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Member
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Location: Kansas | As a new trail rider but long time horse rider I would like to know some good places to trail ride. Went to the Black Hills last summer and I would recommend Custer State Park in South Dakota anytime. It was just wonderful. They have an equine camp that has beautiful scenery with corrals and showers. We rode past buffalo and elk and the trails were to die for. Hope to hear where your favorite spot is as I have just begun my trail riding adventures and hope to have many more. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
 
Location: high desert, CA. | 
Teach... You should see cowpony1's pics of the high Sierras! To die for, and I have hiked that territory with the Boy Scouts in my younger days, it really is that nice! I on the other hand live in the high desert, so we see this kind of stuff. [IMG]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h84/siseley/caveinredrock.jpg[/IMG] |
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Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | I ride in the high country during warmer months and the desert during the colder months. It all has it's own beauty. Living in Northern Utah I have lots of both close by. Jackson Hole Wy is 5 hours to the north. St George and Canyon country is a 5 hour drive South. And there is an Awful lot country between those two places. I ride Antelope Island a lot during the winter. 20 mintues from the house and you go back in time a 150 years. Here I'm riding along side a herd of Buffalo. 
In the warmer weather we go ride with the Elk in the high country 
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Location: Albuquerque, NM | All I have to ask is did you bring your bow with you that day? All in all, those are some great pictures and I hope to be in your position one day. Living here in Albuquerque as a single dad doesn't lend myself to alot of trips just yet. |
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Regular
Posts: 94
Location: Minnesota | I liked the Black Hills and Badlands in South Dakota. It was my first out of state trip, 4 years ago.
This year I am going back for the third time to Medora, North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt State Park and area for a vacation over Memorial Day.
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | Jean I see you are from Minn. I have to chuckle as that reminds of an Elk hunt a couple of years ago. We were hunting on the North Slope of the Uinta mountains in Utah. We had riden in about 10 miles from the trail head. We ran across a couple from Minnesota who had trailered their horses out to Utah for the elk hunt. They told us where they were parked and asked for general direction for the best way back to their truck. We told them the trail to follow and said we were heading that way any way and they could follow us. The trail wasn't much more than a deer trail. Some places you could see a path. A lot of it you couldn't. You just rode through knee high meadow grass. But I could see the occassional trail markers that the Forest Service or somebody had set. Rock Cairns, Blazes on trees, etc. These were scattered ever so often. If you know what to look for, they were often enough to give a rider comfort that he was heading the right way. After about 5-6 miles we had to split off and head the other direction. The wife of the couple was paniced. How will we know where to go? I said just follow the markers. She said what markers? She had not seen any of the markers we had been following. To her they had just blended into the forest. She thought we just knew where to go. We gave her a crash course in spotting the markers. Told her to stay in that drainage and keep heading downhill and she would be fine. I've made a game out this with my daughters. As we ride I often act as if I can't find the marker and make my daughters find it. If something happened to me or they got seperated, i want them to be able to spot a trail, no matter how much of a whisper it is and be able to follow it to the trail head. |
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Member
Posts: 38
Location: somerville,al | I have riden out west. Colorado and Wyoming, but living in the southeast most of my riding has been east of the Mississippi River. The Great Smokey Mountains are hard to beat. Over 900 hundred miles of horse trails, and varied wildlife. I will try and attach some pictures. Having trouble posting pictures. Pm me and I will e-mail.
Edited by oldguide 2006-12-04 10:45 AM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 479
Location: central sierra nevada foothills | Thanks for the referral there Sis!!!! My favorite place is the high sierra nevadas in California!!!! Basically its the central sierras where alot of the expeditions came through from your neck of the woods, people like Kit Carson, John Fremont and others had treked the area all over where I ride, there is alot of history. Just click my link below and sit around a campfire before a ride out for the day!!!!! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | My favorite is the North Dakota badlands. The area around Medora, Teddy Roosevelt Nat'l Park, and the Little Missouri Nat'l Grasslands. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | Originally written by Painted Horse on 2006-12-03 9:47 PM
Jean I see you are from Minn. I have to chuckle as that reminds of an Elk hunt a couple of years ago.
That was a funny story. Did you ever notice that the people who have a GPS unit are always the ones who don't know where they are? |
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Member
Posts: 17
Location: Southwest Mississippi | I am sure everyone has there own favorite which is probably no more than a days drive from home but ours is Bandera Texas west of San Antonio. (Hill Coutry State Park) We try to go there a least once a year around Thanksgiving. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 335
Location: Decatur, Texas | I have found my best trail riding place is wherever I am riding at the time. Just as long as the good Lord allows me to ride with my best friend and our horses in His majestic beauty whatever and wherever it may be and in good health for all. A bad day's riding beats a good day at the office! |
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Kansas | Well....if you lived in Kansas you might also be looking for fun places to ride. Maybe I will check out the Badlands which I have never even seen. The Hill country in Texas sounds fun also. And, yes, a bad day's riding does beat a good day at the office. We had a hugh snow storm last week and it's still on the ground with ice under the snow..so it has been a few days since I have ridden. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | What's my favorite trail? The next one.
We've been to a lot of places and thre're only a few that we don't like.
We do like the mountains: The Rockies are awesome, the Ozarks in southern Missouti and Northern Arkansas are beautiful and the Appalacians in Pennsylvania are stunning. In between, we like Hocking Hills in Ohio and The Shawnee in southern Illinois is hard to beat as is Hoosier National forest in southern Indiana. (They don't all have to be mountainous to be good ridin'.) A favorite is in Wisconsin, La Riviere City Park in Prairie du Chien. Just a gorgeous little jewel on the banks of the Wisconsin River near the junction with the Mississippi.
In short, there's no one favorite. Just keep exploring. |
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Member
Posts: 17
Location: Vail, Arizona | During the summer, I like riding in the White Mountains in Arizona. In the winter time I like many places in Southern Arizona. The Santa Rita mountains and the Catalina mountains below 6000 feet are good. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 379
Location: Columbia, TN | Amen Longrider!!! |
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Posts: 207
Location: Illinois | I love anywhere that they allow me! Seriously, I'd love to be hitting the hills in Shawnee right now! I'm ready for spring already!!!
What are the facilities like at Praire du Chein?? We have been there many times (Cabelas), and would love to ride that park. Can you camp overnight? Do they have water?
TIA
Diane |
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Posts: 50
Location: Colorado | Originally written by Longrider on 2006-12-04 10:09 PM
I have found my best trail riding place is wherever I am riding at the time. Just as long as the good Lord allows me to ride with my best friend and our horses in His majestic beauty whatever and wherever it may be and in good health for all. A bad day's riding beats a good day at the office!
Hear, here Longrider. A bad day on the back of a horse for a trail ride is still better than a good day trapped in an office somewhere. I'll drink to that.
lisa
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Veteran
Posts: 216
Location: Chillicothe, Ohio | Try the Bighorns in Wyoming. Check out Susans Shedds Webpage at gafoxtrotters.com for a lot of pics. Camping is usually primitive though. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | Originally written by appy4me on 2006-12-12 1:27 PM
I love anywhere that they allow me! Seriously, I'd love to be hitting the hills in Shawnee right now! I'm ready for spring already!!!
What are the facilities like at Praire du Chein?? We have been there many times (Cabelas), and would love to ride that park. Can you camp overnight? Do they have water?
TIA
Diane
There are over 20 sites at the edge of a large meadow. Most if not all have electric hookups. Water is available at a hydrant. If you go to Cabela's, Look for the sign on the highway by the big supermarket. Turn east down a side road and follow to the park. The trails are surprizing nice winding trails through the woods.
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Veteran
Posts: 207
Location: Illinois | Thanks Cloud! We've added it to our list of places to go next year. We are about 3 hours from Praire, so it would be a good long weekend. How many miles of trail are there? Is there enough to be worth staying for a few days?
Thanks again! |
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Veteran
Posts: 179
Location: Illinois | Anytime I'm in the saddle is a good one. Thinking if the weather stays the way it's been. We might go down to Shawnee to ride New Years week end. Going to haul and ride Christmas day. Our Christmas will be over and we'll be by ourselves so I told my husband lets RIDE! Hope the weather co-operates.
Merry Christmas |
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Member
Posts: 7
Location: church hill,tn | what horse camp did you stay?? are they all on hills?? I want to see garden of the Gods. please some info we are going in may dez |
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Location: KY | Natchez Trace NewYear's weekend. Happy New Year to All. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376
Location: Missouri | Gallatin National, south of Big Sky Montana has some awesome camping and riding. It is all primitive. The trout in Taylor Fork and the Gallatin river are world class fishing. You can ride up to the mammoth springs that start the Gallatin River. More riding out there than you can do in several months. The scenery is breath taking. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | Originally written by appy4me on 2006-12-16 6:18 PM
Thanks Cloud! We've added it to our list of places to go next year. We are about 3 hours from Praire, so it would be a good long weekend. How many miles of trail are there? Is there enough to be worth staying for a few days?
Thanks again!
We used to live near Rockford, IL and went to La Rivere Park a couple of times a year. We had QH then and found enough riding for several days. We now ride TWH. So, a long weekend might be all. But, a few miles across the Mississippi is Yellow River State Park in Iowa which isn't as pretty but has some nice trails. |
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Veteran
Posts: 207
Location: Illinois | Not sure where Shari stays, but we like Hayes Canyon. There are MANY great places to ride/stay. Where you stay can depend on what you see. Many places arent close to Garden of the Gods. I have heard that you can ride there from New Hope Hill (one horse gap). We drove up to Garden of the Gods and loved it. I wish we could have seen it from horseback, but you can see more if you just go up there by vehicle. I searched all over my computer, but cannot find my Garden of the Gods pictures. Get a copy of Trail rider Magazine, they list lots of the campgrounds there.
Hayes is nice, clean and really reasonable priced too. The sites are easy to get into with your rig and the owners are very nice. The trail head is only minutes from your site, so its always a good ride. Make sure to line up a guide or go on an organized ride. Hayes does have maps that provide GPS coordinates for the best points of interest. We especially like Peter cave, High Point, and Jackson Hole. We had to stay back the day everyone went to Indian Kitchen, but heard it's awesome.
I'll be making my reservations soon, I can hardly wait!
Diane |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 474
Location: White Mills, Ky. | We went to One Horse Gap last year and are planning to return this season. The riding was terrific and the people take such good care of you!! It is a relatively small camp but very clean and friendly. You won't be disappointed. RIDE ON! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
Location: high desert, CA. | 
I would have to say my fav is Montana De Oro State park in California. Of course part of that is because we live in the desert, and the beach and dunes are Soooo cooool! Lots of great mountain trails, excellent facilities for the horses, with pipe corrals, water troughs, and really nice Rangers and Volunteers to guide you. Only a few minutes to fine dining in Morro Bay, and lots of places for non-horsey spouses and kids. Even golf, sport fishing, and kayaking on the bay. 10 minute to a store for those "forgotten" dinner items, and absolute quiet if you want in the evenings. 10 minutes to Morro State park with HOT showers! Cool misty mornings along the beach, and warm trails along the mountain tops, tide pools and historical talks...who needs more? Steve http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h84/siseley/montanadeoroandsiseley046.jpg Watch out for the raccoons to raid your food, and of course the buck deer that raid the hay supply. |
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Kansas | Yellow River State Park in Iowa is nice but doesn't have the facilities I have found in other parks such as water and showers. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 209
Location: pensacola, fl | OKAY !! THATS IT!! I AM MOVING!! Here in Pensacola, Fl. there are very few places to ride, The ones we have are nice but nothing compared to the places you guys have been. The winter and fall are our best times to ride because the summers are so hot, so I have to be careful of hunters!!
My biggest problem is a partner. My husband and kids don't ride and I don't really know anyone who is willing to take off for a week or so and go anywhere fun.
SO I guess I will just have to read about all of the fun you guys are having and maybe I'll get the nerve up to go somewhere all by myself!!
So keep posting, Please!!
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Regular
Posts: 54
Location: IL. | Shawnee forest in october! we have stayed at bay creek,bear branch and hayes canyon , i personaly like hayes canyon the sites are big and have water,sewer,power and stalls next to your trailer. Also the trails are incredible we go for 8 days once a year and never run out of new cool stuff to see. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | In the East, we have been to several places in Pennsylvania: Gettysburg Battlefield has a bridle trail around the battleground that lets you ride around and see all of the monuments and actually ride along where Picketts Charge took place. Susquehannock State Forest is awesome. It is in an area called "endless mountains". That's a place we'd go back to in a New York minute. |
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Veteran
Posts: 174
Location: Missouri | We love riding in the Black Hills of S.Dakota. We've been there 3 times and hope to go back again this summer. The area around Mystic is just beautiful with big canyons with creeks that run thru and lots of wildflowers. closer to home we enjoy riding the Shawnee creek area near Eminence, Mo. It's always a treat to see the wild horses. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | PooperScooper, agree with those choices. We were in the Black Hills near Custer and rode in the Black Elk Wilderness in 2005. It was really cool. Have bee to Shawnee several times. Stayed at Bear Branch and Hayes Canyon. Liked Hayes better. Will try Circle B this spring. The area around Emminance is great. We particularly enjoy riding the Current River. Stay at Whispering Pines in Jadwin, MO.
Where are you in MO? |
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Veteran
Posts: 174
Location: Missouri | Cloud 9, I'm from the southeast part of Missouri. What part are you in? Looks like we've ridden alot of the same trails. We've been to Whispering Pines twice and really liked it. It's hard to believe the Current River up there is the same river down here. It's really just a big creek up there and by the time it gets down to Doniphan it's huge and I don't think there's any place around here that you could cross it on horseback. We do ride some trails that go along it and yes it's very pretty. Did you stay at Elkhaven in SD? We stayed there in 2005. Small world and hope to meet you guys on the trail someday. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 274
Location: MO in woods | Loved 4J Big Piney Mo,also Cuivere River.We like Yellow River and La Riviere Park AKA Praireie du Chein & Childrens Ranch next door,Gov Dodge State Park(SUCKS)JMHO Will go back to End Of The Trail Equine Campground located between Wild Cat Mt & The Kickapoo Valley Reserve Trails.IL we are 30 minutes from Jubilee State Park We love it.Also ride in Shawnee,Jim Edgar,Siloam Springs,McNaughton park,Weinberg-King,Park by Bloomington also.Iowa like Yellow River alot Shimek nice too.I wanta get to Ind to Brown County an Midwest to ride an camp.Also been up to Minn now wanta ride up there Ohio an Pen also calling us soon.Any ideas?Thanks |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 479
Location: central sierra nevada foothills | Hey, all, any one gone to a favorite trail destination here lately? Went to the snow last weekend, gotta get my story and pics up on my site here in the next few. Dealing with buying a bunch more pairs, so kinda  right now........... |
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Member
Posts: 28
Location: Belvidere, Tn. |  Come on up to the Mountains in TENNESSEE, we have a new place with over 100 miles of trails mapped and marked. Check us out www. circleeguestranch.com
Happy Trails Kim |
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Location: Brighton, Colorado | The best so far for me in Colorado has got to be Gilpin/Gold Creek Lakes Loop near Steamboat Springs in the Mt Zirkle Wilderness. There are many close seconds along the front range near Denver. |
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Member
Posts: 10
Location: Texas | I love to go to the LBJ National Grasslands near Decatur, TX. It has over 20,000 acres. It has trails that are well marked. It has several looping trails, I think about 5. There are windmills and lakes to water your horses, but bring your own facilities and water. We dont get to go as much as I would like since I live over 4 hours away. Summers are really hot, also. |
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 Regular
Posts: 50
Location: Tamarack, PA, USA | Cloud9, I noticed you mentioned the Susquehannock Forest - curious where you ride. I live at the southern edge, just south of Cross Fork across from the Tamarack Swamp Natural Area. So I ride from my barn right on to the forest... Just got my first horse trailer last weekend so now I can expand my riding area. I can't wait for decent weather!!!! |
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Your Best Trail Riding Place?
