Wonder Valley Ranch Resort & Conference Center

My niece went there for a six grade field trip for a week and she told me that she loved it there and it was really fun. She said that the cabins really really nice and the food was great. She said that she was sad to come home but she was happy to see her family. My niece said that there was canoeing, horseback riding, archery, a rope course, tie-​dying, and trampolines. And if she could she would go back to Wonder Valley just so she could see her counselors again.

I was there for a leadership retreat. The staff was very warm and friendly. Each time I encountered a staff member they asked what more they could do. Despite smoke from nearby fires, the retreat was was a very positive experience. The leadership and team building activities really added to the overall experience.

I had my wedding there last weekend and all I can say is «wow!» I couldn’t have been more pleased. We actually had our rehearsal dinner there and made a weekend out of it and they were so accommodating! Laura always was one step ahead of me, which I loved! The venue was beautiful and they were able to work well with my vendors. If you want to be a stress free (was more stress free anyway…) book with wonder valley!

A wonderful location! Had a work retreat here and Wonder Valley staff were amazing! The conference room was nice and really suited our needs. Added team building exercises were a lot of fun and brought our team together. During our staff free time there were a plethora of outdoor activities to participate in … Swimming (with water slide), canoeing, fishing at their pond, and trampoline. Lunch was provided and was super yummy! So thankful for their hospitality and use of their facilities. Great, friendly staff! Very organized.

We had our annual family reunion here at the end of May. Very large maintained property with activities of all ages available. The rooms are large and comfortably held all our stuff without tripping over everything. Yes the king beds are two twins pushed together but that is because they can arrange you room to fit your needs (bunk beds). The staff was very accommodating and happily transported our family members with walking disabilities to our different activities. There is so much to do there a weekend is not long enough. We can’t wait for next year!

Just spent a AWESOME wknd at the Armstrong’s 59^th annual reunion ! This as I said was the 59^th consecutive year. I have attend many many reunions this by far was this was the best. The grounds and rooms were very very clean and nice. The activities for pre teen’s and up were fantastic according the the kids in the family. The staff were very pleasant, friendly, and helpful. Not once in our 3 days did I see any staff without a smile and willingness to help. They made our stay such a wonderful experience. The food is very great. I would recommend Wonder Valley to anyone from a wknd get away to a large family gathering 100%. Can’t wait for next year. A fourth generation Armstrong.

Our family of 90+ people are having our 2^nd yearly picnic here at Wonder Valley Ranch. The facilities here are some of the best we’ve seen in 60 years of celebrating. The staff is so accommodating, and they respond to our needs lightning fast. The food and activity options help to keep our family on the ranch and busy spending time together.

Because I was to speak at a conference the following day (May 18) at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort and Conference Center, I thought my wife and I should spend the night there. Our mistake. I booked a room on their website a couple of weeks in advance. Curiously, the only day their site indicated anything was available was May 17, but that was the only day I needed. So I booked the room. I should have known that something was amiss when I received a phone call a few hours after I booked the room. The woman indicated that the Wonder Valley website was in error and that there was nothing available. I noted that I was speaking the following day and that I was hoping to stay there. Apparently the woman spoke to someone else, and then told me they would honor my reservation. Then a couple of days before we left, I received another call asking if I wanted a meal on the evening we would arrive. I gleaned that we were the only overnight guests at the resort, and so they wanted to be sure if we planned to eat there. I said we would be eating elsewhere. (Good idea on my part!)
On the fateful day, we drove from Santa Clarita to Fresno, where we ate at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant (see separate review), and then headed to Wonder Valley. The valley itself is picturesque (be sure to watch out for stray cattle along the rural road). By the time we arrived at the resort itself, it was close to dark. We had a difficult time trying to find the office, as the property has several buildings but none is clearly marked «office.» I had to call on my cell phone to get instructions as to where to go.
After I checked in and received my key (an actual key as opposed to a magnetic card!), I walked to the room, which was in a single-​story building facing a swimming pool. By this time it was dark, and the area around our assigned room had no lights. I tried the key on the lock, but it would not open. I went back to the office, and the receptionist walked back with me to the room. She opened the door by putting the key in the lock on the handle (I could not tell it had a handle lock in the dark).
The room itself looked like a refugee from the 1960s. Two twin beds had been shoved together to form a king. The walls were almost bare. It did have a small LED TV (with just a few stations – not including PBS). The bathroom flooring consisted of tiny pebbles that my wife found painful to walk on. She also found a hair in the blow dryer on the wall.
My meeting began at 9 a.m., and the receptionist told me the night before that a buffet breakfast would start at 8:30 a.m. I got to the conference room (which was behind the building with our guest room) at 8 a.m. to set up my computer and slide show. The room already had a couple of coffee carafes, but no Splenda. The counter also had a variety of yogurts, dried fruit, nuts and cooked oatmeal, but, strangely, no bowls. Two heated chafing dishes awaited hot food items, which didn’t appear until 9 a.m., and then it was only scrambled eggs (and still no bowls). My wife eventually resorted to using a coffee cup for oatmeal, but she rejected several dirty coffee cups until she found one that was clean.
For lunch, we walked to a dining hall. During the morning, at least two busloads of middle school children from Sacramento arrived for a week of horse-​back riding, swimming and nature studies. So they were also eating at the dining hall, which served a buffet that was not even up to the standards of most school cafeteria lunches. I’m sure that the schoolchildren probably did not care about the quality of the lunch, as they were looking forward to enjoying several days away from parents.
Needless to say, we will never return to Wonder Valley.

Spent the weekend here for Valentine’s Day.
Included room, dinner & brunch.
Rooms seemed very dated– they have 2 beds pushed together to make one bed. It was supposed to be «romantic» but there were 2 separate beds in the room…
Dinner was bland and not as nice as I pictured it to be. Brunch however was very good. It does have very nice scenery tho!
Make sure not to google directions! Will give you back road information! Very scary windy roads!

Wonderful setting, a beautiful view of the lake, and a definite feeling of welcoming by the staff. This facility offers everything you need. I was one of 300 who participated in an event and everything went according to plan and wonder Valley Ranch were very accommodating to everything everyone needed.

At first I was a bit apprehensive because of the long drive, but it really turned out to be a total non issue. The grounds were beautiful, and the facilities were well maintained across the board. The room size was ample and very comfortable and was conveniently close to the mess hall and building where most activities took place. The staff was pleasant and very amenable to any and all special requests that arose. I would definitely hold/​attend other events at WVR and would recommend it to others.

We just got back from a wonderful weekend at WVR. I was part of the organizing team of a Dance camp and have to share my utmost respect to the staff at WVR for their professionalism, accomodative and personable demeanor, and willingness to provide everything we needed and asked for. Always with a smile and positive energy.
I have organized many camps before, and WVR exceeded them all. The serene settings is breathtaking, the venues are conveniently close to each other and equipped with all that we need, the rooms were clean and well maintained, and all in all we had an amazing camp experience.
Judging from the feedback we got from our participants we can definitely say that WVR was a great facility to host our camp and we look forward to organizing another one soon.
I want to personally THANK Kalene, Stacey, Lacey, and Maria for all the hard work before and throughout the weekend. And also the amazing kitchen staff — Mateo, Ismael, and Carlos.
I promise you that we will be back!

I had dinner at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort and Conference in Sanger, CA on 6÷3÷2014. It was my first time there. I was with a Golden West Tour and there were 38 of us. We were greeted by calamity Jane (a.k.a. Ashley) as we entered the ranch and were soon introduced to this beautiful facility. The dinning area handled both our group and a YMCA group from Torrance easily. It was buffet style. After our meal they performed a show called: Vaudeville Revival. I even got to be in the show as one of the 6 Pipe Dreamers. Giovanni, Ashley, Kylene and Jared played many parts in many skits while Yvonne played the piano and joined Gordon in singing many songs. The audience was given ample opportunities to join in. It was a great evening that I enjoyed immensely. Plus, I took photos.

I came for a company retreat a few months back and already want to return. Our group went through the ropes course team building event and we all just can’t rave enough about it! The food was delicious and the chef made sure my co-​worker had food that fit her dietary requests. All of the staff there are so fast to help you with anything you need. I needed a fridge in my room and the maintenance guys were so glad to help with that. We spent one night (not long enough in my opinion) and the rooms were pretty cozy. The grounds were so gorgeous and I was sad we had to leave that next morning. I found out that they also do weddings! I am planning on coming back with my 7 and 9 year old so we can enjoy the activities as a family. I can’t wait to come back and try a horse back ride or schedule some time out on their water slides! Good job Wonder Valley!

I came to Wonder Valley with my family’s church for a retreat a couple weeks ago. I found the property to be incredibly beautiful! When we first turned onto Elwood Road and started making our way down into the valley, I knew that we were in for a treat!
The valley that surrounds the resort is absolutely spectacular! Wildflowers covered the hills and added such beauty to our drive. We also saw horses and cattle along the side of the road, which was really cool for the city folk we had with us! Some of our van’s passengers had never been in an open range area.
As far as our time spent at the resort, we were extremely pleased! The Wonder Valley staff responded very quickly to our requests. My grandfather forgot his fishing pole and was very upset, but they had extra poles in the office to borrow so it all worked out.
The food was very good as well! We had three all you can eat buffets while we were there. I was a little nervous because my sister is vegetarian and gluten free and has problems in the past while we were on retreat finding something that she could eat. We had no problem at all at Wonder Valley. There were plenty of options on the buffet line for her and when my sister is happy we are all happy lol!
We had two adjoining rooms. It was really nice to be able to spend the night and all hang out as a family with the church. The ropes course was really fun too! I hope we go again next year to Wonder Valley. It was definitely the best place our church has ever had their retreat!

I was here in 2000 for a conference and was blown away when I came back last week for a different function (wedding). the place was even more amazing, food was better than before and I saw many of the same staff that was there 14 years ago. great job wonder valley, you are doing something right!

Beautiful resort! But if you are attending a wedding there, rent a room! It’s a bit of a drive!

We got married here about a year ago and are still raving about how much we loved it.
We fell in love as soon as we got there on our first visit. The staff was really great and walked us through every detail of what our special day would include. We had almost no questions when we left. What sold us was their professionalism, attention to detail, the beauty of the place, and how at ease they made us feel about not having to worry about a thing on our day.
We loved that we were able to participate in a tasting with other October wedding couples. We tried a bit of everything and decided on what we thought our guests would like. They have a lot of great food selections and we were very happy with everything.
We had our rehearsal & dinner there the day before and I was a little concerned at first because there was some sort of retreat going on. They assured us that no one would be out during our wedding and were coordinating everything around our wedding. We were able to put up some decorations the day before and store things there in the bridal suite as well. OMG ladies, the bridal suite is just great btw. Right next to the bathroom and the reception hall so if you have to dip out for some wardrobe adjustments (as I did) you’re not running all around the property. But I digress… they walked us through the rehearsal in a very professional manner and everyone knew what they were supposed to do at the end. The pizza dinner was ADORABLE. I loved all the decorations and the mood music. They were also very helpful in storing and bringing out the Grooms cake I surprised my man with.
On the day of the wedding, I was so at ease, if there was a problem I never heard about it. Everyone was able to check into their rooms just fine (as far as I know) and I was able to see the areas transform over the day as the vendors came to set up (which was important to a control freak like me). Our coordinators made everything run seamlessly and my husband and I were simply able to just enjoy the day. We actually started on time too which I thought was amazing. Everything was beautiful and perfect. I can’t say enough great things about Wonder Valley!

This place is not very nice. My honey’s former work had several events at Wonder Valley. We were all excited about going here after looking at their website. The website makes it look like it’s a great place with lots to do. This is just not case.
The lake is more of a pond. The water is nasty.
The hotel rooms are outdated and are more like summer camp accommodations.
The bathrooms are nasty and were overflowing when we were there. There were also people in the bathrooms vomiting on the floor due to intoxication.
The «games» are a joke.
They nickel and dime you for everything. If you go make sure you have lots of money, if you want to do more than walk about the pond.

I recently got married at Wonder Valley and my experience was horrible. My husband and I chose this venue because its very beautiful, and was reasonably priced but after all the issues we had its a choice I’ve come to regret.
From the moment we got there, we had problem after problem! The room I was promised for the night before the wedding was given away to another group and they tried to boot my bridesmaids and I into a room with bunk beds. Not at all what we were promised! They lost a number of reservations, the people were so rude and everyone was quick to play the blame game. No one stood up to accept responsibility for the fact they messed up. The rooms were not clean, bugs everywhere, smelled musty and the king beds were two twins pushed together! My mother in law got bit by a spider and is now having to deal with medical bills.
The wedding coordinator was incredibly rude, very snooty to me my bridesmaids and my mother! That is completely unacceptable! We spent too much money to have such a bad experience! The only part that was great were the things they didn’t control, like my cake, DJ, florist and photographer. The only reason they got two stars instead of one is because the area is beautiful, that’s undeniable but for a place that’s been in business over ten years I would think they would be a lot more organized with rooms and much easier to work with.