An All Inclusive Ranch Experience & Getaway
Dude ranches aren’t always set in the old west complete with shootouts at high noon. Traveling west of the Mississippi River isn’t even necessary. In fact, dude ranches in a country setting can be found in upstate New York within a short driving distance from dense population centers in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. One of the premier east coast all-inclusive dude ranches can be found just 100 miles north of New York City in Kerhonkson, New York.
The video below provides a short two-minute overview of Pine Ridge. For more details, keep scrolling and reading below.
Location & Check-In
Finding the ranch was super easy as the driving directions are straightforward, especially when using Google Maps. The warm and welcome atmosphere was apparent immediately upon entering the main lodge and reception area. The check-in process with smooth, seamless, and efficient. The front desk attendant, Jessica, was very friendly while providing a quick orientation as this was my first time visiting the ranch.
Rooms
The rooms were clean and very similar to a standard hotel with television, a private bathroom, and WiFi. Hopefully, guests aren’t spending all their time inside the rooms considering all the social activities offered. But, if they do they’ll be very comfortable.
Dining Experience
Dining vastly exceeded expectations. Despite being prepared for a large room full of guests, the dishes almost appeared to have been individually prepared. Sit-down dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. After partaking in the salad bar, the friendly and attentive wait staff greets you at your table and brings the main dishes to you. There are multiple dinner options available and yes, you can either tailor your dishes by swapping side dishes. The food was semi-prepped ahead of time as it was delivered within a few minutes after the kitchen staff put the final touches on it. If it wasn’t for the quick service it would have been difficult to know this.
Upon request, they did have potato latkes available with dinner. This isn’t a normal thing but rather because of Hanukkah and the number of guests who celebrate the holiday. The grilled desperado chicken had a delicious flavor and was definitely my favourite. Since my party was only one (little ol’ me) I got an entire booth that could have seated eight people. But, considering the lower occupancy on a Sunday it was totally fine.
The restaurant maitreD, Juan, is originally from Chile so the meals have a bit of fusion influence instead of the run-of-the-mill ranch chow. His 12 years of experience at Pine Ridge is evident as the restaurant runs smoothly and efficiently like a finely oiled machine.
Breakfasts are more casual with a self-serve buffet offering a wide assortment of freshly prepared options. Served promptly at 8:30, the experience is complete with a musical triangle signifying when food is served. Food was fresh and nothing was remotely soggy. The wait staff was very attentive and was the same staff dinner the previous night so they quickly know your preferences. Special requests were quickly addressed. For me, that meant salsa for my eggs because, well, salsa goes with practically everything.
One thing that surprised me was that the only breakfast meat was pork sausage. Considering the number of activities on the daily itinerary that catered to the Jewish guests during Hanukkah I would have thought they would have an alternative since so many of the guests don’t traditionally eat pork. I didn’t hear anyone complain but it serves as a reminder that those with dietary restrictions should let the staff know so they can make reasonable accommodations.
Lunch is a well-stocked and high quality self-serve buffet as well with good fresh options. I decided to make a steak salad instead of a regular full meal because I was still full from breakfast.
The dinners are still my favourite. My last night the dinner was a mix and match, meaning flexibility with what you order. I ordered the Cowboys Salisbury steak(tender Angus beef patty) and wild West broiled cod with steamed green beans. I skipped the oven-roasted potatoes because I had hash brown potatoes at breakfast. The Salisbury steak was very scrumptious, moist, and juicy. The wild West broiled cod flaked perfectly with the right texture that one would expect at a five-star restaurant. I’m actually getting hungry just writing about it. 😋
Outside of standard meal times, there is the Chuckwagon Grill which offers short order foods, snacks and smaller meals, as well as JB Marshall premium coffee and Perry’s premium ice cream for sale at affordable prices.
Horseback Riding
Horseback riding is always a must-do activity at dude ranches and Pine Ridge does not disappoint. Sign up for horseback riding is best done the day before as slots may be limited. Each guest is permitted one trail ride per stay. Additional trail rides cost $25 ($27 including tax) if guests want to get their giddy up on again.
The wranglers (aka cowboys & cowgirls) are there to not only guide the trail rides but also to provide safety and general riding instructions for experienced and notice guests alike. The horses are treated well and genuinely seem to enjoy getting on trail with the staff and guests.
Trail riding was enjoyable with the beautiful scenery while galloping through natural trails on ranch property. There was a good ratio of approximately four to one of the clients to wranglers. For safety reasons, no cameras are allowed to be taken out during the ride since hands should be in control of the reins and not the shutter button.
Indoor & Social Activities
Indoor entertainment includes a game room with two air hockey tables and a ping pong table. There is also a very sizable video arcade game room with up-to-date modern games as well as a few classics. Sorry, there are limited photos, but there were many underage children in there and I didn’t want to look like a creeper taking pictures of children.
Swimming is absolutely possible during the winter without having to break the ice on the outdoor pond as there’s a large indoor heated pool with a water slide as well. But, the open hours are not 24/7 nor continuous but based on a set schedule.
Board Games 
Video Arcade 
Indoor Pool 
Fitness Center 
Pool Table
🎶 Nighttime musical entertainment is a staple at Pine Ridge. The family-friendly bands begin playing around 8:00 p.m. in the downstairs saloon as well as in the upstairs lobby area. Surprisingly, the acoustics in the music areas was actually very good and didn’t have any awkward echoes or reverberation off the walls or ceiling. 🎶
After dinner is when the evening main event entertainment happens. During my stay that meant a show Gemini, Comedian, Ventriloquist, and Magician. The show was top-notch as Gemini actively engaged with the audience with magic and comedy. Everyone appeared to be having a great time…especially those who were selected for audience participation. More information about Gemini can be found on his website at www.GeminiComedy.com.
While many of the facilities are open all the time, some activities, restaurants, bars, coffee stands, etc are open intermittently. The hours are posted at the front desk and by asking staff. Personally, I feel it would be more beneficial if instead of a periodic closed sign in front of the closed facility, a sign or plaque in front of the facility would show what the hours are for that particular facility. This would save the guest from having to go to the front desk or find a staff member.
One thing to note is that morning activities were somewhat limited because there were simply were not enough guests that wanted to partake in them, most likely due to low occupancy due to the holidays. There’s always the possibility that many guests just aren’t morning people or their coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. Either way, the entertainment staff still proceeded with the activities and they were enjoyed by those that participated. As the day progressed and guests were more awake and the liveliness of the place rose to another level.
Early Riser
If you are an early riser, then the mornings are perfect for hiking around the ranch to see the farm animals in the petting zoo, see the fog rise from the lake, or even just listen to the sounds of nature as the birds and other critters greet the morning sun.
Example of activities with the Social Director include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Palm Readings
- Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower
- Ring-on-a-String Competition
- Bingo for Pine Ridge Bucks
- Scavenger Hunt
- Deputy Duck
- Movie
- Beer Bingo
- Karaoke
- Holiday Activities (e.g. Menorah Lighting & Dreidel with Gelt)
- Colouring Contest
- Archery Balloon Pop
- Inflatable Horses
- Corn Hole
- Snow Tubing Races
- Line Dancing with Goldie
- Cowboyy Q & A
Outdoor Activities
Some of the outdoor activities are obviously weather dependent, but they range from snow tubing, rock climbing, an outdoor pool (with waterslide), kids’ playground, and archery. The cool thing is that many of these activities are self-lead so you can partake in them at your leisure, but you also have the option of looking at the activities schedule when staff facilitates the activities and even leads mini-competitions between guests.
Gift & Souvenier Shop
The general store and gift shop have ample things that are both souvenir items such as clothing shirts for yourself or family and friends who weren’t able to join in the vacation. If you happened to have forgotten something they’ve got you covered as well as they have items such as toiletries, swimsuits, kids’ arm floaties, and sunscreen.
Interview with Owner, Mr Mike Offner
I had the pleasure of interviewing the owner, Mr Mike Offner for this article. He provided some great insight into the past, present, and future plans for Pine Ridge Dude Ranch.
Mike definitely has a passion not just for the dude ranch but also for the local community. Pine Ridge was where he first learned to ride horses in the 1990s. After graduating college and working on Wall Street he quickly learned that NY City wasn’t for him. He worked at the ranch from 2012 until the last day of the previous owner’s death. When the previous owner died, the ranch almost died with him. Luckily, Mike and some friends raised the funding to not only reopen Pine Ridge but also to expand it. Officially taking ownership in January 2018, he was able to save 31 of the 34 horses. Half the horses were retired to Vermont and the other half were used at the ranch.
The ranch wasn’t in the best of conditions when he took over as it had been unmaintained during the transition. In fact, an additional $2 million dollars was needed to open the ranch again. All the managers were hired back (except for one). The night manager, Denis, has been with the ranch for over 30 years. The sense of community and commitment is strong with the staff and owners alike.
The number of guest rooms at the ranch was expanded from 35 to 107. Pine Ridge currently has 60 horses, which is a huge increase from the 16 they started out with after the transition in 2018.
What sets Pine Ridge apart from other dude ranches in the area is the atmosphere. It “feels like a home away from home”. It’s a family-run place where other ranches are more commercial feeling. Mike likes to say that Pine Ridge brings a “best of the west from the east?”
The Horse Program is like no other place by offering lots of specialty horse experiences. They have sunset rides, private lessons, cowboy horsemanship programs (horse fundamentals), and barn programs.
Mike truly feels that value pricing beats other people’s pricing making it affordable. In fact, some families come 4-6 times per year making more & more friends.
The biggest current challenges at Pine Ridge are:
- Having patience to do all the work/renovations vs the cash flow to do it.
- Ranch needs another $2 million in renovations
- Wants to keep improving the place & adding attractions
- Keeping things on schedule for improvements and scheduling to get it completed
Challenges Mike foresees in Pine Ridge’s future his plan to overcome them:
- Continually reinvent yourself & offer things new & exciting to make people want to come back year after year.
- New theme weekends to keep interest high
- Solicit ideas from staff & guests to keep relevant & exciting
Dude Ranches tend to be family vacation destinations, but his plan to explore advancing adventures for the adult/non-kid demographic are:
- One new thing is that there are two adults only weekends per year (murder mystery)
- Older couples (away from kids)
- Younger couples “Good Times when you’re 30”
- Dating Game without wild drunk fest.
- Party theme kind of weekend
- Popular with senior citizens
- Looking into corporate getaways
- Sunset horse rides are romantic
- Oktoberfest themed weekend
The plan is to keep Pine Ridge the same size and offer more activities while focusing on versatility, and offerings. In addition, the General Store will have real western wear clothing in the future.
Pine Ridge is a top vacation destination in the entire country and has previously been voted a top 10 all-inclusive destination in the country.
Summary
Winter is a magical time of year with so many options for both relaxing and adventurous vacations. If the idea of a dude ranch strikes your fancy and you find yourself in upstate New York then I recommend considering a visit to Pine Ridge Dude Ranch. They really operate a high-quality family-run al inclusive getaway that may be exactly what you’re looking for.
Wishing you all the holiday fun you can wrangle up!
Pine Ridge Dude Ranch Contact Information:
30 Cherrytown Rd, Kerhonkson, NY 12446, USA
Phone +1 (866)-600-0859
Instagram: @PineRidgeDudeRanch
Facebook: @PineRidgeDudeRanchNY
Twitter: @PineRidgeRanch
Anna Leonard: Director of Sales & Marketing
Michael Offner: Owner
Juan Saavendra: Dining Room Manager
Rebecca Gamar: Activities and Social Director
Disclaimer: Pine Ridge Dude Ranch provided a complimentary three-day / two-night package to me without pre-established expectations or conditions. All transportation to and from the ranch, gratuities, alcoholic beverages, and other miscellaneous extra charges not included with the basic accommodation package were at my own expense.