Horseback Adventure, Backcountry Sundance Explorer

3 Days / 2 Nights
May to October

This guided horseriding module is generally a component of a longer itinerary, therefore international flights are not shown. Contact us to create your full holiday package. This module includes:

2 nights in moderate class accommodation
Meals from lunch on day one to lunch on day three
Horse and riding tackle
Experienced guide

Enjoy an exhilarating horseback pack trip through untamed wilderness and panoramic scenery. The horseback riding enthusiast will experience an unforgettable excursion through timbered ridges and mountain meadows. Each of the trips includes approx. 5 – 6 hours of riding each day. Ride for approx. 2 ½ to 3 hours in the morning, stop for lunch on the trail and ride another 2 ½ to 3 hours in the afternoon. The rides are all done at a walk in order to take full advantage of the scenery and wildlife viewing. Meals are always an event and the cooks ensure you are well fuelled for the day’s adventures.

NOTE: When packing your gear, keep in mind it is being packed out on a mule and the animals’ comfort is very important. By following these guidelines you can help ensure that is the case. You must pack your gear in soft-sided, cloth or nylon bag. It cannot have any hard edges, frames or wheels. Your gear is restricted to a total maximum weight of 30 lbs. Your coat, rain gear, hat and gloves are packed separately from your duffel and are either worn or tied with saddle strings to the back of your saddle. Saddlebags, rain gear and other essentials that you are taking on your horse with you are not included in the 30lb weight restriction. The balance of your luggage will be stored in a secure locker at the stables.

Pricing information

With airlines and hotels regularly introducing special offers, we’ve elected to not display pricing on our website. In order to ensure that we give you the most competitive price for the itinerary you’re interested in we’ll apply the best rates, promotions and offers that are available when we receive your enquiry. Please contact us via email, telephone or our websites ‘make an enquiry’, and we’ll endeavour to provide you with a tailor-made quotation within one working day.

Day 1

Arrive Backcountry Ride to Sundance Lodge

You’ll begin your journey at 9.30am at Warner Stables at the backcountry check-in area of the large barn where you will get to meet your horse. The horses are steady, responsive and can be counted on to cross any terrain, from forest paths to boulder-strewn creeks. Never been horseback riding before? Don’t worry. You will be matched with a mild-mannered horse and teach you everything you need to know. Once you and your horse are ready to go, you will mount up for the 10 mile ride along the banks of the sparkling glacier-fed Bow River, Brewster and Healy Creeks. You’ll stop along the way for a hot lunch on the river banks, then late afternoon will arrive at Sundance Lodge. This elegant lodge offers you a chance to experience the Canadian backcountry, while relaxing in comfort. You’ll arrive to a hot cup of tea or coffee, a warm shower, a soft bed and the friendly greeting of your lodge host. Each host has a way of making the lodge their own, catering in your every need and cooking you delicious meals.

Sundance Lodge (Meals included: lunch and dinner)

Day 2

Backcountry Trail Riding

After a hearty breakfast you can leave your belongings at the lodge and set off unencumbered for a ride deeper into the backcountry with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. On today’s ride you’ll catch a glimpse of the enormous Brewster Glacier and the rock faces of the Sundance Range as you ride along the footsteps of the original pioneers. You will stop for lunch along the trail and enjoy an open-air picnic in this unforgettable setting. At the end of the day, you’ll return to your familiar room at Sundance Lodge, where you already feel comfortable and at home. As the sun sets behind the mountains, you can sit back on the deck and relax, drink wine and share stories and photos with your fellow adventurers.

Sundance Lodge (Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Backcountry Trail Riding & Return to Banff

Guests say good-bye to Sundance Lodge and mount up for a leisurely ten-mile ride from Sundance to Warner Stables with a lunch stop on the banks of Healy Creek, arriving at approximately 4.30pm.

No overnight (Meals included: breakfast and lunch)

Sundance Lodge

Completed in 1991, Sundance Lodge now sits on the original site of the horse corral for Ten-Mile cabin, built by Canadian Pacific Railway back in the 1920’s. The original cabin itself remains standing and was declared a historical site in 1990. It was used as a refuge for mountain guides and packers traveling to Mount Assiniboine, whose names you can still see carved into the logs. Sundance Lodge sits alongside a gentle curve on Brewster Creek, with the Sundance Mountain range as a backdrop. Built entirely with pine logs, the lodge has 10 sleeping rooms, with 3 beds in each room; rooms are designated on
a ‘choose your own’ basis. The lodge also has a large country kitchen, and a cozy living room area where you can curl up by the woodstove and lose yourself in a good book. And although it is a remote backcountry lodge, we decided to add what we felt was an important comfort from home – hot showers! (Please note that, for environmental reasons, showers are restricted to one per stay.)

Get in touch

Our team of travel professionals focus on providing you with the very best advice when it comes to planning your holiday to the USA and Canada. They have experienced the destinations, hotels, tours and excursions for themselves, so if its expert advice and guidance backed by faultless customer service that you are looking for, you couldn’t’ be in safer hands. We will listen to your wish list of ideas as well as add our own personal recommendations to create a unique itinerary, personalised just for you.

For a quotation based on your preferred travel date and to check availability please contact one of our team of professional consultants who will be happy to assist you.

Our website features just some of the itineraries we offer. Tell us what your ideas are and we will create the holiday for you

Travel Agents

0333 323 9033 travel.agents@nats-uk.com

Direct Clients

0333 323 9099 sales.enquiries@nats-uk.com

Suggested Alberta Itineraries

Fly Drive & Multi-Centre

Superior Deluxe	Among the finest the world has to offer, hotels in this category are exclusive, lavish and indulgent. Needless to say, you will enjoy the highest service levels, superb accommodation and outstanding facilities and public areas.
Deluxe	This will be an outstanding hotel, offering many of the features of Superior Deluxe, though on a scale which will be a little less grand.
Moderate Deluxe	This will be a Deluxe standard property, although some of the accommodation and public areas may offer a less pronounced degree of luxury. In other instances, the hotel may be a famous name with a well-established reputation.
Superior First Class	More often than not, this will be a superior modern hotel or an older property which is exceptionally well maintained. All offer very comfortable and well-furnished accommodation and public areas.
First Class	A dependable and comfortable hotel with standardised rooms. These are the ideal choice for travellers who don not require deluxe facilities or special services.
Moderate First Class	Essentially a First Class hotel with comfortable but sometimes simple accommodations. Public areas may be limited but generally provides all the essentials a guest requires.
Superior Tourist Class
Tourist Class
Dude Ranch
Resort Ranch
Working Ranch

Horseback Adventure, Backcountry Sundance Explorer

Pricing information

Arrive Backcountry Ride to Sundance Lodge

Backcountry Trail Riding