Lowdown

  • Established

    1982. Guest ranch since 2002

  • Owner

    Meris & Seth Stout, Harry & Diana Esterly

  • Tel

    575-772-5157

  • Nightly Rates (per adult)

    Summer: $380
    Winter: $380

  • Nightly Rates (per child)

    $304

  • Minimum Stay

    Summer: 3 days
    Winter: 3 days

  • Maximum Guests

    16

  • Works with travel agents?

    Yes

  • Great For

    Romance, Action & adventure, Peace & quiet, Solitude, Diverse scenery

  • Memberships

    The Dude Ranchers' Association, AQHA

Horseback riding here in the breathtaking 3.3 million acre Gila National Forest takes you through open meadows, tall ponderosa forests, up on mountaintops where the views go on forever and down into deep canyons with sheer cliffs and crystal clear streams. From atop your well-trained horse, spot abundant wildlife including elk, mule deer, and javelina.

This where Geronimo grew up. Swim near the headwaters of the Gila River where he was born! Visit 1,000 year old cliff dwellings and pit houses dating back to the Mimbres people! Search for pottery shards and view pictographs still remaining from these ancient people.

Our main focus is on trail riding: seeing the beautiful scenery from horseback, and making this a special vacation for you. Other activities that our guests enjoy are campfires at night (sometimes with s’mores and sing-a-longs!), fantastic stargazing, unguided hiking, photography, swimming in the creek, or just reading a good book on one of our bench swings.

Enjoy warm hospitality, delicious food and peace and quiet at our small, remote ranch!

Good time to go

There is no bad time to come during our season from March through mid-November. If you have preferences in regards to weather, temperatures, wildflowers, fall colors, family time, adults only, etc. don't hesitate to ask us for a recommendation of the best time.

Children at the Ranch

Great for children aged 6 and over

Children are welcome at the ranch. You will ride together as a family. The minimum age for children to ride horses on the trail is 6 years old. We offer short pony rides on the ranch property for younger children. We are a small ranch and do not have special childrens programs or babysitting services.

Minimum age children can ride

6 and over

Activities

hiking, picnics, outdoor play area, cookouts, Children will have fun riding or hiking with their family, swimming in the creek, practicing roping skills and having the freedom to explore the ranch property.

Games

board games, horseshoes, We have horseshoes and a variety of board games at the ranch which we enjoy joining in on with the children!

Riding based activities

horse care, pony rides, trail riding

Environmental & Social Practices

Environment

The environment at Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch is open and welcoming. Once you are here, you become part of the family. Our guests leave with long lasting friendships and memories.

Conservation

We are completely off the grid and generate all our own power with solar panels and a generator. We are also located in an area that only gets 10-20 inches of precipitation a year. As such, we ask guests to conserve power and water as much as possible.

Ranch History

The ranch was built as a hunting lodge in 1982. It became a guest ranch in 2002. We have owned it since 2007.

Lowdown

  • Enjoy

    Ranch-style

  • Meals served

    buffet style, everyone eats together

  • Alcohol

    BYOB

  • Enjoy dining in

    nature settings, dining room (casual attire)

  • You'll definitely love

    fresh daily bread, fresh daily desserts

  • Dietary restrictions catered for

    lactose intolerant, vegans, vegetarians, other

We serve three hearty, delicious meals a day. Good, fresh, homemade food with lots of fruits and vegetables. Mealtimes are a great way to get to know one another as we all eat together around one large table and talk about the days adventures!

Some days we will take all-day rides and pack a picnic lunch for the trail!

We get many compliments on our fine dining and we can satisfy any dietary needs. We don't have a liquor license, but you are welcome to bring your own.

Guest Favourites

  • Ribeye Steaks
  • Homemade chocolate chip cookies and other desserts
  • New Mexican Entrées

Your Chef, Fred

I’ve worked at four other dude ranches. I would generally look to dude ranch work, as opposed to high volume restaurants, when I would find myself not enjoying being a Chef. Being a Chef at a dude ranch allows me to take a step back and enjoy the craft once again.

Lowdown

  • Address

    1 Wall Lake Rd.
    Winston
    New Mexico
    87943
    USA

  • Remote Location

    Yes

  • Elevation

    6,500 ft

  • Public Land

    more than 50k acres

Nearest Town - Truth or Consequences, NM

Truth or Consequences, NM has a population of 7,000 (approx), and is situated 85 miles / 2 hours from the Ranch.

Facilities in Truth or Consequences, NM include: grocery store, pharmacy, church, school, post office, medical clinic, hospital, bank, atm, gas station, museum.

For shopping Truth or Consequences, NM offers: small hometown necessity shops, boutique shops, western wear.

Rental car

Required

Nearest Airports

Albuquerque International Sunport, Albuquerque, NM

Distance

214 miles / 4 hours

Airlines

Delta, United, Allegiant, Alaska, American Airlines, American, Boutique, Jet Blue, Southwest, US Airways

Rental car

Required

El Paso International Airport, El Paso, TX

Airlines

Delta, United, Allegiant, American Airlines, American, Southwest, Us Airways

Rental car

Required

Private Air Travel

Nearest location(s)

Truth or Consequences Municipal Airport, Truth or Consequences, NM

Travel by

Helicopter, Airplane

Distance

80 miles

Rental car

Required

Lowdown

  • Type of Riding

    Western Riding

  • Riding opportunities for

    Beginner, Intermediate, Experienced

  • Rides are grouped by

    Ability, Pace of Ride, Everyone rides together, Rides tailored to guest requests, Families ride together

  • Wranglers per ride

    2

  • Pace of ride

    Walk, Trot, Lope

  • Guest Horses

    24

  • Horse Types

    Quarterhorse, Draft Cross, Paints, Geldings, Mares

  • Hours in the saddle

    Morning - 2 hours
    Afternoon - 2 hours

Our Riding

Guided rides

All our rides are guided by Meris and Seth. We will show you the most beautiful places in our area and also teach you about the local history, plants, animals, etc. We have a great variety of terrain to ride in from Ponderosa forests to open meadows; we can climb to mountaintops where the views go on forever across the 3.3 million acre Gila National Forest, or ride down through 500 foot deep canyons with sheer cliffs and crystal clear streams. There is very rich history in this area spanning the last 2,000 years: -The Mimbres people (part of the Mogollon) were in this area from 200-1150 AD and lived in pit houses, pueblo villages and cliff dwellings. Remains of these can be seen right near the ranch as well as pottery shards and pictographs. -The famous Apache Warrior Geronimo was born very near to our location and this is the homeland of the Chiricahua Apaches. -Basque people came through this area with herds of sheep 100 years ago and the shelters they built can still be seen. -There is an area that was mined for Tin from 1930-1970 within a couple miles of the ranch and remains of this operation can still be seen.

Riding Freedom

While occasionally necessary due to the terrain, we make every effort to avoid nose to tail riding. 

Good to know

We offer some trotting and loping where the terrain allows for capable riders.

Weight limit for riding

225-250 lbs

Riding considerations

no riding experience needed, We recommend a good level of physical fitness, We consider height and athletic ability as well as a guest's weight

Hours in the saddle

The rides can be lengthened or shortened as desired.

Why our riding stands out

  • We have some of the most beautiful and varied scenery in U.S. here in the Gila National Forest. Atop your good-natured horse, you’ll get an up-close view of the sweet-smelling, towering Ponderosa pines, the majestic mountain overlooks, the wide-open meadows, and deep canyons with crystal clear creeks.
  • Well cared for, well trained, responsive horses and good quality tack.
  • Since we only take a small number of guests we are able to really get to know what each guest wants from their riding experience with us and have the flexibility to cater to that.

Lowdown

  • Nightly Rates (per adult)

    Summer: $380
    Winter: $380

  • Nightly Rates (per child)

    $304

  • Nightly Rates (non-rider)

    $342

  • Minimum Stay

    3 days

  • Preferred Arrival Day

    Any day is fine

  • Preferred Departure Day

    Any day is fine

  • Style of accommodation

    Ranch rustic

Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch can cater for up to 16 guests. See below for details and indicative rates.

Cabin | Cabins

Rates (Per Person)

$380

Minimum Stay

3 nights

Description

We have 4 separate cabin units in two buildings. They are comfortable and well-appointed with fireplaces, a queen and twin or bunk beds, coffee maker, full private bath/shower, sitting area, covered porches, and a cookie jar filled with homemade goodies. They are furnished in Native American style or Cowboy motif. We can take a maximum of 16 guests, although 8 is more our average, with 2 guests in each cabin.

Rooms

4

Bathrooms

Private bathroom

Amenities

seating area

Booking Policy

Contact us by email or phone for availability. Due to our small size and remote location, cancellations significantly affect us. As a result, we adhere to a strict cancellation policy. We require a 50% deposit. Balance is due 30 days prior to arrival. Deposit is non-refundable, but may be applied to a future visit within one year if we are successful in rebooking guests for your scheduled period. Travel Insurance is recommended

Included in your stay

meals, activities, lodging, Riding

Extras

Tax

Currently 5.6875%

Gratuity

A guideline is 15-20% of your lodging total

Lowdown

  • You can borrow

    Cowboy boots, Riding helmets, Saddle bags, Rain coats

  • Communications

    telephone.

Onsite

Outdoor Activities

bird watching, unguided hiking, stargazing

Fishing & Wildlife

Our guest ranch is surrounded by the beautiful and diverse Gila National Forest, which means you can fish in the spring-fed creeks right near our property. If you’d like to fish during your stay at the ranch, you must bring your own gear and purchase a fishing license. The creeks near the ranch are warm and spring-fed, and you will find mostly bass and catfish. However, keep your eye out for the rare Gila or Apache Trout as our guests have been known to catch one on occasion!  

Fishing on offer

unguided, BYO equipment

Wildlife

You may see Elk, Mule Deer, Javelina, Bald Eagles, Red Tail Hawks, many different birds, Jack Rabbits, Cottontail Rabbits, Black Bear, Coyote, etc.

Local Attractions

National Parks and more!

New Mexico has many wonderful attractions that you may wish to visit either before or after your stay with us. Here are a few: Albuquerque Old Town, Sandia Peak Aerial Tram, Petroglyph National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Balloon Fiesta, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, The Catwalk, Chloride Ghost Town, Geronimo Springs Museum, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Santa Fe, Silver City, The hot springs in Truth or Consequences, The Very Large Array, White Sands National Monument, Acoma Pueblo, Taos and Taos Pueblo, and more!

Rental car

Required

Highs

  • Owners Meris and Seth have excellent horsemanship skills and their hospitality is impeccable!'
  • Offers the perfect opportunity to relax, unplug, disconnect and get away from it all in a peaceful, remote location
  • The ranch sits in the middle of 3.3 million acres in the Gila Nation Forest in New Mexico, 85 miles from the nearest stop light!
  • Ride through stunning gorges and canyons

Lows

  • The ranch does not offer a lot of activities besides riding. Trail riding is the main focus, so for those who want to do a lot of riding, this is the place for you

Visitor Reviews

Dont just take our word for it, see what visitors like you say...

Overwhelming mother nature and great hosts

We stayed at Geronimo trails ranch for 4 nights. Since we have a guest ranch ourselves we wanted to learn from this experience and see everything through customers eyes! What a great time we had. The accommodations are cozy and comfortable. The food exceeded our expectations. Home made pastries and Fred went the extra mile for us vegetarians. The horses are well taken care of, ridden in bit-less bridles and were very soft and responsive. The trails were the enchantment of New Mexico. OMG, what a beautiful scenery and lots of private history Seth shared with us about the Mimbres people who lived there a thousand years ago. it felt very special. We had an awesome time and can highly recommend this special ranch!

5 stars

You can find more reviews for Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch on TripAdvisor

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