Stories

Since 1946, Jack Rich’s family has been taking guests from around the world on guided excursions into some of Montana’s wildest landscapes, ranging from the far stretches of Yellowstone National Park to the rocky peaks in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. 

Today, Jack operates Rich’s Montana Guest Ranch, located in the Seeley Lake region of northwest Montana, a business that heavily relies on Forest Service permits to access millions of acres of public land for guided horseback riding, hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling and pack trips. 

Public lands are integral to Jack’s business and livelihood, and they have been part of his life from an early age. 

“I’ve had the good fortune of traveling outdoors since before I was old enough to remember, and the reason I still go out there now is because I still get it.” 

What’s the it? Jack said it’s a special blend of moments spent outdoors.

“The reason I still go out there now is because I still get it. When your heart and soul are just happy, not necessarily with the big ol’ grin, but with an inner peace that is just hard to describe. That’s why,” Jack added. 

Public lands are for everyone’s benefit, and Jack enjoys helping new public land users have a positive experience in the outdoors, especially in the great state of Montana. 

When asked about defining public lands, Jack said, “It means that I can walk somewhere or ride somewhere or view somewhere where it’s owned equally by all the people. Whether you’re from Florida, Maine, Texas or New York, you can step out onto public lands in Montana, and you all have the same rights and privileges and opportunities. That’s pretty cool.” 

Over the years, Rich’s Ranch has grown, and Jack shared that his ranch now employs 30 staff members during the busy summer months. However, even with a full staff, Jack can’t do the work alone. His team relies on the dedicated trail crews with the U.S. Forest Service to care for the land and ensure Montana’s trails and public lands are open to users. 

“If you look at the Forest Service, they have a core mission that hasn’t changed: Ccare for the land. Serve the people. Care for the land. Serve the people. Care for the land. Serve the people,” said Jack. “We are part of that delivery system, which ensures that those two things happen. It’s an honor, a responsibility and a pleasure, and it allows me and our family to drive our livelihood.”

If the trails aren’t managed properly, Jack’s guests and the public miss out. “Without them, we can’t do it on our own, and none of the public’s going to be able to do it. They’re essential. They’re the foundation of our ability to enjoy the great outdoors,” said Jack. 

As more people look to escape the hustle of everyday life, Jack reminded us that these wilderness areas offer a necessary respite, whether you are a hiker, hunter, angler or someone just seeking tranquility. 

“When you go into wild places, the one common denominator is the hush of the land, and that’s what we go for and that’s what gives us value,” added Jack. 

While public lands workers are hired to maintain our public lands, Jack reminded us about the importance of everyone doing their part to make Montana shine even brighter. 

“The one thing that Montanans tend to forget is that we have delegated people within government agencies to steward the land and the resources on our behalf. But that does not allow us to forget about it ourselves. Every single person should strive to be a good steward of our natural resources. We partner up with the agency people who we hire to do it professionally. But it doesn’t mean, oh, somebody else is picking up my trash, or somebody else is looking where I go. It’s not conducive to it. For deer, elk and horses and all those animals, their eyes are on the side of their head so they can see what’s happening behind them. People are wired with the eyes in the front of their head, and they’re always charging off to the next thing, and they don’t always see what they leave behind them,” said Jack.  

“We need to learn to spend as much time looking behind us when we’re outdoors as we do looking ahead to leave it so that the person that comes behind us can have the same enjoyable experience that we had.” he continued. 

As we all work to leave public spaces in a better shape for the next generation, Jack left us with this toast from his father: 

“May you sometimes ride where the rain spreads wide and water is easy to find, where a person can pause, because there ain’t no cause to bother your peace of mind. Where a person can dream and there’s no machines to rattle or ramble or bang, and you can take a while in cowboy style, let the rest of the world go hang. Here’s to all places.” 

To learn more about Jack’s story and his ranch, visit richranch.com/.