Lake McDonald Trail Rides

The Lake McDonald corral is scheduled to be open from May 22nd through September 25th, weather dependent. This corral is located on the east side of Lake McDonald, the largest of Glacier's 250 alpine lakes. You'll enjoy the outstanding trail rides from this location:

Sperry Chalet
The ride to Sperry Chalet opens July 7th and is one of our most popular day trips. As we climb up to this beautiful full service chalet, built of natural rock in a high alpine setting, you will experience all the wonders of the Glacier back country in style. Filled with breath-taking views, this ride will provide you ample opportunity to take pictures of Glacier's striking scenery. Minimum age requirement for this ride is 10 years of age.

Upper McDonald Creek
This scenic two hour ride takes you through the Cedar Forest and provides excellent views of both Lake McDonald and McDonald Falls. A truly picturesque ride, not to be missed!

Cedar Forest
This easy one hour ride meanders underneath the canopy of the Cedar Forest surrounding the Lake McDonald Corral.

Map of Lake McDonald Trail Rides

Many Glacier Trail Rides

The Many Glacier corral is scheduled to be open from June 4th through September 20th. This corral is located across the parking lot from the Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake. The minimum age requirement for rides departing from Many Glacier corrals is 8 years of age. From this corral, you can enjoy the most intense exploration of the Glacier back country:

Cracker Lake
This all day ride takes you out along the shores of Lake Sherburne and up along Canyon Creek until you reach the striking turquoise waters of Cracker Lake. The ride is packed full of majestic views of the surrounding mountains and good opportunities to see wildlife, especially bears.

Poia Lake
This all day ride is chock-full of panoramic views of the entire Swiftcurrent Valley as we ride up and over the Swiftcurrent Ridge. In one glance, you can take in thousands of years of geological history spread out before you. Once we reach the top, we will wind down along Kennedy Creek to the untouched Poia Lake where you will be swept away by the perfect silence of Mother Nature.

Grinnell Lake (NOTE: The Grinnell Lake trail is closed for summer 2011 due to snow, wash outs, and trail damage)
This half day ride takes you through aspen and lodgepole forest providing a bird's eye view of Josephine Lake and picture-perfect glimpses of glacier-carved mountains and waterfalls. The horse trail ends at the trail head for Grinnell Lake. At this point riders can dismount and walk the remaining quarter mile to the beautiful aquamarine glacial lake. Once you've taken in the lake, you will remount the horses for the ride back to the corral. This trail is not typically available until mid July or later, depending on weather.

Swiftcurrent Ridge
This half day ride takes you down along Swiftcurrent Falls, across the Many Glacier Road and starts climbing the ravine alongside Poia Mountain. At the Swiftcurrent Ridge hitching rail, riders dismount to get a great view over Lake Sherburne and then head back down the mountain with the backdrop of the Many Glacier Hotel spanning before them. The Swiftcurrent Ridge ride is often used as an alternate when the Grinnell Lake trail is not available.

Josephine Lake
This picturesque horseback ride along the Piegan trail toward Josephine Lake, which is also fed by Grinnell Glacier, will take you through lush meadows and a towering alpine forest.

Cracker Flats
This is an awesome trail ride that heads out along the shores of Lake Sherburne and on to Cracker Flats, where the old mining town of Altyn once stood at the turn of the century. Fantastic mountain views will surround us in a historic place where wildlife and wildflowers abound.

Josephine Loop
There are also daily trail rides that last one hour. Times and locations change daily based on availability of horses and wranglers.

Is horseback riding easier than walking?
It is a common misconception that horseback riding is easier than walking. Horseback riding uses a tremendous number of muscles, many of which you may not be accustomed to using on a regular basis, so in some ways it can actually be more strenuous than walking.

Will I be sore?
Given that horseback riding uses many muscles in ways that you may not be used to using them, it is likely that you will be sore. It is a good idea to stretch before and after your ride and to drink plenty of water to help relieve sore muscles.

How old do children have to be to take a horseback ride?
Children 7 years and older can ride at the Apgar Corral and on the one hour and two hour rides at the Lake McDonald Corral. Children 8 years and older can ride at the Many Glacier Corral. Children 10 years and older can do the ride to Sperry Chalet.

Is there a weight limit?
The weight limit is 250 pounds. There are scales at each corral location for any guests that may be close to the weight limit.

How should I decide which trail ride to take?
The two hour rides are recommended for families with young kids as well as guests who have never ridden before or who don't ride very often. Half day rides and all day rides are better suited for experienced horseback riders or athletic guests. If you are eager to get lots of horseback riding in during your vacation, a popular option is to take a two hour ride at each of the corrals. This way, you get to see lots of the Park (each of the corrals is located in a unique part of the Park) without running the risk of making yourself sore from spending too much time in on a single ride.

Should I tip my wrangler?
There's the saying "If you liked your ride, kiss your horse and tip your guide!" Many people do not realize that it is customary to tip your trail ride wrangler. If you had a great time on your ride, show your appreciation by tipping your wrangler. The standard is similar to what you would tip a waiter or waitress.

Do you require a deposit?
The policy is to collect full payment for any advanced reservation. Your reservation can be charged to a Visa or MasterCard. Please also note that it is policy to charge all guests 2010 rates for the 2010 season regardless of when they book the ride. 2010 rates will be released in March or April of 2010. In the event that you book a ride prior to when the 2010 rates are released and the rate on your ride has increased from what was charged in 2009, you will have a balance due for the difference between the 2009 and 2010 rates.

What's your refund policy?
We can grant a full refund, less a three percent credit card processing fee, all the way up to 24 hours in advance of the ride. Within 24 hours of the ride's departure, the ride is not refundable.

What time should I arrive for my trail ride?
Arrive no later than the times stated on this website to check in for your ride. The check in process consists of a proper trail ride orientation (covering such topics as approaching the horses, getting on and off, sitting in the saddle, proper use of the reins and stirrups, etc.), matching each guest up to the appropriate horse, mounting all the horses and checking all the equipment. In terms of planning other activities around your trail ride, total time with us will be about an hour longer than the duration of your ride. For example, guests on the one hour ride will be with us for about two hours, guests on the two hour ride will be with us for about three hours, etc.

What should I wear?
Weather in the mountains can change in the blink of an eye, so it is a good idea to dress in layers (i.e. tank top or t-shirt, long sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt or light jacket). Close-toed shoes and pants are required. Boots, hats, sunscreen and a water bottle are also recommended.

Do I need to know how to ride a horse?
No. Though some of our trail rides are more difficult than others, there are plenty of trails that are great for beginners. The experienced wranglers will guide first time riders through every step of the process to make sure they feel comfortable and safe.

Who will guide us on the trail?
These trail rides are led by several experienced trail ride wranglers. Not only are these individuals horse experts, but they are all around great people dedicated to making your experience in Glacier National Park one to remember. If your wrangler has done a great job on your ride, feel free to show your appreciation by tipping them as you would a waitress or other customer server.

What will I get to see?
Glacier National Park spans over a million acres, making it virtually impossible to list all the amazing things you might come across. In a nutshell though, you can expect to see shady forests, stellar snow-capped mountains, glacier-carved valleys, majestic alpine vistas, aquamarine streams and lakes, wildflowers, and all sorts of wildlife from coyotes to bear to deer.

Will lunch be served?
Swan Mountain Outfitters - Glacier Division is not permitted by the National Park Service to serve meals. As a result, we encourage our guests to bring their own food and water. Additionally, box lunches can be ordered from most lodges and chalets within the park.

Are we in danger of bear attacks?
Since bears are wild animals, there is always a chance. However, in the history of the park, there has never been an attack around or threatening the horses. The horses make a lot of noise, and bears in the vicinity tend to wander off to avoid contact. All of the wranglers have completed Bear Safety Training and their foremost job is to protect our customers.

Do I need to bring bear spray on the ride?
No. In fact, bear spray is prohibited on our horseback rides. The chances that the bear spray will inadvertently affect the horses instead of the bear are extremely high. If that were to happen, you would be in much greater danger of a horse accident than you would have been of a bear attack. The horses are actually your best defense against bears that you may see out on the trail.

Can I bring a firearm with me on the ride?
As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park. However, it is company policy that no guests or employees may carry firearms with them on our horseback rides.

Should I wear a helmet?
While it is not mandatory for adults eighteen and over to wear helmets, we highly recommend that you do because many horse related falls result in head injuries, regardless of the experience of the rider. If you elect not to wear a helmet, we will ask that you sign a helmet waiver.

Do I have anything to be scared of?
No. Horses may be big animals, but they are very gentle and actually more scared of us than we are of them. Also, your wrangler is a horse expert who knows Glacier National Park very well.