# Best mountain trails?



## Shadow (Jun 28, 2010)

Anyone had the opportunity to ride extensively in Mt., Wy. or Col.?

We've been looking for some mountain property to finally settle for a while for about 3 1/2yrs now in Wy with no luck finding what we want unless your a millionaire.

We spend most of our time in the Big Horn Mountains west of Buffalo, Wy currently. We also enjoy ranch sorting when we can.

Thanks Shadow


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I've never lived in any of those areas, sorry. 

But I just wanted to say that we have some wonderful mountain riding in northern Arizona. Of course we do have to worry about the occasional wildfire, but other than that, I LOVE it here. I am in Arizona's White Mountains, near Show Low. Another place to look would be near Flagstaff. Basically, look for a place with lots of National Forests to ride. I am about 1/2 mile from the Apache/Sitgreaves National Forest with unlimited riding. And we trailer out a lot too.  

We are at about 6500 ft. elevation, with an assortment of pine trees, junipers, and oak, but the higher elevation you go, the wetter and greener it is. Look at my photos in my "horses" section to see what some of our area looks like.


----------



## buckaroogal (Aug 11, 2010)

I have been using these books to do what you are doing.

"Horse Trails of 'Colorful' Colorado" books Have a horse?? Want to know where to ride??"

I highly recommend them. She has great pictures and details about the trails. These are only trails in Colorado though.


----------



## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

I've not ridden in any of the states you're inquiring about, but I did do a bit of backpacking in the Bitteroot mtns southwest of Missoula, Montana- I imagine it would be a spectacular place to trail ride!


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I ride a little bit on the west slope of Colorado. But I ride a lot in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Utah, Nevada and Wyoming have a lot of public lands, So access is very easy.

One of the reasons I'm here. is that in the Summer I can head North and be in Yellowstone country in 3-4 hours drive time, and in the winter I can drive south and be in St George and Arizona Strip in 4-5 hours.

We got mountain rides when its hot and we got desert riding when it's cold.


----------



## buckaroogal (Aug 11, 2010)

Painted Horse said:


> I ride a little bit on the west slope of Colorado. But I ride a lot in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Utah, Nevada and Wyoming have a lot of public lands, So access is very easy.
> 
> One of the reasons I'm here. is that in the Summer I can head North and be in Yellowstone country in 3-4 hours drive time, and in the winter I can drive south and be in St George and Arizona Strip in 4-5 hours.
> 
> We got mountain rides when its hot and we got desert riding when it's cold.


My ears just perked up. Sounds really nice!


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

When I was in High School, Utah had 250,000 people in the state. No it has over 2 million. And we wonder why our property values have shot up. This is true of the whole west, as more and more folks migrate to western states for the great lifestyle. Utah is around 75% public lands. Meaning what land you can buy, is getting more and more expensive as the population/demand grows.

We 've got 10,000-11,000 foot elevation rides in summer in Utah that are only 1-2 hours drive from the major cities.
Red Castle - North Slope of Uinta Mountains









Strawberry Close to Park City area









Just across the Border into Idaho Maybe 2 hours drive from my home









The shoreline trail that we ride all winter and spring. 5 minutes from the house. Here is a spring photo with the leaves green








Here is a January Photo with no leaves and some snow









Antelope Island in January, 20 minutes from my house and a good place to ride when the mountains have 6 feet of snow.









February in the San Rafael Swell, about 4 hours south of my home









And again in April. We make several trips down each spring to get the horses legged up for summer riding.









It's a great state for horses. Horses used to be the states number 1 industry. But I'm not sure that is still the case. Hay is still cheap. It's easy to buy for $100 a ton, And if you shop a little, you can probably find $75 a ton. The only problem is land values around the major cities have soared. But if you don't mind a more rural lifestyle. then prices are little more reasonable away from the cities.


----------



## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

Painted Horse I know you get this all the time, but oh my, the places you ride are absolutely stunning!!!


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Thank You. I enjoy sharing the sights I get to see.

Utah, Wyoming and Idaho have some stunning scenry.


----------



## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Shadow,
I don't know what state you are in or if you are only interested in the Rockies, but we have some fabulous mountain trails in KY and the land is cheap ($500 or less/acre for steep land is fairly typical). Granted, our mountains aren't quite as good as the Rockies, but they're still really pretty. I live in the Daniel Boone National Forest and our property borders a 26,000 acre game reserve. There are 100's of miles of public trails and plenty of places to camp for free. We don't even own a horse trailor, but I've not ridden the same trails twice in the last year, and we go for all day rides all the time.
It is Appalachia and the area I live in has a lot of poverty, but DH and I both work in healthcare, so it is kind of a mission thing for us. We have neighbors who retired here from TX because they knew they could get a lot more property for their money. 
Just something you might want to consider....


----------



## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Okay, like I said, it isn't the Rockies, but the first picture is from our latest ride in the Redbird Wildlife Management Area. The second picture wasn't taken by me. I don't have any other good ones - the boys will never let me stop long enough to take pictures (LOL). We rode by some pretty waterfalls as well.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

It's a very different landscape. 
We are high elevation, Thin air, no humidity, Thunderstorms can roll in quickly. Even in July we have coats and slickers.


Cell phones rarely work in the areas we ride. If you need help, you best be able to take care of your self.

Thunderstorms rolling across


----------



## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

I am SO jealous right now!


----------

