A century at Triangle X Ranch

“Do you ever get sick of this view?” That’s the question I kept posing over and over at Triangle X Ranch to everyone from longtime guests to staff who had been there all season to even the owners who grew up on the property. The answer was always, in one form or another, “No.” And really, how could you? The ranch sits inside Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and offers a spectacular view of the mountains. Every day they look different, either shrouded in mist, on full view in the bright sun, or shaded by the sunset’s colorful rays. When I was there last October, the mountains rose from a carpet of yellow aspen trees. In 2026, Triangle X Ranch celebrates 100 years of people enjoying this view. 

A little history: On July 6, 1926, John S. Turner bought the land to build a home and raise his family. His son transformed it into a working dude ranch where guests could ride horses, fish, and hunt. Then in 1950, Congress expanded Grand Teton National Park to include Triangle X’s land but allowed the ranch to stay as a tenant of the National Park Service. Today, it’s the only remaining dude ranch in the U.S. National Park system.

Five generations later, the ranch is still run by the Turner family, and they try to change as little as possible. Yes, the cabins have electricity now, but there’s still no wi-fi or TVs anywhere and cell service can be spotty. 

“A hundred years, five generations, not many families can say that,” says Lucas Turner, who lives on the ranch with his wife and kids and runs its day-to-day operations. “I think there’s always going to be demand for a vacation like this, maybe even more so now. People want that disconnection to reconnect with each other.”

Guests can go on twice daily trail rides, hunt, take boat trips to practice fly fishing, or embark on multi-day horseback trips into the backcountry of Grand Teton and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Rates including all the activities, plus three meals a day, are about $2,500 a week — far less than fancier nearby dude ranches in Jackson Hole.

Some guests have been coming back every year for 50 years and even bring their children and grandchildren. Over dinner one night, I met a man who was in President Ronald Reagan’s security detail and said he had to learn how to ride a horse so he could carry the “nuclear football” when Reagan went riding. Other guests are first-timers, including a woman I met who had never ridden a horse before and drove out from Malibu just to try something new. 

But, every guest has a deep love of horses and bonds with their horse over the week. The twice-daily rides mean beginners quickly become comfortable and move on to trotting or loping by week’s end.

My visit was definitely a chance to try brand new things. I hadn’t ridden a horse since I was 12, and never on a trail. Luckily, I was paired with the sweetest horse on the ranch, Dolly, who quickly realized I wouldn’t stop her when she tried to snack on leaves as she passed by. I was also grateful for Jared, a very patient trail guide who clearly and calmly explained how to ride. Then he regaled us with stories of his other jobs taking photos of families at Disney World and the screenplays he hopes to write, including one about a Secret Service agent trying to solve a murder at a dude ranch.

I also had never tried fly fishing, and decided the trip was my chance. I embarked in a rowboat on the Snake River with Max, a very experienced fly fisherman who patiently tried to show me how to cast. By some miracle, I caught a trout, and Max helped me reel it in. I wasn’t able to figure out how to actually pick up the fish to pose for a photo, so Max will have to remain my sole witness.

Meals are social affairs, with everyone gathering in the main house’s dining room and sitting with people they don’t know. The food is cowboy classic — big slabs of meat, fried chicken and mac and cheese, and cobbler for dessert. The ranch can’t serve alcohol, but guests bring their own, and often gather before dinner with bottles of wine to share. At night, there was singing by the piano, and I’m told, sometimes square dancing or campfires. I walked under the stars and then cuddled up in my cabin with a small heater powerful enough to ward off the 30-degree weather at night. Every day, I relished the chance to be on my own and have new adventures. 

As the ranch now prepares for its centennial celebration, there are special events planned, including a commemoration ceremony and campfires. This year is also when the ranch’s lease with the government expires, so they will enter an open bidding process. The Turner family hopes their good stewardship of the land for the past 100 years will give them an edge.

These days, keeping anything going and pretty much the same for 100 years is a tremendous accomplishment, let alone something that’s run by the same family. I couldn’t help but wonder whether every Turner truly wanted to be part of this rustic family business.

Lucas Turner says he did take a break, training to be a pilot and working elsewhere for a while. “But I could never really take this out of my system,” he says. “I thought I was ready to leave, thought I wanted to do something else. But after a couple of years, it came pretty quickly that I wanted to come back and be here. I’m fourth generation and it really gets in the blood.”

Now, he’s raising his own kids on the ranch, teaching them how to ride, but also wants them to have the chance to make their own adventures. “My parents didn’t really push me one way or the other, so I also want it to be their decision,” he says. “I hope it’s here for them to make that decision.”

John “Tote” Turner, Lucas’s cousin, still helps the business, but also has his own career. He says keeping Triangle X in the family has ensured it stays true to its history. “It’s been a family-run ranch and I believe that’s why it’s been so successful, that it hasn’t changed hands,” he says. “We’ve gotten pretty good at this over the past hundred years. Now it’s my cousins and our generation taking over, and the fifth generation is starting to learn the ropes.”

Guests who return year after year often make friends with others who are on the ranch at the same time, and that becomes a summer family for them. Triangle X always allows guests to rebook their same cabins for the same week the following summer — in fact, they won’t allow others to reserve a cabin until the repeat guests have decided whether to book.

Tote Turner’s mother, Mary Turner, says many guests have become friends of her family as well.

“I think it’s a gift we give families, a chance to be families together, enjoying the outdoors and each other,” she says. “This isn’t a resort that caters to cocktails and fancy dinners. It’s a place where people ride together, eat together, and just be together.” 

Use code TXR&RC for special experiences and amenities for Ranch & Coast readers when booking via phone or by filling out the “Contact Us” form online. trianglex.com By Claire Trageser