A Real Yellowstone Rancher Shares Her Story

When Malou Anderson-Ramirez left her family ranch in Wyoming for an East Coast boarding school at age 15, she felt like she’d landed on another planet. Suddenly, she was surrounded by kids who spent their nights and weekends practicing piano or playing team sports. Meanwhile, she was used to spending her spare time feeding animals or birthing lambs.

“My parents taught us that you can’t sit down to dinner or breakfast if there are hungry animals outside,” Anderson-Ramirez says. “We were raised with the notion that they’re kin, and kin take care of each other.” That sense of connection drove her to pursue a career in animal-assisted therapy, then, eventually, back to her family’s ranch on the border of Yellowstone National Park.

In 2009, Anderson-Ramirez and her husband dedicated themselves to transforming the ranch into a center for education and regenerative agriculture. Her connection to the landscape—and the animals that call it home—has never been stronger. “I try to be a voice for the wildlife who need someone to speak for them,” she says.

Boots on the Ground

Get to know the park inside and out on these top five hikes. 

Trout Lake Loop (1.2 miles)

For a short-but-sweet loop hike just off the main road, target Trout Lake, an alpine tarn north of Soda Butte Canyon. Go early in the morning, when the water’s glassy surface reflects the peaks of the Absaroka Range.

Avalanche Peak (4.6 miles)
This 10,568-foot summit offers sweeping vistas of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including a bird’s-eye view of Yellowstone Lake. Start at the peak’s eponymous trailhead and switchback straight up to the iconic summit.

Fairy Falls (5.6 miles)
Experience all the park’s greatest hits in a single afternoon on this half-day romp. A gently rolling trail will carry you past the neon marvel of Grand Prismatic Spring, 200-foot Fairy Falls, and two geysers, Spray and Imperial.

Mount Washburn (6.4 miles)
Tackle the climb to Mount Washburn’s 10,243-foot summit, and you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of the craggy Washburn and Absaroka Ranges. Pro tip: Aim to summit at sunrise, and climb the historic fire lookout tower for an even better vantage point.

Continental Divide Trail to Shoshone Geyser Basin (20 miles)
This one’s an all-day affair, but it’s well worth the sunrise starting gun. Head out from the Lone Star Trailhead and trace the Firehole River for 20 miles, winding past spouting geysers, boiling springs, and other thermal features.

Raise a Toast: Horsefeather

Celebrate a great day in the national park with this custom recipe and Yellowstone Bourbon, which was founded in 1872 to honor America’s first national park, and which continues to support the national park system today.

Glassware: Collins

Ingredients

• 2 oz Yellowstone Select Bourbon
• 4 oz ginger beer
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Lime wheel or wedge for garnish

Instructions

• Fill Collins glass with ice.
• Combine all ingredients into the glass and top with ginger beer.
• Add two dashes of Angostura bitters and gently stir.

Established in 1872, Yellowstone Bourbon was crafted to honor the sprawling wonder of America’s first national park. It’s what first inspired us to create approachably smooth whiskey for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and why we still do it today.