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    Pacific Dunes Riding Ranch

    3.6 (123 reviews)
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    Finishing up the ride...
    William B.

    I asked a friend for a recommendation on where to go horseback riding as our own town does not offer that amenity and was met with a resounding "Oceano"! I quickly searched for 'horseback riding in Oceano' and found this place! We drove up to a neat building that looked like it was pulled out of a wild west movie and walked around till we saw a young girl tending to a horse. Immediately I was impressed on how patient she was with them, as I got her attention and let her know we were there for a 2:00pm ride. She knew our names from the booking and got us set up promptly. As she prepped the horses, she communicated every step with us, on what she was doing and why, introducing us to the horses and explaining how to mount and dismount, handling the reigns and so on. We headed out onto the trail and got the feel for or horses, two large beauties named 'Dakota' a Clydesdale and 'Sam the Man' a Belgian. As we approached different terrains of the trail, she informed us of how to maneuver and position ourselves as we navigated them, giving us the confidence to handle the massive mounts, while constantly keeping watch on our well being and safety. The trail included roads under canopies of trees, streams, slight hills, sandy beaches and worn walkways to and from. It was a steady and comfortable pace throughout. Though there seemed to be hints for a little more adventure and speed, we abstained as it had been over 30 years since I last rode, and my company's first. The entire trip was pleasant from first mount to dismount. The conversations, the education, the temperament and different personalities of the horses, the variety of trails, the ride time and pace all made for a wonderful memories. I highly recommend horseback riding with Pacific Dunes Ranch! (NOTE: There is a shortage of staff which we were notified from the first conversation over the phone. Be patient when reserving and getting set up and you will have a wonderful time!)

    Fantastic view
    Melvin S.

    Awesome place. Unforgettable moments. Fun place for kids to play and slide. About a mile away from ocean

    The chorale.
    Cary C.

    Came here for my first horseback riding experience. My wife had some previous experience back in Illinois and I definitely wanted to try it here. We were very fortunate to book a last minute Saturday ride at 11:30 am the day before. The reservation process was very easy. We showed up early to check in and get set up. The location was easy to find and all the staff were very polite and laid back. They gave us information and tips about what to bring and expect, no surprises or hassles. Everyone gets set up with their horse assignments and given us a quick but thorough tutorial on how to ride our horses. The cool part was that each horse has his or her own personality so we all got a different flavor. My horse Cedar was a little sleepy when we started, then she woke up and you could sense her style of staying up in the group as the tour went on. Our guide was great, explaining things along the way and checking on us as we progressed. The path was beautiful, with beach trail, sand dunes, tall grass trails and this tree canopy. It made for some dramatic photos and scenery. Our guide also gave us some great tips about what else to visit, we wouldn't have known about Avila Beach and the piers there. Props! Definitely check this place out if you can!

    Horses relaxing before the ride
    Nicole W.

    We were in town for Memorial Day Weekend and wanted to go horseback riding and it seems this is the only place in town! It's not a far distance from central Pismo but it is a bit of a drive so plan accordingly. The stable is actually right next to an RV park with access to the dunes, so I would recommend arriving early or staying after to walk over to the dunes to explore and grab a few pictures. We went in the morning and the dunes weren't busy at all. Make sure you call ahead and make an appointment - they were not accommodating for rescheduling at all! Probably because it was a holiday weekend but apparently this place gets busy. I would recommend going on a weekday if you can. And make sure to call ahead - they have weird scheduling which was problematic for our group. You check in at the stables and wait for your group, then you're assigned a horse. They have a few dogs running around the area. Parking is all dirt lot in front of the stable. As I'm sure they'll tell you when you book, make sure you wear closed toed shoes and I would recommend jeans. Wear sunscreen if it's sunny too - a lot of the trail is exposed. Guides are super sweet and accommodating - I've ridden before but all the first timers were helped and supported. We took a secluded path through the forest and onto the beach. The beach was pretty busy and we didn't get to stop for any pictures at all along the trail which was my main disappointment. It's hard to take out your phone while riding. They did offer to take our picture at the end luckily! Overall we had a good experience but an opportunity to take pictures with the beautiful scenery would have been nice, and it was a bit difficult to communicate and secure a booking.

    It's lit
    Steven C.

    Here for a camping trip during Memorial Day weekend. This place is super packed right now. A lot of trucks and atv's active on the beach and the strip behind the camping sites. Kind of hard to get a nap in during the day with all the activity. I've never camped on the beach like this before but the sand is EVERYWHERE!! Tent, clothes, private regions, and vehicles lol. Unfortunately I tried to be sneaky and use a day pass for a overnight stay and woke up with a ticket of $300 given to me at 4:45AM. But parking on the street is scarce so I was forced to be untruthful. The water is super cold due to the overcast and I love how close we are to the beach. Just a little dangerous for the kids because they like to cross to the beach which is also the path for atv's and trucks.

    Off the beaten path through a not so nice part of town. Grouchy old tattooed man running the place. On arrival learned they had ridiculous low weight limits on riders. I'm an average big and tall guy and was told I couldn't ride. Been around horses a long time, they had a big horse I could have obviously riden. Skip this dump

    Erik L.

    Loved this! We were up in SLO and Pismo for a few days and just wanted to do something fun and different for the kids. This fit the bill. GOOD: 1. For the four of us, whose cumulative horseback experience starts and ends with the word carousel, these guys (actually girls) made it really easy. 2. The scenery was awesome. It's not a straight line there and back. It's a huge circle taking you on a dirt road, to the beach, and then back through the dunes, and then a foresty type terrain with short little dips and gullies. 3. Although the majority of the ride was more or less a slow walk, we did pick up the speed a bit at the end - just enough to make us laugh. 4. We got a lot of good pictures. I brought my DSLR camera (shorten the strap so it sits high enough so as to not hit the hand thingy on the saddle) and my phone (they say to tuck it into your pants at the waist) and took a million pics. The guide also took some pics (using my camera) midway on the beach, and at the end at the barn. BAD: 1. If you want to hear the guide you need to be on one of the two front horses. I read reviews that said the guide was funny and informative, but as we were the back four out of six, I heard literally nothing all day. (They put the two experienced riders up front by the guide, and the horse challenged riders in the back.) UGLY: 1. Bugs! Nasty blood sucking vampire bugs. Maybe it's not all the time, but when we went, in April, it was like World War Z nasty. Solution: They key word is LONG. Wear a LONG sleeved shirt or light jacket, LONG pants, and LONG socks. It was a hot day so I left my jacket in the car and I had short socks. I was eaten alive. When I woke up the next morning, I had 10-15 giant welts on both arms, and 5-10 on each ankle. Dress LONG, and you'll be fine.

    We had a wonderful time horseback riding on vacation in August 2014

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    2 months ago

    Very kind family. Beautiful horses. Well organized. Bring carrots to feed the horses.

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    2 years ago

    they don't answer the phone bro how do you book website don't even have anywhere for you to book

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    4 years ago

    Great horses and the ladies are wonderful Beautiful scenery to see and the wildlife is amazing! Highly recommended a must !

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    7 years ago

    Amazing place! My daughter and I rode horses here and had the time of our life's. We are looking forward to another ride here.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Pacific Dunes Riding Ranch

    How much is it to do horse back riding?

    I think we paid 75 buck for a little over an hour. Was worth it.

    How much is it to rent horses and how long is rental ? Also is there a guided tour?

    Is Pacific Dunes Riding Ranch open?

    View All 6 Questions

    Review Highlights - Pacific Dunes Riding Ranch

    Besides that little mishap, we had a very enjoyable ride and the scenery was amazing, so much to see!

    Mentioned in 20 reviews

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    Oceano County Campground

    Oceano County Campground

    (16 reviews)

    This was my first time camping, and we chose to book a county-ran campground at Oceano. I wish I…read morehad done my research a bit more and booked a larger site, but I didn't realize that our site was the smallest. The campground comes with a picnic table, fire pit, water hook up, and electricity outlets. There's also a restroom that's somewhat maintained, for showers and toilet use. Showers are $1 for 3 minutes, but there are no coin exchange machines, so be sure to bring your own quarters. Also note, that showers are only operating from 10am-6pm. It gets pretty loud at night, with tons of frogs and birds calling, but hey, that's nature! If you're looking to do tent camping, this probably isn't the best spot. Most people around us were all RV camping, and we definitely felt very out of place. Probably wouldn't do this spot again, but it's close enough to a lot of shops in case you forget something and need to go out. If we had more time, we'd probably explore the area a little more, but the campsite itself was okay.

    I don't know why this campground has such negative reviews. This is such a great little campground…read morethat is walking distance to the ocean and the dunes where you can have bonfires, go ATVing, or just go walk on the beach to catch the sunset. We enjoyed an evening here, playing games having a bonfire and then walking to the beach to watch the sunset. They have a good amount of RV spots, and can fit 40ft rigs. They also have ample bathrooms and showers available! Great campground!

    Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground

    Pacific Dunes Ranch Campground

    (92 reviews)

    Rough, run down facilities, lack of maintenance down right to the campsites. Plenty of "extended…read morestay" trailers. I would say a mix between people that work in the area looking for cheap housing and permanent trailers that never leave. I counted three trailers that All had expired registration by more than a few years. The trailer next to us at the end of Bakersfield street had 2022 tags and was completely unkept and a eyesore The man living there had an expired vehicle in his parking spot. There's also only about 6 to 7 feet worth of room between the trailers on Bakersfield, which is absolutely ridiculous and not even to standard code of 10 feet. The place just seems ran down with transient activity in the area.

    This RV park has its benefits and drawbacks. Some of the good:…read more1. Location. It is on the dunes and you have access. But its not close to the ocean. So don't think you will camp here and walk to the beach or even to any stores. 2. The hook ups are nice. Bring your own fire ring. 3. I personally thought the staff was great. I saw one staff member correcting a camper- but they deserved it and I am very glad they actually will say something. 4. Your Verizon coverage "can" work but is dependent on the number of people that are using it in the area. Thats not the campgrounds fault. Verizon works great until a million others log on. 5. Horseback riding available. The not so good: 1. Cramped! You are in here like sardines. 2. Not the easiest to get in or out. 3. Its possible to smell the sewage in certain places around the clubhouse. Yuck! 4. The neighbors are close. Really close. You will hear the music and conversations. They weren't bad at all, but be aware. 6. No fire rings. 7. Some of the permanent residents are like sanford and son. You will see some of that. This place isnt bad. Its not great. If they revamped the place and gave it a complete makeover with larger sites and fewer people- I would pay a lot of money to stay here.

    Margarita Adventures - Three generations zipping.

    Margarita Adventures

    (381 reviews)

    Such a fun experience at Santa Margarita Ranch Ziplining! The adventure honestly starts the minute…read moreyou arrive. You check in at the main office downtown, then hop on a tour bus to the ranch property. Our driver was super informative and entertaining along the way. The drive itself felt like part of the experience with bumpy ranch roads, multiple gates, gorgeous scenery, and a real behind the scenes feel of the property. Once you arrive, the staff gets you geared up with all the safety equipment and everyone was incredibly friendly, professional, and great with all ages. After gearing up, you take an old Army style jeep up the mountain and that ride alone was an adventure Super rickety, steep, and fun! We felt very safe the entire time because before every single zip line, the staff carefully checked everyone's safety gear and connections. There are 6 zip lines total and each one is different with spectacular views that change throughout the course. One thing to know is that you should be in reasonably good shape because there are mini hikes between some of the zip lines. There are lots of water stations along the course, which was great, but the experience is definitely active and you do not want to hold up the group. Totally worth it though and such a memorable Central Coast adventure for families, couples, teens, and adventurous kids!

    Super friendly. Super professional(s). 6 zip lines! And of…read morecourse, Super fun! Kids are welcome. Under 100 lbs, your little rider must go tandem on 3 (they can go alone on the other 3)

    Sunbuggy Fun Rentals - Dune buggy

    Sunbuggy Fun Rentals

    (2.7k reviews)

    Amazing experience, Staff is very experienced…read more Fun and safe and family oriented you get to drive on the beach.

    DO NOT RENT with Sun Buggy. They will steal your deposit! They did NOT return our full deposit…read more$500 and they charged $500 to another family that rented the same morning. They stole $1000 from us. I got a group of friends together for my birthday to go ride in the dunes on Dec. 20 2025. We called the day before and rented 3 Atvs for 2 hours, and another family we were with rented 5 Atvs for 2 hrs. We thought they would have solid safe vehicles for us to use since we signed the day before. After an hour my friends ATV broke down, and the other family had 2 Atvs break down. One of the Atvs was 50ft away from being returned and the guy was driving 5 mph and the belt broke on his ATV. And they CHARGED US BOTH $500! We had ordered all of these ATVs the day before so we could get the "early special". But instead Sunbuggy walked away with $1000+the cost of rentals for two families which was also well over $1000. They charged our friends family $500 on the spot and a week later charged us $500 on my credit card basically not returning the deposit and claiming we also broke the belts on there ATVs after riding them for one hour!? One ATV they claimed the family broke had a child on it going very slow the whole time. I am hoping to file a joint lawsuit and or get the news/ police involved with this company. They are clearly stealing people's money and making the county of San Luis Obispo look bad for allowing these scams to happen to so many families. This type of business will make people never want to return to Pismo Beach. That's bad business for the community, not just looking bad for Sunbuggy. Also there was another man in line trying to get his $500 deposit back from the day before and they told him to call there non existent 1-800 number as a joke. Clearly this company is scamming people and should be held accountable. How long will they go on like this until someone goes to jail?

    Steve's ATV Rentals

    Steve's ATV Rentals

    (1k reviews)

    Rented from Steve's ATV and had a great experience from start to finish. The service was quick,…read moreclear, and super straightforward: no confusion, no hassle, and no issues at all. They explained everything well, got us checked in fast, and made the whole process easy. The ATV ran perfectly the entire time. No mechanical problems, no weird noises: it handled the dunes like a champ. The dunes themselves were so much fun and the ride was smooth and powerful the whole time. You can tell they maintain their equipment well. Overall, everything went exactly how it should. Good service, good machines, good vibes. Definitely coming back next time I'm in the dunes.

    We had a great time. I had never done this before and it was exciting and nerve racking…read more Overall I have minimal feedback. 1) we waited on the beach for an hour to be picked up. We didn't get picked up until we called after 1 hour. 2) the checkout process was a little confusing with the waivers. I think it could have been explained a little clearer but there was a lot of paperwork and a lot of info to take in at one time. We thought we understood the waiver deposit was fully refundable but when all was said and done we were charged an extra $100 when we would have just made the full deposit. And so that part was confusing and slightly off putting. Back to the positive. The car we got worked perfectly. I recommend coming in Feb the off season. We basically had the place to ourselves. It's exciting!

    Pacific Dunes Riding Ranch - horsebackriding - Updated June 2026

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