The ranch dog had more personality and people skills than the person guiding/leading the ride.

The only reason I added an extra star to the lowest possible rating is because the snowmobile ride itself on the trails was very enjoyable. Wonderful weather, great time in the mountains. The rest of this review is focused on my interaction with the owner Don, and not the guides (who were very pleasant fellas). Don handled the paperwork and showed my partner and I how the snowmobiles worked. Then we got on our own snowmobiles to get started, and this is when Don started yelling at me. First of all, to start this snowmobile you have to pull up the kill switch. Those little knobs pull up by like one tiny centimeter and maybe if you rode it everyday you can tell by eye if the kill switch is up or down. Well I couldn't tell and I assumed I had to pull up the knob so I tried, and Don started yelling at me IT'S ALREADY UP WHY ARE YOU PULLING IT, IT'S ALREADY UP! Then I tried to turn the key in ignition but it didn't start because I didn't flip the parking brake. Then Don started yelling again "YOU ARE STILL IN PARKED, FLIP THIS THING. DON'T YOU LISTEN?!!" Now, in Don's instructions he said almost in his exact words" this is the parking brake and you don't have to worry about it". So hey Don I listened to you and didn't worry about it, guess you need better instructions. Maybe Don had a bad day and was frustrated, but no amount of frustration justifies yelling that way at others. Oh and we paid for a 4 hour ride but got only 3 hours of actual ride time. And no we weren't late. If you really want to go snowmobiling, I'd recommend checking out options near Leavenworth. The prices are similar if not cheaper than Chewack, views are just as good and the staff a lot more pleasant and professional. read more

I'm on the "PITA" list! http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PITA To be fair check out http://www.chewackranch.com/lodge.html Email #1 From Me 17 July, 2012 at 1:15 pm Sent to: Chewackriverranch@gmail.com Don- This past weekend I visited Winthrop, and your ranch for the first time. Compared to all of the other local lodging options, it was your website touting the cool location, BBQ and new hot tub that most influenced my decision. On Friday, immediately after our 4+ hour drive from Seattle, I was very disappointed that the hot tub was mostly empty, and what little water was in it was brown. After seeing this I asked about it, but nobody could give a clear answer if or when it'd be fixable or not. The BBQ was dirty, appeared to be broken, and the lawn area was a mess of water hoses, sprinklers and dog poop. And there wasn't really anyone around to check up on us after we arrived. It seemed like the place was neglected and that we were on our own. Plus I was stuck with the nagging feeling I'd made a poor decision in booking this room. So we dropped off our bags and headed into town for dinner. By the time we got back to the ranch it was dark, very windy, and the sky was alive with thunder and lightning. That night we enjoyed the company of one of the friendly dogs, the sound of the creek, and watching the night sky in your adirondack chairs. Saturday morning we were set to go on a horseback ride, but when I found out it would be with 16 other people, (10 of which were children) I opted to reschedule for a private ride later in the afternoon. Then around 3:30 the wind started blowing, followed by the rain, then the roof flew off across the street. I'm really glad no people or animals were hurt. Much later, after the rain let up I boiled some corn on the cob and BBQ'd a couple of New York steaks. That evening we enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful views with our meal. I really don't care about little things, like the dog poop, and nobody can control the weather. But when traveling, I'm accustomed to having a proprietor check up on me, ask if there's anything I need, and let me know how to contact them if I do. You along with everyone else were always busy and it never seemed a good time to ask a question or a have quick talk. You have a beautiful ranch but I don't know if this experience was normal and our expectations too high, or something else. In any case I wanted to give you this feedback. Sincerely, Greg ------------------------------------ Email #2 From Chewackriverranch@gmail.com (Chris) 17 July, 2012 at 5:15 pm Dear Greg Hi yes we know how the yard normally have it all mowed and nice, but the ranch side of our life just went bonkers and all of our equipment broke, 2 tractors , swather, bailer, and also our lawn tractor and weed whacker, the hot tub has been broke for awhile we are waiting for a part ,we live so far from anything and it's tough to get anyone to come here or to get parts,the bar b q well I should have checked that sorry,and most people who come here just like to do there own thing and we see and talk to some but we are in the middle of hay season and things just went to pot,so sorry ,but we hope you come back again and we will try to visit with you and have things way nicer. All the equipment is fixed,so things are looking up! Sincerely Chris LUNDGREN ------------------------------------ Email #3 from Me 17 July, 2012 at 9:49 pm Chris- Try this. Imagine if the webpage for the ranch had read as your email: Come and visit our... Broken Hot Tub Broken BBQ Broken Weed Whacker Broken Lawn Mower Hard to get parts! Things are Bonkers! Most people that come here do their own thing, we just ignore everyone Come by when things are way nicer! Would you book a room there? Probably not. Hopefully you get my point and see the humor. Please refund one day back to my card. Thanks, Greg ------------------------------------ Email #4 From Chewackriverranch@gmail.com (Chris) 17 July, 2012 at 10:03 pm from Chris We will refund your night. Congratulations you are now on the pita,list, Sincerely Chris LUNDGREN read more

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I'd gone to Chewack years ago for a horseback ride and was excited to go again when I was back in town. My ride was scheduled for 1PM. 15 minutes after I arrived, I was told there were no 1PM rides, only a ride at 1:30PM. (despite being told 3 times it was at 1PM). I waited 40 minutes before the ride actually started. We could barely go anywhere for the first 10-15 minutes because the horses did not want to go and kept trying to turn around and go back. The wrangler got very frustrated and started hitting the horse in the face and yanking down on the reins with a lot of force repeatedly, hit him with the lead rope, which made me really uncomfortable. I've only gone horseback riding ~10 times, but I've never experienced anything like this. I planned for an enjoyable relaxing afternoon, but this ride was quite stressful for everyone involved including the horses. After the horses cooperated, the ride was enjoyable but without explanation, the guide said we were cutting the ride short. My ride was only 1.5 hours although I booked a 2 hour ride and we spent a decent amount of time just trying to get the horses to walk forward on the trail. I asked if I would still be charged for the full 2 hours despite it being much shorter and the guide said yes. I reached out to Chewack after the fact as I thought they would like to know how their horses were treated and to share my experience and frustration. I was given no apology and told there were other stables in the area I might like. I was offered a refund but never got it. I tried to follow up for them for over a month about the refund, but they started to ignore my messages. Awful experience and I feel bad for the horse. read more

Simple cabins with ride from your door snowmobile access to the National Forest trails. Snowmobile rentals available. Hot tub on site for all cabins to use. No daily maid service, fuel, or food at the ranch. No TV, cable, movies, cell phone service, or wi-fi. Not recommended for skiers, as this is a ranch that rents snowmobiles and yes, they can be loud sometimes. Not recommended for people that don't like dogs, as this is a ranch and there are several friendly ranch dogs running around. Not recommended for snowmobilers that like to be pampered with fireside cocktails and warm pine nuts - go to Sun Mountain Lodge if that's what you want. This ranch is for hardcore snowmobilers that like to keep it casual and set their own schedule for riding and eating. Kitchens in three cabins make family-style meals fun and covered porch outside lets you mingle and visit while staying dry. Good riding in late January and early February. Excellent grooming program in the area - they use a planer for a completely smooth trail. Check out Sweetgrass Butte on a clear sunny day for the best views or head to Conconully (80 miles round trip) for lunch and riding. read more

We've used Chewack numerous times and have always been more than satisfied with their service. The guides and horses are great!

2 Hour Snowmobile Ride From HELL From the very beginning of the "tour" it was fast paced, running at 25-30 mph. When booking the tour Don never asked my skill level but this event was clearly intended for experienced riders who like to go fast. A few minutes into it, I hit some soft, deep powder and I ran the snowmobile into a snow bank. Don scolded me in front of my son, he was shaking his head and said "We can't keep stopping for you! You need to keep up with the group!" For the next hour and a half we raced through the wilderness just trying to keep up and stay on the trail. Don gave me a double snowmobile and had my 7 year-old son ride on the back seat. My son was so far back that we were not touching each other and I couldn't tell if he was still with me or if he had fallen off. Don instructed me to go "dead last," and knowing what I know now, it was because he knew that there was a good chance that my son would fall off the back. The snowmobile engine was so loud that verbal communication was impossible and I probably wouldn't have heard my son scream if he was in trouble. I would occasionally take my left hand off the handlebars, at the risk of crashing and getting chewed out by Don again, to reach back and touch my son's leg to verify that he was still there. Finally we came to a clearing and started going in circles so I slowed down and then my snowmobile started to sputter and despite my efforts to keep it running it died. Don couldn't get it started and only then did he admit that he'd had trouble with this machine and he had just gotten it back from the repair shop. I had been eagerly anticipating this experience and it turned out to be 2 HOURS OF MISERY. read more

We were really looking forward to a day of horseback riding as we have tried a few different places in Winthrop. I was very happy that we were able to get a booking for the same day for a one hour ride. We arrived at our scheduled time and there was no one there to greet us, we were told by other riders standing by that the wrangler had gone to lunch. We waited for over a half an hour in the blazing heat. Once the wrangler arrived we got onto our prospective horses without any direction to those less familiar riders and headed out to a trail that made a loop. The trail was very dusty and our wrangler didn't say one word to us or anyone else during the ride. This was booked as a one hour ride and 40 min into the ride we were headed back to the barn. I respectfully told the wrangler that we were actually about 20 min early from our hour ride and he said that there was no special treatment. I reminded him of the time and he took a vote on who wanted to go back out or keep riding. There was one family with a toddler that was done so we went back to the stable. The wrangler got them off and then reluctantly took us back around the loop for 15 min and brought us back. My kids had been looking forward to this experience for months and we were all very disappointed. I called and let the owner know of the situation and she offered to get us on a 2 hr ride before we left, when I did not hear from her the following day I called her and she said that there were no rides available. We stayed another day and never did hear back from her. Very disappointed! read more

Had a fantastic weekend riding and spending time on the west coast with our dear friends. Don and Chris were great hosts and made sure we were happy. The rooms are very comfortable and clean. We will be back! read more

Chewack River Guest Ranch & Riding Stables - Don, the real deal! - Hotels Near Me - Winthrop, Washington

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Chewack River Guest Ranch is the BEST! I just threw my husband a surprise party at the ranch--22 of our friends spent the weekend-everyone had the best time!! The cabins are perfect and Don & Chris were wonderful hosts. Some of us went on an amazing horse back ride--beautiful horses and gorgeous scenery. We can't wait to go back (hopefully in October!) Thanks Don & Chris! read more

We went for a two-hour ride and loved it. We were able to book the afternoon prior, and the horses were saddled up and ready for us when we arrived. Don was our guide and took us over the most lovely mountain path where we saw some of his cattle grazing up close. The views were amazing. Highly recommend! read more

My friends and I had a similar experience to what "Greg T" described when we visited a few years ago. I had found the place online and the pictures made it look charming. Before booking I called and talked to the owner to get more details. I told him we were looking for a place where we could bring our horses for a girls weekend trip. I told him we were not looking for challenging rides. He told me that it was not difficult riding and we could expect lovely rolling hills. He said we could board our horses inside or out in separate stalls or paddocks. Upon arriving, there was no one to greet us. We went in the barn and discovered disgusting old stalls with turnouts. There were hazards all over and years worth of cow/horse crap built up. My first 60 minutes after a 6 hour drive was cleaning up someone else's crap in 90 degree weather. During that sweaty process, a young man showed up to "welcome us". I understand there are different types of horse people, but I felt mislead as to what we could expect. When we rode the next day, the terrain was so steep that there were switch backs in the trail that went up, up up. It became clear to us that the trails here were made for snow mobiling. Again, I had been clear that we were not up to challenging riding and now I felt mislead for the 2nd time. The housing was not clean, there was no air conditioning nor screens on the windows. We had to open the windows because of the heat and then we had flies to deal with. The only good thing about this stay is that it provided us with years of stories... "Remember the the disaster in Winthrop?" Or... "We won't let Becky make the arrangements again..." :). During the several day stay we barely saw any staff. We did see them drive off with a boat in tow, smiling and waving on their way out. Maybe they are avoiding the complaints they might get? Also, they charged us in full with a no refund policy, in advance. This is probably a good destination for guys on a hunting trip or snowmobile trip. For the average traveler not looking to rough it, I recommend avoiding. The ranch dog was the most hospitable of any of them and we too enjoyed tossing it toys to fetch. read more

We've been coming here for 15 years. We love it! It's a working ranch, so the rules are simple. If you open up a gate, close it. Don't get hurt doing something stupid. Otherwise, you have the run the ranch. Horseback riding extra, at a reasonable price. If you don't mind not having daily turn-down service, daily cleaning, and pretty much being left alone, this place is for you! If you're looking for someplace more expensive, with daily maid service, daily cleaning, and willing to pay a lot more for that, keep looking! read more

Went horseback riding with wrangler Jason today. Excellent time, my horse Nacho was a really fun horse. The trail is beautiful, great views of the mountains, and Jason is a really nice and knowledgeable wrangler. Definately recommend this place. Thanks Jason! read more

We have been visiting the Chewack River Guest Ranch since 1998. We just returned from a visit there after a five year absence and it was as amazing as ever. Four cabin units with a family feel next to the babbling creek. Two of the units have kitchens and two bedrooms. After going on a trail ride from the ranch stables you can relax on the covered deck or out in the green lawn and listen to the creek and rustling aspen leaves. For those really hot days, take a short walk down to the river and float to cool down. This is a working cattle ranch and the Lundgren's are often busy but are very welcoming and will stop by for a visit between chores. If you own horses the trails out of this ranch are amazing and you can ride for hours, boarding is available when you stay in the cabins. Wildlife abounds, bring your binoculars. Our kids grew up vacationing at the ranch and it is one of their favorite places to go relax and have fun. Cell phone service is spotty but you can log into the Wifi if needed. TV's with DVD players in the cabins. read more

What a way to take in the beauty and ranch life of Winthrop. The two hour trail ride offered amazing panoramic views of the mountains valleys and lake . Horses were the best sure footed all the way. Our guide was the best leading the way with her trusty cattle healer dogs. Charolais cows and new calves in May couldn't be better! read more