Saddle Mountain Ranch – Carmel, CA

Saddle Mountain Ranch – a privately owned campground tucked away in the hills overlooking Carmel, CA.

Carmel is only a 2 hour drive from the East Bay and was a perfect spot for a tiny trip getaway.  A friend had stayed in their cabins and said it would be perfect for us as they have a few R.V. sites, so we looked for a weekend with no rain and booked a quick stay. In all of our research we had not yet come across Saddle Mountain Ranch and since we love Carmel so much and it came highly recommended, we had to give it a try.

After sheltering in place at home for 6 weeks we decided to see if they had availability after the closure was lifted. Winter camping is not preferred by either one of us but it was looking like a rain free few days and getting out of the house trumped being a little chilly.

So we hitched it up and off we went…… and when we got there we were lucky enough to get tucked away in spot 14. Small, private and perfect for our tiny trailer!

Carmel is a charming little town and it was actually our first weekend getaway when we first started dating.  It was also where I first pitched camping in a teardrop to Justin.

After dropping Poppy off, we headed into town for an outdoor diner at Flaherty’s Seafood

I had the fish tacos and Justin had the crab quesadilla. Both were great, it was so nice to have dinner served to us after all the months of cooking at home.

The next morning we put on our hiking boots and hit the trails on the property, which sits on 89 acres. Dogs are allowed on leash so the 3 of us headed up the steep incline to reach the top and enjoy the view. Along the way not too far up they have a wedding venue. It’s very simple, a wood arbor with 2 rows of benches overlooking Carmel with a small wooden structure that could make into a bar. Perfect for a simple casual ceremony.

Since it was Super Bowl Sunday we headed back down in time to catch the game on my iPad and make some delicious chili! See video and recipe below…..

1lb pork sausage

1 Ld ground beef

2 jalapeños

One red onion diced

One red bell pepper diced

6 cloves Garlic minced

1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 bottle beer

Spice mixture

1/4 cup chili powder

2 T ground cumin

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t dried oregano

1 t salt

PREP:

At Home

Chop produce

Combine spices

At Camp

Brown meat- set aside

Sauté veggies

Add meat then spices

Mix well then add all

other ingredients, ending with beer.

Simmer 1 hour

Serve with sharp cheddar, dollop of sour cream and corn chips!

Overall we really enjoyed Saddle Mountain Ranch and would return, preferably in the summer months. The pool looks inviting, the staff is very helpful and friendly and restrooms are clean but small (but hey, we are all about tiny ;-). Only complaint is that there is no general store.  The only amenities available at the office are ice and Duraflame (no wood burning allowed).  There is a store however about 5 mins down the road if you need anything.  Sites are also small, but the location is the bonus here. 15 minutes to downtown Carmel and 10 minutes to the beach!