By: Babs Harrison
There is a moment on the drive to Castle Hot Springs when everything shifts. The highway disappears behind you and the pavement gives way to a winding dirt road, kicking up a soft cloud of dust. Your speed drops to fifteen miles per hour. The ride eases, the dust settles, and your mind quiets to match the pace of the desert.
Freed from highway autopilot, you begin to notice the details. Tall saguaros standing sentinel. Rolling hills and rocky canyons. A weathered sign reminding you to watch for wild burros—fingers crossed you’ll see one. The Bradshaw Mountains rise ahead, and for a moment it feels as though you’ve slipped into the Old West along a historic stagecoach route.
Around a bend, you come upon citrus groves and swaying palms lining the approach to a buttercream-yellow lodge, shimmering like an oasis. Welcome to Castle Hot Springs, a luxurious, historic wellness retreat where nature takes center stage.
One of the most inspiring ways to explore this ruggedly beautiful landscape is on horseback, riding through canyons and valleys just as early adventurers once did. Horseback riding in Arizona at Castle Hot Springs lets you drop into the rhythm of the land and experience the lush Sonoran desert the way the West was meant to be seen…languidly and from high in the saddle.
A Ride Through Desert History
Castle Hot Springs was born in the golden age of Western travel, when wealthy families journeyed to Arizona for warm winters and the healing power of natural hot springs. Many brought their own horses for daily rides through the canyon on these country style vacations.
In those early decades, guests arrived by horseback or stagecoach, and remnants of that era still live on in the resort’s History Room located in the Upper Barn. Weathered chaps, lariats, cowboy hats, and mementos from Western pioneers and Gilded Age travelers show how they blended rustic adventure with refined comfort.
Today, guests may arrive by car or helicopter, yet horseback remains the most immersive way to explore the area. Book a ride at Castle Hot Springs and a skilled cowboy guide will lead you along trails once traveled by ranchers, miners, and early resort guests.
On the Trail
One of those wranglers is Josh Wamboldt, whose stable of fifteen horses stands ready for adventure. He greets riders at the lodge in a UTV, his border collie Ace riding shotgun beside him. A short ride down a dusty lane brings you to the hitching post where several horses await, tacked up in tooled leather saddles and bridles delicately trimmed with colorful beading. These trail rides are kept to just a few guests at a time, so you can feel the magnitude of the surrounding terrain, as if you’re riding out with your partner on a couples horseback riding adventure to discover a new world.
After a brief safety chat, Josh pulls on his worn suede chaps, adjusts his cowboy hat, and swings into the saddle of his pinto. The back of his saddle is stamped with a fan of five playing cards, a Royal Flush—a subtle nod to good fortune and a great ride ahead.
Then it’s your turn. Hand on the pommel, you settle into the saddle and fall into rhythm as the horses move across rolling desert terrain. Sage and creosote perfume the air. Ace trots happily alongside. As you crest a ridge, the land opens wide: distant peaks, ribbons of canyon, and Lake Pleasant glimmering far off beneath the sun. You sit taller, absorbing the horizon like a scene from a frontier film. This just might be the best horseback riding in Arizona.
Every ride is tailored to the rider. Some may do a gentle loop up and down hills and past the agave farm, while others might head to the canyons, riding between volcanic walls shaped by ancient water and wind. Crater Canyon is where the sound of silence feels sacred and you almost want to whisper as you traverse this storied land. It’s easy to imagine a Wells Fargo stagecoach clattering through, and strong boxes filled with gold hidden in nearby caves to outsmart bandits along these old mining routes. Experienced riders might venture deeper into the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains, accessing terrain only horses can reach.
The rides last 60 or 90 minutes, and seem over way too soon. Channel your inner cowboy or cowgirl spirit and ride daily. You’ll discover a new slice of Arizona each time as the rides can be tailored just for you.
Back at the Lodge
After the ride, you arrive back at the lodge with dusty boots and tales to tell. Some guests head straight for a cold drink at the bar, recounting the day’s sights. Others slip into the geothermal hot springs for a soothing, mineral-rich soak.
At Castle Hot Springs, horses aren’t just part of the experience, they’re part of the legacy. Riding a horse in the Sonoran Desert connects you to the spirit of the American West, to the rhythm of the canyon, and to the timeless beauty of nature around Castle Hot Springs.
On your next visit, sign up to saddle up. Let a cowboy and the trail lead you, the desert ground you, and the past whisper its stories along the way.