My experience at the Double D was absolutely fantastic!…read more It was exactly what i was looking for - a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. An opportunity to kick back and ride the trail. Did i feel like a cantor, or lope? Or did i just want to do some easy walking through the woods, by the river? It was all up to me. The wrangler Lindsay was super cool, friendly and totally laid back.....precisely what i was hoping for. My horse (Cody) was an easy ride....i was comfortable in the saddle, it was a magnificent, sunny day, the river was glistening, the forest was cool and shady, and i was transplanted to another world.....i highly recommend a 2-hour ride, or longer! Good times all around...check out the Double D!

Double D's guest ranch is smack in the middle of NJ country. This place is considered 'little…read morewyoming'. It's a gorgeous ride. This is easy enough for beginners & kids. It got a little tight when we ran into another tour but that was the only hick-up. My horse was a retired race horse loser! My hubs horse was also retired but he won his owners hundreds of thousands of dollars. We actually won off of him about five or so years ago at meadowlands. There was also a real mustang there and a horse which was saved from an auction. He was on sale for $2.50 for his meat. I think the horses could be better in all but it was a lot of fun in a beautiful area of the world. It cost $65 for a two hour ride. If you would like a beautiful autumn escape, then this is your place. Note that you need a car to get to the ranch.

After 2 toxic farms in 18 months , we were concerned. Judy welcomed us with open arms. (We waited…read morefor the next shoe to drop.) The professional conduct is second to none. Our horse is top shelf. And he is treated as such. The other farms he was treated like a concentration camp. Our horse is treated like a Champion. The board fees are very reasonable and fair. We are satisfied beyond measure.

My genuine thanks and love go out to Judy & Shelly. It has…read morebeen two years since I started my animal communication work. I didn't know where to start. I knew I wanted to work with all kinds of animals, but horses held a special place in my heart. As a result of Judy & Shelly's generosity, I had the opportunity to work side by side with their horses. At first, they weren't sure what to expect, and I was ill-advised to explain the process. I have worked with many humans but never animals. A chance was taken with me, and amazing things happened. Through our work, I learned how to communicate with horses and help heal their past dramas, and Judy & Shelly's horses were able to get the help they needed. Morning Star farm is a special place. I have been to many horse farms since and I have never seen two humans care and love for their animals as much as Judy and Shelly do. They are true heroes, who have saved countless animals and their work with neurodivergent children & adults has left me speechless. The love they have for their animals and clients is endless and that is a special gift to have! Thank you, Judy & Shelly, for being my teachers of all things horses and giving back to this world in a way most people can't even imagine.

Nice experience. I went here when I was staying at Skytop Lodge for President's Day week. If was…read moremy 10-year old daughter's first time on horseback. Fortunately, my family of 3 were the only people in our time slot so it was a nice pleasant ride with a gal who's led horseback tours for many years. Since it was my daughter's first time doing this, I was overjoyed when they told us they WOULD NOT TROT their horses. It's a simple, nice and easy walk through the golf course. They said that insurance regulations don't allow for trotting, or something along those lines. Why 3 stars and not 5? Staying at Skytop, you're a fairly captive audience, and they charge you dearly for your ride. We researched pricing at other horseback riding places within about 30 to 40 minutes driving, independently owned, and they were about 25% cheaper or better. The day we checked out of Skytop, we actually decided to try horseback riding again, since my daughter had a good experience at the Lodge. We chose Sugar Mountain Carriages in Bushkill, PA. It was a good deal less expensive than Skytop, though their facilities seemed just as good as at the Lodge, and the horses as well. It was a much longer tour with the horses than we had at Skytop, and they would let the horses trot for bursts of about 10 - 30 seconds or so. We were fine with it, as it was now my daughter's 2nd time riding. At Skytop, we had one guide with us, and she was leading the pack from the front and had good control of the group. At Sugar Mountain, we had the owner up front, and an assistant of hers trailing us in the back. That was a good thing, as I was on a horse that liked to take "shortcuts", following the horse in front of it, but sometimes not following its exact footsteps, which can be risky for the rider if it decides to go under a low hanging branch or something. All in all, I suppose every place will have its pros and cons, but I feel that there's much better value to be had if you're willing to leave Skytop Lodge and go riding at an independently owned stable. Just be sure to check their reviews on Yelp.com! That's how I found Sugar Mountain.

We were visiting poconos during Christmas and wanted to do non-snow-related activities. Decided to…read moredo horseback riding at skytop lodge and must i say it was a great experience. We called ahead and made the appointment for 3pm and were asked to reach 30 min early for paperwork (waivers, etc). We reached in time to complete the forms and then took the resort shuttle to the stables (3min drive). We were given instructions, tips and do's and dont's for a couple of min after which we started off in a group of 6, led by carl. We went around the golf course for about 40 min before one of the horses decided to 'head home' on its own. It was hilarious for the rest but a bit scary for the person on that horse. We had to cut our 1 hr ride short as carl went after the stray and we all followed them back to the stables. He quickly unmounted everyone and tied up the horses in their spots. Looks like the horses are trained to follow each other in a queue (we hardly did any maneuvering) but sometimes they want to do what they feel like :). Overall a pleasant experience, would recommend it.

Great new stables that we followed my daughter's trainer of over 10 years to…read more Its very clean, the horses are happy and well cared for and the owners and staff are great! We look forward to riding here for many years to come!

I reviewed this place then we heard from an acquaintance, Jamie, was speaking poorly of my…read moregirlfriend. Speaks to character. Enough said.

I rode as a kid, but took about 10 years off after HS. I came to CRC about a year ago and I cannot…read moresay enough amazing things about the owners, the staff, and the horses. Jamie and Sarah love the horses so much and always put their health and well-being first. They're smart, compassionate and caring with their students. In less than a year, I was jumping courses and showing at their schooling shows as well as Princeton. I absolutely love CRC and would recommend it to anyone from novice to pro!

Black River County Park is full of awesome hiking trails and picnicking areas. The Black River…read moretributary which runs through the Park is one of my favorite local trout fishing destinations. The NJ State Fish & Game regularly stocks this River and anyone with a valid Fishing License and Trout Stamp can have access to this activity along the River. Disabled Veterans and Kids under 16 are allowed to Fish freely without either. Plenty of excellent sites to check out including the Nathan Cooper Gristmill, Kay Pond, The Black River, and the picturesque Waterfalls. The Mill was built in 1826 and is still in operation as one of the only remaining water powered mills that has been restored in NJ. The Park often has guided tours and you can take home stone ground flour & cornmeal that's made right on site which is pretty cool. Open Wednesday - Sunday 10 till 5 [12 till 5 Sunday]

Black River County Park has a lot going for it. It's in a convenient location right off of a county…read morehighway and is only a few minutes away from downtown Chester aka a solid handful of post-hike meal options. In terms of the actual hike, you have high quality water features, with the Black River itself and its accompanying rapids the notable highlight, along with one of my all-time favorite hike characteristics - ruins. But the positives are slightly tainted by the lack of overall maintenance, which is a shame. I came here for a 6.4-mile hike with one of my chums last Saturday. It was a nasty, humid scorcher of a day and predictably we didn't see too many brave souls out there. It was character building at least. For those familiar with the park, we took the blue trail from the mill, which more or less runs parallel to the river, following it up past the environmental center to Pottersville Road, and then took the red trail on the right down to the Black River, meeting up again with the blue trail. The first part of the hike is in a lower-lying area with a lot of muddy sections, but the park has been pretty accommodating in building a lot of little bridges to get over those parts without getting your feet sopping wet. We're also in the midst of an epic drought, which at least helps for these types of adventures - I've seen it much muddier than this. A significant portion of the trail early on takes place on top of an abandoned railroad bed, and you could see a few ancient wood pilings down the slopes here and there. All of the trail markings here were pretty decent, and you have some pleasant visuals this time of year, including Kay's Pond. Once you start climbing up toward the environmental center, the trail markings and maintenance begin deteriorating. Both of us are experienced hikers, and we had to stop several times to make sure we were actually on the right trail. There's A LOT of offshoots and obvious places where additional markers should have been painted to steer people in the right direction. As a result, we actually missed the correct path to the environmental center and basically walked parallel to it from a distance in the cornfield. Thankfully there's no tree cover there and it was easy to orient ourselves, but it shouldn't have been an issue at all. Shortly thereafter, we ended up on the wrong part of the red trail for about 10 minutes, which we were able to figure out and retrace easily, but again, the lack of helpful trail markers loomed large. Right around this area (probably not a coincidence), we kept encountering random stretches of 50 feet or so where the path was totally overgrown. It wasn't a huge deal, though we definitely had to spend a little extra time checking for ticks, but these weren't huge areas of need - you could get a county worker to come in here with a weed-wacker and take care of these sections pretty quickly. And it's not clear why the rest of the path WAS maintained. Very strange. In terms of difficulty, there are a few stretches where we were a little out of breath, but nothing crazy (we're both in decent cardio shape, so your mileage may vary). I don't want this to come off as a purely negative diatribe, because there WERE positives. The canine chum situation was one. This is usually a very popular pooch spot but the heat kept most of them away. Thankfully we encountered a delightful, freshly sheared poodle named Toffee who was very accommodating (see attached). The wildlife sightings were solid as well. My eagle-eyed chum noticed a praying mantis on the road, and we met up with a nervous garter snake as well. We've both been here before and romped around in Kay's Ruins before - a remarkably solid foundation still remains there right on the river, and it's an awesome photo opportunity. Especially with the foliage in abundance, the optics are great. Additionally, because of the length of the trails it's easy to do a hike here with decent mileage where you get a legit workout. But this park could take some lessons from nearby Hacklebarney when it comes to making this park a little more hospitable for its guests.

I highly recommend Flash Marina! Dawn was so sweet, pleasant and patient with us…read more Kurt is AMAZING, patient and incredibly helpful. He always responded immediately to my calls and went above and beyond to help us with our new boat purchase! The absolute BEST experience making a big purchase I've ever had. I'd give them 6 stars if I could!

Great crew..Cheapest Gas on the Lake. The techs know their stuff, labor is the expected price but…read morethey don't milk you. All repairs and installs are clean and through. Kurt and Bob are the best!!! The docks are a bit splintery (wear flip-flops) and bathrooms are dated. Always friendly and always willing to help and get you in the water ASAP. Also new ramp thats easy to maneuver on and off.

We had a 1 hour private lesson for my 11 year old daughter with Emily and Nibbles (the horse)…read more Emily showed her how to brush the horse, saddle, mount, steer, walk and trot. It was only $68 (a very reasonable fee) and was wonderful. My daughter loved it!

A real dump! The place looks so run down. Grass is a foot high, horses standing in mud to their…read moreknees and the staff was so rude. The owner with the red hair was late for the lessson, rushed us thru it and then left. She was so nasty! Don't waste your time or money!