Nearest international Airport: Calgary Airport -a two hour drive by car or bus from ride center in Banff . There are several companies specializing in providing regularly scheduled shuttle service. Shuttle buses run regularly from Calgary Airport to Banff . Rides begin in building in center of Banff , a small resort town. Rides normally start between 8:30 and 9:30 AM . Rides normally end between 3:30 to 4: 30 and it is difficult if not impossible to get back to Calgary Airport before 8:30 PM on the day ride ends.

Breakfast will be a hearty US breakfast of eggs and meat, coffee and toast. Lunch is a picnic served during the course of the riding day along with beverages. Dinner be it in a base camp, lodge or pup tent will be substantial and include more than one course. Special diets can be catered to but require advanced notification. We organize the presentation of this outfitters ride according to the sleeping accommodations offered, which vary from either attractive large wilderness log cabin inns, based stationary tent camps with large comfortable tents to expeditions trips utilizing small 2-person portable tents which you will assist in setting up.

Lodge Trips:
For folks who are looking to take a little bit of home into the back country, Sundance and Halfway Lodges provide just the right combination. Like the Wilderness Tenting rides, days are spent horseback riding and exploring. Unlike the tenting rides, evenings are spent in a cozy lodge. We call that roughing it the civilized way!

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 cabin itself remains standing and was declared a historical site in 1990. It was used as a refuge for mountain guides and packers travelling 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 fir logs, the lodge has 10 sleeping rooms, 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.)

Surrounded by the beauty of towering peaks, Halfway Lodge has been a welcome haven for over 75 years. Rich in tradition, this cabin was used back in the late 1920's by mountain guide Erling Strom as a stopover for his guests travelling from Banff to Mount Assiniboine . Then a single storied cabin, Strom's wranglers spent the night sleeping in tents while the guests found floor space within. Halfway has remained pretty much as originally built, with the exception of a second story added in 1967 when a bear made an appearance through an unexpected entrance - the roof!

Thanks to the bear, Halfway now sleeps a maximum of fourteen guests. The lifestyle at this rustic backcountry cabin remains much the same as it was 75 years ago - simple. Propane lanterns and candles provide the lighting, and a woodstove keeps the water hot and the cabin warm and cozy.

Riders meet at our office at 9:30 a.m. and are transported by van to Warner Stables. There they are met by their guides and horses and mount up for the ten mile ride to Banff Sundance Lodge via the glacier-fed waters of the Bow River , Healy and Brewster Creeks . For those with a vehicle, free parking is available at Warner stables for the duration of the trip. Once you check-in, directions will be available from our office.

The adventure continues southward with a ride up to Halfway Lodge. The trail winds along the historic Strom pack trail with the rugged Sundance Range dominating the eastern horizon.

After a good night's rest at Halfway Lodge and a hearty breakfast, it's down to the corral to mount up for the day's ride. Trips may take riders to the headwaters of Brewster Creek or to the breathtaking views enjoyed at the top of Allenby Pass , at an elevation of 8,100 ft.

After a warm good-bye to the cook and Halfway, the winding trail leads back along the Brewster creek to Sundance Lodge. This will be home for the next 2 nights.

The day begins with a hot, ranch-style breakfast; fuel for the ride up Fatigue Creek. At midday , both horse and rider enjoy a restful break in the Fatigue Valley , while the lunch mule is unpacked and coffee is brewed. The lofty heights of the Continental Divide provide spectacular vistas of both Alberta and British Columbia.

The gang gets together for one last day on the trail, a "soft" ten-mile ride from Sundance to Warner Stables, arriving at approximately 4:30 p.m. The adventure has come to a close, but the magic of your holiday will linger on to be relived and shared.

The riders meet at our office at 8:30 a.m. and are transported by van to the trailhead corral at Mount Norquay . There they are met by their guides and horses, and mount up for the eleven mile ride over Elk Lake Summit between Brewster Mountain and Cascade Mountain, and down into Stoney Creek Camp.

A ride is taken toward the headwaters of Stoney Creek , returning to camp for the night. This area is a favorite haunt of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, who are often grazing in the high meadows, providing ample opportunity for pictures.

The riders roll up their bedroll, mount up, and ride the ten miles to Flint 's Park Camp. This camp, located in the center of open, grassy ridges topped with high peaks, has become a favorite of many of our riders. Wildlife is commonly seen and photographed in this area.

A day ride is conducted from camp to Block Mountain , or perhaps to Cuthead Viewpoint - just two of the many points of interest accessible from Flint 's Park. This area has much to offer the rider, photographer, hiker and fisherman alike.

Once again the riders roll up their bedroll in preparation for the ride to the Mystic Valley Camp. At this time the guests have the opportunity to observe the historic art of horse packing, using the famous diamond hitch. When everything is securely in place, the riders mount up and ride into Mystic Valley for the final night. It is traditional with our guides to have a real western dinner for the last night. By this time everyone has become friends, and all are ready for a wind-up get-together.

Unfortunately, every trip has a last day, but what better way to end the trip than with the scenic nine mile ride from Mystic Valley to the Mount Norquay Corral. The " Full Circle " has been completed and the riders return to Banff at approximately 5:00 p.m.