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5.0
#1 of 1 B&B in Fossil
Location
4.8
Cleanliness
4.8
Service
4.8
Value
4.8
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Legendary pioneer hospitality awaits you at our Oregon bed and breakfast ranch near John Day, Oregon. At Wilson Ranches Retreat you will enjoy peaceful ranch environment rich in history. Live a day in the life of a cowboy or cowgirl on our 9,000 acre working cattle ranch in the beautiful Butte Creek Valley, three miles West of the small town of Fossil, Oregon. Relax and rejuvenate in the pristine ranch style guest rooms. Stunning sunsets, brilliant star-studded nights and the diverse flora and fauna of Fossil, Oregon will captivate you. At our Oregon guest ranch, lifetime memories are created on scenic horseback rides, cattle drives, hiking and ranch tours in a geologically and historically rich area with a magnificent view of the Cascade Mountain Range. Wilson Ranches Retreat is an exceptional place to headquarter your exploration of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, where you will discover the richest find of prehistoric fossils in the world.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Romantic
Location
15809 Butte Creek Ln PO Box 274, Fossil, OR 97830-8339
My husband and I needed to get away after a few months of family togetherness and working from home during Covid 19 lockdown. I found WRR on the web and took a chance. We hit the jackpot, even during Covid 19! Where do you go in the middle of a pandemic? I would highly recommend this isolated ranch. (Actually, I would recommend it even when there is no pandemic.) They were Covid ready and we were confident and comfortable during out stay. We had private bathrooms, a great breakfast appropriately served and a level of hospitality hard to find - even with social distancing. There are not too many eating options in Fossil, and back at the ranch each guest had a private fridge if desired to store food. In our few days we visited two monuments as part of the John Day Fossil beds and dug for fossils in, well, the cit of Fossil! Did a horse ride during the day and saw the milky way in the unspoiled night sky. The guest kitchen is fully stocked with sufficient cooking and cleaning supplies. The surrounding area is beautiful, including the John Day River for a float if so desired. And the general store in Fossil carries fancy Painted Hills beef, which made a great dinner. We would definitely return and bring friends.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Rooms
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Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked a night at the ranch to breakup our drive home to Portland and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! The property was lovely and the owners were so kind and genuine. They were VERY conscientious about COVID protocols….even went so far as to have the hot breakfast individually packaged in covered, glass storage containers. We didn’t do the horseback riding, however we took two long walks on the ranch during which we saw deer and a bobcat.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Wilson ranch is a place with a rich family history. Kara and Brian are terrific hosts and our stay was quiet and comfortable. I'm sure many have extolled the virtues of a Wilson ranch breakfast and not without good reason. Best oatmeal on the planet. There was so much to eat, eggs, bacon, sausages, fruit, etc. we simply forgot about lunch. They just do it right. There are few places to stay in this highly interesting and unique section of Oregon. Wilson Ranches is in a great central location to all the fossil bed areas. I think that the hearty and healthy breakfasts, that double as lunches, make this place an exceptional value. Kara gives really cool 'local knowledge' travel tips, like the backroad to Twickenham. It's an Oregon rarely seen.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kara and her family were so attentive, friendly and over and over again went above and beyond. We took our 7 year old granddaughter for 3 days and had such an amazing time. She had no experience riding horses and they made sure she was well mounted and safe. They adjusted our rides based on how she was feeling and she loved it. She kept wanting to ride longer, because they made it positive and fun. It was a beautiful setting and wonderful horses to ride.
David is a science teacher at the high school and he taught us about the fossils that we would find, where to look and how to find them. After our granddaughter found the fossils she could’t wait to share with David and he gave her all the time she wanted to learn about her fossils.
All the reviews that you read about the food are so true. The breakfast is delicious and is a true ranch breakfast with more than you can eat. We also ordered a picnic after a ride and once again the food was so delicious! I would highly recommend adding a picnic lunch to your stay. Can’t wait to take our Granddaughter back
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Date of stay: July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed one night (I wish it was longer) and it was the most peaceful and quiet stay I have ever had. The Homestead room was very spacious and comfortable. Breakfast the following morning was delicious and quite filling, and dining on the deck made it even more enjoyable, and the server was very friendly. We chose the optional horseback ride and it was the most fun I've had in a long time, although, being a first-time rider, it was nowhere as easy as it may have seemed, and our riding host was very courteous, knowledgable and professional. The vast expanse of the ranch was so much more evident during the horseback ride, and the scenery was the icing on the cake. The evening brought us extreme calm, quiet and serenity that was surreal, especially coming from a fairly large city where it's dirty, noisy and stressful. We took a short drive down the gravel road further away for about 5 miles to see the unusual rock formations and that was definitely worth it, especially seeing the rocks that jutted out like pillars.
The owner and host, Kara, made us feel so welcome, and was very informative and helpful with suggestions for our stay.
The ranch is about three miles from the small town of Fossil, and we enjoyed digging for fossils behind the high school (payment is on the honor system). Unfortunately, we did not come away with any newly-discovered fossils but that's okay, it was fun, nonetheless. If you're looking for a place to go for dinner you'd better be early. There is only a couple of places in town to dine, and one restaurant closes at 4:00(!), and we were able to go to the grocery store before they closed (7:00?) and buy sandwich fixings for dinner; more enjoyable than it sounds, so it was not a problem.
I would return to Wilson Ranches in a heartbeat. Maybe next year, if I can manage it, but it will always remain on my "getaway" list. If you're looking for a place that is off the beaten path, and offers (literally) peace, quiet and tranquility then I highly recommend considering a stay at Wilson Ranches.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â The Homestead Room is the largest, and has three queen-size beds.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great family friendly location! This area of Oregon has been on wish list for several years. We used my son’s 8th birthday as an excuse to go explore the fossil beds and do some horseback riding. I am so glad we found this gem of a location to stay! The family that runs this B&B Retreat is absolutely amazing- friendly, hospitable, and had plenty of advice for exploring the area. Breakfast was delicious and filling- brought to us in a picnic basket since we’re still in the midst of the pandemic. We were very satisfied with our room (Homestead)- comfortable beds, space to hang out as a family in the evening with our own private entrance. And the horse ride that we did exceeded my expectations. Even with young kids (4 & 8) we were able to join in on herding cattle. This was a highlight for all of us. The kids enjoyed being cowboys for a day and later archaeologists. Our stay at Wilson Ranch definitely made our trip to Fossil a memorable one.
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were interested in Fossil because my son gets excited about fossils and we wanted some short, easy hikes we could all do together. We just so happened to find the Wilson Ranch Retreat online when my husband was looking for accommodations with access to electric vehicle chargers (we plugged our car in right next to the barn).
We received a very warm welcome from Kara and she helped us plan just the right experience for our family. She and her whole family went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed from food recommendations to boots for horseback riding (which are available for guests to borrow). Brian even took time out of his day to teach us how to identify various fossils and we were able to find quite a few.
Our room was big, comfortable, and clean. It even had a wood burning fireplace, which we used each night. We had access to our own private bathroom which was also clean and tidy. They provided a hearty, delicious breakfast each morning and we used Effie's kitchen to store and prepare our food for the rest of our meals.
Katelynn patiently taught our son (7) everything he needed to know on a guided horseback ride and made sure he was comfortable the whole time. He loved it so much that all of us went on a ride the next day and Katelynn and Brett were excellent guides and made sure we had a safe experience that we won't forget.
We loved our stay at the ranch and we especially appreciated how quiet is was there and the amazing hospitality!
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kara and David are the most gracious and wonderful hosts! They are so accommodating and pay attention to detail. The house is clean and amazing. Their breakfasts are delicious and will keep you satiated until at least 2:30pm after a nice day out in the area hiking or horseback riding or just relaxing. I had not stayed there since 2010 and was so happy to return again. I will go back. They were spectacular hosts amidst the craziness we are experiencing with Covid-19!
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wilson Ranch was a highlight of a 2 week road trip with my teenage daughters. We took a 3 hour ride through the beautiful mountain-side near the ranch. At night we watched the stars without light pollution & listened the sounds of the horses. Our RV hook-up was at the horse barn where we had a picnic breakfast basket & coffee delivered each morning. It was a great experience all around. Kara and family was so friendly and helpful with all our needs.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wilson Ranches Retreat B&B proclaims it offers "pioneer hospitality". And that's just what they deliver! Everyone was so helpful, considerate and accommodating. We happened to be the only guests at the Ranch during our 2 night stay but I'm willing to bet their hospitality would have been just as wonderful if they had a full house. Kara even too time to find out what we wanted to do in the area and drew a map just for us of where to go and how best to get there. We will definitely stay there again if we are in the area.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Fossil area.
PRICE RANGE
$232 - $243 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesOregonFossil
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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