Stay where the buffalo roam.
Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch Tours & Cabins near Golden, BC
A working buffalo ranch in the Blaeberry Valley, 10 minutes north of Golden, British Columbia. Stay in a cabin by the creek or the guest house with a hot tub, and meet Chester Jr. and the herd up close on Leo’s daily buffalo tour.
Five places to stay · Daily buffalo tours, May 15 to Sept 30 · Frontage on the glacier-fed Blaeberry River
Stay on the Ranch
Five ways to stay, from cosy to off-grid.
Sleeps 8
The Guest House
Four bedrooms plus an outside bedroom, a hot tub, a fireplace, a screened-in porch and mountain views all around. Room for the whole family, with the ranch right outside the door.
Sauna Cabin by the Creek
Sleeps 2. Off-grid in the forest, with a private wood-fired sauna and a creek running over the rocks out front.
Buffalero’s Bunkhouse
Sleeps 4. An airy glamping stay in a timber-frame barn, with a double bed, a pull-out futon and a solar shower.
Wagon in the Woods
Sleeps 2. Glamping for the adventure-hearted, beside the pastures where the buffalo roam.
Buffalo Cabin
Sleeps 2. A small handmade cabin in the woods, overlooking the creek and the buffalo pastures.
Buffalo Tours
Meet Chester Jr. and the herd.
Leo tells you about the buffalo and answers your questions, then you go find the herd. They come close, so you can take pictures, and the tour ends with a traditional bow-drill fire-making demonstration.
One tour every morning, May 15 to September 30, at 10:15 a.m. Mountain Time. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes. Adults are $30, kids under 6 are free, and no reservation is needed.
Bringing a school or group? Leo hosts days on the ranch with wildlife, history and lunch by the fire.
The Ranch
Meadow, forest, river, and a herd that calls it home.
Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch is a working ranch near Golden. Leo’s herd of North American bison shares the land with elk, moose, eagles and plenty of other wildlife. Meadows, wetlands and forest open onto views of the Rockies and the Purcells in every direction, and the Blaeberry River, fed by the Mummery Glacier, runs along the property.
Many guests plan to use the ranch as a base camp, then find they’re happy just staying put.
Getting Here
Find the ranch.
Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch
1739 Oberg Johnson Rd, Golden, BC V0A 1H1
- 10 minutes north of Golden, in the Blaeberry Valley
- 1 hour from Lake Louise
- 1.5 hours from Banff
- 3 hours west of Calgary (closest international airport)
Email is the best way to reach Leo: leo@leodowney.com
Phone: +1 250 344 4779
Guest Reviews
What visitors say
#1 of 55 things to do in Golden on Tripadvisor, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 201 reviews (October 2026).
Buffalo ranch: what an experience!!! We met bison Chester junior and his herd while his humorous and sympathetic owner Leo explained a thousand interesting things. And… we learned how to make fire the Indian way. A fantastic afternoon impossible to ever forget!
We came upon Leo’s by chance and boy are we ever glad! We are already planning our trip back for winter! Leo is a wonderful guide! He knows his stuff! And what’s most beautiful is he loves his work and I promise you will too. Buffalo/Bison have just jumped way up my favourite animal list! Loved him his music his tour his farm and his tractor and of course his buffalo !
From Leo
The story behind the ranch.
Leo Downey is a songwriter, the author of Soultracker, and the person who’ll greet you on the deck for your buffalo tour. He moved to the Canadian Rockies in 1998 and has raised buffalo here ever since.
Come stay a while.
Choose the guest house, a cabin by the creek or a glamping stay, and book through Airbnb. Have a question first? Leo is happy to help.