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duration: Six Day Ride
Length: 130 km/ 80 miles
costs: Own Catering $2200 / Full Catering $2.695
This riding journey offers fit and conditioned riders a unforgettable week on horseback. Our well conditioned performance horses will take riders on a adventurous expedition trough some remote and spectacular Southern California landscape surroundings.
Six spectacular Day Rides in panoramic California
Come and spend six riding days, seven nights on a 130 km prime trail through majestic Southern California. Nature enthusiast will love this one, ride mountains and desert’s. Encounter California’s pristine backdrops trekking along rugged, long mountain ridges and remote, colored desert trails!
Your last day ride takes you trough a remote desert on a full moon! We find also some opportunities during some sections to go for a canter.
Riders can be if they wish to be hands on: tack and untack, wash and take care their own horses, before and after the rides. Also they are welcome help with feeding, trimming, or participate in other horse related activity’s.
We, at Running Horse Ranch, are proud to offer our guests this fine selections of spectacular rides, trekking with you through an beautiful native Southern California landscape.
You want to see some of California’s nature backdrops in detail, this is the ride for you! This particular ride can be very hard on horse and rider, since it covers lots of miles/km running over technical terrain, and on some parts unmaintained trail sections. Rearly runs this trail straight (except riding through the desert), it twist and turns up and down, it guides us trough the typical California landscape! Your muscles can be challenged! Riders need to be arriving fit, and the riding hours stretching according to footing, weather, and condition of riders and horses. The last ride takes you in a magical white desert, while following the full moon!
We offer a full catering, with exceptions of restaurant visits.
- 1 Day Arrival at the ranch, and hopefully still meet and ride your horse in our arena
- 2 Day Pacific Crest Trail to Burnt Peak Warm up, 20km
- 3 Day Bear Camp 20km
- 4 Day Hollywoods Movie Sets 12km
- 5 Day Blue Mountain Ridge Ride 24 km
- 6 Day White Mountain Sky Tour 30 km
- 7 Day Death Valley 30 km
- 8 Day Departure
The details of the individual riding days can be found under the picture gallery
Day 1
Arrival or Pick Up from Airport
If there is still time riders meet their horse in the arena. Riders will work the horses on the ground and watch a riding demonstration, before mounting. After a warm up in the arena we take our guests out for a short ride on the trails.
Our wilderness ranch trails offer the possibility of a mix of walk, trots, canters, climbing, riding switchbacks up and down, passing through ravine and dry river beds on our inviting hill sides. You'll enjoy fantastic views all around, while exploring our rugged training track.
You have a great opportunity to test you horse, for the coming riding days.
Day 2
Pacific Crest Trail to Burnt Peak Trail Ride
After saddling our horses we climb up the mountain to 5210 feet elevation. Enjoy long stretches of trotting on the Pacific Crest Trail, riding through ancient forests, crossing scenic meadows, while dramatic panoramic views follows all around. We drop back down on the fire road at the waiting horse trailer at Bushnell Summit parking lot.
Afterwards we head over to a local restaurant for a lunch.
Day 3
Baer Camp/ 20 km
Our ride begins with a slow warm up trot, to prepare our horses muscles for a long, steep 5,750 feet elevation climb. Arrived on the ridge, the horses get a moment, to catch they're breath. From here we heading to the trail head of the world famous Pacific Crest Trail, climbing another two challenging miles. Breathtaking, scenic views will encounter us from all around!
Ride the coming four miles skilled, confident, athletic, horse riders can be challenged if they wish, while zipping at a trot on this very winding, bending, hilly up and down wilderness path. In addition riders will have to look out for upcoming branches. Bending balanced over the horse neck, side wards, or leaning back over your mount is required, to avoid sometimes the bushy branches. Most of our guest riders will break here a sweat!
For riders which prefer to take it easy, we just enjoy this beautiful, breathtaking trail at a walk, mixed up with some short trotting sessions here and there to cover miles a little faster.
A deserved break will be taken in Bear Camp! Afterwards we head back on the PCT.
Lunch at the ranch.
Day 4
Hollywoods Movie Set Location
After loading our horses this morning in to the trailer, we enjoy a scenic drive passing typical American Ranch country side!
Arrived at the world famous film location, let's explore the stunning rock formations, created by a long evolution from earthquake activity of the San Andreas Fault Line. Those bizarre looking giant stone's, appearing in many Hollywood Movies, Television Shows and Commercials.
The views are impressive, breathtaking through the ears of our horses. The twisting and turning, up and down switching back and forth trail, ask for a strong and sure footed horse. Scenery is breathtaking, and will you not leave unimpressed.
After this ride we pausing at a American diner for a late lunch.
Day 5
Blue Mountain Ridge Ride 24km
Our ride begins with a slow warm up trot, to prepare our horses muscles for a long, steep elevation gain- up to 5800 feet. Experience a California sunrise, while climbing up the Manzanita Mountain on Running Horse Ranch. Arrived half way on the ridge, horses get a moment to catch they're breath. From here we heading to the trail head of the world famous Pacific Crest Trail, climbing another two challenging miles. Impeccable breathtaking, scenic views hugging us from all around! You'll feel to be on top of the world.
On to the coming two miles- balanced, confident, athletic, horse riders can be challenged if they wish, while zipping at a trot on this very winding, bending, hilly, up and down wilderness path. In addition riders will have to look out for upcoming branches. Bending balanced over the horse neck, side wards, or leaning back of your mount is required, to avoid sometimes the bushy branches. Most of our guest riders will break here a sweat!
Depending on the footing, we continue our ride, at a walk or trot, through oak forests, and crossing magical meadows. You'll be enjoying stunning views across the Mohave Desert to the Tehachapie Mountains, and Los Padres National Forest. With some luck we maybe finding the possibility to watch some wildlife like deer, coyote or mountain lion.
The last four miles we descent to Sandberg.
Arriving at historical Sandberg, we untack our horses, offer them water, allow them to roll, and load them in the trailer. Before we haul back to the ranch we stop for a well deserved lunch in a Mexican Restaurant in the small city of Gorman.
Day 6
White Mountain Sky View Tour
Our ride begins with a slow warm up trot, to prepare our horses muscles for a long, steep 5130 feet elevation. Arrived on the ridge, the horses get a moment, to catch they're breath.
Once we reach the ridge you'll enjoy long stretches of trotting on the winding Pacific Crest Trail, heading towards Mexico. We'll pass through oak forests, pine and cedar trees, and crossing magical meadows. You'll be enjoying stunning views across the desert to the Tehachapie Mountains, and Los Angeles. With some luck we maybe finding the possibility to watch some wildlife.
After we pass Lion Mountain, we trot on the sandy, white fire road towards our little village Lake Hughes. Grand impeccable views, all across the Mohave Desert,- often joined by a strong wind breeze surrounding us, until we dip into that sleepy valley of our small town.
Arriving at the trailer, we untack our horses, offer them water, allow them to roll, and load them up in the trailer. Before we haul back to the ranch we stop for a well deserved lunch in a Biker Bar "Rock Inn" in our little town of Lake Hughes.
Day 7
Encounter Death Valley 30 km 4-7 h
Very early take of for this full ride day. We leave the ranch during the summer month around 2 AM driving through a shining full moon. Today we heading out in to a remote desert, boarding the west side of Death Valley. White sandy roads will invite us for some fast trotting miles, and rarely used trails asking for a slow down. The desert is usely windy and comforting cooling during the very early morning hours in hot summer month. Since we ride this day on a fairly fast pace we accomplish this ride well before 9 AM. For this last day our horses will have a fantastic condition.
Lunch in a restaurant on our way home.
Day 8
Goodby and Departure
Today it is time to say goodby. We drop you back of at town, rental car, or airport.
