Wawona Stables

We were so disappointed in this process. We reserved "horseback riding " at these stables for our family of 5. When we arrived, we were weighed and my husband was literally just a couple of pounds over the limit (he had weighed on the scale in the hotel previously and thought he would be fine). As a result, he was not able to ride with the rest of the family. My youngest son immediately began to cry. Then they led out a series of mules for us to ride . . . not horses. Being from Texas, I never dreamed that the "horseback ride" that we reserved weeks ahead of time would actually be a mule ride! To add insult to injury, they told us my husband would receive a refund since he wasn't able to ride . . . and it's been 3 weeks and we have yet to see a refund. {SIGH} There is a stable closer to Tenaya Lodge that is family-owned and they use all quarter horses - http://yosemitetrails.com/trail_rides.html - next time we will go there!

Beware this place is being ran by kids. They take reservations by phone only, you get no confirmation then you drive hours to go horseback riding in Yosemite and they can't find your reservation within all they're disorganized hand written notes and you get turned away. Only 3 people working there and they all looked to be about 17 years old.

I rarely write reviews but as a mom I feel motivated to provide this information as I believe this is not a good place to bring children to ride. When we arrived the young woman checking us in said, "You guys are late checking in." I informed her that the email receipt says, "Please arrive 30 minutes in advance of ride departure time." (Which we did.) She replied that they need to change the info in their system. So, then do not greet guests who've spent a lot of money for a vacation experience by telling them they are late!!! It made for a sour start to the trip.Then when matching up horses to guests, they moved one teenage girl to a different horse and gave that horse to my teenage son. The guide told us flat out, "This horse does not listen. You have to control it." I regret not speaking up in the moment saying, "Can you give the horse who is hard to control to one of the adults?" Well, you can imagine what happened. My son ended up in the back of the line away from our family and it was a real struggle for him to just make it to the end of the trail. He described the experience as "miserable" and the guide (who was right behind him) as "condescending." The saddest part is my son, who has always enjoyed trail rides elsewhere, says he never wants to go horseback riding again. He was also disappointed to be stuck in the back and not able to hear any of what the guide in the front was saying because he really enjoys that. My 12 year old daughter was likewise disappointed in the experience because she was "ponied"--the front guide had her horse on a rope the whole time (which is why we couldn't join my son at the back) and she didn't get to control the horse at all, and she's been horseback riding a number of times. At the end of the ride, the guide said that he thought my daughter's horse was the worst behaved of the group. Again, why are you giving the worse behaved horses to children? This is just not a family friendly place. There was another safety issue. At the end of the trail you cross through the Wawona parking lot and the guide twice yelled aggressively at cars that started to come toward us to stop--because if the horses/mules got scared that is obviously dangerous! It was really uncomfortable to be riding during those moments.There were a few good parts of this experience: the male guide in the front leading us (originally from the Bay Area) seemed genuinely enthused about what he was telling us about as we rode along. Additionally, outside of going through the nerve wracking parking lot experience it is a scenic and relaxed trail. Also, at the end, a young male brunette employee offered to take our pictures before we got off the horses. He was really nice. (This was odd though because I've never been on a trail where the guide didn't take pictures at the most scenic point on the trail.)We have greatly enjoyed horseback riding in many different national parks and this was an absolutely unacceptable experience. Think twice about this place if you have kids.

Great experience! Two hour trail ride. Check-in at the stables was professional and thorough. Our guide, Parker, was both knowledgeable and friendly. A real cowboy and a gentleman. Overall, the experience was outstanding. Would definitely return on our next trip to Yosemite.

The place is called Big Trees Stables now. New name same disorganized 1 star business. Arrived 1 hour early for a 10 am reservation. They telll us we are actually 2 hours early because the reservation system always tells people the wrong time. I think they have replaced the kids running the place with homeless people.

I'm happy I ignored the other reviewers and gave this place a shot. My family which includes a 7 and 9 year old went on a 2 hour ride last weekend. We all enjoyed it, although one hour would probably be sufficient. The staff was well organized, got us out on time, horses were well behaved and the guides were helpful and friendly. My little one and I even saw a owl fly overhead! This was a great family experience.