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Reviews for Flying-R-Ranch
(click on name for more information)
West Plains, MO

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Overall CAMP RATING with 59 votes:
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The Flying R is a great camp, but it is under new ownership and is now call North Fork River Ranch. I spent 4 days there and plan to return. Excellent accommodations and staff. Really fun trails.
Reviewed by: Kchawk46 on 7/29/2021 4:07:57 PM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 5/13/2021 Hometown: Belle Fouche, SD

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This place is terrible and if this is 5 star then I am the Pope.
Reviewed by: RJ Fleming on 8/11/2017 6:49:40 PM
More reviews by RJ Fleming 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 7/29/2017 Hometown: Houston, Tx

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This was our second trip to Flying R and it certainly wasn't a disappointment! When we arrived in camp on Saturday there were quite a few campers. When we returned from our Sunday morning ride, camp was empty and we were the only campers until the weekend rolled around again! Camp was quiet and comfortable and has all the amenities for a great experience. Stalls are covered with nice gates and they supply free shavings which is a huge plus! Electric and water at the sites and a dump station as well. There is a large, sand filled round pen for your horses to roll in after your ride and a very large turnout area as well which we used all week! Very nice wash rack and an obstacle course. They also have a very nice bath house with flushable toilets. It is always clean and well managed. Trails are very well marked which is great. Flying R also has their trails marked on PDF maps which makes following the trail a breeze with just your phone and no cell signal! You cannot get lost! We plan 5 days of riding when we ride here which is perfect for us. We do not ride on travel days as this is about a 10 hour drive for us. We are able to ride all the marked trails in 5 days riding. I highly suggest the forest trail! It was a 14 mile ride. Even though the temps were high it was very comfortable in the shade of the trees. Our rides averaged 7-14 miles each day and between 3-6 hours (We ride quarter horses so keep that in mind!). The terrain was varied and offered changes in elevation and deep river crossings. Most levels of confident riders will enjoy these trails. The ground is fairly rocky and I would highly suggest shoes all the way around. We often pad our horses in rocky areas as we have no rocks at home and our horses tend to get tender but we get along just fine at Flying R without pads. Love the camp employees, the ice cream cones in the store and the well maintained trails. We will continue to return to Flying R on a yearly basis, it is well worth the drive.
Reviewed by: Stacy on 7/22/2016 11:58:00 AM
More reviews by Stacy 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 6/23/2016 Hometown: Palmyra, NE

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owner and staff are second to none. very helpful in any way and very pleasant. make you feel at home even though you are 600 miles away. campground was great. plenty of room for even the big rigs . over all our 6 day stay was relaxing and enjoyable. thanks to flying r and staff for a great time. the meatloaf wasn't bad either.
Reviewed by: barry charlet on 5/9/2016 1:36:43 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 5/1/2016 Hometown: white castle , la

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My girlfriends and I recently completed an AWESOME 5 day trip to the Flying R Ranch in West Plains, MO. This group has done 100 mile treks in the Pyrenees in Catalonia, Spain, and many of us are endurance riders who like a challenging trail. The trails were gorgeous and available for all levels of riders, from Jesse James (a challenging, rocky, and pitch steep challenging trail), to the bucolic Annie Oakley trail which passes through pine forests bordering the Mark Twain National Forest, and the beautiful North Fork river. Many water crossings, caves, and in April the dogwoods were in full bloom, making areas of the Annie Oakley trail look like a fairy bower with arching white blooms everywhere. The trail was lined with blue flowering Sweet William and even though the campground was full with a fun and interesting mule obstacle and jumping challenge, the trails were not crowded. With a one ton Dodge and a 34' Lakota LQ trailer, I was also pleased with how spacious the campsites were, with water / electric and many with pull through, adjacent to corrals with deep wood shavings for your horse. After doing the fun obstacle horse - with some great and challenging trail obstacles - you can literally ride hours and miles in all directions without criss crossing the well marked trails, and the ranch provides you with a digital map app for your phone so you never get lost. At the end of a hard day of riding, you can also purchase meal packages and with my gluten, egg and dairy allergies, I was bowled over by how accomodating the staff were to my dietary needs and the great meals they prepared. A highlight of the trip was a steak and potato cookout at night, where we rode down to the North Fork, picketed our horses, and shared good food and good memories with new friends. As an equine attorney, I see a LOT of equine campgrounds. This ranks in my top 3 and I can't wait to come back. Soon!
Reviewed by: denisefarris2 on 4/19/2016 4:26:24 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 4/18/2016 Hometown: Stilwell, KS

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This place was built by the current owner who really put some thought into it beforehand. Terry Carroll and his staff are extremely nice and helpful. The campsites have electric, water, fire ring, and picnic table. Covered stall next to campsite and has water ,bedding and manure pile close . also has 4 really nice log cabins for rent that sleep about 12 each. There is a fun obstacle course, two round pens and lots of fun trails. You do need to understand how the trails are marked before going out. There is a river that you must cross to get to most of the trails. It is about chest deep on a 14-2H horse. I highly recommend Flying "R" Ranch. The place is very busy so check ahead if you want to go on a weekend.
Reviewed by: remington77 on 4/15/2016 4:00:14 PM
More reviews by remington77 		Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 4/9/2016 Hometown: Waverly, OH

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The campground and facilities are second to none. Fun little obstacle course, great dining hall, superb bath house. They recently opened some new showers & bathrooms in the back of the campground. General store has everything you need. Stalls are great as well. Unfortunately for our group, there just aren't enough marked trails...which is why I knocked a star off. Sure, you can head off into the National Forest, which we did twice, but you can easily follow trails that are barely marked and then likely get lost. Flying R said they can't provide a map of the National Forest trails, which is fine, but that limited the trails we could ride without worrying about getting lost. The trails they do have -- Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, etc. are very nice. The ride to the old ranch is enjoyable, and it's a good spot to stop for lunch. We've been three times to Flying R and just wish there were more than 3 or 4 days of riding without covering the same trails again. It's definitely a fantastic place to ride for a weekend.
Reviewed by: harmoncollege on 4/12/2016 2:04:05 PM
More reviews by harmoncollege 		Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 10/15/2015 Hometown: Coweta, OK

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We wanted to go to the Ozarks for the past few years. I wasn't sure which campgrounds to pick. Well, we picked the right one. We have camped in 10 different states and this was by far the best camp and trails. The workers went out of their way to make us feel at home. The showers were very clean. They had a variety of trails. The only bad thing, us that it is 770 miles from home. We spent 10 very great days there and can't wait to go back.
Reviewed by: Teabyrdz on 10/11/2015 9:47:14 PM
More reviews by Teabyrdz 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 9/15/2015 Hometown: FREEDOM, OH

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Just returned from a long weekend at Flyin R. These are the nicest, hardest working people with the best set up we've seen in a long time. They make it comfortable for any level of camper/rider. I have not tried their food yet, but heara it is good.
Reviewed by: Calamityj on 9/28/2015 12:23:59 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 9/24/2015 Hometown: Ava, MO

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first time we stayed here,we expected a lot from what we heard from others.we got a lot VERY NICE in every way!!!!!
Reviewed by: ranlin on 9/7/2015 6:01:51 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 9/4/2015 Hometown: long lane, mo

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Nice facilities for horses and us humans. They just added restrooms and showers at the back end of the camp so campers in that area have facilities close. If you like single track trails ride the Jesse James and Annie Oakley trails on the ranch then focus on the Mark Twain Forest trails (easily accessed from the ranch). The staff we encountered at the ranch were all very helpful and made us feel welcomed. The lodge was a great place to play cards, listen to music, etc., in the evening.
Reviewed by: Morning Mist Acres on 5/27/2015 7:32:14 PM
More reviews by Morning Mist Acres 		Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 5/19/2015 Hometown: Central City, IA

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Wonderful owners, accommodating staff, nice campground with several shady sites. Nice stalls, but they can get wet when it rains. Firewood, shavings, wheelbarrows and fork are provided. Trails are very scenic with several really nice water crossings. These people run a grat horse camp. Only drawback is that there are only 4 marked trails. There are some in the adjoining forest, but you have to figure them out without a map. Have been there 3 times so far and will definitely go back.
Reviewed by: Dia on 5/24/2015 8:50:55 PM
More reviews by Dia 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 4/18/2015 Hometown: Raymondville, Mo

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Would give Flying R six stars out of five!!! Great owners/staff. Wonderful facilities. Cleanest shower house I've ever seen. Trails are well marked. Home cooked food, free firewood, convenient covered stalls. Round pen to work your horse in and an obstacle course for your horse. They have thought of everything!!! We will be returning time and time again!!!
Reviewed by: sharla higgenbotham on 5/19/2015 4:48:14 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 5/14/2015 Hometown: mexico, mo

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This was our first time at the Flying R Ranch. Campground has level sites and the stalls are very close. Hosts were super friendly and even played music and had dancing during the middle of the week for us. Trails are well marked and are beautiful. There are lots of river crossing and sights to see. Would highly recommend the Flying R Ranch.
Reviewed by: esteward on 4/21/2015 3:50:31 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 4/13/2015 Hometown: Harrington, DE

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Level sites with large covered stalls with shavings. Handy water & manure pits. Lots of free firewood! Bathroom, shower house & laundry are all clean & handy! Music on Fri & Sat night with Teri doing an excellent Ray Price! Excellent map to go with the trails and you can ride private land & Mark Twain National Forest. A lot of interesting sites & history to ride to! It is great to have a choice of cooking or eating good food in their dining hall! Nice tack & more store with the Best Helping Employees!!!! From the moment you pull in their driveway, you'll see all the work that has been done in this newer camp & they're still doing more! The decorations are awesome! Thanks for making it available for us to come from Iowa & enjoy this! Hope to drive thru your front gates again!!!!!
Reviewed by: Linda & Morris Dolph on 10/31/2014 8:12:48 PM
More reviews by Linda %26 Morris Dolph 		Experience: Expert Ride Date: 10/7/2014 Hometown: Waterloo, IA

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This was our 3rd visit to the Flying-R-Ranch and it has easily become our new favorite place to ride. It is definately the Holiday Inn of horse camping. We have a very long trailer and we had no trouble getting into the nice level camp sites. The stalls are all covered and big enough for our very long backed appaloosa. Where we have always camped, the stalls are right to the back of our trailer, so our horses were always within sight of our campsite. Shavings are provided for the stalls so you don't have to worry about carrying those with you. There is also a long hose so that we didn't have to carry water for the horses. Just hook up your bucket, and get the hose. We were also able to use the hose to wet our horses down after returning from our ride on a very hot day. Our horses thank you. Wheel barrels and forks are also provided for use. There is wood conveniently located for campfires too. The whole campground is well maintained and the bathhouse is immaculate. I never found water all over the floor and no bugs in the bathouse. I have never experienced that while horsecamping. We have eatten some of our meals in the mess hall and have never been disappointed. They are very generous with their portions too. The trails are rocky in places and there are steep hills to climb, but that is to be expected since it is the Ozarks. We have been on the Annie Oakley, Zane Grey, and the Calamity Jane trails and have not been disappointed in any of them. Each was challenging enough to make them interesting, but still not so much that we felt our horses were in danger or that it was too much for them even though they are not use to this type of terrain (being from flat Central Illinois). We have not yet tried the Jesse James trail since it is suppose to be a lot more challenging and we felt that our horses need to be in better shape before trying it. The river crossings on all of the trails make it very nice for cooling your horses off and letting them drink. Riding with the longhorns while on the Calamity Jane trail was a bit unnerving at the time, but ended up being a really neat experience. (The longhorns are very use to horses and didn't bother us at all.) Last but not least, all of the people at the ranch have been extremely friendly and helpful. The night before we were to leave home for this particular trip, one of our horses threw a shoe. I called the ranch, and they arranged to have a shoer there early the next morning (we didn't arrive until very late at night) so that we didn't lose any riding time. The owners and all of the staff take a lot of pride in the ranch and work very hard to keep it nice, but they are never too busy to sit and have a conversation with you either. They make you feel like they have known you for years. On this last visit, Terry (not the owner)and his son provided music on Sat. night that was so good we thought it was the radio being played through the speakers. It is easy to tell that everyone on the ranch loves what they do. It is not just a job. We have recommended the Flying-R-Ranch to all of our horsey buddies.
Reviewed by: Linda Forbes on 9/16/2014 9:57:55 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/4/2014 Hometown: Decatur, IL

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I have been enjoying Flying R Ranch for two and a half years. The owners, Terry and Pam Carroll, are continuously expanding and improving the facilities and the trails. They live on the property and are constantly present to oversee operations and attended to the riders needs and wants. I've been to many horse camps in Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky and I like the passion and involvement of the owners, the culture of the ranch and the assistance provided to both horse and rider. I've always called it my Five-Star Horse Camp and it is. This is a must visit destination. Love the miles and miles of trails, the good food, the accommodations (hookups, bunk rooms and cabins)and most importantly the clean restrooms and showers. They have recently expanded their dining hall and it is just fabulous with a wall of windows overlooking the rolling southern Missouri hills. Just lovely. You've got to see it.
Reviewed by: Renie Tuffli on 8/21/2014 11:41:18 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 8/11/2014 Hometown: Labadie, MO

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The Flying R is the best campground and horse trailriding facility I have ever been at. I have been at several throughout Arkansas and Missouri and Colroado. I just love the whole facility and all that it offers. Terry and Pam, the owners are the best. They make you feel so at home.
Reviewed by: Karri Koelling on 3/14/2014 6:41:58 AM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 5/16/2013 Hometown: Lake Lillian, Minnesota,

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We have been going to Flying R in June for 5 days for the past 2 years (and have our 3rd trip booked for this year). We have 3 in our group, 1 beginner and 2 intermediate. We have enjoyed all of the trails at the ranch, although our beginner was a little nervous on Jesse James in 2012. We have only gotten lost a little bit and that's saying something for us directionally dysfunctional gals! We always stay in a cabin. We love the views of the river and that we can walk down and sit in it after our rides. The cabins are clean overall but ours really needed a carpet cleaning last year. The beds and pillows are comfortable but you need to bring your own linens and towels. Bathroom could be larger, but such is life. The first year we brought our trailer and horses down to the stalls by the cabin, but that road can be a little dicey and it's hard to carry hay and supplies up the hill to those stalls, so since then we have dropped our trailer and kept the horses up top by the camping area, which works much better for us. They are very accomodating for requests like this. There are 2 round pens to work off the morning snorts and a widely varied obstacle course. Stalls are big, safe and clean, with lots of free available shavings. We paid the $5 a day to have them cleaned for us and were not sorry. Last year we did a 4-hour float trip on the river one day and will probably do that again. The Carrolls are great hosts and I highly recommend you put this place on your trail riding list. We have not made it into the Mark Twain to ride yet but maybe this year. We also need to try the meals from the kitchen, as I hear they are excellent.
Reviewed by: Vicki Germain Tharp on 2/16/2014 5:06:50 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/5/2013 Hometown: Palatine, Illinois,

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Sorry for the late review, I just found this web site. We have stayed at Flying R several times since they opened. They have improved each time. The campsites are big, level, and easy to get into. Pens are nice, shavings and firewood are free. The staff is super friendly and usually accommodating. The trails are nice and although they can be challenging for a novice navigator, they continue to improve. Our only disappointment is that we had reserved two sites months in advance, and when we arrived we were told that they had been given to someone else in a larger group. We were placed back in an area where there were many open sites. The larger group could have easily been put there but we were told that they cater to larger groups. The sites that had been taken away from us were closer to the bathrooms and shower house so were preferrred. Guess I'm still angry about that, but we will go back. Overall they are great people and we love their trails.
Reviewed by: Ozark Mountain Gal on 12/28/2013 9:05:50 PM
More reviews by Ozark Mountain Gal 		Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/19/2013 Hometown: ,

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Had yet another wonderful time and the owner, Terry is wonderful and goes out of his way to make your stay enjoyable. The staff are super nice too!! The trails on the property cris-cross and can be confusing (but I hear they are changing that). When you get over into the Forest, there are many, many trails to ride. The Western weekend was a blast!!It's a great place to got for sure and I will be back!!
Reviewed by: Lori B on 10/9/2013 10:56:13 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 9/25/2013 Hometown: Troy, MO

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First time to Flying R. Enjoyed the stay. Friendly staff and very clean facility. The food was beyond great. Even though it rained several inches the first night, we were able to ride the following day. There are rocky hills or more flat riding after crossing the river. Plenty of riding for ability levels. The obstacle course was a lot of fun, so I enjoyed challenging my new young horse each day.
Reviewed by: IL Trailrider on 8/6/2013 5:17:18 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 7/29/2013 Hometown: Arcola, IL

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Had a fair weekend, did not like that fat (B) in the store! All of they are so wonderful!! An like to tell you they are.
Reviewed by: came with friends on 7/12/2013 12:39:57 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 7/6/2013 Hometown: Home Town, AR

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What a fantastic place! This was our first time visiting and I made reservations for June before I left. The Trails are absolutely beautiful. The campgrounds are very clean and well kept. Safe stalls that are well shaded, free shavings, many picks and wheel barrows at each barn. Water at each barn. The trails are well marked but I still managed to get lost, this is not unusual for me. The meals are fantastic and well prepared, although I thought the price was a little expensive. It was nice not having to cook and clean up. The Lodge has everything you might have forgotten. The bathrooms are very clean and very nice. I can't wait to go back! May just be my new favorite place.
Reviewed by: Gina A on 5/25/2013 7:36:34 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 5/16/2013 Hometown: St Clair , MO

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My first trip to Flying R and let me tell you this is a top notch, 5-star campground. The owners, Terry and Pam are so friendly and accommodating. I feel like I have new friends. The campsites, stalls, etc are wonderful. Free shaving available and they routinely scoop up the manure piles so there is no smell. Hitching post in front of the stalls and everything is so clean. Chris, the cook, makes a mean breakfast and dinner. And the homemade rolls and desserts are to die for!!! The tack room has everything a horse rider would need. Now the trails....the ones on his property are well marked and pretty easy. If you have a gaited horse, you will love it. Then for the explorers, head to the Nat'l forest, There is more riding there then you can get done in weeks. Can't wait to get back and explore. Wi-Fi available up by the tack store and I was lucky enough to get phone reception in my trailer and everywhere in camp....Made my stay that much more pleasant!! This is a fantastic place to go!!!
Reviewed by: LoriB on 5/20/2013 1:02:18 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 5/16/2013 Hometown: Troy, MO

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