R-Ranch At the Lake

This used to be a wonderful place. Horses are less and less available. In RV sites Large Trees are falling into «campground/​trailer area, into bathouses and showers. Main water pipes and branch pipes are breaking and operations dosent know how to fix or weld. and so leave pipes in open ground. Nepotism in management. Budget in question from owners, assestment raises/​infrastructure failures. This is a «Non-​Profit Corporation», Owners are shareholders in Corporation, not «members» It is Not a Timeshare nor a Campground! Most owners are not involved with the politics which can lure dysfunction. Evacutees Of (140 ?) from Valley Fire who were given free refuge for some 2 wks. (animals included) without owners vote or as designated evacuation point at the time. Another decision owners were left out. .Who wouldnt give 5 stars on FB for free housing refuge on a 1096 acre ranch in Napa Valley? Some refugees were already at desiginated sites and left once the word got out on FB and TV by «those in charge». At first ID’s were not even taken. Security? and LIABIALITY? Mgnt and Board verbal about how it helped sell shares. Its all about the money. BOD and husband/​wife Managment team run the ranch now. Nepotism !!! The. Miracle Ranch? Most «regular» employees make a bit more than minimum wage with Free employee and family housing (including utilities) owners assestment raises highest in over 20 years, budget forecast up multiple $ 100,000 plus. Most employees are seasonal workers for summer without benefits. Who is getting the money? This is a Private Ranch paid for by Owners! Longtime owners, some of which paid $ 25,000 for their ownership and have given away their shares. I would never tell anybody to buy in until there is a overhaul. Unless you enjoy dysfunction, board member dogbites, drunkeness, (some board and employees included) and speeding golfcarts, go to Canyon Creek down the road. Canyon Creek is civilized. Do diligent homewrk before investing in this Corporation.

My parents joined the former Napa Valley Ranch in i958 which was located on the present site of R Ranch at the Lake. I spent many wonderful summers at the ranch for the many years my parents were members. I have many great memories during my teenage years! Now my grown children and grandchildren have the opportunity to experience this great hidden GEM.
I visited R ranch in 2013 and became an owner in October 2013. In 2014, I stayed three times for a total of 30 days in the A cabins. These cabins have electricity and your own bathroom. We met many wonderful people. Owners and staff are all Great. This is a safe place to bring your family. The location is so close to the Bay Area. I live less than one hour away so even day trips are great year round.
The Super large pool, lodge, horses, seeing the deer and other wildlife, allow your family have plenty to enjoy! Set up a tour and come visit the Ranch and you will see why you will want to become an owner in this wonderful place!

This is one of the places that offered free housing to the victims of the Lake/​Napa County Fires. 100 cabins offered on Facebook. Room for 100 horses! Transportation for horses that were stuck and who’s owner’s could not transport them. They organized a huge supply center on their property. People came from many counties to this hub of goodwill to drop off desperately needed items to the many who had lost their homes or had been displaced. From here they were distributed throughout the area. Some hotels raised their rates to $ 300+ a night. Not this one. These devastating fires are going on as I write this, but I feel better knowing these families have somewhere to sleep.
I’ve never stayed at the R Ranch, but I’m looking forward to it!

The Ranch has been a favorite spot for my family for many years. This year some changes at the stable are keeping riders away. I have never heard this many complaints before. Several long time owners are thinking about leaving the Ranch. I hope these problems will get worked out. Perhaps it’s time for a change of board members. We need members that remember who «they» work for. This Ranch was started so that our kids and grand kids could ride horses. They can swim in town. They can’t ride in town.

I have been going to the ranch for more than 30 years. My family pass down the membership to me and I am now been an owner for going on 10 years. I’ve had some of the best times of my life at the ranch but unfortunately things have changed. The current board and management have decided that they run the show and the owners no longer matter. They have removed all of the staff that we have known and loved for many many years. I would not recommend buying into the ranch at this time until the current board and management staff have been removed. The current board is only interested in turning a profit on a non-​profit place.

My family has been coming here my entire life. Definitely a hidden gem. My home away from home when I need to get away for a day or two or three :)
Horseback riding and swimming in the giant pool are my favorites. Fellow Ranch owners are so friendly and welcoming. You get to know people over the years. Plenty of regulars but also great to see new faces. Check the calendar for special events and pool schedules!

We were lucky enough to be invited by some friends to stay for a mini vacation. What a wonderful place for the entire family. My son loved it. They have stables and one of the biggest pools I have ever seen. We came during the week and it was not crowded at all. Most of the people who I met who practically live at R Ranch say even when it’s crowded, it’s still really fun.
They have a teen center, an activities room with Foosball, pool, and ping pong. They have dances and concerts, a small grocery store and a restaurant (fast food-​ish, burritos, french fries, etc.).
It was $ 15 per person for the night and we got a cute little cabin with 4 spots to sleep. We were close to the bathrooms which were amazingly clean and a creek which the kids had a blast exploring. Deer and a bunch of other critters were all around us.
We had a great time! I don’t know if I would become an owner because to me you would need to come often to reap the cost of the yearly dues… and all you campers out there know, whether in a cabin or a tent, camping is hard work. =)

I bought into this Ranch, site unseen based on the raving reviews from a girlfriend who has been going since she was 5 — shes 40 now. We have not been disappointed. We have been owners for about 6 years, and can not get up there enough. As a family who loves horses, this is the place to be. You can board a horse of your own, or utilize the ranch horses for free. Its the perfect family fun zone, and your kids are safe and secure playing in the outdoors while us adults get to relax in beautiful Napa, only a short car ride to the lake. I have to laugh because even being owners for 6 years, we have only gone over to the Lake once. Why go (unless you have a boat) when you have all the fun you need right on the property.
I asked my boys what they like better… Disneyland or the Ranch? They said «the ranch of course»…enough said :)

We are new ‘pardners’ at the Ranch and I’m reluctant to write a review because this is the best kept secret ever! After you buy your ‘share’ in the property ($ 1000+ at present) there is around $ 1200 in admin fees each year and you can come here as often as you like! For our family that is the price of a couple of a week’s vacation without horse riding! Horse camp for my daughter was $ 800 a week. This is a bargain!
Other reviews describe it exactly as it is, nothing fancy but well maintained. Kids play as they should, outdoors; in the creek, on their bikes, tennis, basketball, mini golf, games rooms and the huge swimming pool. Plus parents get to relax, love it!!!

Fred’s family has some property up here and he’s been telling me about this place for several months now. So when the rest of our friends paid way too much to go to Toronto for a weekend, the rest of us came here for some *camping*. It’s less camping and more low budget vacationing. They’ve got these small little wooden cabins that have electricity (for one overhead light), but no outlets — well, not the ones we stayed in. Each cabin has a bunk bed with industrial plastic covered mattresses and two other bed like structures. There’s a big picnic table outside and charcoal only grills. The entire area is gated off so there are children running amok and security seems pretty tight cause it took us a long while to check in. We’d come for some horseback riding — all part of the camp, but since Fred isn’t the *owner* he wasn’t able to use any of the horses. Only owners can bring 1 guest.
Our weekend of camping consisted mostly of drinking and eating down in Napa Valley.
Of the time we did spend at the Ranch, I reminded everyone that no one puts baby in the corner and made other stupid dirty dancing jokes.

I’ve been coming here ever since I was 3 years old! You can only come to this place if you are one of the owners or if you come with someone that is an owner.
They have horseback riding, a nice outdoor pool and the scenery is beautiful. You get a cabin to stay in! This place is great when you just want to get out of the city! Cooking outdoors and just hanging out with the family is the best because there is no TV. so there is more conversing with each other. What can be better than connecting more with your family or friends?
BUT if you are too high maintenance you will hate this place! I can’t wait to come here next month! I miss riding the horses and I miss the sound of nature!