Heartland Elk Guest Ranch

Place was clean and close to nearby attractions. Also beautiful view of the sandhills, hiking trail, and fun playground for the kids!

The Heartland ranch is a fantastic place to stay if you're interested in visiting the Valentine NE area. We chose stay at the Spruce cabin and used the ranch outfitters for two days of kayaking on the Niobrara river. The cabin was one of the nicest we've ever stayed in. It was exceptionally clean and comfortable with nice beds and a fully functional kitchen. The cabin area has a total of four cabins which are distant enough from each other to feel quiet and private. The grounds are beautiful and have a surprising amount and quality of amenities given that this is a small privately run operation. There were great walking trails on property that were well marked and maintained as well as outdoor game spaces such as a horseshoe pit and a shuffle board court. There was also a fishing pond with a couple docks that looked very nice (we didn't fish but we did see them as we walked the trails). The river outing options were a breeze to schedule with the ranch staff the day we checked in and we were picked up on time both days by the outfitter at our cabin doorstep. At the end of each days river excursion the outfitter was waiting for us at the landing. There were no worries about missing a landing or standing around waiting for our ride. On our final night we had accidentally lost our cabin key during the day as we visited local parks. The owners were so kind in running a new key out to us personally even though it was late in the evening and it was likely impacting their personal family time. I can't recommend the Heartland ranch enough and we fully plan on returning in the future for a larger family get together.

Reserved a float trip with them and had the BEST time. The sweet little family that greeted us made us feel so welcome. They even made us a cup of coffee. Was so easy to book, chose our own start time, and saw some elk on the drive in! Highly recommend using Heartland Elk Ranch for your Niobrara float trip.

We had the best stay here at Heartland elk guest ranch! It was like a beautiful retreat away from our busy lives. Our cabin was very clean and had everything we needed. The workers Liz and Christian were very attentive to anything we might need. They have an awesome playground for the kids and a beautiful lookout with a view for the adults. The hiking trails and fishing pond were very well maintained. We will definitely be back and would recommend this ranch for anyone!

We LOVED staying at the Stone House cabin. For some of us this our 4th, 6th, or 7th year kayaking the niobrara and it was such a great experience because of Liz and staff. Colin and Tanya picked us up at our cabin for our excursion and brought us right back when we were done. Seamless check in and check out processes. We’ll definitely be back next year.