Homesteaded in 1901 by Malcolm S. Mackay, this guest ranch and livestock operation is now managed by fourth generation family members. As guests of the Mackay family, visitors will appreciate an authentic cattle ranch experience, Montana's big skies, and an unforgettable vacation in the intimate privacy of the Lazy E-L.

Relax into our guest ranch historic cabins and we'll provide your horse, tack, and meals. Whether you are an experienced Western or English style rider, you will quickly learn that montana horseback riding while tracking a cow is an experience of a lifetime. However, if you are new to horseback riding or just a little rusty in the saddle, our crew can help you master basic horsemanship skills in the corrals before tackling the trails and the pace of a cattle drive. Kids will also become accomplished cowboys and cowgirls under the care of our guest wrangler and the guidance of some of our older horses.

For your comfort and privacy, we book small groups and treat them as family. Unlike traditional dude ranches, this cattle ranch does not cater to large groups of twenty-five-person plus nose-to-tail trail horse rides.   Instead you will be assigned a horse, taught to tack and groom him yourself and expected to turn him out at the end of the day.  A friendly crew in a beautiful mountain setting completes your trip to this Montana working ranch.   You might be looking for a “Dude Ranch.”  At the Lazy E-L, you will get so much more.

We welcome our guests to help us with finding strays, sorting off bulls, and working a cattle drive. Neighbors, family members, and friends often join us as well. Helping gather and move 2300 yearlings from one pasture to the next on a cattle drive is one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences we share with our guests.

If you enjoy elk and deer hunting, the Lazy E-L is familiar territory to a herd of over 200 elk  and endless mule and whitetail deer.  If you just want to take in Montana wildlife, you are also likely to see black bear, moose, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and turkeys.

If you like fly fishing, you will enjoy trout fishing on the five miles of private access to the West Rosebud River through the Lazy E-L Ranch. With just four rods allowed on the stream at any one time, this private wild stretch of the river is fished only by family and guests ensuring that you will often be the first person to hook that rainbow or brown trout.

The Lazy E-L has a variety of things to do in the surrounding areas of the ranch, such as: Yellowstone National Park, Beartooth Pass, Red Lodge, the Cody Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming, Buffalo Bill Historcal Center and the thrill of White Water Rafting.