean up the lemons and limes we sliced for drinks. They wouldnt let us use the main lodge to go to the bathroom because they didnt want the septic being overloaded, so we parked our 6 passenger utv near the lodge so we could shuttle people to their cabins for the bathroom so they didnt have to walk a long way. Owner came back out saying we had to move it because it was a fire hazard, meanwhile we look at the fire extinguishers at the cabins and they are all 2 years expired.

We didn’t stay at the ranch, just had a trail ride booked. Scott, reservation guy was nice over the phone but somewhat slow to respond to emails. One of the wranglers we first met was lovely and accommodating. The owner; not so much. We had booked three weeks in advanced. We were suppose to ride on Wednesday, the previous Wednesday my friend had a medical condition and didn’t think she could ride, so I gave the ranch a heads up and canceled her ride. On Sunday my friend was cleared to come on the trip and I emailed the ranch. Scott said he didn’t think the owner would let her ride. I replied with let me know. I never got a reply. We planned on going to the farm and explaining the situation. After being greeted by the nice wrangler, the owner rolls up on her golf cart and says good morning, now which one of you aren’t riding! We explain to her that we are both fine to ride (and very healthy in comparison to her) She said she needed a doctor’s note to clear her, (this would have been completely doable if we had heard back in the email, also she had never seen a note saying my friend couldn’t ride) she refused a call from the doctor. Since, we could both ride, it would have been super boring for my friend to sit there for 3 hours. So we told them we were leaving, not to saddle me a horse. The owner was super rude(and I understand policy) and said I’ll have to charge you for not cancelling. So I wake up to a $160 charge on my credit card. I’m also a business owner (of a horse stable on the east coast) I feel like she could have have somewhat more accommodating and A LOT friendlier. We rode at Jakes Horses in big sky for 1/2 the price. Very healthy horses, excellent staff. We over tipped the guide and booked a future overnight pack trip!! And Jake was a nice owner

I was not part of the previous reviewer’s group, nor did I stay at the same time as that reviewer (Alex). However, it appears my experience with ownership was the same. I am actually writing this review just hours after checking in because I feel it is important that other travelers know what they are getting themselves into right away. We are staying in the Mountain Goat rental.

First Issue: Immediately, we noticed the king duvet was stained with white spots (I think most of you will see the attached photo and know what our instant thoughts were about these stains). We text and called the manager, Katie, and her response was, grab a blanket from the closet. Not, I’m sorry, our “resort” strives for cleanliness and this was a one-off-nope- grab one of the scratchy blankets from the closet and use that instead. She wasn’t going to even come pick up the dirty duvet because she had already left the property at about 4pm. When I said I wasn’t paying $500/night to not have proper bedding, she said she would send the owner down with a duvet.

Second Issue: The online photos of Mountain Goat show a gorgeous master with a king bed, fireplace and beautiful views. The ranch knew we were only one couple staying in this two bedroom rental and I had been in communication with Katie, the manager, during the whole booking process. When we arrived and saw that the “master” was not what was pictured on the website but a single dark room without a bathroom or fireplace (see attached video for what both Katie and the owner keep telling us is the master), we asked Katie if she had anything to help us connect the two twin beds that were in the supposed non-master together. (The room with the fireplace, en suite, picture windows and walk in closet is the room with two twin beds). She said no, we would have had to request that in advance. When I asked her why common sense didn’t dictate that the master bedroom be the bedroom with an en suite and walk in closet, she said how they have it now is “how it always is”. I pushed the twin beds together myself because there is no way we are sleeping in the dark box room, even if it means sleeping with a crack between us. I then tried to bring this to the owners attention when she came to drop off the clean duvet...

Third issue: The owner, Gia, called before bringing down the new duvet because she wasn’t sure what I needed. When I started explaining our duvet was stained and the rooms were wrong, she rudely cut me off. She literally stopped me and said, I just want to know if you need a blanket or a duvet or what. I thought, surely this can’t be the owner. An owner would want to know about the ongoings and issues of her own “resort”. Right? Wrong. When the owner arrived in person, she said nothing about the dirty duvet. She could not have appeared any more inconvenienced by having to be at my door. I then told her she cut me off before, and I wanted to know why the king bed was in the back room. She stated that’s how it “always is.” She then said we knew it was only two of you, so we left the other room as twins. I again pointed out, if you knew it was only two of us, wouldn’t common sense tell you to make the room with the bathroom in it the king room? Her response: “No, this is how we like it.” When I pointed out that her online photos advertise that glorious front master bedroom WITH A KING BED she tried to tell me the photos do not show that. How am I suppose to have a rational discussion with someone whose going to deny the existence of her own photos? I still cannot believe that was the owner. She might as well have had a DGAF sign on her forehead.

Even if you take out the appalling owner, the lack of cleanliness and the bed issue, this is still a 3 star establishment at best. Don’t be fooled by the “luxury” claims. Apparently you cannot even trust the photos on the ranch’s direct website.