Horseshoe Canyon Ranch — Attraction in Harrison

TL:DR This place is an AWESOME spot for a high adventure AND relaxing vacation for a family with older kids or teenagers. Great staff, great adventure, and comfortable amenities. 10/10

This review will help those who want to stay at the ranch for a family adventure trip! My family of three stayed at HCR for four nights in late July. It was HOT so we had the place to ourselves for the first couple of days, which was actually lovely. First, the staff here are amazing! Annika answered all of my questions up front and helped me set up all the activities and cabin rental. We had Diego, Jason, and Mason as our guides, and they were all friendly, helpful, and kept us safe.

We rented a 3-person cabin, and it was great. It had strong AC, lots of pillows and towels, a comfy couch, lots of hooks for drying things, and a great front porch! I knew it had a small fridge and that the lodge didn’t serve lunch so I brought everything we needed for lunches on the property. A great hot breakfast was included with the cabin rental. Eggs, sausage, cereal, toast and yogurt every day plus pancakes on Saturday and biscuits on Sunday! Dinner is available to buy, and we thought we’d have a different buffet option each night, but since it was the slow summer months, they had a more limited dinner menu. We went into town to Jasper Pizza Co one night!

We did three half-day guided adventures. We started with the via ferrata course and Iron Horse zipline on Thursday, then half-day of climbing on Friday, and half-day of mountain biking on Saturday. This was a good order because we did get a little banged up with the biking. The equipment was all included and was all top notch. The e-bikes were incredible and made riding the routes much easier. Although they are heavy and even the easier routes are a bit challenging so we did experience a couple of falls. Mason was very patient and helpful! If you’re a more serious mountain biker or climber, this place has ALL the challenge you could want, but it was also definitely doable for those new to any of the activities. Jason did a great job of just letting us climb…he did all the belaying for us. He was great about helping us learn more about climbing equipment and technique. And the climbing in AR is just amazing…the sandstone has so many great foot and hand holds that it makes it very easy for newbies and advanced alike. And the ½ mile zipline and unique via ferrata high adventure course were great, and Diego was a chill guide for that adventure….all so fun!

We spent our mornings doing activities (and chasing the shade) and our afternoons napping, reading, and using the pool. They have a ping pong table and a small cinema room in the basement that we used too and had to ourselves. (Bring DVDs if you want to watch your own picks, as their selection could use some updating.)

A delightful herd of sheep roam and are so fun to watch. There are also cows, a couple of llamas and donkeys, and we heard a goat with a bell up in the canyon as we climbed! Also recommend a trip to Steel Creek campground to swim in the cool, clear water of the Buffalo River. If you come in spring, there is canoeing and kayaking to be had near the ranch but not while we were there in July.

There are three Tesla destination chargers and one of them has a J1772 adaptor so we were able to fully charge our Mustang Mach-E EV for the ride home, which was awesome since this is a more isolated spot. The Trading Co where you check in for activities has a coffee bar and ice cream treats, drinks and a few small sandwich items for sale as well as some climbing gear and books. The wifi is not available in the cabins only near the lodge and trading company. Our AT&T phone got a few bars but our T-Mobile phone did not, so plan ahead there! Come with the code they email you so if you arrive after they are closed, you can get into your cabin. There's a cabin map on...

We stayed at the Pine Knot Cabin this weekend and it was a perfect getaway! We were secluded, but just a few minutes drive to the hot tub, pool, and trading post(where you can get coffee, souvenirs, and check in).

Things to know before you go: The turn around can wash out from water. Need all wheel drive and not a car. Something higher up. I had a Kona and did fine. It's all wheel drive. There is a little spot by the cabin you can do little forward, little back until you turn around.

Like coffee? They have a maker, but bring your own creamer, sugar, and coffee grinds! It's not a Keurig. Just a regular pot.

Pillows are flat. Probably best to bring your own pillows.

Kitchen and cooking items. Bring your food and a crockpot. Put something on and go hiking while it slow cooks. There is a grill on the deck.

The deck has the most wonderful view and chairs that rock.

Bring some firewood and s'mores stuff and your own fold up chairs. There is a fire pit at the bottom.

Also nice space on the bottom to play games like corn hole(you would have to bring your games).

This is a great location to alot of awesome hiking trails and 7 miles(about 15 minutes) to in town where there is shopping and restaurants. Go eat at The Cliff House. It has an AMAZING view. Trust me.

The view here is amazing off the deck and we were secluded and had a nice best friend getaway.

When getting here, put in Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in the directions. Do not put the address given. It took us 25 minutes out of the way. There is a big sign that says Horseshoe Canyon Ranch and when you see that, stop paying attention to the GPS. Turn there. There is sign that says Pine Knot on your left. Follow that to the house.

If you have balance issues, you may forgo this one as there are stairs to get to the bedroom and when you are half asleep in the dark and legs sore from hiking... going down is not fun.

Are you a menopausal woman who has hot flashes? Might sleep downstairs as the upstairs can get toasty. We stayed when it was in the 40's at night. Windows open and breeze blowing on my face, I slept like a baby. But summertime, I might have not have had as great of a sleep.

Anyways....we will be back. We love this place and the view from the hot tub. Thanks for...

In June 2024 we spent 4 nights at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Jasper, AR with a large mixed-age group and everyone had a great time—especially the teenager! We did rock climbing, mountain biking (on e-bikes which made it EASY), zip line, via ferrata, hiking and also just lounging by the pool. The guides were knowledgeable and all activities were beginner friendly, with options to progress. My teenage daughter LOVED rock climbing and the guides took her on a series of increasing difficultly climbs that were perfect for her (kudos to guides Diego and Olivia!) We were on the all inclusive package, and stayed in their cute and tidy cabins. The meals were delicious and included fresh local veggies and a big salad each meal. They also tailored meals to our dairy free family members. We liked that the day was loosely scheduled, breakfast at 8:30, pick your first activity at 9:30, lunch at 1, afternoon activity at 2:30 etc it helped to rally our big and somewhat-slow-to get moving group, and also allowed for people to choose what they wanted to do each session.

Many of the existing reviews appear to be from hard-core climbers and mountain bikers. I’m a middle aged mom and I was skeptical of an ‘adventure ranch’ trip, but genuinely felt welcome and had a blast trying all of the activities. This place was a great destination for our family.

The property is under new ownership this year and feels like it is struggling to re-brand from being a horse-centered dude ranch. The e-bikes are plentiful and brand new, the trail system was amazing. Certain areas are showing some wear and tear (pool table, ping pong, barn loft, pool area, playground). The property could use a few more ATV vehicles to move people from activity to activity—to get started, we were lead on a speed-hike uphill and then began the activity already sweaty and tired. Cell coverage was zero. WIFI was spotty, and only strong at the main lodge. Overall we had a great time and definitely recommend Horseshoe...