Estes Park, CO (Sombrero Stables), August 6, 2021

I’ve ridden at Sombrero Stables back in 2014 when I was visiting Colorado for a softball tournament. Back then, there was a delicious steak dinner option where you rode the horses about halfway around the trail up a small mountain. There waiting, was your steak to eat and enjoy. Then you would get back on your horse and finish the trail. I really enjoyed this unique experience.

Unfortunately, due to ownership change and COVID-19, this trail ride was dropped. In 2021, I found myself in Estes Park with my sister and because I had ridden at Sombrero, I decided to book with them again. I rode a 1-hour trail ride through the Sombrero Stables property, which took us to a small mountain view of Estes Park. The ride was fun, and we were so close to even seeing a bear! Continue reading to see my full experience at Sombrero Stables!

Sombrero Stables is located at the east entrance of Estes Park off Highway 34 (next to the Estes Park KOA). If you are looking for a trail ride into Rocky Mountain National Park, I suggest looking into National Park Gateway Stables or Glacier Creek Stables. With that said, Sombrero Stables has impressive land itself. From the view on the hill, you could see all of Estes Park and even the famous Stanley Hotel (cue spooky soundtrack and flash of random lightning). As of the posting of this review, Sombrero Stables offers a 30-minute ($50), 1-hour ($90), 2-hour regular ($120) or private ($200), and what they dub “The Cowboy Experience” ($100) which includes learning how to prep a horse, a fun line dance, and a 30-minute ride. The 1-hour price is almost double the average price of typical trail rides, so if you are a “bang-for-your-buck” person, I recommend the 2-hour trail ride.

By some stroke of luck, the horses my sister and I got were the worst at sneaking grass while trail riding, so they had a muzzle on both of our horses. This might seem ok except, the pictures of us with the beautiful view of Estes Park includes our horses with “bag” looking things on their face. It ruined the aesthetics of the picture. I never thought I’d say this, but taking away a horse’s mouth and nose takes away their face or identity. It just looks weird!

Other than the muzzles on our horses, I did not have any other issues with the horses. They were trained well and responded to rein commands well. The trail is wide so there is no need to worry about maneuvering away from tree trunks or branches. Both horses also stayed calm and were not skittish at all.

On to the main portion of this post – the trail. As I stated earlier, this trail does not go into Rocky Mountain National Park. It does climb a small mountain and gives you a view of Estes Park, which is very cool itself. Climbing up the small mountain, you also see the surrounding mountains of Estes Park and a grandiose feeling of the terrain.

I’ve mentioned in other reviews in Colorado how, at most, you will see deer, elk, or moose – grazing wildlife. In 2021, there was a known mama bear near Estes Park that had given birth to cubs. The den was suspected of being located on the Sombrero Stables property. Now, I can’t speak for the bear(s) in 2023 as they could have moved on. However, at the time, we were making our way up the trail when the wrangler’s walkie sounded. Another wrangler mentioned hearing bear noises further up the trail. My sister got so excited as we had just asked the wrangler what wildlife lives around the trails, and she mentioned the mama bear and her cubs. How exciting! We get to the top of the hill, take our pictures of Estes Park in the background, and keep moving. We got through 75% of the trail and made our way down the small mountain by this point. It is then that the walkie sounds again. “Mama bear spotted.” We quickly looked to our guide with smiles only for her to sadly tell us that the wrangler who made the notification was leading the group BEHIND us! No! So close!

Mountain lions (a.k.a. puma/cougar/panther) are also known to roam the Sombrero property and surrounding areas. While meeting a predator on the trail might sound scary, the horse is a large animal so the mountain lion or bear will not immediately try to take it out. Remember, the RMNP ecosystem only includes black bears – much smaller than a horse! On the other hand, the horses are also trained not to overreact to wildlife.

Lastly, our guide was very nice and did try her best to slow us down so we could see a bear on the trail – we had made it clear we would like to see a bear. Sombrero Stables has a great wrangler program if you are interested in staying the summer in Estes Park. On top of typical wrangler training, employees get to choose their horse for the summer, add their legacy to Boot Hill, and monthly wages with room and board. There are not many wrangler programs I know of that include room and board for their wranglers.

Conclusion

Overall, I recommend these trails for anyone who is new(er) to trail riding. The terrain is beautiful but doable for those with less experience. I also recommend this trail for those who want a gorgeous picture with the town of Estes Park in the background. That is my experience of Sombrero Stables from a trail ride in 2021. Have visited since? What did you like about the stables? Comment below and have a great day!

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Scenic Byhorse

Learn more about Scenic Byhorse here.

I love horses and love taking trail rides to explore beyond what you see from the roads. Join me as I share trail rides I’ve taken across Colorado and all over the country! Plus, enjoy bonus stories of wonderful outdoor adventures!