Posted 2006-12-02 8:20 PM (#52130) Subject: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
Member
Posts: 24
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.
Posted 2006-12-02 11:32 PM (#52133 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
Expert
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
Posted 2006-12-03 10:41 AM (#52139 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
Member
Posts: 23
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.
Posted 2006-12-03 2:48 PM (#52144 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-03 9:47 PM (#52153 - in reply to #52144) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-04 10:28 AM (#52172 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-04 11:04 AM (#52173 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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!!!!!
Posted 2006-12-04 9:09 PM (#52194 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-04 10:09 PM (#52195 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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!
Posted 2006-12-05 9:01 PM (#52235 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-08 8:33 PM (#52345 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-12 1:27 PM (#52461 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
Veteran
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
Posted 2006-12-13 7:50 PM (#52484 - in reply to #52195) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
Regular
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.
Posted 2006-12-15 8:53 AM (#52527 - in reply to #52461) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Posted 2006-12-16 6:18 PM (#52547 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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!
Posted 2006-12-17 6:37 AM (#52558 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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
Posted 2007-01-06 3:08 PM (#53416 - in reply to #52130) Subject: RE: Your Best Trail Riding Place?
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.
Your Best Trail Riding Place?
