Wow! Basically how I felt the whole ride. This was nothing short of amazing. I haven't rode a horse in a very long time. But the wranglers made sure I understood and was comfortable. My horse was Rojo. He was such a good horse. The trail ride was relaxing and at a perfect pace for me. We got to cross a river twice. It was so cool. It was a 90 minute ride of stunning beauty. The majestic views took my breath away. The beauty of the mountains is stunning. I want to come back with my daughter later this year. It is truly one of most perfect guided horse rides I've been on. Highly recommend for any level. I wore a helmet just cause I am nervous Nelly. But honestly didn't need to. Pace was perfect. They have the cutest Aussie dogs running around. They are so friendly and sweet. They have bathrooms that are very clean. Our wranglers were very experienced & attentive. They check your saddles half way through to make sure you're safe, tight and sitting good. Cowboy up and take this trail ride!! It was so worth it. read more

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My sister bought a Groupon for four people which was redeemed prior to riding (taxes not included) Everyone was told to line up so the wranglers can pick a horse for each of us. I got Gypsy she's a good girl and wouldn't mind riding with her again :) The ride was a little over an hour, beautiful views and trails. You go through the verde river twice which was really fun. Biscuit was one of our guides he was funny and quite entertaining. The weather was perfect this day 1/23/26 I wouldn't book during the summer because the heat is really intense in Az, keep that in mind for the tourists reading this :) lol read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Verde river crossing - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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We had a blast at The Stables at Fort McDowell Adventures. Our horses were Nugget, Ed, Fred, Harley, Dolly, and Jeff (yes, really ). The guides, Maya and Travis ("Biscuit"), were fantastic. Biscuit especially was hilarious and immediately made everyone feel comfortable--even for someone like me who hadn't ridden a horse since I was about 4 and was definitely nervous going in. The ride was about 90 minutes at a relaxed walking pace, which was perfect for beginners. The trail itself was beautiful--classic desert scenery with tons of cacti, cows along the way, and even crossing the Verde River twice. Crossing the river was both fun and a little nerve-wracking for us newbies, but the guides made it feel safe and manageable. Bonus: the Australian shepherd dogs were incredibly friendly, sweet, and welcoming. They added such a fun, homey touch to the experience. Highly recommend for first-timers and anyone looking for a scenic, laid-back trail ride in Arizona. read more

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Overall a great experience and I would highly recommend this place to anyone. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The horses had personality and were great to learn from! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

It was an amazing day. The weather was perfect. We were given amazing horses and had the best ride ever. I will definitely be back the guides are very knowledgeable. It was such beautiful scenery and we cross the river so fantastic I will be back again soon read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - A bald eagle we saw it as we crossed the river - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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Such a fun time! I took my sisters for a bachelorette trip and we had a blast. Definitely a slower ride, and it's quite hot/dusty (obviously, it's the desert lol), but if you go with a fun group, you'll definitely enjoy it. The people who helped us were also really great and knowledgeable about the horses and the land. Would recommend for a leisurely horse backing ride! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

My mare was named Rosie, a kind soul. Charles(a good looking guy but doesn't like his picture taken a hundred times a day, lol), Payson (and her dog), Biscuit, Ryer and a man whose name started with a D. Thank you all, this was a special pace and great experience for my Japanese guest. enjoyed the slow pace, scenery was great, a easy trail especially for beginners. P.S. Please don't forget to tip because it does mean a lot to them. I WOULD RECOMMEND My mare was named Rosie, a kind soul. Charles(a good looking guy but doesn't like his picture taken a hundred times a day, lol), Payson (and her dog), Biscuit, Ryer and a man whose name started with a D. Thank you all, this was a special pace and great experience for my Japanese guest. enjoyed the slow pace, scenery was great, a easy trail especially for beginners. P.S. Please don't forget to tip because it does mean a lot to them. I WOULD RECOMMEND read more

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For my 70th birthday celebration, since I love horseback riding,my wonderful sister organized a ride with Fort McDowell Adventures . We were lucky enough to have friends and family that jumped at the chance to join us. Everyone even dress the part which really added to the whole experience. In total we had 8 women and one brave 8 year old on a fabulous ride with Wranglers Neil,Dane and Trail boss, Bree. They made our ride safe, fun and entertaining. The stables are great with restrooms,water for sale, plenty of parking,good signage and shade. The highlight was the river crossings but thank goodness it didn't end up like a scene from the Lonesome Dove movie. What great memories and pictures we all took away from that adventure. Thank you all! read more

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Few weeks ago we had graduation photo shoot here. I contacted the place and spoke with Troy. He is the big boss! Our guide was Charles very sweet young man. He was absolutely brilliant, patient and gave us time to take all of the pictures we wanted. Today I took all kids for horse riding. I got tickets from Groupon. The ride was 90 minutes filled with laugh and joy. Our guides were Charles and Dallon (sorry if I butchered your name). Thank you guys for making our weekend so special!!!!! The scenery is breathtaking, the river is such a great experience. Definitely recommend. read more

What a great experience! The staff was fantastic working with us beginners. The 90 minute trail ride was fun and informative. The horses were beautiful and well behaved. We highly recommend this adventure! read more

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Neither of my sons have gone horseback riding before and they made it as easy as could be for them. We had a wonderful time. The guides were wonderful. They interacted with everyone. We went through water a couple times and this is where the guides went above and beyond. My husband's phone fell in the water and they went back later and they found it!!!! Thank you all so much!!!! read more

Breanna and Dane were great trail guides. The horses were awesome as well. We had Woodward and Rex. Enjoyed crossing the Verde river. Australian shepherds were sweet and you could tell have best dog life ever read more

We had the best time horseback riding at Fort McDowell! The guides were amazing and all the horses were so awesome and perfect for each of our level of experience. Such a fun day of riding and the views were great! Peyton, Neil, and Biscuit made sure we had an awesome time and we really enjoyed the ride! We also loved the dog rooster read more

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We had a wonderful quiet ride on a Friday morning. Our guide Peyton was very knowledgeable about the desert. You cross the river twice on this hour and a half ride, which is a little long but well worth it. read more

Our company took a large group of employees riding and it was SO much fun! We went through water several time and the horses were so well behaved. Also the guides were very personable. All around a great experience and great people!! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Here's where we first crossed the water. They closely guided our entire group through. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

We had an amazing time this morning. Thank you Fort McDowell Adventures. The ride was absolutely beautiful, we couldn't of asked for better weather. The amount of different terrain we covered was so gorgeous. Still can't get over some of the views. What a peaceful and serene ride. We ranged from 8 to 71 and absolutely everyone had a great time. We went back today for another amazing adventure. Thank you! read more

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Got the horseback riding as a Groupon and absolutely loved it!! My boyfriend and I have never done this before and it was a great experience. I am not an experienced rider at all- last time I rode a horse was more than 10 years ago- but this was great! Not hard to do at all. 2 hours riding through beauty was perfect and relaxing. Not hot either, but we went in January. The breeze was very nice. I had Pepper, who wanted to lay down halfway through our ride. He then rolled over on my foot, wanting to scratch his back. I was scared and thought he was exhausted! The tour guides were very knowledgeable about their horses. They were very nice and made jokes here and there. They even took pictures for us at the end of the ride! So happy I purchased this- it really did make my southwest experience perfect!! Thank you McDowell Adventures! read more

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This was so fun and I even fell off my horse into a bunch of horse poop and mud, lol. I took my mother who is 66 and my kids ranging from 12 to 25 and we all had a blast. It's a little long and your butt will hurt at the end but the views and the guide and everything was just awesome. Will definitely be back!! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Beautiful horse I rode - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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Went horseback riding while visiting family in town . This was my second go round with this company so I knew what to expect. We did the two hour trial which was long and rocky . My horse diamond was a bit hard headed but we pulled it out. Wasn't able to go over the verde river because the water was too high . It was a nice quiet and scenic route . Biscuit was a great tour guide. read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Group of 4 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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Traveled all the way from Cali to experience this adventure and it did not disappoint! We have never rode horses before and the guides accommodate to our experience level. The views were breathtaking and the horses are very gentle. Would recommend this to EVERYONE! loved this experience! read more

I'm kicking myself for not remembering the name of the young rancher who took us out on our tour but it's quite an impressive plot of land in the middle of nowhere, and I got a great deal on Living Social that always makes me happy! I rode a rebellious little blonde horse named Claire so we definitely bonded during our 90 minute trek. There was a soundcheck going on for Darius Rucker in the background and although some of the trees are quite sad and melancholy it was cool walking up and down some varied terrain and through the water, and I must admit the whole time I just wanted to take off with Claire and gallop off into the sunset! When we drove up we saw some wild steer eyeballing my red car so that got my adrenaline pumping and we saw some wild horses as we rode along the narrow path apres arrival... I always feel bad for the beautiful stallions after a while but it just reminds me how wonderful these amazing creatures are and they deserve TLC like the rest of us... Now all I want to do is hit the beach on a free ride but I definitely recommend this place so go support your local rancher can say hi to Claire for me when you get there! read more

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Had a wonderful time on our two hour ride! It was a sunset ride and the weather was gorgeous. Biscuit was an excellent trail guide and, even though my nine and ten year old have never ridden, he made us all comfortable. My kids really loved it and now want to go back! read more

My girl friends and I scheduled a two hour horse ride here and had the pleasure of riding with Biscuit. He was an amazing tour guide - full of knowledge and ready to answer all of our questions. Both my girlfriends are real botany nerds so he had lots of questions to answer and didn't miss a beat! The ride was beautiful and I would definitely recommend the experience! read more

Had a great time with a group of 40 women! Niki was fantastic and so sweet. I really enjoyed getting to know her as she led our group on the 1.5 hour tour. I felt very safe with the group. We ran into a group of wild horses that had a baby. The wild baby got scared and got all of the trail horses wound up. The guys and Niki were able to keep the group of 20 horses calm and in order while the baby found its way back to it's wild mustang family! I am looking forward to going again. Thank you for the experience, and please let Niki know she is a lovely and inspiring young lady and will go very far in life with her positive and helpful attitude!! Thank you Jenni read more

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It was a beautiful ride and pretty inexpensive. Our guide was great. Wading through the river was an amazing experience. I wish I could do this on a daily basis. I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Phoenix! You get an amazing view of the city! read more

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Friendly guides and beautiful horses. The trail was nice except for a few areas of bee swarmed trees that we slowly walked by, but I guess that's nature. I loved riding the horses across the creek and through the water. We got to see a couple of desert owls (not sure the exact species) while on the ride too. And for a two hour ride, the price was reasonable. We will definitely book with Fort McDowell Adventures for a future trail ride. read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Preparing to cross the creek - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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This was a peaceful and pleasurable ride, and the river was a treat. My family members were visiting from NYC and couldn't stop talking about the natural beauty. The hills weren't as challenging as anticipated. Charles was a patient, informative, and entertaining tour guide. I highly recommend this experience for tourists and locals alike. read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

Best ride! I took my two daughters. The trail was beautiful and crossing the river was a blast! It was cool to see cows running next to us and on our way out we saw wild horses! read more

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It was Friday night and I went with my son, his boyfriend and some friends up to Fort McDowell Adventures for their Friday Night Franks, The boys have never been, so I was looking forward to taking them. We got their and ordered up our meal packages, we had brats & hot dogs, chips, soda, and good ole snores! The boys picked out a spot next to the fire and we began roasting our dogs, I have to say I am not very good at this, it seemed to me no matter were I moved the fire was set on trin to burn my face, but everything worked out. We ate our dogs, and made our smores. Also during Friday Night Franks was Adult Education, hell yea I signed up for some schoolin! It was a fun time; I did try tequila that almost knocked me on my ass, after that shot I was done for the night haha It was a fun time for the family and very happy to have gone, look forward to going back when its opened for the season and def going to do another Adult Education, can never get too much schoolin haha. If you haven't been out to Fort McDowell Adventures, I suggest that you give it a try! It's a fun lil place with plenty to do. read more

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Thanks to Groupon we found this place. We've been horseback riding here several times. Here's why we're big fans of this place: + It offers a nice variety of scenery....Sonoran desert & the river. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=DunzrM3nBLR2oDtAl-Mm7Q#DunzrM3nBLR2oDtAl-Mm7Q http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=svroaQz3sprtFo_MAknn8g#svroaQz3sprtFo_MAknn8g http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=LjPxuZTVu6n3nvxxrq19yg#LjPxuZTVu6n3nvxxrq19yg + You cross the river at least twice on your horse. This is fun! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=eyWGbTACzclHQ4cYxbo_YQ#eyWGbTACzclHQ4cYxbo_YQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=zd8_q00PDs1XvTRC6cGdGA#zd8_q00PDs1XvTRC6cGdGA + Horses are well kept and behave. + Speaking of horses....there's a herd of Wild Mustangs and there's a good chance you'll see them. We've seen them every time we've rode. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=Ibxb1oaR7v90R3HjbCMNCg#Ibxb1oaR7v90R3HjbCMNCg + There's a Bald Eagle's next on the trail....we've seen it twice. Once with little chicks in the nest....very cool! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=SBtivrpQUOmV1kI2XU9nyw#SBtivrpQUOmV1kI2XU9nyw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=N02pCPZPXzvMMqsllYvi8Q#N02pCPZPXzvMMqsllYvi8Q Tip - if you want to hear about the landscape and plants, try to be one of the 1st 2 horses behind the guide...otherwise, you won't hear him. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fort-mcdowell-adventures-fort-mcdowell?select=jCZxtzSr3h75hagOZR-fbw#jCZxtzSr3h75hagOZR-fbw This is a great horseback riding experience for beginners and intermediate riders....advanced riders would probably get bored. It's also a great way to experience the Sonoran Desert! Return Factor - 95% read more

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I purchased a groupon for 2 hour horseback riding for an activity for my daughter and I . We luckily made it right before all the pandemic quarantining began. There was a fairly large group being led by a guide. The ride was nice. There was also a guide following behind us to make sure the group was safe. It was a good time. I wish we coulda gone a little faster though :) read more

Fort McDowell is set in beautiful surroundings with fun for all ages! I highly recommend coming out here for one of their many party or outdoor activities. It's located on a Native American reservation so the land is truly unspoiled and is beautiful every direction you look. If you're looking to get away from "it" (the city) for a little bit or to have a little cowboy experience, this is the place to come! On Friday nights they have a family-friendly event for families to come and roast hot dogs & s'mores, watch movies outdoors, and just have fun out in nature. Once a month they have something called Adult Education, which is sooooo much fun! For $30 it's all you can drink, all you can eat, and you get to run around the desert. My fiance & I went to one and can't wait to go back for another. They have a Tequila Bus, a party bus in school bus-form, that they drive everyone out to the desert in all while doing shots and playing fun fiesta music. There is also a stationary Rum Bus with a sandy floor, delicious daiquiris and pina coladas, and fun island music. We had food catered by Bobby Q's and it was so delicious (and there were vegetarian options, too!). There are two wonderful buildings on the land for hosting parties and events, both with a very nice spanish hacienda feel to them. We were really close to having our wedding here, but ended up choosing someplace else because it's far from where we live. However if you live closer, this would be such a great wedding venue! Most of all, the people working here are genuinely nice & kind and want to make sure you're having a great time. It's a very welcoming place and I love it! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

We went to Ft McDowell Adventures to get in some horseback riding. We are not serious riders but we love to do it. The staff was great to deal with. Fortunately, we were alone on the ride with just the guide and he was great. It was a 90 minute ride and took us across the desert and down through the Verde River. Due to the drought, the river is low. We then came back up the hills and finished with a flat ride. It is obvious that the horses are well taken care of. We will be back! read more

Had a great group riding adventure. We went early day, it was beautiful, guides were really kind, and we saw a horned owl and free range livestock! read more

Fort McDowell Adventures - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Fort McDowell, Arizona

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Did the hour and a half ride with my husband and his parents and had a great time. They hadn't been on horses in years so they were thrilled. Hayden was our guide and he was really funny (he saw me coming from a mile a way and quickly realized I was an easy target, I didn't mind because I tend to think everything is funny and happen to be a bit of a smart aleck myself so bring it on ). He told us all about the landscape and the local trees/plants. We had a groupon so it was a nice, cheap experience. We even saw wild horses! Then my husband decided to take a group of people from all over the world there for a business outing (something fun they would never do otherwise). They had a great time. They came to our house later for dinner and they couldn't stop talking about how they got to be real cowboys for the day. I don't know who the guide was that day but he liked him also. They provide bottles of ice cold water that you put into little bags hanging off the saddle for the trip. This is really nice because it sure gets hot here! Hayden invited us out to try a four hour ride. Not sure if my rear could handle four hours but hey, always up for an adventure! read more

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Great experience!! I bought a groupon and it was completely worth it! I wish that I could basically go every week. It's absolutely relaxing and gorgeous. My guide was a great balance of asking questions, making conversation, but also having time for me to just take in the scenery. The horses are gorgeous and well trained. read more

3 generations of our family had a wonderful time on a 90 minute trail. Staff were awesome, friendly and knowledgeable! Our daughter lost her phone and only noticed it was missing toward end of trail ride. Staff went back on horseback and truck and found out with not a scratch on it! They went out of their way to help us! read more

Wow. This place is the real deal. The views and the ambiance were pure southwestern. I felt a calmness in my soul like this was exactly where I needed to be. Campfires, food, dancing and a full bar. The horses were gorgeous and with no city lights you could see every star. read more

Outstanding people here! They are safe, knowledgeable, and very kind. Couldn't be any happier with my experience. Planning another trip soon! read more

I highly recommend the horseback riding here! The drive out there from Phoenix was scenic. The ranch is set in a beautiful countryside. The staff are all really friendly. Our guide was super entertaining and kind. I hadn't ridden a horse since I was a kid and they made it really easy. I would definitely go back!! read more