We are pleased to host you this summer at the Darwin!

In this packet you’ll find helpful information, packing lists, maps, and directions. There is also a link to a pre-trip registration form; once your reservation is confirmed, please complete the form, read and sign the waiver(s), and submit with your final payment.

We look forward to your visit, and are here to help you plan your stay. This letter contains information that will get you started. Please do not hesitate to contact Kathy (bookings@darwinranch.com) or Oliver (oliver@darwinranch.com) with questions or clarifications.

THE ESSENTIALS

CHECK-IN at 10AM or later on SUNDAY morning. We will have a box lunch ready for you; pick it up and head out on foot or horseback, or lounge around the ranch and get settled in! Please let us know what time you plan to arrive in the Pre-Trip Survey; if you’d like to ride on Sunday, please plan to arrive by noon.

CHECK-OUT is the following Saturday at 10AM.

RANCH PHONE: 307-203-3040. Feel free to give this number to those who might need to reach you. It rings in the lodge kitchen, and can be answered day and night. To reach us from November 1 – June 1, please call Oliver: 415-676-7536.

WAIVERS: All guests are required to sign the Acknowledgement & Assumption of Risk Waiver, and if you choose not to wear a helmet, you’ll have to sign that one as well. The waivers are included in this page.

FISHING LICENSES: Fishing licenses are required for all fishing on public and private lands, and must be purchased prior to your arrival at the ranch. Wyoming Game & Fish issues licenses online here, to print or display on your phone.

TRIP INSURANCE: We have difficulty rebooking a canceled trip, particularly when close to the arrival date, and so are unable to refund deposits. We offer trip insurance that can be purchase easily through out website upon checkout, when booking a stay with us. The Dude Ranchers Association also oﬀers a policy suited to our operation. There are also many options on Insuremytrip.com; please note that it is necessary to buy a comprehensive plan, or Cancel for Any Reason coverage, and to read the fine print for COVID restrictions.

MEDICAL EVACUATION: We recommend that you consider medical helicopter evacuation, as a supplement to your personal policy. MASA has reasonably priced policies with varying levels of coverage; we like them because they have contracts with multiple evacuation services, and will dispatch the service best equipped to handle weather conditions, topography, and the specific medical needs of the patient. There are 4 different helicopters that may be dispatched to the Darwin. The Teton County Search & Rescue helicopter will pick up patients free of charge, however they may defer to private services in the event of a critical medical emergency.

EMERGENCIES: We are in the business of preparedness, and are accustomed to dealing with all sorts of issues that can arise in a backcountry setting. Please feel free to reach out to Oliver (oliver@darwinranch.com, 415-676-7536), who is a Wilderness EMT, for more information about any of our emergency protocols.

You’re in good hands.

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS: We will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions. Please make these details clear to us in the Pre-Trip Survey, which is included in the email with the waivers.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: are not included in our cabin rates, nor are we licensed to sell them. Please bring whatever quantity you would like for the week, and we will store it for you. (In cans if possible, better for local recycling.) There are excellent purveyors of wine and spirits in Jackson Hole. We recommend Bin 22 for wine and beer, and Spirits & Spice for liquor. In Pinedale we recommend Country Lane Liquor for wine, beer and liquor--which is not bad!

THE BAR: We stock our bar with basics: sparkling water, tonic, bitters, vermouth, citrus, lemonade, iced coﬀee and a variety of iced teas; we do not stock sodas. Our water comes from a deep mountain spring, and is wonderful. Please feel free to bring your personal water bottle, but please do not bring bottled water. The snack bar has an assortment of nuts, dried fruit, bars, homemade cookies, crackers and chips, sweets, fresh fruit, coffee, teas, hot chocolate, and other treats, which are always available. We have reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, and saddle bags.

PHONE & INTERNET: There is an internet based telephone line and limited plug-in internet access available to guests. If you would like to bring your own laptop to plug in, or log in to ours, we recommend disabling 2-factor authentication, as we do not have cell service at the ranch. You are always welcome to use our phone, and there is usually someone in the lodge to answer calls: (307) 203-3040. Our phone line is not an option for international or conference calls; zoom calls and movie streaming are not possible at Darwin. It is our goal to provide an environment free of the intrusions of email and social media; we have a solid library of Western fiction and nonfiction, natural history, nature guides, classics and best sellers. We believe that it is a privilege to take time away from our busy lives, and understand that a work or life emergency may unfortunately arise; please reach out to Oliver beforehand to discuss anticipated challenges, and he can help accommodate your needs.

MAIL & SHIPPING: Mail is picked up once a week when we send our truck to town for supplies. Please feel free to have your friends and family send items to our address below, and please let us know if you plan to ship anything to us ahead of your visit.

USPS, FEDEX or UPS: Guest Name, c/o Darwin Ranch, 4 Pine Drive, Cora, WY 82925

TRANSPORTATION

The Ranch is at the end of a long gravel road oﬀ the Union Pass Road, which crosses the mountains between Dubois and Pinedale. Our closest airport is Jackson Hole, but rental car and air ticket rates can be less expensive when flying into Salt Lake City. The drive from the Salt Lake airport is about 285 miles and takes 4.5 hours; from Jackson, it’s about 100 miles and 3 hours.

*When booking your return flight, please note that the Jackson Hole Regional Airport asks that travelers arrive two hours prior to flight time.

RENTAL CARS: In dry weather, Kinky Creek Rd. is navigable by 2WD passenger car, however we recommend a 4WD vehicle for the additional clearance. Driving directions included below; the gate at the Kinky Creek Road parking lot may be closed, but is not locked. additional clearance.

SHUTTLE: The Great Outdoors Transportation Company, GOTCO, operates a professional shuttle service out of Pinedale, offering rides between Salt Lake City or Jackson Hole (town or the airport) and the Darwin. They have sturdy 4WD vehicles, and are both reliable and service-oriented. They charge a flat fee for the vehicle, and the capacity varies from 4-7 people; they will meet you at baggage claim and make a stop in town if needed, and pick you up the following Saturday with ample time to make your return flight, but please book an afternoon flight!

Please contact Shane or Michele Costello directly, on their website: gotcoshuttles.com or by phone: 307-360-3660 or 307-231-9983

(Shane cell). If you would like to share the ride with other guests, please let Michele know and she will try to consolidate the trips.

PACKING LIST

CLOTHING & GEAR SUGGESTIONS

Layered clothing, as the weather is quite variable, including warm layers.

Nighttime temperatures are often below freezing, and mornings can be brisk.

A hat, long sleeves, and sunglasses; rain gear (we have long slickers for riding); jeans, binoculars, hiking boots, water shoes, fishing gear and flies as needed; long johns in the later part of the season, a cozy jacket all season long.

Swim suit for the river, hot tube, sauna or all three! Slippers are nice for the Lodge and your cabin.

Prescription medications; we have a very well stocked First Aid cupboard for guest use, as well as many tools/supplies for our EMT/WFR’s to use. Oliver is an EMT and our staff includes several Wilderness First Responders. We are well prepared to handle medical emergencies.

We have lots of sunscreen, bear spray and bug spray.

Cabin amenities include fluﬀy towels, natural soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Hair dryers are a bit of a drain on our power grid, but we have one that you are welcome to use. Each cabin has portable solar lanterns.

We provide one daypack for each room, which includes: two water bottles, a med kit, a headlamp, bug spray, sunscreen, a waterproof trail map, an emergency bivvy, and two lightweight rain layers. The daypack has a place to secure your provided bear spray and radio.

RIDING

GEAR: Cowboy boots are typically preferred for riding, though a tennis shoe is fine. Bulky hiking boots with a grippy sole can be hazardous. We recommend all guests under the age of 18 to wear a helmet when riding, and we have several on hand if you’d prefer not to purchase or pack one. Gloves can be an asset.

FISHING

GEAR: Most guests bring their own fishing gear, but we do keep four sets of rods/reels/flies on hand. If you’d like to rent a full kit with waders, boots etc, you can easily do so in Jackson Hole or Pinedale. Waders are optional, and wet wading can be quite comfortable for much of the season. We recommend an 8 1/2- or 9-foot rod for a 5, 6, or 7 weight line; a collapsible rod for riding to fish is convenient.

GUIDES: We highly recommend the Two Rivers Fishing Company in Pinedale. Their guides know the Gros Ventre and Green River waters well, and are excellent for first-timers or experienced fishermen. The shop has plenty of rental gear if you need it for the week.

We would be happy to help reserve a guide, or you can schedule and make payment arrangements directly: (307) 367-4131. We have staff who would be happy to show you a thing or two as well.

FLIES: For the Gros Ventre River and its tributaries: Adams 14, 16 Red, Yellow or Green Humpy 12, 14, 16 Royal Coachman or Royal Wulff 12, 14, 16 Orange or Yellow Stonefly 8, 10 Green Hopper 14 Grey Wulff 12, 14

RECOMMENDATIONS

TRAIL NAVIGATION

We highly recommend downloading Gaia GPS from the app store before your trip. This app is very useful for navigating in the backcountry surrounding Darwin, especially if you choose to go on unguided adventures. For best results, pay a couple dollars and download Gaia GPS USGS Topo map layer for our area.

You can borrow paper maps from the ranch, but if you prefer having your own map to annotate, you can purchase a Topo Map of the surrounding area.

Recommendations for Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, and attractions in Northwest Wyoming:

This google map contains an abridged list of our favorite spots around the area!

SUPPORTING NATIVE AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Darwin Ranch has partnered with the Chief Washakie Foundation to develop a language immersion program at the Darwin Ranch.

Places currently identified as national treasures, national recreation areas, and America’s first national park, Yellowstone – as well as the spectacular Darwin Ranch in the Gros Ventre mountains – were once Shoshone homelands and traditional Shoshone hunting grounds.

In 2021, 2022, and 2023 the Foundation ran its first cultural programs at the Darwin, involving many elders and tribal member participants. The elders taught hunting traditions and tribal history.

If you are interested in supporting the Chief Washakie Foundation or learning more about the Shoshone Language Immersion Program hosted by the Darwin in the Fall– click here. The Shoshone language and traditions are dying out, and they appreciate all the help they can get.