Rider Ranch offers scenic horseback rides

This week we trade our hiking boots for cowboy boots and saddle up with a great horseback outfitter right in Kootenai County’s back yard.

The Rider Ranch (named for the Rider family, not for horseback riding), has 38 horses and more than a 1,000 acres of privately owned land, plus access to U.S. Forest Service trails, allowing almost unlimited riding opportunities.

A working cattle and horse ranch with its own sawmill, the Rider Ranch has been in the family for more than 50 years, with Linda and Rob Rider offering guided riding and wagon trips since 1986.

Access: From Northwest Boulevard and I-90, go east on I-90 for approximately 10.3 miles to exit 22, turn left (north) and go over I-90 to the stop sign. Turn right on the frontage road for approximately 1 mile, and then turn left on Wolf Lodge Road. Travel approximately .9 miles on Wolf Lodge Road (look for the weathered wood “Rider Ranch” sign on the right side of the road), then turn left into Rider Ranch.

Length: Rides average three to five miles, with longer trips available.

Elevation: Begins at approximately 2,400 feet (above level), with minor terrain changes.

Use: Moderate.

Trail condition: Mountainous terrain with trails winding through trees and meadows.

Difficulty: Trails are designed for inexperienced riders, so are rated “pretty easy” by the riders.

Restrictions: Children must be at least 8 years old for trail rides (younger kids ride horses led by the reins); riders must weigh less than 250 pounds; no riding double; backpacks are discouraged.

What to see: Great scenery and wildlife, including turkey, deer, elk, hawks and other birds. Occasionally moose, bears, cougars, bobcats and coyotes are seen. Linda Rider enjoys sharing her knowledge of local plants, berries and wildflowers and explains how local Indians used these resources.

Special features: A “Pleasure Ride,” lasting about an hour, costs $35, including refreshments. The “Evening Dinner Ride” features a cowboy steak dinner with homemade bread and dessert cooked in a Dutch oven served from a horse-drawn chuck wagon, for $50 per person. Pulled by giant Percheron draft horses, hayrides take groups through a scenic meadow, concluding with campfire refreshments (price depends on the outing, with a $60 minimum). Family “Barn Nights,” children’s birthday parties and various ranch outings are also available.

Preparation: Call (208) 667-3373 for reservations and information.

Gear: Wear appropriate clothing – jeans are recommended and sturdy shoes or boots (no sandals or open toed shoes) are required.

Notes: The name of Wolf Lodge is sometimes attributed to the Coeur d’Alene Indians, according to Linda Rider’s research. She adds that Capt. John Mullan is known to have placed a camp in a Wolf Lodge meadow during construction of the famous Mullan Trail. The Museum of North Idaho’s Dorothy Dahlgren relates that records from 1853 show the name of Wolf Lodge mentioned in writings by then-Gov. Stevens and John Mullan, but she adds that there is controversy over the origin of the area’s name.