There can be a real beauty to following a gravel road over hills and through the trees with sunlight filtering through in patches of light separated by darker stripes along the length of the road. The trees and hills sometimes obscure what lies just ahead, creating that wonderful sense of mystery that pulls on one’s soul to keep driving or walking, keep moving forward, just to see what lies over the next hill or around the next turn. We become modern-day explorers discovering a new land.

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On a Saturday morning in late August (2024) the weather forecast was a bit iffy so my father and I decided to go for a semi-random drive around the area and see what we could see. One location we visited was Lakota Ranch in Remington, Virginia, a working farm known for their herd of Devon cattle.

Established in 1990, Lakota Ranch takes up 726 acres of the rolling hills of Remington. It’s a beautiful location, just far enough away from any main roads or towns, and though I’m sure the folks who live and work there can be very busy and hard working, for those of us fortunate to visit it’s a wonderfully peaceful place.

After passing through the main entrance and over the cattle guard you drive along the gravel Big Horn Road where you get to see some very nice views of the hills and fields of the area. Eventually you’ll see a second stone wall entrance with another cattle guard. Drive into the woods and you’ll see signs directing you to the right for the kennels and to the left for the Farm Store, petting zoo and the rest of the ranch.

Rolling fields of Lakota Ranch — Some of the rolling hills and fields of Lakota Ranch

The second stone entrance to Lakota Ranch

The Farm Store is a small but interesting store. They had a range of different items, from shirts to various leather products and other locally made items. There was a cooler and freezer with drinks, fresh eggs and meat. This is the only time I’ve visited so I don’t know how the selection varies over the year, but their website indicates you can purchase seasonal fruits and vegetables, local honey, farm fresh eggs, and a variety of meats to include the ranch’s own Certified Devon Beef. I bought a shirt and my father bought some frozen beef. And by buying, I mean we wrote up a receipt on the pad on the counter, put our cash into one of the envelopes, and placed the envelope in their drop box. The store uses the Honor System when no one is actively working there.

Just beside the Farm Store is their petting zoo. There weren’t a lot of animals around at the time we visited, but we did see several donkeys, a pig, a goat, and a number of ducks. Another family arrived while we were there and fed the animals some corn kernels.

The animal pens of the petting zoo at Lakota Ranch, just to the left of the Farm Store

Come on in says the goat — "Come on it," says the goat in the petting zoo

Saddle up and ride the bull — Saddle Up and Ride the Bull!

The view from behind the Farm Store at Lakota Ranch

The rolling hills of Remington, Virginia, as seen from Lakota Ranch — The rolling hills of Remington, Virginia, as seen from behind the Farm Store at Lakota Ranch

There are several private homes on the property, as well as the beautiful Lakota Chapel built in 2019 with a southwestern look to the architecture. The Chapel was built for the family but starting in 2021 they decided to offer it for small wedding ceremonies, baptisms, and other services.

The Lakota Ranch Chapel — Lakota Chapel at Lakota Ranch

Given this is a cattle ranch, they offer just about any cattle-related services you can think of, including replacement stock, semen, embryos, consulting services, and of course, selling the beef. They offer hunting on their Lakota Hunt Preserve, where you can sign up to hunt deer, turkey and bear. They offer Lakota Stock Dogs bred and trained for exactly the kind of work that’s done on a working ranch. And they have kennel services and training packages. To learn more visit their website at Lakota Ranch.

One of the Devon cattle relaxing on the grass under a tree

A horse grazing in the field at Lakota Ranch

Right at the main entrance is a small pull off with an informational sign that provides a general map of the property and gives a few lessons on the Civil War history of the area. One corner of the property was the site of the First Battle of Freeman’s Ford, August 22-23, 1862, which is where Brigadier General Henry Bohlen died while retreating from Confederate forces under the command of Brigadier General Isaac Trimble. On another part of the property is the burial site of Major David M. Whaley.