We are out-of-towners who were in the area to ride bikes, so finding the local bike shop was…read morepriority number one. I love when the local bike shop is *truly* a LOCAL bike shop, and not some generic conglomerate that has hired locals. We got so many excellent recommendations on where to ride, what to look out for, and any setup changes we should make based on our individual setups. For those who didn't bring bikes, renting bikes was quick and painless. They took the time to get us dialed in before we were off to ride. The merch was top-notch. My only (very minor) disappointment was that the green hat that I bought to match the jersey I also bought was a children's hat. I missed that at time of purchase and didn't realize it until we were back at our rental for the night. It's okay, I brought it back the next day and they were cool about it and let me swap my kids hat for a different adult-size hat, even though they didn't have any green adult hats. I wish we had a few extra days in the area, I would have loved to join some of the local group rides that seem to meet here to ride regularly. We did eat lunch here one of the days. It was so nice to eat outside. There was a good flow of people in and out, but it didn't feel overwhelmingly busy. We had a group of 8, and yet everything arrived just as quickly as we ordered it. I had a crunch wrap. It felt like a lot of food, but it hit the spot. If I find myself back in the area, I will definitely visit again. Highly recommend.

Ranch Camp is a cool little restaurant and bicycle repair shop combo -- for real! I just wish the…read morefood was as good as the overall vibe and the amazing service we received. Let's start with what we enjoyed during our visit: the drinks were good... the atmosphere was cool (more like a contemporary "cabin" vibe, which was definitely inviting)... and the staff were all stellar!! Where Ranch Camp let us down on this visit was the food. In fact, we desperately wanted to love the experience because everything LOOKED fantastic. However, all the food we ordered was bland. It all started with the pork nachos, which our party of 3 ordered as an appetizer. It was piled high and dripping with ingredients... but the dish completely lacked flavor. The pork was perfectly tender but tasted flavorless (until I added hot sauce and salt). I would also recommend they serve the dish with pico de gallo or salsa to boost the flavor. We had the same feeling with the burrito bowls. Two of us ordered different burritos (opting for bowls instead of tortillas), and we both thought the flavor was just okay. And on top of that, both of our bowls were lukewarm. In fact, the entrées weren't even hot enough to melt the cheese. I wish I would have sent the food back, but we were in a bit of a hurry. Finally, my friend James ordered the Chicken Quesadilla, which he also thought was "just okay." Oh, and we noted that a table near us sent back food... so not sure what was up with that, but we we weren't surprised based on our overall experience. Final Thoughts: Prior to visiting Ranch Camp, I read plenty of reviews praising the restaurant, so I'd like to think that they were just having a bad day.

One of my favorite places to stop when I am in the Upper Valley area. Feeding the alpacas is fun,…read moreand I love being able to buy yarn that tells me which animal it came from, and being able to meet that animal. A special place that you can bring home special memories from. Delightful ornaments, garments, socks, gloves, hats, toys, yarn, wool, crafting kits, and little souvenirs.

It is such a cute place. You could spend 30 minutes to an hour here. Maybe more if you want to…read morevisit the other shops. We all loved the alpacas and the owner said they were all rescued too!!

We just went again last weekend. The rest of the extended family went four years ago and I didn't…read moremake it, but I did go to the ranch eight years ago for the reunion. It was great. The new lodge that was built after the fire several years ago is gorgeous. I highly recommend this place for a nice experience in a beautiful setting in the Adirondacks.

Been going every year since 2005. Staff and facilities are great. You'll never be hungry.read more

It's under new management. I had a great time with my family here! There were many different…read moreactivities and I especially liked the kayaking and horseback riding. The trail ride leaders were very helpful. All of the staff were pleasant and customer service oriented. The food was great! I highly recommend a long or short stay. We met many people who were returning guests.

This had to be the bottom two of the places I have been. The bathroom was like camping. The shower…read morehad no water pressure and was a tin box. The housekeeping was non existent they pulled the quilt over the dirty sheets which were in a wad. The restaurant had one choice and no children's menu and was very overpriced. The playground was strewn with garbage. I was very disappointed since Groupon made it sound so great. I would wait before I ever put my vacation money into this rodeo

According to their website there are atleast 4 different rooms, including private cabins. The…read morewebsite also lists the kind of horse centric and non horse centric activities available. Pricing for accommodations is per person and includes one ride per person per day as well as 3 meals a day and all of the non horse activities on-site. If what's on-site wasn't enough to fill your time, the ranch is about a 20 minutes drive from Lake George as well as hiking. Gorgeous setting - the property is nestled along the banks of the Hudson River and the shadows of the Adirondacks. The stables and paddocks lay on side of the road under the shadows of the mountain. The accommodations, saloon, dining hall, basketball court, horse show pits, pools, beach, kayak launch and main office are on the Hudson River side. Our room had recently been renovated as the smell of newly hewn pine would attest to. The country cabin vibe was clean and the bed/ pillows were very comfortable. It also had a mini fridge, cable, WiFi and flat screen TV. It has a cute little porch attached with seating out front for 4 to watch your kids or just enjoy the view and sounds of nature. Meals are: 9a Breakfast 1p Lunch 6:30p Dinner We were there for 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts and a lunch. The food was great! Soda bar is available for refills as well pitchers of water and juice for breakfast and of course coffee and tea. * I'm not sure how it works for kids, I'm sure the Chef would work with you to get something they would like as he asked us. TIP: Bring snacks and additional drinks and keep in your in room fridge if you need. There's some gas stations and convenience stores in Lake George you can pick up some things of you feel like you or your group may need more. The stables are fine enough. There are helmets available, we brought our own. The horses are kept herd style and are grouped mainly in one big pasture. They bring in just the horses they need and switch them out as needed. The hands have the horses tacked and waiting for you, so make sure you come on time or even a bit early. TIP: The larger the group the more time wasted getting everyone on a horse and it'll start eating into your ride time. The first ride - NO MATTER WHAT BOX YOU CHECKED- is an assessment to see where you're riding skills and horsemanship are at. They try to find you a horse suitable based on what you rated your skill level and observe your riding up and down slight hills and the trails in general at a walk and trot. After that ride, the barn manager will let you know what types of rides they feel comfortable you can do next. There is a lead guide and another hand in the rear of the group. - A fast ride- which is the same as the first ride with loping/cantering and more aggressive steeper hills. If you want more rides - for an additional fee you can take lessons, work cattle, take a several hour trail ride or even cross the Hudson and trail ride more! The horses used for trail riding are atleast shod in the front if not all 4. With the rockiness, brush, hills and sticks it's important to keep their feet healthy. We got there extra early and they allowed us to brush our horses and assist them in tacking them as well. Obviously, this is only possible when there isn't a lot of other guests otherwise you could just be in the way. Everyone in the stables was knowledgeable of our horses personal quirks and how best to communicate to them..this horse listens better to neck rein vs plow rein or leg pressure vs reins. Shout out to Baby and Black Jack! We had a total of 3 rides - the assessment, a fast ride and a longer fast ride and used the same horses as we seemed to fit well with their personalities. But, if you wanted to try a different horse let them know - they would do their best to accommodate. You get one ride per nights stay per person, if you want more tell the barn manager and they will tell you what time and you would just pay the front desk. The owner is on premises the entire time. Staff everywhere were friendly, asked how our stay was going and if they could do anything to make it better...and on my birthday at dinner they had gotten me some pretty flowers, card signed by all the ranch team and even a piece of gluten free cake!!! SUPER thoughtful, sweet and made my day! The current owner has had the property for a year and has been working on improvements. The pools outside and some of the rooms/cabins are going through renovations currently. The indoor pool area was ok, we couldn't find the lights, but there was enough natural light from the windows to see.. but the hot tub was more like a Luke warm tub so hopefully that's on the list soon to update.

This is a beautiful and peaceful property! You could sit on the deck all day with not a worry in…read morethe world. We went there specifically for the horseback riding. The people at the barn were very friendly and helpful. The trails could have been a little clearer, but it was still an enjoyable ride. There are many other activities you could do, like kayaking, hiking, ziplining, jungle rope, three pools, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, and more. The main lodge was a log cabin, with beautiful views and a couple of fireplaces. I had expected the decor inside to be more rustic (Yellowstone-ish), but some areas were not, which was a little disappointing. The food was nicely presented and delicious. But the time it took from ordering to actually getting the food was very long. The meals, I thought, were pricey for what you got. Also, there are two different menus. Ours was the same 3 or 4 entrees for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for the entire 4-day stay. We went off the property for a couple of meals to have something different. There is a gift store on the property, which is in great need of a facelift. The people who work there were very nice and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. Check-in and check-out were easy.

Great place for trail rides! Rebecca is amazing, super friendly, and the trails in the mountains…read morewere beautiful! She was also great for the first-time riders among us. So much fun! She also trains a lot of teenagers to help out, and they're very sweet.

Rebecca is amazingly friendly and courageous and it is definitely worth every moment. Hugs to allread more

Grew up coming here every 4th of July for vacation. Love the place , from horse back riding to the…read morepond with its geese and ducks and the horse corral near the entrance .

They have shut down for the summer. We have our daughter's wedding in July and all our guests that…read morewere traveling from all over the country had reservations. As well as a band we hired for an after hour party there. They did not have the decency to ever speak with us. They just started cancelling everyone's reservations a month before the wedding. We had to drive up there and find out from a construction worker. To this day there has never been any communication. Very unprofessional and unethical. If they reopen I would never trust that they will be dependable. Terrible to deal with. Only giving a star because I have to. DO NOT STAY HERE!!

John was awesome! So knowledgeable and took us horse riding rookies through a nice and easy path…read more The horses were so sweet and their extensive training was apparent. Kohn went out of his way to get us some nice pictures as well! Such a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Without a doubt the best riding experience I've had yet! I took my girlfriend (a very experienced…read morerider) and myself (very little experience) on the Advanced Ride as a gift. John was an awesome guide, super cool super nice guy who gave me a lot of great pointers on how to improve my riding and offered lots of encouragement along the way. He helped me work my way up to a canter--my first time ever--and we all had a lot of fun! Even while we were hitching our horses at the end of the ride, my gf and i were already talking about when we were coming back. The nature scenes and mountain views were stunning, and John and his staff were so helpful and welcoming (Ruger the ranch dog was especially welcoming)! I can't recommend this place enough!

This is a review of the rodeo at Pond Hill Ranch, held on Saturday nights each week for ten weeks…read morein the summer. It was an enjoyable rodeo with a variety of events, skilled competitors, an announcer who continually explained what was going on, and a friendly crowd of all ages including well-behaved children. On the night we went, the events included bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and a ranching event that I'd never seen elsewhere. In the ranching event, a trailer was driven onto the field, a team of three cowboys on horseback had to single out a tagged cow from the herd and lasso it, the cowboys had to convince the lassoed cow to get into the trailer, then they had to persuade one of their horses to do the same, and after securing the trailer's rear gate they had to pile into the truck and honk the horn to stop the timer. As the announcer explained, this event was designed to replicate real elements of a working ranch, and the competitors were professional cowboys doing ranch work at Pond Hill full-time. The bleachers filled up with about 1000 spectators, so we were glad we arrived early because there was no assigned seating, but even people who arrived after the start of the event found places to sit. There were concession stands with typical fairground food, but we didn't try any because we brought a picnic dinner. There were no picnic tables, so we ate in the grassy parking area before the event, but most people ate in the bleachers. There were several port-a-johns, though for a crowd this size ideally there should have been twice as many, and there was also a shop selling horse tack, cowboy apparel, and similar items. The seating was in open-air bleachers with no protection from rain or sun, so fortunately the weather was ideal when we went. The parking in the grassy fields went smoothly, guided by two cowboys on horseback directing each car where to park, and the departing traffic after the rodeo flowed pretty smoothly as well, helped by the fact that the spectators were a courteous crowd. This was a wholesome, family-friendly event and a wonderful reminder that America's ranching and cowboy heritage is found nationwide, not just out West.

Our four teenagers went on a trail ride and raved about the experience. The views were amazing, the…read morestaff shared a lot of interesting information about the area. The adults regretted not tagging along. In August we also attended the rodeo and everyone had an amazing time. The community was so welcoming and the rodeo was very well organized. We will be back often.

Hi I'm Eliana Miller and Painted Blessings Ranch Is amazing All staff is great and horses trained…read moreand amazing care They do lessons and have a couple BEAUTIFUL horses for sale! I very much suggest this Ranch!

PBR is a lovely farm about 15 minutes from Concord, NH, and is home to some top quality registered…read morePaint horses. They offer riding lessons, boarding, training and mare care at this immaculate facility. They do also have a few beautiful horses for sale. The owners are super-nice, and the horses are extremely well cared-for. I highly recommend this farm!