Credit Left: Jared Chambers, Credit Right: Anais Wade

How is Paintrock Canyon different from your previous guest ranches in Colorado?

Scale-wise, it’s similar, but it has a lot more layers. There are more opportunities to experience day-to-day ranch work, like moving cattle, irrigating, fencing, and even observing baby calves being born. Paintrock Creek flows through the middle of the ranch, so guests have opportunities to swim and fish. We have access to one of the best fisheries in northern Wyoming and the rainbow and brown trout fishing is incredible. There is also great birding here. At the previous properties, we’d have to drive guests to trailheads for hiking, but we have so much that’s close here. And the vistas are so diverse. You have everything from huge mountains and beautiful rock formations to open prairie and the creek. The scenery is really multi-dimensional.

Credit: Anais Wade

What’s a typical ranch stay like?

The closest town is the speck of Hyattville, which is one-and-a-half hours from Cody and three hours from Billings, Montana. Guests arrive on a Sunday and depart on Friday for a five-night stay. We really cater to what guests are looking to experience. Some people want to ride a horse all day or help move the cattle. Some people want to hike. Others just want to sit and read at camp. We have 14 safari-style tents, all comfortably furnished and within a short walk to bathrooms and hot showers. I tell friends, this is not camping. You’re a 16th of an inch from nature all night long without being adversely affected by it. All meals are cooked outdoors over fire and served at communal tables. Our chef uses Ranchlands beef for many of the dishes. We also host wellness retreats, writing retreats led by notable authors like Molly Wizenberg, and workshops and clinics on everything from outdoor skills to stockmanship.

Credit Left: Claudia Elise, Credit Right: Megan Rogers

How are ranching and conservation intertwined?

Conservation is a product we produce, just like beef. We see ourselves as stewards of the land. It’s not an obligation, it’s an honor. From a business standpoint, the better we care for the land the more productive it will be. We graze our cattle in a way that restores the land, mimicking historic mobile herds. But it’s also a moral responsibility. When you live on the land you develop a relationship with it and the animals who live on it. You see a coyote every morning or the eagles nesting and want to protect them. People come here and it opens their eyes to how a working landscape can work in harmony with nature.

Duke Phillips was interviewed by Jen Murphy for All Roads North in April 2026.

To start planning your own journey through the American West, perhaps including Paintrock Canyon, please get in touch to speak with a Destination Specialist.

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All Roads North founder Sam Highley recently joined the board of Sequoia Parks Conservancy to serve in the mission to conserve this special part of the world. In the face of several challenges from devastating wildfires to extreme rainfall, an estimated 10-14% of the Sierra Nevada’s sequoias were killed in the last three years. Needless to say, SPC has had their work cut out for them as of late. Through a variety of interesting programs, the organization supports education, research, and restoration that aim to preserve Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. 

On a curating trip with All Roads North, you can support conservation efforts simply by exploring the magical home of the giant sequoias with our SPC partners. Here are just a few of the ongoing SPC programs we’re excited to support:

Saving the Sequoias

California’s recent serious drought, from 2012 to 2015, exacerbated by high temperatures in part due to greenhouse gas emissions, was especially severe in the southern Sierra Nevada and has resulted in 5.8 million dead trees within these two parks. In response, SPC is proposing to bolster their research efforts with seedling planting to replace what was lost. Establishing seedlings in severely burned areas would point these groves toward recovery of their pre-fire forest compositions, as they would have done naturally had they not experienced severe fires. The NPS estimates that planting may be necessary on up to roughly 1,200 acres of previously forested areas.

Preserving Wildlife

Pacific Fisher

Several of the SPC’s programs focus on specific threatened wildlife species within sequoia habitats. For example, mountain yellow-legged tree frogs play a critical role maintaining biodiversity in these ecosystems, but they have disappeared from more than 92% of historic sites in the Sierra Nevada, with similarly large losses in the parks. Non-native trout and disease caused by amphibian chytrid fungus are the primary reasons for their decline. Some other current wildlife-centered projects include protecting black bears from human conflict and reintroducing Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep to the Sierra Nevada Crest.

Another prominent wildlife project centers around the Pacific Fisher– a small, endangered mammal that lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Fishers depend on old-growth forest habitat for their survival, and much of this habitat has been destroyed by wildfire over the past decade. SPC funded GPS collars to understand if fishers are living within the KNP Complex burn scar and how they are using or avoiding different areas which will help park managers prevent impacts on fishers.

Accessibility and Education

Accessibility and education are two categories that make up a sizable portion of the SPC’s work. There are more than 1,000 miles of trail in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and they don’t maintain themselves. With two million visitors exploring the parks each year, the park trail systems experience a fair amount of wear and tear. And since Sequoia and Kings Canyon is 98% wilderness, crews often have to travel to remote locations and stay there for months.

Experiences Among the Sequoias

At All Roads North, we love to partner clients with experts that are making a difference. Sequoia Parks Conservancy is the perfect example: We’ll pair you with an SPC guide to explore the heartland of the giant sequoia trees in whatever way interests you most. Embark on a backpacking trip for an epic astrophotography experience in the backcountry. Enjoy the serenity of the giant sequoias with a focus on wellness and restoration. Follow your guide to the best wildflower fields and learn about how all of the surrounding flora and fauna is connected in a delicate ecosystem. Your one-of-a-kind experience will play its role in supporting the SPC’s research and conservation efforts. To support the organization directly, you can choose the program you wish to support by donating here.

Sample Itinerary: Stunning Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks

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Without appropriate wildlife crossings in place, roads break up natural habitats forcing animals to attempt dangerous crossings as they follow their natural instinct to migrate or hunt– leading to road kill and increased competition for territory within the species. We sat down with wildlife and road ecology experts to learn about the ambitious wildlife crossing projects in some of our favorite areas of the country and how we can all help protect nature while enjoying the Great American road trip. 

Why Wildlife Crossings Are Important

We all have seen roadkill laying by the wayside before. It’s easy to conceptualize the effect of animal collisions and, while that certainly is a big concern, it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effects of roads on wildlife. Road ecology is the field of science dedicated to understanding what all of those impacts are and what we can do about them.

Migration

For example, roads increasingly thwart migration pathways for animals like elk, pronghorn antelope and deer. 

Taylor Phillips, Wyldlife Fund board member and founder of Wildlife Tourism for Tomorrow, said facilitating migration is one of the top goals of wildlife crossings in the Wyoming area.

“For animals like mule deer, elk, pronghorn– the places where they spend their summers are very different than where they spend their winter months,” Phillips said. “Their habitats are spread out over the larger landscapes, so it’s very important there is connectivity between the habitat types.”

Genetic Inbreeding

However, many other kinds of animals– like grizzly bears, wolves and other large carnivores– also utilize wildlife crossings, but for different reasons. 

“The genetic consequences of highways are immense– especially on large carnivores which need a lot of space,” said Ben Goldfarb, a journalist and writer who’s been researching road ecology for the past few years for his upcoming book on the subject.

Goldfarb’s interest in habitat connectivity and road ecology first began in the Rocky Mountains as well, in 2013 when he visited the wildlife crossing over Highway 93. He said that because roads were increasingly cutting into habitats, large carnivores like grizzly bears were forced to inbreed with a much smaller pool of potential mates.

“You can take a DNA sample of any grizzly bear in the American West and know what side of which highway it was born on because roads so thoroughly fragment their habitat,” Goldfarb said.

Mountain lions suffer similar problems much farther south in the Santa Monica Mountains, as Executive Director of Santa Monica Mountains Fund Charlotte Parry explains.

“Because of the roads, the population is very isolated and so there is starting to be a level of inbreeding between the mountain lions which leads to genetic weakness within the animals,” Parry said. “Also, the older animals are attacking the younger animals. The wildlife crossing will allow them to access more territory.”

Because they are such territorial creatures, many young male mountain lions face a difficult decision: attempt to dart across congested freeways in a bid for new territory or combat older male mountain lions (often their own fathers). Both scenarios frequently end in the untimely deaths of the young lions. 

Prominent Wildlife Crossing Projects

Trapper’s Point Wildlife Crossing in the Grand Tetons

In the past decade, new research concerning wildlife behaviors and movements has allowed support for wildlife crossings to really take off. Goldfarb says this enthusiasm stems from research that proves the crossings are successful, not only at preventing animal and human deaths, but also because of economical interests. After all, animal collisions are not only dangerous; they are expensive.

“There have been a bunch of studies showing that fences and crossings together are really good at preventing collisions, at keeping human drivers safe, and actually they save a lot of money in the long run,” Goldfarb said.

In the fall of 2012, eight wildlife crossing structures were completed along a 12-mile stretch of Highway 191 at Trapper’s Point.

“Now, the momentum is strong for more and more crossings,” Phillips said. “Funding was recently established by the Wyldlife Fund for the Interstate 25 crossing. Crossings are slated now in the Dubois area and Kemmerer region of Wyoming as well.”

Another recent and notable project, the Wallis-Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon spanning the 101 freeway outside of Los Angeles will service the local mountain lions and many other animals– even birds and insects. The $87 million project broke ground this April of 2022. 

Parry noted that the 101 Crossing led to more state money being appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom for future crossings and set an important precedent.

“What they’ve done is to effectively normalize wildlife crossings,” Parry said. “They’ve shown that this is an important part of road building, that you need to include wildlife crossings as part of planning for road building.”

How You Can Help

All Roads North trips will pair you with conservation and wildlife experts that will teach you more about the animals and manifold impacts of roads in their specific region, from Wyoming to California. Here are some of our favorite itineraries in areas with fantastic wildlife crossings projects:

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Trip

The Ultimate California Family Road Trip

You also can help reconnect animal habitats by supporting conservation organizations like the ones below:

• Arc Solutions – Technical analysis and support for wildlife crossing structures.
  
• Center for Large Landscape Conservation – On a mission to protect life on Earth by promoting ecological connectivity to support healthy wildlife habitats and safeguard nature’s resilience to climate change.

The post Life Is a Highway Crossing appeared first on All Roads North.

However, today’s giant sequoias face dangers that threaten their survival in alarming new ways.

Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SPC) works in partnership with the National Park Service to study and protect the natural environment within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Specifically, they’re on a mission to better understand and save the sequoias.

(Top photo: Marmot Society – Ambrose 7)

Climate Change and Giant Sequoias

Nearly all the issues that giant sequoias face today can be traced back to one beast: climate change.

“Our biggest challenge right now is climate change, and how to build climate resilience into every operation, every part of national park experience, and every part of our mission for the National Park Service,” SPC Executive Director Savannah Boiano said.

By studying tree rings, scientists can deduce that giant sequoia trees historically show a standard mortality rate of one percent– meaning that no more than one percent of the giant sequoia population usually dies in a year.

“In the mid 2000’s, that began to change,” Boiano said. “After the Castle Fire, data suggests anywhere from 10 to 14% of giant sequoias perished in one fire.”

Giant sequoia trees are actually built to not only survive, but thrive in the midst of forest fires. In the past, naturally occurring fires caused by lightning strikes would burn in small patches– clearing brush, controlling insect populations and providing the heat needed to release seeds from the sequoias’ pine cones.

However, over 100 years of higher than normal build-up of dead and down wood due to fire suppression, consistently high temperatures and droughts in the past decades have made way for ferocious wildland fires that even giant sequoias cannot not resist. The Castle Fire in 2020 killed hundreds of the behemoths.

Sequoia Parks Conservancy’s Efforts

Marmot Society – Baxter 10

The impact of climate change on giant sequoias has forced scientists, conservationists and national park partners to rethink everything they know about the trees. SPC has several projects in motion, from promoting education about giant sequoias to partnering with scientists that learn more about the trees.

Their partnership with the Marmot Society enables the study of sequoias in their natural habitat…with closer access than you may imagine.

“[Marmot Society members] climb the giant sequoias and that is their laboratory,” Boiano said. “It is a living laboratory, where they’re both learning about giant sequoias themselves, the animals and other plants that live within giant sequoias, but also monitoring them trying to come up with some patterns of response that they’re seeing of giant sequoias in the face of climate change. Science-based findings like theirs will help park managers build conservation tools and strategies for giant sequoias.”

Marmot Society – Ambrose 15

Studying how water operates in the national parks and in the lives of the trees is another project that Boiano said she was proud of.

“A mature giant sequoia drinks almost a swimming pool’s worth of water a day,” Boiano said. “And yet, we really don’t know as much as we thought we knew about the hydrology of the Sierra Nevada.”

Whether it be studying what happens to water after the snow melts, following surface water, or discovering where water percolates underground, this new hydrologic data is key to understanding the life source of the giant sequoias.

The list of other projects funded by the Conservancy goes on to include everything from reintroducing mountain yellow-legged frogs into alpine lake areas to raising funds for a new search and rescue truck.

How You Can Help

Sequoia NPS – Kiel Maddox

While you may not be well-qualified to climb a giant sequoia and count tree rings or study the hydrology of Sierra Nevada snowmelt, there are many ways the public can contribute to preserving our national parks and public lands.

An easy and obvious way, of course, is to provide financial support. At the SPC’s website, you can choose your favorite program to donate to or give to the general fund.

Boiano suggested volunteering at national parks for a unique experience.

“I would challenge everybody to volunteer at a national park as a unique and great way to see the park in a lesser known venue and to really have a meaningful experience in that national park in the midst of what seems like the biggest tourist season of the year,” Boiano said. “You’re making a direct impact and you’ll have a direct connection.”

In the face of high visitor numbers at the most famous national parks, one way to prevent over visitation is choosing to visit during less popular seasons or choosing to visit lesser-known parks and public lands.

“I think visiting those lesser-known parks really helps new voices come through,” Boiano said. “It’s a wonderful way to keep that conversation alive on how diverse we are as a nation. There are names and faces behind every national park that aren’t always readily available.”

Marmot Society – Ambrose 5

Experience the Sequoias yourself on this itinerary: Stunning Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks

The post Giant Sequoia Trees Are In Danger: Here’s Why appeared first on All Roads North.