If you’re looking for a back-to-nature getaway where you can breathe in fresh country air, wander through fruit orchards, and feel the wind in your hair on a horseback ride, consider bedding down at farm stays or guest ranches in Washington. From pitching in with chores to harvesting fruit and vegetables, staying on a farm is an immersive experience. Here’s where you can escape the bustle of the city and enjoy a pastoral way of life.
Farm Stays & Guest Ranches in Washington State
White Lotus Farm & Inn, Port Ludlow
Located in a valley on the Olympic Peninsula, White Lotus Farm & Inn is a working farm home to a herd of Romney sheep and even a llama. Guests at this Washington farm stay can hunt for eggs, pick fresh flowers, and help move the sheep. Forage for fruit from the farm’s trees before enjoying your bounty at a firepit overlooking the valley. As you explore, be sure to keep an eye out for wildlife, including elk. The farm also hosts seasonal events, from concerts to a fall pumpkin patch.
Accommodations: Choose from an RV site or stay in comfort in a one-bedroom farmhouse suite or two-bedroom cottage.
Also See: Things to do on the Olympic Peninsula
Pebble Cove, Orcas Island
If you love the farm-to-table concept, you’ll adore Pebble Cove Farm on Orcas Island. When you arrive, check the chalkboard for what’s ripe in the garden and orchard. During summer and fall, berries, zucchini, kale, string beans, and tomatoes could all be available for harvesting.
Unwind and beach comb on the farm’s private beach or head out on the water thanks to complimentary kayaks and other watercraft. Back on land, get to know the farm’s rescue animals. The resident pigs, ponies, goats, and chickens have all been given a new lease on life and are happy to meet guests. Round out your day with yoga or a dip in the hot tub. Bonus: This Washington farm stay is also pet-friendly and great for kids.
Accommodations: The farm has five accommodations on site and another five for rent in the nearby hamlet of Eastsound. All include kitchenettes, and guests at both locations can enjoy the farm’s u-pick offerings.
Paca Pride Guest Ranch, Granite Falls
Home to alpacas, a lama, and a flock of chickens, Paca Pride Guest Ranch is all about their animals and regenerative farming practices. Plus, guided farm tours are free. Guests can engage with ranch life as much, or as little, as they choose. Learn how to pet the alpacas (tip: approach with your hands behind you), help with morning chores, collect fresh eggs, and more. Commemorate your stay with an Alpaca-wool product from the farm store.
Accommodations: This Washington guest ranch, which is open year-round, offers multiple options. Enjoy furnished glamping yurts with electricity and heat, camp on grass or covered platforms, or stay in a tiny home or a guest room with a private bathroom in the main lodge.
K-Diamond-K Guest Ranch, Republic
Want to experience a deer or wild turkey hunt? This 1,600-acre Washington guest ranch in North Central Washington offers a range of activities, from hunting and horseback riding to cider-making and more. As a working cattle ranch, guests can be as involved as they choose in ranch life. Open year-round, the available experiences change with the seasons. In the spring, you might catch the birth of calves and foals. Each season brings new activity to K-Diamond-K Guest Ranch.
Accommodations: A stay in the lodge includes three meals a day and access to the ranch’s many offerings. Horseback rides are an additional fee, and there are minimum stay requirements in the summer months.
Hidden Acres, Mead
If you’re looking for an overnight stay in a verdant orchard, look no further than Hidden Acres in Green Bluff, north of Spokane. Spring through fall delivers an abundance of produce like morels, cherries, apples, and lavender. Guests can hang out with the resident animals, which range from pigs and goats to rabbits.
Accommodations: Tent camping is available year-round (you can bring your own or rent one on site). In the spring and summer months, yurts are also available.
Also See: Harvest Fresh Produce at These U-Pick Farms
Bull Hill Guest Ranch, north of Kettle Falls
Live out your cowboy dreams on this sprawling Washington guest ranch tucked away in the foothills near Canada in Eastern Washington. Open May through October, guests can head out on scenic trail rides, help groom and feed the horses (and provide treats!), and even participate in cattle drives. The sweeping mountain vistas and views of nearby Lake Roosevelt are hard to beat. When you’re not on horseback, go kayaking or paddleboarding on Bull Hill’s private lake or try your hand at fly fishing for rainbow trout. If water activities aren’t your jam, there’s always skeet shooting or simply relaxing in the hot tub.
Accommodations: The ranch offers basic cabins, luxury cabins, and glamping tents. Due to limited capacity, the ranch can book up more than a year in advance, so make your bookings early to avoid disappointment.
Casia Lodge & Ranch, Twisp
For stunning views of the North Cascades and the Methow Valley, head to the new Casia Lodge & Ranch, a 300-acre property where horses and guest experiences take center stage. From guided wildlife walks and fly fishing to horseback riding and even cooking with the chef, there are a variety of activities to keep you busy. An overnight stay includes a gourmet breakfast often featuring fruit from the ranch’s orchard, and guests can also enjoy the property’s hot tub, seasonal outdoor pool, sauna, library, and theater.
Accommodations: The lodge is open year-round. Other accommodations include a two-room log cabin and a three-bedroom farmhouse.
Eden Valley Ranch, Oroville
Located just outside Oroville in the Okanogan Highlands, the 900-acre Eden Valley Ranch is a working cattle ranch raising natural, grass-fed cattle. Here, guests can bring their own horses for trail rides, take to the trails for hikes, and enjoy biking and wildlife watching. In winter, go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Bonus: the stargazing from this Washington guest ranch is dazzling.
Accommodations: The property is open year-round and has 10 one-bedroom cabins with spectacular views.
About the Author
Lauren Kramer is a freelance travel writer who has spent the last 24 years exploring the Pacific Northwest from her home base of Bellingham. Her favorite trips focus on nature and wildlife, and her work has been widely published in the US and Canada, including Boulevard Magazines, Northwest Travel & Life, 1889 Magazine, and many others.