The Magnificent Seven (Days in the Saddle)

By Travel Alberta,

travelalberta [at] raremethod . com
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Once you have an idea where you want to go on your week-long pack trip adventure, it's just a matter of deciding when and how. Here are some of your options when planning a trek into the far alpine reaches of the Rocky Mountains.

Cattle Drive Ranch Vacations

Outlaws Guiding and Outfitting v Sundre Duration: 7 Days Hosts: Frank, Jean and Shane Raymond Highlights: Riders are picked up in Calgary, and transported to a remote main camp. The first day of riding takes you into the High Country with the Clearwater River thousands of feet below. You'll continue on over Condor Mountain at 2,590 metres (8,500 feet) and down into the Forbidden Creek area, a wild and remote place frequented by mountain sheep and goats, bears, deer and elk. You'll also travel to Lost Guide Lake, perched at 2,743 metres (9,000 feet), where weather conditions are so harsh that trees hundreds of years old are less than 3 metres (10 feet) tall. If weather permits, you can drop a fishing line in this pristine alpine lake. From here, you'll take an old fire road up to the summit of Scalp Creek and over a scarcely used pack trail to Timber Creek. Wildflowers, wildlife and awe-inspiring scenery are in abundance all along the route.

Radke Outfitting v Red Deer Duration: 9 Days Host: Stan Radke Highlights: Travel along the wild eastern boundary of Banff National Park exploring remote valleys and alpine lakes. Then settle into authentic western camps at the end of each day. Starting from either Calgary or Red Deer, you'll be taken to the main camp on Rum Punch Creek. This multi-camp trip takes you into the heart of the Rocky Mountains, with rides that include Divide Pass, Shale Pass and Tyrell Creek. In addition to unforgettable riding and scenery high above the tree line, guests are encouraged to take part in camp chores and horse care. The length of the trip requires that riders possess both good physical conditioning and a sense of adventure.

Timberline Tours Ltd. v Lake Louise Duration: 7 Days or 10 Days Hosts: Paul and Sue Peyto Highlights: Outfitter Paul Peyto comes by his occupation honestly. His great uncle was the legendary outfitter Bill Peyto, for whom beautiful blue Peyto Lake was named. Timberline's corral is located behind Deer Lodge, near the famed Chateau Lake Louise. While trekking with Timberline, you'll ride through alpine meadows, stare in awe at the glaciated peaks of the Canadian Rockies, or fish the high mountain lakes. Few things in life are as exhilarating as catching a mountain cutthroat or rainbow trout as it leaps from the crystal clear waters found in Banff National Park. Camp out under the stars, in a tent, or stay in a rustic mountain lodge. Experienced trail cooks treat you to home-cooked meals every day. Timberline is a small-group specialist (less than 12 riders), and you can also arrange private trips (minimum of three riders) for a truly personalized adventure.

Jasper National Park Dude Ranch Vacations

High Country Vacations v Grande Cache Duration: 10 v 14 Days Hosts: Bazil Leonard & Sue Feddema-Leonard Highlights: Willmore Wilderness Park, a little known Canadian Rockies hide-a-way, is directly north of both Banff and Jasper National Parks. In the heart of this untouched and inaccessible area, High Country Vacations offers unique packages that include wilderness trips taking you back to the basics where there's time to connect with your family and friends. Host Bazil Leonard is the authentic mountain cowboy, with an international reputation as a guide and outfitter. If you choose an Exploratory Expedition, you'll see the Canadian Rocky Mountains' "secret places" where no one has been for "quite a spell." The expeditions are hands-on for the more adventuresome individual who wants to take part in finding, clearing and restoring old pack trails. If you've always wanted to know what it was like for the earliest settlers, explorers and cowboys in the Rocky Mountains, there's no better way to discover it.

Horseback Adventures v Brule Duration: 8 Days or 10 Days Hosts: Tom and Shawn Vinson Highlights: The Vinson family has been a guiding and outfitting force since Tom Sr. took over from the legendary Brewsters Company in 1939. Today, Tom Jr. leads the pack trips and backcountry expeditions, and the horses still bear the familiar 3-step Brewsters brand on their right shoulder. On your journey, you'll experience a traditional pack trip into remote regions of Jasper National Park and Willmore Wilderness Park. Join a scheduled trip or customize your own, and ride to the West Range, located in the first range of the Rockies, adjacent to Jasper's north boundary. Enjoy private heated cabins and a central dining facility as you ride the high country or join cattle drives in the lower meadow. Enjoy steep climbs (at one point 396 vertical metres/1,300 feet in less than 2 hours), lunches perched atop majestic ridges and long rides that let you soak up the mountain atmosphere like nowhere else on earth.

U Bar Trail Rides - Grande Cache Duration: 7 v 14 Days Hosts: Brenda and Ray Landry Highlights: Discover why the Willmore Wilderness Park is known as "Walking in the Sky Country." U Bar's guided pack trips take you along trails frequented by early explorers in the beautiful Willmore Wilderness Park, Alberta's largest pristine mountain wilderness at 4597 square kilometers (2,857 square miles). Experience scenic mountain valleys, spruce and fir forests, willow-sedge meadows and a variety of wildlife during a trip ranging up to 14 days. Trace the footsteps of 1800s traders, whose pack horses brimmed with furs en route to Jasper. U Bar's stables are located along the front range of the Canadian Rockies, with Mountain trails looking down over three crystal clear lakes perched at the back door. The outfitter's home base, Grande Cache, was the site of a huge fur storage dating back to 1818. This is trail riding on a historic scale!

Wild Rose Outfitting v Peers Duration: 10, 12 or 14 Days Host: Dave Manzer Highlights: Wild Rose Outfitting has been operating horseback vacations in the Willmore Wilderness Park since 1979. On their high alpine rides you'll marvel at the uninterrupted vistas. The Willmore is one of the last undeveloped alpine wildernesses in Alberta, and your trip allows you to appreciate it deeply. The longer trips can take you 65 kilometres (40 miles) to 160 kilometres (100 miles) into the wilderness, which means each new day offers a new ride and new scenery. A high ratio of staff to guests allow Wild Rose to accept riders of all abilities, with the oldest guest so far being 81 and youngest just five. Says guide and host Dave Manzer, "Our hand-made saddles help people who aren't used to riding to ease into these trips." Each day of your trip can be designed to suit your needs, whether you're an experienced rider or a greenhorn on your first trek. Rides in Kananaskis

Kananaskis provincial park ranch vacations

Anchor D Guiding and Outfitting - Turner Valley
Duration: 7 Days
Hosts: Dewy and Jan Matthews
Highlights: From Turner Valley, you'll travel to Anchor D's High Mountain Wilderness Camp, located at an elevation of 1,981 metres (6,500 feet) and completely surrounded by mountains. Heading out in a different direction every day, you can ride to the Continental Divide, explore Burns Canyon and Burns Falls (the highest in Kananaskis Country) and traverse some of the most rugged country you'll ever see. Along the way, you'll gain a new respect for your sure-footed mountain horse, and a new appreciation for mountain cuisine. During lunch breaks, you might want to fish for cutthroat trout, go exploring or hiking, or even have a nap in the sun. The possibilities are as endless as the days are long, with evenings filled with fun, camaraderie and often, colourful cowboy poetry readings.

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