Ranch Rules ::: Muir Trail Ranch
For several decades we have welcomed thousands of people to our home so they could enjoy a unique vacation experience. In order to provide a pleasant and safe place for this to occur, we require a standard of behavior which we outline here. It is our sincere desire that you enjoy your stay with us. By following the guidelines listed below you will help ensure your time at the ranch will result in pleasant memories.
General
We expect all guests at the Muir Trail Ranch to behave in a civil manner. Everyone in our mountain area expects to enjoy peace and quiet, so we will not tolerate rowdy or uncivil behavior either at the ranch or on the trail.
The ranch facilities and the wilderness are to be respected and treated in an exemplary fashion. No Forest Service or Park Service regulations are to be violated.
No plants or animals are to be mistreated or removed from the forest or the ranch.
The ranch is not available to anyone for the purpose of hunting game, either on or off ranch property. Guns are not allowed.
Campfires are allowed in designated areas only both on and off the ranch.

Horse use
In order to match you to an appropriate horse, we need to know your riding ability.
Before your first long horse ride, we will demonstrate the safe and enjoyable way to ride. Any rider who expects to use our horses must attend the safety lecture which is given on Sundays after breakfast in our corral.
Since alertness is of paramount importance while on horseback, we will not allow any guest who is under the influence of alcohol or any impairing drug or medication, or is otherwise physically impaired, to ride.
All rides are led by an experienced guide. Riders must always obey the guide’s instructions.
We do not allow guests to use spurs on our horses.
We will not tolerate any mistreatment or abuse of our horses.
Open-field riding, galloping, or more than one rider on a horse are not allowed.
Guests may not bring their own horses, but may bring their own saddles.
Generally, anyone weighing over 210 pounds will be restricted to riding on the valley floor. However, this restriction depends on the person’s physical stature and condition; a six-foot six-inch 210-pound person may qualify to ride while a five-foot six-inch 200-pounder may not. The final determination will be made by ranch staff.

Hot spring baths
For your safety, please limit your stay in the hot springs to no more than 15 minutes.
Do not allow soap to get into the pool. There is an area in each bath for soaping and rinsing; the runoff goes to a septic tank. Please take your personal items such as towels with you when you leave the baths.

Fishing
In order to help preserve the fish population on the ranch, we do not allow anything but fly fishing on the property (catch and release preferred). Off the ranch, you may do as you please, but we strongly encourage conservation to preserve fishing opportunities for the future.
We discourage people from filling their creels with fish to give to other guests. Please limit your catch to fish you will be eating yourself. We allow young children to use lures or bait on the ranch.

Leaving a clean camp
Guests are asked to leave the ranch in the same condition in which they found it. This includes tidying-up their cabins. The cooks will clean the pantry, refrigerators, kitchen, and dining room. Ranch staff will do the grounds keeping chores, launder the bed linens, and maintain the hot spring baths. Our staff will make sure the cabins and tent cabins are presentable for incoming guests, but departing guests are requested to do as much as they can to lighten the staff’s workload, due to the short interval between check-out and check-in times.

Check-in and check-out times
You may expect to find your cabin ready for occupancy by 2 pm. We request that you have your cabin ready for checkout by 10 am for short-stay guests. For guests who are staying for the entire week as a group, your departure time is 9 am if you are riding to the lake on Saturday, and 9:30 am if you are hiking to the lake. Have your luggage ready to be packed out by 8:30 am.

Cancellation policy
If you need to cancel your reservation, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to fill your spot. For guests staying for an entire week as a group, we will refund your deposit in full if we are informed of your cancellation at least 90 days in advance of your scheduled stay. If we receive your cancellation less than 90 days in advance, we may still refund your deposit if we can fill your reservation with at least the number of people who cancelled. Otherwise, you forfeit your deposit. For short stay guests, there is NO REFUND for cancellation. For no-show without any notice, you will forfeit your deposit in full.

Your cooperation will make your stay a pleasure — we welcome you