Paintrock Canyon Ranch
May 24 - 29, 2026
Learn the skills of blacksmithing by creating your own knife with master blacksmith Alex Pole.
The Program
Traditionally, blacksmiths often forged small knives for everyday use. These would have been carried in a sheath on the belt — handy for cutting rope, foraging, skinning small game or used at mealtime for eating. They are some of the simplest knives that have been made by smiths for hundreds of years and are either a single piece of high carbon steel or sometimes laminated and fitted with a plain wooden handle. This is the perfect place to start for anyone interested in knife making and blacksmithing in general. Over the course of the workshop, guests will learn the basics of traditional blacksmithing through the process of making a small hidden tang blade, heat treating it and grinding to an edge. A pre-made handle will be supplied for fitting, as well as a leather sheath.
No previous experience is required.
About Alex Pole
“Ever since I can remember I have had a fascination with metals. As a young boy I sat watching my mother at her jeweler's bench making beautiful silver necklaces and earrings, my toys being a wooden box of semi-precious gem stones.”
Alex took up metal work in 1985 at art school and spent many years making both jewellery as well as large scale ironwork. But belives he really became a true blacksmith after he attended a toolmaking course in Sweden in 2013 where he met his friend and master Fredrik Thelin. There he discovered a love of bladesmithing and axe-making and has been honing his skills ever since.
Alex runs a contemporary workshop in Dorset, UK, where the focus is on using traditional techniques combined with modern machinery to produce high quality tableware and knives for some of the world’s top restaurants. At the forge all the work is still made by hand using the best quality materials available.
Accommodations
The accommodations at the Paintrock Canyon Ranch are designed to put you as close to nature as possible, but with all the comforts of home. Large, private safari-style tents are stylishly furnished with full-sized beds, bedside tables, dressers and chairs. Tents are located next to the Paintrock Creek at the entrance to the spectacular Paintrock Canyon.
Meals
All meals will be creatively prepared by a private chef, featuring Ranchlands beef and local produce and dairy whenever possible. Meals at the ranch will be seated, but casual and friendly and accompanied by wine and beer. We are happy to accommodate all dietary preferences with advance notice.
Location
The ranch, located near Hyattville, is 1 1/2 hours from Cody, Wyoming, and 3 hours from Billings, Montana. Both cities have airports with multiple daily flights from major airports. Roundtrip shuttles from the Cody airport to the ranch can be booked via Explore Cody Transportation.
Paintrock Canyon Ranch
The Paintrock Canyon Ranch sprawls across northern Wyoming and is made up of rolling meadows and streams carving through high alpine valleys. The ranch’s landscape is characterized by the Paintrock Canyon, which starts at the ranch headquarters and meanders for 8 miles, opening into the Paintrock Basin at the foot of Cloud Peak, the highest peak in the Bighorn range. The Canyon itself is shaped by steep limestone slopes that climb thousands of feet high above the trail. Red sandstone cliffs, whose color transforms from deep orange to burgundy red with the changing light, rise above the meadows surrounding the ranch’s headquarters. The ranch is located 1.5 hours from Cody, WY, and 3 hours from Billings, MT where the largest commercial airports are. Shuttles through a third party are bookable to the ranch from Cody. Car rentals are also available from both airports.
explore paintrock canyon ranchRates
$4,545 per person includes all activities, instruction, amenities, and meals. Tax and optional gratuity not included. All tents are private.
Please reach out to us with any questions at: stay@ranchlands.com or 719-641-2089.
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