Visit Lake Tahoe on horseback

By Wendy Lautner, aka The Mountain Mutt*, wlautner@TahoeRenoOnline.com
August 28, 2007

While Lake Tahoe seems best known for its many ski resorts, it could also be said that the high-mountain cirque is also a horseback riding Mecca. Six stables scattered around the area offer plenty of opportunities to explore the backcountry from the saddle, each one providing riders with a varied experience in scenery and terrain.

South Shore:
Riders can choose from loop rides at Camp Richardson (530-541-3113), design an overnight camping ride with Cascade Stables (530-541-2055) or meander through the Toiyabe National Forest on horseback with Zephyr Cove Stables (775-588-5664).

For lake views on shorter rides, head to the Camp Richardson stables on Tahoe’s southwest shore. Two-hour trips take riders past Fallen Leaf Lake, while the one-hour loop offers lake views for most of the way.


North Shore:
On the north side of the Lake horseback riders have the option to explore Brockway Summit on trips from Northstar-at-Tahoe’s Stables (530-562-2480), experience the wilderness and wildlife in Tahoe National Forest from the Alpine Meadows Stables (530-583-3905), or ride through 3,500 acres of mountain forest on one-hour rides at the Tahoe Donner Equestrian Center. Riders need not need any formal horseback experience and can range in age from 5 years old to 95 years old and older. Most stables charge $35 for an hour loop and about $65 to $70 for a two-hour ride.

For the most economical ride, gallop over to Alpine Meadows Stables. Rides ranging from one-hour jaunts ($30) to overnight camping trips ($150 for horse rental per day) take riders past towering pines through the stables’ 40 miles of trails in the Tahoe National Forest.

“We’re really lucky to be here, tucked into the wilderness,” said cowboy guide Dusty Byers. Byers, who also runs an overnight horseback guiding service with his brother, often spends eight hours a day in the saddle during the summer. But, he says, the trails never get old.

“You always see something new,” he said from atop his steed while pointing out a fawn and the baby’s mother ambling through Bear Creek’s dry bed, which riders cross on the five-mile one-hour ride. Half-day trips provide riders with lake views on top of Scott’s mountain, popular in the wintertime with Alpine Meadows skiers and snowboarders.


For those seeking to take a ride in Old-West style, hop on a breakfast or dinner ride offered daily at Camp Richardson ($50 for breakfast, which includes an hour and a half ride; and $70 for dinner which includes a two-hour ride).

Trips departing Camp Richardson must be scheduled well in advance due to high demand in the summer months; traffic calms considerably after Labor Day weekend.

For the family, the stables at Northstar offer a variety of options. Pony rides, which follow a trail through the woods, allow tots the horseback riding experience while mom or dad lead. Pony rides cost $5. For groups seeking private rides, Northstar can also accommodate. Private rides are organized $60 for the first person and $40 for every person thereafter. Breakfast and dinner rides are also available on request.

Most stables in the area stay open until the beginning of October, depending on the weather and riders often find September to be the best riding month of the year as temperatures cool and crowds dissipate.

* Wendy Lautner is a lifelong writer and adventurer. As a college student on that notorious "break," she migrated to the beautiful Lake Tahoe area from Michigan at around the turn of the century. Ever since, her life has revolved around the weather patterns - following the powder when it snows, the rivers when it rains or melts and the trails when everything dries out. If it's active and fun, Wendy's been there or will be there soon!