Tanque Verde Guest Ranch

It's a good dude ranch. The staff is super friendly. Horseback riding is amazing.

TVGR had been on my radar for a couple years. My husband had indicated an interest in doing a dude ranch visit, and I was attracted to the southwestern setting and cuisine and overall high ratings on Tripadvisor. We went at the end of June/early July. Mind you, it was hot. We had expected dry heat, but apparently the Tuscon area monsoon season started early this year, so it was muggy and hot. TVGR tries to make it bearable by moving all rides to the morning and offering things like water balloon fights for the kids in the afternoons. As a Floridian, I am used to the hot, and it was bearable for my family, but if you are from more temperate climes, you might want to avoid traveling here in the months of July and August. I was there to ride, so that was my main focus. I grew up riding English style, and it was great taking a couple horsemanship lessons to learn Western basics. I made sure toschedule 1-2 rides per day. The breakfast ride with the kids was fun. We did one Saguero Adventure Ride, which was nearly 4 hours of nonstop riding through the National Park. It was beautiful but very hot. It left at 7:15AM, and there was no official stop for breakfast. We were each given a bag of snacks, and we ate as we rode. My husband and I were the only two people on that ride, which was pretty special, but we were pretty sore and hot by the end of it. After two lessons (if possible, schedule a lesson with Bill, he's great, and ride Sioux, who has a smoother trot and lope than other lesson horses like Copper), I felt ready for the Lope Check. I've read a lot of complaints of the Lope Check, but I thought it was fair. According to one of the wranglers, 7 years ago, they passed a lot more guests, and there were a lot more accidents on the loping rides. I went for one loping ride, and... I fell. Oops. I was the sole guest who passed the lope check my week, and I fell when my horse spooked at a lope. Thankfully, I only had some scrapes and bruises, but it could have been worse as we were riding through the desert with tons of cacti and rocks around. Having watched other riders fail the test, I don't think they should be out on the open trails at a lope. There are so many risks out of the arena, and I saw a lot of people who couldn't control their horses in the arena still attempt the test. But I'm glad that I was able to lope on the trail. It was fun before the fall, and I might have loped again, but it was my last day. The non-riding activities were hit or miss and depended on the staff person running them. Fishing with Stephan was awesome. My husband is an avid fisher, and he learned new things from Stephan. The fishing lake is a bit of a joke, but it was still fun to be there with Stephan. The kids loved it. Archery was less fun as the arrows were in pretty rough shape, and depending on the staff member running things, the instruction or guidance could be nonexistent. Axe throwing was interesting but too hot at the times scheduled (and no shade in the ar

Awesome dude ranch with super friendly staff, beautiful horseback riding trails, nice spa services! The grounds are well kept, there are a lot of activities...clearly marked hiking trails, and a full kids program. Highly recommended, we will go back for sure!

My husband & I stayed at Tanque Verde for two nights. The ranch is a beautiful place, but our experience there did not live up to expectations. We enjoyed a Casita in Javelina Heights. The room included a king and a twin bed. The best part of the room and stay were the two large windows with sweeping views of the mountains and sunset with two comfy chairs to enjoy the sights. This was why I selected the room, and it did not disappoint. The bed was comfy, and the bath was roomy. The parking was inhibited, because another couple kept double-parking. Please note, there are no TVs in the rooms. This is an all-inclusive property with many activities to choose from, but they do offer other options. We selected one that only included breakfast, because we had other activities lined up. Here are the disappointments during our stay. Our room was the middle room in a three room building. There are connecting doors. Through these connecting doors, we could hear the crying baby from one room and the morning smoker’s cough from the other. The WiFi was worse than spotty. Our room had coffee grounds on the bathroom counter when we arrived, and after a maid service (with generous tip), the coffee grounds were still not cleaned up. Popcorn dropped on the floor was also not swept up. The included breakfast was good, but the fruit was not fresh and some plates were dirty. The Saturday Cowboy Cookout was festive & fun, but I found dirty plates on the buffet there, too. I had really looked forward to our stay but came away mostly disappointed. Only the view didn’t disappoint.

amazing, immersive & active family vacation. food MUCH better than I expected. recommend going when your kids are at least 7 years old so they can fully enjoy the Kids Club activities & horseback riding! great variety of activities throughout the day to keep adults and kids entertained.

Roadrunner Ridge room was clean, big and nice. The food, bar and swimming pool we very much enjoyed. We ate & drank, slept, sat by the pool and rode horses as much as possible. (But don't even dream about passing the lope check, very few do.) The morning and sunset rides are not to be missed, the cacti and rugged hills are lovely. We took the jeep tour around the National Park loop road and the learned so much from the naturalist. We met a lot of fun people. All the staff were helpful and pleasant . Dusty and hot but it is the West and it made the Margaritas taste all the better.

We spent 3 nights at Tanque Verde and would certainly return! A terrific assortment of activities and great horsemanship opportunities. Nestled in a valley filled with saguaro, the views are beautiful, and it is so quiet! I celebrated a birthday with friends and had a chef curated dinner party that was fabulous!

Great experience. Enough diversity in activities to keep things varied and fun. Horseback riding was fun- the wranglers were appropriately cautious with regard to who was allowed to lope in open field, keeping safety as a priority. Bill gave a great lesson.

Secluded quiet rooms with excellent views yet close to amenities. Loved the desert experience on the trails. Good food drink and service. No Pressure to add events. Loved the pool and hot tub. Easy access to water bottle filler and coffee. Saguaros!!!!!!