Recognized as one of the top 10 Unbelievable Places to Celebrate Airbnb's 10th Anniversary by MillionMile Magazine and LUX Magazine 2020/2023 winner of Most Serene Desert Accommodation/Horse Boarding Facility Southwest USA, this 55 acre Ecoranch on the edge of the Tonto Natl Forest offers a Western/Southwestern ranch experience close to Scottsdale, yet in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Surrounded by mountain views & desert vistas, saguaros & stars, the 2 bedroom suite includes your own private pool, outdoor kitchen & private entrances. Our remote location offers privacy, peace, serenity & seclusion from city life, yet is close enough to enjoy all that Scottsdale has to offer. This relaxing alternative offers a welcome retreat in a rural, Western, authentic AZ setting, complete with horses, barns/boarding facility and an organic garden all with an emphasis on reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. We're 1/2 mile from Scottsdale's Sonoran Preserve - hike out our back gate into miles of scenic & spectacular desert trails. Or just relax and recharge poolside - watch the spectacular sunrise overlooking the mountains or enjoy a glass of wine while soaking in a crimson sunset that lights up the sky. Please note - this is NOT an apartment, it's a 2 bedroom suite with a bathroom attached to our house, separated by a wall with your own private entrance. The kitchen, dining & seating area are all outside and are partially covered, there is NO indoor kitchen, dining room, living room or TV. The outdoor kitchen offers a BBQ, cooktop, refrigerator/freezer, sink, convection oven/air fryer, microwave and is fully stocked. We only rent to 1 party at a time, so you get both bedrooms. Price is based on 2 guests, additional guests over 2 people (4 people max) are an extra fee per night. Children over 10 are allowed w/prior approval. The pool's not heated. Check our website Rio Rancho Verde. Just a note, dogs are welcome (additional nonrefundable fee), cats are not allowed.

I'm a kid from Chicago who grew up asking for a pony for Christmas every year. I was the one in the back of the station wagon on family camping trips, gazing out the window, wishing that was me on the horse loping down a country road. 50 years later, my dreams have come true at Rio Rancho Verde, an equine boarding facility that my husband Joe and I have spent 25 years building, creating, working and managing. We started by camping out on the property, dropping rocks where we thought the house should sit, then built a workshop/bunkhouse, barns/stalls and finally what seemed like years later, the house. The only thing better that waking up every morning to a view of 4 Peaks is being able to live among this natural beauty and to share this dream with others. It's an incredibly special, almost spiritual, magical place, surrounded by majestic Saguaros, mountain ranges that glow in the early morning sun and stars that blanket our dark skies in the evening. The people we've met are the most fun part of it all. Everyone brings a new story and perspective, which constantly reminds us how blessed and grateful we are to be here. We hope you can join us and share the experience....

The neighborhood is very rural, our nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away. The last 2 miles of our road is not paved, it's well maintained, graded and easily accessible, just far enough away from the city to feel like you're in the middle of nowhere but only 20 - 35 minutes from fine dining and shopping. Our views are unobstructed and our location on the edge of the Tonto National Forest offers sweeping vistas of the Four Peaks Wilderness area, along with tall Saguaro cactus and desert washes. It's a great area to explore and you can hike and bike (bring your own, we don't rent them) right out our back gate. Horseback riding is available at the stable down the road. There are no street lights so it's very, very dark out here. We also adhere to the Dark Skies Ordinance so we're dimly lit (but have solar lanterns and flashlights available). Since we live in the desert, we are mindful of the wildlife whose space we occupy. We have snakes, scorpions, mice, lizards, deer, javelina, bobcats, rabbits, and Gila Monsters! That being said, we don't want you sleeping with them so ask that you keep the doors closed. We also offer horse boarding and in the winter have barns filled with horses along with their humans, who camp with us in our RV spots. There's lots to do in the surrounding area - hiking, biking, kayaking, Spring training games, dozens of golf courses, fine dining and a bar with live bull riding! There's plenty of festivals in the winter, including the Barrett Jackson Auction, the Phoenix Waste Management Open, the Arabian Horse Show, rodeos, Frontier Days etc.