Piney River Ranch
Piney River Ranch
4.5
About
We are officially closed for the 2022 season. See you June 21st 2023! Mountain ranch offering summer activities - hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, restaurant, lodging. Opened June 21st through the last Saturday in September annually.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • Alex M
    1 contribution
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tough to get there but worth it.
    Great experience ONCE you reach destination. The road to get there is gravel/ dirt for 11 miles. And VERY poorly maintained. Took almost 1 hour each way. Once you get there. It is beautiful. Horses do all the work. Very little help needed from rider. Most you'll have to do is keep them from snacking on wild flowers the entire ride. Bring sunscreen. Enjoy the restaurant after. Oh. And don't rely on Google maps to get you there. It doesn't recognize the private road that leads to Piney River Ranch.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 July 2023
  • Traveling For Fish
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hiking Fishing Riding Tasting wonderland
    Arriving at the magnificent ranch is not for the faint of heart but wow when you experience Piney! We met mule deer, bears and lovely staff. This is like re-living you childhood camp days with horseback riding, canoes, delicious camp food and fun service. Cannot compare it to hotels - why would we? Love the restaurant server Toby - the kids thought he was wonderful. He also gave us great scout fishing tips for catching brookies and rainbows! Attended a wedding too, with Mia treating the guests like royalty! Great young, vibrant attentive staff gor sll activities! High clearance SUV is a must to arrive
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 September 2023
  • Bradley E
    Edwards, Colorado1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loved our day at Piney Ranch.
    We live locally in the Vail area and have enjoyed numous day hiking trips to Piney River Ranch. Absolutely love it. Well worth the 45 minute dirt road adventure. We have a Jeep but have seen numerous standard two wheel drive vehicles making the trip. No problem really. Kust more comfortable perhaps in a truck, SUV or Jeep. We decided to replace our day hike with a two hour horseback ride and it was great. Highly recommend thevouting if you wish to jump into the saddle. No experience needed really ss the horses are virtually on auto pilot .
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 September 2023
  • Madalynne T
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bittersweet but mostly sweet!! :)
    I would like to start off by saying my husband and I had a great time!! The food was good, service was lovely and the views were amazing! Our guide was friendly and down to earth. The horses were tame and precious!!:) There is one major downfall….the road to get to the ranch was unexpected to say the least. You have to drive a good 30-45 mins on a dirt road on the side of a mountain. It definitely wasn’t safe for those who drive teslas, mustards, Kias, etc . It’s a long bumpy, terrifying drive. Be sure you have a good vehicle and your gas tank is full. I do believe the website needs to state the road conditions to give a fair warning to those who visit! Other than that, worth every penny! 💞
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 September 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles225 reviews
Excellent
139
Very good
52
Average
10
Poor
11
Terrible
13

Beth G
Denver, CO89 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2018
We just had our daughters wedding here. What an amazing spot to find! The views are complete with a bald eagle flying over head as moose walk in front of us. The food is fabulous, the help is unbelievable with kindness and willingness to do whatever you need. Go for a day or stay overnight and you will have an experience of a lifetime
Written 17 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Texans112
Canyon Lake, TX342 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
This was probably our favorite hike during our time in Vail. The bumpy dirt road (45 minute drive) is slow to navigate but we were able to do in my SUV. We hiked the Upper Trail which had awesome views the entire hike! We returned to see two moose on the far side of the lake. The staff was very friendly and allowed my elderly parents to wait on the porch/restaurant while my husband and I hiked for 3 hours.
Written 3 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

amyY329QU
Denver3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2018
Great area, gets busier in the afternoon summer days but if you go in the morning it's excellent. You can hike and paddle board. Cute cabins even though we didn't stay in them.
Written 27 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MXB48
Arvada, CO54 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2017 • Couples
Visited late in August 2017, and the place was crowded - we did not even try to get in. Rather, we took the Piney River Falls Trail, which is nice thogh quite busy.
Written 27 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MarciaBenjam
Moravia, IA56 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
We visited Piney River Ranch. Awesome view! The picture attached is NOT photo shopped! Two went horse back riding and had a wonderful time. My husband & I canoed on the 'lake' and loved it. Watched a mother Moose and her calf as they grazed at the lake side. Wonderful time! However, the ride up - when they say it takes 45 minutes to drive the 12 miles.....BELIEVE THEM!
Written 19 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ExRIGuy
Ashburn, VA2,035 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018
Best chance of seeing a moose is early morning or dusk. Road is bumpy but a car can do it fine just take it slow. Nice horseshoe pit so among other mentioned activities you can have a couple beers and a bite from the lunch counter, listen to country music and enjoy the stunning views. Make it like a happy hour and leave around dusk to see some moose if you get lucky.
Written 17 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tom H
Jamestown, ND41 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
We took our 3 boys, ages 3, 5, and 7, up to this ranch. We did part of the hike, canoed, and fished. It was reasonably priced for everything we did. The road up wasn't bad, but we have an SUV. There are parts where a car might not do so well over the rocks.
Written 7 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tspears12
Oklahoma City, OK28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
My husband insisted we visit here with our teens after his trip with his parents 35 years earlier.
I was skeptical of the drive, bumpy and long, but so worth it. The beauty of this cannot be described well enough. We rented canoes(paddle boards also available) and had the best time. A moose sighting, three separate times. Trails around to walk and a in the ranch to eat lunch.
You can rent cabins on the lake- wish I rented one. We only stayed for the day, but it was so worth it.
Canoe and walk the trail- then go to gift shop for a souvenir. We loved this place so much!!!
Written 6 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

r0adwater
Cody, WY1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Friends
Ranch is gorgous, yet the food for wedding was terrible. It all came out of a can or bag. Too bad, everything else was great.
Written 5 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cristina8104
Dover Plains, NY41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2017
Amazing views from the Gore Range the is a great ranch to take the family, hiking horse riding and great hiking trails be sure you have a good car to there very bumpy roads but it worth it
Written 4 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Piney River Ranch - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor