Highland Forest County Park

Today I visited Highland Forest for the horse-drawn sleigh ride and had a great time! The sleigh rides depart from Skyline Lodge and are on a first-come first served basis. When we arrived, it was very busy, and we had to wait about an hour for our turn. I recommend heading to the "Sleigh Ride" sign and signing up right away when you get there to reduce your wait. I am assuming that there might have been an especially large crowd today because the weather was fairly warm. While we waited, we decided to get some lunch. We were pleasantly surprised with the concessions. The chili was homemade with big pieces of ground beef, and they also had butternut squash soup. I highly recommend the loaded fries, which were super crispy and piled high with chili, cheese and sour cream. The large gathering room had many tables and a huge fireplace with a roaring fire. Our ride left promptly at the time we were told. The horses were spirited and the seat comfortable. The sleigh had a step and was very easy to get up onto even though I have somewhat limited mobility. We had a fun 20 minute ride over the snowy paths enjoying the wintry scenery. One of the best parts was when the horses trotted up hills. It was so exciting.
7 years ago (10-02-2018)

Awesome park. Dozens of hiking trails of varying length for all levels. You can snowshoe or xcountry ski in the winter. Mountain biking is allowed on marked trails. If you're a hunter, archery hunting is allowed by permit. If you enjoy the outdoors this is a great place to explore.
8 years ago (27-12-2017)

Food is great (prime rib done perfectly) and the musical entertainment is fantastic. We have been there quite a few times and will keep going back!
7 years ago (02-03-2018)

Great place for hiking, biking, cross country skiing, or snowshoeing. In the winter they do horse drawn sleigh rides here as well. Ski and snowshoe rentals are available in the main Skyline lodge. There's many trails and old logging roads so it can get confusing - make sure you bring a map. Also small lodges and warming huts that are available for renting, mostly for Boy Scouts camping.
8 years ago (06-12-2017)

We love Highland forest . We had a great family outing with sledding, sleigh rides, lunch (delicious soup) and just time to hang out in the lodge looking at the views and enjoying the view.
7 years ago (03-02-2018)