Fort Valley Ranch & Campground — Hotel in Luray

The new woman in charge is not accommodating at all. Coming in from out of state we were planning on pulling in at noon so we could get in a ride. We asked if there was anywhere we could pull over out of the way until our site opened. We were informed this was no way possible. Upon arrival we found there were only four sites used. Plenty of room to accommodate us and on top of that our site was open. Our last day we asked for a late checkout. Once again we were told she would not accommodate us and we had to pay for an additional night in order to ride our last day. We did this to get a last day ride. Upon our return from our ride there were only two trailers ours and one other. We felt she could have at least cut the rate in half. The trailer next to us complained about her people skills as well as another group of riders we met. That group of riders had been warned in advance about this woman by another rider who use to come when the owner was in charge. Sadly this woman is going to run off her customers. The girls in the office were nice and helpful.

Also, this same woman had sent directions to follow. Being from out of state and bringing in a 39’ trailer I figured she had sent these because it was the best way to come “over the mountain” to her place. The directions were poor at best with no landmarks, and no mileage. I travel extensively and can usually follow directions. Smiling, I tried to explain that being from out of state we could have used landmarks and mileage after getting lost twice. When I called for better directions I specifically asked for landmarks and mileage. I was reprimanded for not following the GPS or the directions on the site that she had just updated the night before.

As for the trails, average at best. To get to several trails you had to ride an hour out just to get to the trail heads. Trail Markings and directions were not the greatest. Twice we had to cut trails around fallen trees. Take a saw and nippers with you. On return once again you had to retrace the hour of trail/road to get back to camp. The last day we decided to ride the trails behind the main camp trails they use for guided rides. Once again we had to ride a half hour on the gravel road to a trail head. We followed the red trail which takes you straight up rocks. Half way up we regretted taking this trail but hated the idea of having to take our horses down what we had come up so far. Once we did reach the top trails were poorly marked. We had no idea if there was another route off the mountain and these trails were pure rocks with the foundation at times being straight slabs of rock the last half the ride was on better surface and we were able to find the ATV parking area. We then had to ride the last quarter of the ride along the roads. These trails were multi use and not really fit for horses.

The campground itself is nice but once again the woman had poor public relations skills and the trails are not worth it. We will not return to this campground. I would rather drive a couple hours further for courtesy and...

We went horseback riding at Fort Valley Ranch on April 5th at 3:30 PM, and it was hands down the highlight of our weekend getaway! From start to finish we had an amazing time. We arrived around 2:30 PM, eager and early —but no one was at the check-in office when we got there (not a huge deal since we were definitely early). I also hadn’t received any email or communication with instructions beforehand, so we weren’t 100% sure what to do when we got there. After waiting about 15 minutes, we drove around just to make sure we weren’t missing anything. Eventually, we saw the group before us returning from their ride, so we headed back to the office. The main staff member greeted us, helped us get signed in, and though she seemed a little stressed, she was friendly and got us taken care of quickly. Once we were checked in, we were directed to wait by the fence so they could match us with our horses. The process was impressively organized and clearly well thought out—they even provided me with a saddle bag for my phone, which was such a thoughtful touch! My fiancé was paired with Ben (who ended up being a bit of a slowpoke and gave us a good laugh), and I rode Mohawk, who definitely had quite the personality! Our trail guide, Bryce, was absolutely fantastic. Even though he told us he had only been working there a short time, we would’ve sworn he’d been there for years. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and kept us engaged the entire ride with fun stories and interesting info about the area. He also took pictures for us a few different times which was very nice of him! There was also a young lady leading at the front of the group (I didn’t catch her name since I was riding in the back), but she was just as wonderful—calm, confident, and great with the horses. The hour-long ride itself was beautiful—the weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold, although you could tell the horses were definitely working hard and feeling a little sweaty by the end! The scenery was peaceful and scenic, and we loved every moment of being out on the trail. Overall, it was such a memorable experience. The team at Fort Valley Ranch clearly cares about safety, comfort, and making sure every guest has a great time. We’re already talking about coming back—maybe next time for camping, too! Highly, highly recommend if you’re in the area and looking for a fun, relaxing, and well-run trail ride with amazing staff and beautiful horses. Thank you, Fort...

Well here it is. Fort Valley Campground Fort Valley, VA.

I'm honestly disappointed, alot of the reviews seem to be towards the guided trail rides and not much towards people actually camping with there horses.

My pros of this campground.

Easy driveway to pull in and out if you have a rather large rig.

Hookup spots are super long and are easy to turn into from either direction depending on where you door is.

Nice fir pit and good bench.

Showers have nice warm water. Sitting space could be little bit bigger to change.

My cons of this campground

You cant buy maps, even though on the wall it states it 3.00 a packet they dont make them anymore. So you have take picture. There was some print out of directions. But no one had an accurate mileage, only how many hours it might take you to ride something. (Thank God for Avenza Maps)

Upon arrive my two covered pens hadn't been cleaned out. They both had old manure and molded hay. With look to be leaves thrown ontop. We started cleaning them. Which isn't what I want to be doing after 3 hour drive. The owners husband seemed be grumpy on fact we weren't satisfied with "leaves". I explained that it looked who ever was last here never cleaned out, so why didnt it get cleaned out before we arrived. He grumbled and proceeded to grab tools in a locked shed and clean it out. (Know if these tools were accessible, i wouldnt have a problem to do them myself) But honestly I would never make my horses stand in manure and old foxtail hay.

Hospitality wasn't welcoming. They just don't feel like your normal day to day horse people. I felt kind of snipped at when we got there 30 minutes later then what I said.

Where do rinse off your horse? There this hose beside another campground that I used and tied my horse to the fence. But if the spot was taken, where would I go? Honestly I feel like a bathing spot with a sign be helpful.

When it rained. All rain run off when Into pens and stayed there. So Tuesday night it poured. Wednesday morning, they were standing in fetlock deep mud. It wouldn't have mattered how many bags of shavings I used. My mare likes get comfy. So she rolled in her own manure and pee/mud Thursday morning. It was disgusting.

So all in all the price I paid for two pens and hook up spot for 2 nights. Wasn't worth time or gas. Hope no one makes the...