Knob Hill Ranch

My friend and I randomly stopped by this beautiful ranch (found it through Unilocal). We didn’t call in advance but Don still made time to go on a 2.5 hours trail ride with us. They picked quarter horse Suzy for me (depending on riding experience) and I fell in love with her! We actually went into the Joshua Nationalpark (the only ranch who is allowed to do that); the views were amazing and the paths we took were great! Not a boring trail at all, but you don’t have to be scared at any time. I trusted my horse and Don as well, who told us many cool things about the park.
Natalia is from Germany, like I am, and they shared a lot of interesting stories with us. At the end of the day, and after a great conversation and lots of laughter, we had to leave — although we did not want to…
All in all: it is a beautiful place you shouldn’t miss out! You’re safe at any time, no matter if you’re a beginner or an advanced horseback rider. Great, laid-​back people and so many amazing animals having their own story at this ranch. We want to come back as soon as possible! Thanks for everything
— Carolin

Unsere Familie hat im Juni 2015 einen Ausritt mit der Crew von der Knobhill Ranch unternommen.
Wir wurden super nett empfangen und aufgrund unserer extrem unterschiedlicher Reiterfahrung (von absolut null Erfahrung bis einige Jahre Westernreiten) wurde für jeden das richtige Pferd gesucht — und auch gleich gefunden. Nach einer intensiven Einweisung und einigen Runden in der Koppel, begann dann der dreistündige Ausritt in den Joshua Tree Park.
Es war ein tolles Erlebnis und hat extrem viel Spaß gemacht. Beeindruckend war vor allem, dass es eben nicht nur ausschließlich auf einer gerade Strecke voran ging, sondern es auch schmale und leicht ausgesetzte Stellen gab. Ebenso gab es einige steilere An– und Abstiege, so dass auch ein wenig Abenteuergefühl aufkam. Aber alles selbst für einen blutigen Anfänger einfach zu bewerkstelligen — dafür wurde ja auch das entsprechende Pferd ausgesucht. Für uns alle war es definitiv ein Highlight unseres Urlaubs.
Die Atmosphäre war zu jeder Zeit extrem entspannt und gerne wären wir auch noch ein wenig längern geblieben.
FAZIT: Definitiv empfehlenswert! Und auch für Menschen mit wenig/​kaum Reiterfahrung geeignet. Allerdings sollte man wirklich früh morgens los wenn man die Chance steigern möchte Tiere im Park zu sehen. Und noch ein Tipp: Nicht überschätzen — mehr als eine 3 Stunden Tour würde ich niemanden empfehlen der es nicht gewohnt ist auf einem Pferd zu sitzen.

We loved our weekend at Knob Hill! We stayed at the guest house Friday and Saturday night and did the 1.5 hour sunset ride on Sat. We had 2 couples and 3 dogs… we all had a fabulous time! We slept on the pull out couch which was surprisingly comfortable! (Our friends slept in the bedroom and also thought the bed was comfortable) The guest house is adorable and has everything you need! Natalia was gone but Don and Barbara were fabulous! Great hosts and very helpful in the coral with 4 not very experienced riders! They set you up with the horse that will suit your ability and give plenty of practice time. Then we hit the trail to ride into the park. It was a beautiful ride, lots of laughs and we got time to stop and take photos. We went to Pappy and Harriets for dinner on Friday, listened to a fun band and had a good meal. Great weekend and we would highly recommend it! Thank you Don and Barbara, we will definitely be back!

This place is magical. I can’t wait to go back.
All the horses are super well-​trained with natural horsemanship methods, so they’re happy, healthy, and love going out on the trail. My boyfriend doesn’t have much riding experience but Phoenix took excellent care of him and he had a great time. I rode Turbo, who was just as well-​behaved but had a little more pep. We enjoyed a two hour trail ride with magnificent views of the valley and wildlife. The next day was too windy for trail riding, so we stayed in the arena and had the BEST lesson I’ve ever had. It was challenging and fun, never dull for a second. My riding improved dramatically in an hour.
The guest house was comfy and had a nice patio for watching the sunset. Natalia and Don are lovely, laid-​back people and they’re happy to share lots of great stories if you feel like hanging out and drinking some beers!

My girlfriend and I stayed at this ranch for 3 nights. We rented the Guesthouse through Airbnb. We loved our stay at this ranch. Natalia and Don are superb hosts and the guest house was private and a joy to stay at. We greatly enjoyed riding the horses. Natalia and Don were great teachers and ensured our safety. The scenery was magnificent. We will definitely repeat.

This fabulous husband and wife team are the ONLY people licensed to horse back ride through Joshua Tree so if your looking for a unique personal horse riding experience then this is for you!
You are given time in the arena with the horse you are riding before hand so you can familiarize yourself with your horse. This is great for all abilities you would still enjoy this if you are not experienced with horses as they have horses and trails for all levels.
My partner and I opted for a 4 hour trial guided by the husband and wife of the ranch, the trail was beautiful and we had spectacular views along the way.
I highly recommend this to everybody who would like to embrace the beauty of some of the protected parts of Joshua Tree you may not otherwise see.
One last thing ALL the horse at this ranch are super sweet and have their own personalities, if your not a horse lover before you WILL be after!