Trail Rides

Man sitting on a horse along a river. Wildfire Ranch is proud to be one of the few remaining stables in all of Pennsylvania offering public guided trail rides. Our horses are a wonderful mix of Tennessee Walkers, Missouri Fox Trotters and Rocky Mountain saddle horses, along with Arabian, Quarterhorse paint, Morgan/Standardbred and even a stunning Friesian.

Our horses are gentle enough for both children and adult beginner riders. Our age limit is 12 years for children to ride independently. We offer a 'Little Buddy' Saddle for children 11 years and under to piggyback behind one of our trail guides at a reduced rate. (Please note that the Wildfire staff reserves the right to determine whether or not a child is confident-enough to piggyback on the horse for safety reasons.)

During your horseback adventure you will be surrounded by vivid green ferns and pine trees. You may be visited by wild turkey and deer. Your senses will absorb the sounds of a rushing mountain stream and the cries of a hawk overhead. This only begins to cover the beauty of our Pennsylvania Bald Eagle State Forest.

We are pleased to offer trail-rides that allow you to trot and even canter your horse during the course of the ride (rather than walking only).

Contact us today to schedule your ride!
Phone: (814) 422-0534
Text: (814) 574-9942
Email: wildfireranch.cynthia@gmail.com

Trail Ride Options:

5-Hour "Pioneer Mountain Adventure" with Picnic Lunch

You will leave right from the ranch and climb the mountain onto a Bald Eagle State Forest wooded trail. The first hour requires a fair amount of standing in your stirrups in order for your horse to carry both of you up the steepest parts of the mountain. Once on the wooded trail the ride is flat and downhill, thru lakes of Mountain Laurel flowers on both sides as far as the eye can see. After 2.5 hours you will dismount to enjoy a picnic lunch for 30 minutes. Once refreshed it's back in the saddle for the remaining 2 hours making a loop back to the ranch.

Cost is $295/person (Price includes your picnic lunch provided by our ranch). Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

3.5-Hour 'Old Sand Mountain' Trailride with Picnic lunch:

Leaving right from our ranch you will climb a mountain for the first hour. Your senses will delight in the rushing mountain stream, ferns, pine trees and rock walls with caves on both sides of the road. Then you will hit a delightful wooded trail offering a fairy-tale like experience with Mountain Laurel flowers on both sides of the trail as far as the eye can see. At the 2-hour mark you will dismount for a relaxing 30 minute picnic lunch. You will have your second wind enough to remount your horse for the remaining one-hour ride home. The trail makes a loop back to the ranch.

Cost is $245/person (price includes your picnic lunch provided by our ranch). Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

2.5 Hour 'Hunter's Paradise Road' ride:

This ride leaves right from the ranch walking down our back country paved road until you hit the mountain. Then the scenery changes to a 'medieval' look with ferns, pine trees, a rushing mountain stream and rock walls with boulders and caves on both sides of the road. The ride continues to climb the mountain until you hit a Bald Eagle State Forest road called 'Hunter's Pareadise'. The road turns to gravel and meanders right thru the middle of the state forest creating a serene fairytale-like atmosphere.

Cost: $175/person. Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

2-Hour "Top Of The World" Trailride:

We load the horses into our horse-trailer and haul about 15 minutes away to a scenic little village called 'Coburn'. The ride climbs a mountain on a wooded trail to a scenic overlook called 'Penns View'. You will feel as though you are at Pikes Peak, Colorado as you look down on the tops of trees!

Cost is $165/person (no picnic lunch included. Add a picnic lunch for $15/person). Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

2-Hour "River Ride":

We load the horses into our horse-trailer and haul 15 minutes away to a scenic little village called 'Coburn'. The ride heads down an isolated country road with hunting camps and the famous 'Penns Creek' flowing right alongside you as you walk along the road. Then you cross Penns Creek which will feel more like a river with strong currents and the water up to the horses bellies. On the other side is an old logging trail canopied by trees. You ride for an hour and then retrace your steps back to the horse trailer. One of the most scenic trails.

Cost is $165/person. NOTE: This ride can only be taken when it has not recently rained as the river becomes too dangerous to cross with heavy waters. Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

2-Hour "Synagogue Gap" Ride:

If you love wooded trails this is the ride for you! We load the horses into our horse-trailer and haul 15 minutes away to a Bald Eagle State Forest road. The ride goes along this gravel road surrounded by the beauty of the state forest. Then you will climb a wooded trail up a mountain connecting to another wooded trail that makes a loop back to the horse trailer.

Cost: $165/person. Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

2-Hour "Mystic Mountain" Ride:

We leave right from our ranch and enjoy the extraordinary beauty of the Pennsylvania countryside for the first 30 minutes walking down our back country road. Then we start to climb a mountain into the Bald Eagle State Forest, still walking along a gravel road. Scenery changes to a Mystic look with ferns, pine trees, a rushing mountain stream and boulders and rock walls with caves. After one hour we return to the ranch on the same path.

Cost: $135/person. Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $135/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $175/night.

1.5-Hour "Mystic Mountain Junior" Ride:

This is a shortened version of the 2-hour Mystic Mountain ride listed above.

Cost: $115/person Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $125/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $155/night.

1-Hour Country Road Ride:

We leave right from the ranch and walk down our country road with scenery that resembles the 'Shire' from the "Lord of the Rings" movie. At the one mile mark we turn around and head back. This ride is along a paved road with an occasional car.

Cost: $100/person. Upgrade your vacation getaway by adding overnight lodging to your trail ride! Up to 2 guests can stay in our Whispering Winds Guestroom at $125/night; and up to 5 guests can stay in our Amish Country Apartment for $155/night.

All deposits are non-refundable. Ranch will apply your deposit towards a future appointment if cancellation occurs due to weather or necessary reschedule on the part of Wildfire Ranch. If a client terminates their lodging and horse activities earlier than agreed upon, there will be no refund for the remaining days of lodging and horse activities. However, Wildfire Ranch reserves the right to issue refunds if such cases are due to family emergencies and acts of God.

Expand your interactions with our horses:

We know our trail rides are amazing, but don't just take our word for it! Hear what others are saying about us:

"My buddies and I are from New York City, and natively from India. A group of 6 of us booked a weekend at Wildfire Ranch. Most of us have never ridden a horse in our lives. Cynthia and Ariel took us into the mountains for a horseback adventure that made memories we will never forget! Those two ladies do so much more than 'trail guide'; they try to make the experience nothing short of life-changing while being the perfect hostesses. We plan on making this a quarterly trip from the city." Vince Saharin, NYC

"I am a professional dog trainer and travel from state to state all year long showing dogs for my clients. In each state that I am in I like to book professionally-guided horseback trail rides - so I have been on many trail rides. Cynthia Sweeley runs her stables differently than any I have visited so far. She goes way beyond the 'average' hosting of plopping you on a horse and teaching you how to “steer”. Cynthia and her daughter Ariel welcome and accept you with so much compassion you feel as though you've come home to visit family from the moment they greet you. Wildfire Ranch's horses are far more spirited than any I've ridden at other trail stables and yet they are completely obedient and safe. I make it a point to visit Wildfire Ranch every time my dog-training schedule takes me to Pennsylvania." Michelle Morrison, Minnesota

"Our family visited Wildfire Ranch for a Christmas treat one year about 3 years ago. I will never forget that ride because my wife and all 3 of our children fell in love with their horses to the point that they wouldn't stop talking about them for days after we got home. The ride was like something from a movie – everything silver frosted and the scenery beautiful beyond imagining. Cynthia talked to us the entire time alternating between fascinating stories about horses in human history with reminders on how to sit properly and rein the horses. Cynthia gave us interesting background on each horse and it was obvious how much she loved every one of her horses. We go back to Wildfire at least 3 times a year." Thomas Bolson, State College, PA

"I live in State College, PA near the Penn State University and have always loved horses. Finally at the age of 35 years, married with kids, I decided I couldn't wait any longer to be around horses. I googled “horseback riding in State College” and of course found about a dozen stables. But when I called, not one of them offered riding on trails; only lessons in a riding ring. Most never even called me back. Finally after calling at least 10 stables I called Cynthia at Wildfire. She scheduled my first trail ride and it literally changed my life. I fell so in love with her horses that I asked about shareboarding my favorite, a Tennessee Walker named Glory. Now I 'own' Glory by the month and can visit her whenever I wish, even if just for a nighttime brushing. My shareboarding Glory has changed every part of my 'regular' life and I cherish those moments above all others." Kristen Phiefl, State College, PA