There are plenty of ways to see the wide-open country around Cody, Wyoming — but none of them compare to seeing it from the back of a horse. Cedar Mountain Trail Rides gives you exactly that: a genuine, unhurried horseback experience through the rugged terrain just west of town, with Cedar Mountain rising dramatically behind you and the Absaroka Range stretching out in every direction you care to look.
The operation sits just minutes from downtown Cody, making it remarkably easy to fold into almost any itinerary. You don’t have to drive an hour into the backcountry or book days in advance just to get a taste of true Wyoming ranch life. Pull up, meet your horse, and within a few minutes you’re climbing into the kind of landscape that most people only ever see through a car window on their way to Yellowstone.
What sets Cedar Mountain apart from a generic trail ride is the attention to matching riders with the right horse. Whether you’ve never been in a saddle or you grew up riding on a family ranch, the wranglers here take a few minutes to get a read on your experience level and your personality before they pair you up. That small gesture makes an enormous difference. Nervous first-timers leave feeling accomplished. Experienced riders leave feeling like they’ve reconnected with something they’d nearly forgotten.
The trails themselves wind through sagebrush flats and rocky outcroppings, climbing gradually to viewpoints where you can see the Shoshone River valley laid out below. On a clear morning — and mornings here are almost always clear — the light hits the bluffs in a way that makes everything look like a painting. Your guide will point out local landmarks, share a bit of regional history, and occasionally pause just long enough for everyone to take it all in without rushing anyone along.
Rides range from one-hour introductory outings to longer half-day excursions, so there’s a format that works whether you have a packed schedule or a lazy afternoon to spare. Groups are kept small enough that it never feels like a tourist conveyor belt. It feels, instead, like something personal — a quiet hour or two where the pace of the world slows down considerably and the scenery does all the talking.
Cody bills itself as the rodeo capital of the world, and that western identity runs deep here. But riding through Cedar Mountain country, surrounded by nothing but high desert, big sky, and the sound of hooves on dry earth, you don’t just observe that identity — you actually step inside it for a little while. That’s a rare thing, and it’s worth every minute of the ride.
If you’re planning a trip to Cody, make time for this before you do almost anything else. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
