Following her friends up some bales of hay, the Girl Scout began to realize she had made a mistake getting in line for the rope swing.

At first she cried for help, but too embarrassed to climb down, she clung to the rope, flew into a pile of hay – and began to laugh.

“When do you just see girls swinging on a rope like that?” said Cindy Uribe, leader of a local scout group.

The rope swing in the hay loft is just one of number of picturesque scenes at Foxhollow Family Farms.

Nestled between peaks of Tiger and Squak mountains, the 11-acre estate is just a couple miles outside Issaquah. Wild bear, deer and salmon move through the property unhindered.

“This place is about as wild as it gets,” said Autumn Ridnell, who opened the farm to the public about three years ago with her husband, Anthony.

Raised on a ranch outside San Diego, she gladly traded in her Mercer Island lifestyle for a rural setting four years ago.

“When I found the house I said, ‘Anthony, get your checkbook and get out here,’” she said.

At first it was called Iron Horse Manor, but the name was too stuffy for Ridnell, so she changed it. The family of six moved into 1940s mansion on the estate.

It didn’t take long for family business to take over the property.

An equestrian teacher much of her life, Ridnell’s mom began teaching classes at Foxhollow.

Ridnell is so fond of animals, the farm began to grow, and so did outside interest. At first it was birthday parties for riders to share the horses with friends, but the events quickly evolved into a public farm.

Now, the stylish grey barn sets the background for a paved patio lined with deep sofas and warmed by a bonfire.

Low hanging branches give privacy to a secret garden, and round paths curve through a vegetable garden, which is now filled with pumpkins from their patch.

In a nearby pen, piglets dig their noses in the dirt.

“Want to go inside?” Ridnell says to a curious boy. “Go get your parents, and you can.”

Kids can pet most of the animals, and even hold the kittens and bunnies, a favorite.

On Halloween weekend, Spooktacular takes over the farm with trick-or-treating, crafts and games.

“I just believe more people should do stuff like this,” Ridnell said. “I think we’d have a better world if people did.”

Mia Kollas, 7, swings on a rope in the hay loft of the Foxhollow barn.

Autumn Ridnell purchased the property first as a home for her family. Nestled between Squak and Tiger mountains, the 1940s manor overlooks Issaquah Creek.

Animals, including these peacocks, are allowed to roam freely at Foxhollow Farms.