Wildwood Hills Ranch Retreat Center — St Charles, United States

A 400-acre Iowa ranch and retreat center, 25 miles south of West Des Moines

Wildwood Hills Ranch was founded in 2001 on 400 acres of Iowa countryside in St. Charles, about 25 minutes south of West Des Moines. The pages describe it as a safe haven and a leadership-development organization, with a stated vision of ending child abuse and veteran suicide. The retreat center is a part of that work, and the two are meant to be read together. The heart of the ranch is its horses. A herd of more than 30 supports an equestrian program for youth ages 8 to 18 and a separate program for veterans and active-duty service members, neither requiring riding experience. In 2025 the ranch reports providing more than 500 hours of equine-assisted therapy. The veterans' group meets year round and represents the program at local events, among them the Horse Fair, the Adair County Fair, the Norwalk Fourth of July Parade and the Covered Bridge Festival. The longer commitment is the Next Steps Program. Young people are accompanied from roughly age eight through eighteen, with mentorship, life skills, workforce readiness, financial literacy and leadership opportunities. Every participant attends on a full scholarship, and the ranch says it serves more than 1,000 youth, veterans and family members each year. Groups come to the conference and retreat center for the other side of that ledger. Lodging is offered as luxury private accommodations or a bunkhouse. The Gathering Hall seats up to 160 theatre-style, and the Dining Hall also holds 160. Smaller rooms include the Humility Conference Room (40), the Wrangler Room (24) and a boardroom-style Conference Room (12). Certified facilitators lead a high ropes course, ground initiatives and equine experiences, and the grounds hold a lake, trails, kayaks and canoes, and bonfires. Churches and corporate teams are the two audiences the pages speak to most directly. Church retreats are framed around prayer, worship, rest and discernment, from pastoral staff gatherings to marriage and family retreats. Corporate retreats focus on leadership development. Revenue from both goes back into the programs for youth and veterans.

Traditions: Equine-assisted therapy, Christian worship and prayer retreats, Experiential leadership development, Team-building facilitation, Horsemanship

Programs: Next Steps Program, Youth Equine Program, Veterans Equine Program, Church Retreats, Corporate Retreats, High Ropes Course, Ground Initiatives, Equine Experiences