Montana Horse Camp

Montana Horse Camp - Girls Summer Camp

Horse Lovers Unite in Montana!

A 2 week overnight girls summer adventure camp session for girls that love horses. This trip takes place on the borders of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming near Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. This 14 day camp session provides all those adventurous horse lovers with a 5 day backcountry horsepack trip in the rugged, wild west mountains of Montana!

This Alpengirl teen girls trip explores 2 national parks - Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park - while providing thrilling activities!

The Camp Itinerary

Horseback riding in Montana

Day 1: Arriving at Idaho Falls Airport in Idaho Falls, Idaho, your Alpenguides will greet you and introduce you to the rest of your group for general camp introductions before hopping in the van for a drive to our first campsite. At the campsite, we'll continue getting to know each other, learn how to set up our tents and enjoy the first of many delicious and fresh camp gourmet meals before our first evening of tent camping with new friends. Camping near Jackson, Wyoming.

Day 2: Yoga in the morning followed by more camp introductions.  We’ll meet our horseback riding outfitters, saddle up and head out on our trusty steeds for some western style horseback trail riding through mountainous pine forests and sage covered hills.  Camping same.

Note: Yoga is an integral part of all Alpengirl camp itineraries and the start to most days.

Day 3: An afternoon of incredible whitewater rafting on the Snake River through class III and IV rapids.  We’ll get the opportunity to jump out of our raft to float and swim alongside it in the calmer waters.  We’ll be floating by stunning rocky walls and forested hills.  Make sure to always smile because photos could be taken of you at any thrilling moment! Camping in Teton National Park.

Day 4: A full day of exploration in Teton National Park. An casually paced 6.5 mile day hike will lead us past waterfalls as we wind our way around Jenny Lake which was formed by melting glaciers about 60,000 years ago. The Grand Teton Mountain views will amaze you in the way that these rocky snow capped peaks appear to jut right out of the ground! Camping same.

Day 5: With our very own “Alpengirl Rangers” we’ll spend today to walk, explore and learn about Yellowstone National Park and its unique features like bubbling mud cauldrons, kaleidoscopic geysers, historic wildfires, native peoples and diverse wildlife!  While exploring our nation’s first national park we’ll watch Old Faithful erupt while elk and bison graze nearby – what a great scene! Showers and laundry will happen either tonight or tomorrow morning. Camping near West Yellowstone.

Day 6: An easy, flat-water canoeing and swimming day on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River that welcomes us to bask in the sun and have some relaxed fun for a river day full of splashing, viewing nesting osprey, discovering mysterious underwater grasses, and spying a moose in the willows. This clear and shallow waterway is easily navigable and we may at times even need to get out to lighten the load in order in order to get over a gravel bar to get to the next swimming hole for an epic Alpenolympic water fight or whale breaching contest!  Camping same.

Day 7-12: These 6 days and 5 nights are spent in the Centennial Mountains of SW Montana along the Continental Divide where fresh water springs originate and flow either east or west to end at the oceans. Our Centennial Valley based host family welcomes us to this remote and pristine wilderness area where they’ll guide us in horseback riding and hiking, teach us about Native American and early settler history of the area, lead us in campfire song while playing the guitar, and become inspirational friends and loving family to us during our stay in the area. In addition to the horseback riding we’ll do during these 6 days, we’ll also enjoy a variety of Alpenolympic events that may include a bucket hair washing competition and our traditional Alpengirl talent show. Evenings are a favorite time in the mountains, almost all nights here are spent gathered and socializing around a campfire with bright stars shining overhead.

Helping to pack up

During these 6 days of camp, the horseback riding campers will learn basic western trail horsemanship skills at a beginner level and enjoy a 5-day authentic western trail horse pack trip into the mountains. Girls will ride through wildflower fields, across crystal clear, spring fed creeks, and over mountain passes.  Each night we set up camp in a new amazing spot like our first spot, just below the “Amphitheater,” which is a beautiful cirque of rock walls that cast a lovely shadow across a moist grass meadow below where our horses slowly wander and graze as the sun slides over the mountain edge into another alpenglow evening in Montana’s backcountry. Girls may advance in their riding skills once skills are adequately demonstrated and if terrain allows for it; girls that can walk a horse properly can go to a trot, girls that can trot properly can go to a canter, etc. However, a majority of our time riding is in the mountains and on rugged and uneven terrain that is not conducive to cantering. A minimal amount of horseback trail riding experience is required. Girls should not be afraid of horses to begin with and girls should have at least one full day of western trail horseback riding experience before coming to camp to evaluate personal comfort level and confidence before signing up. Girls will be riding on mountainous, forested and sometimes, steep terrain, a horse may lose footing or stumble or spook, so, girls with a little bit of previous experience on a horse are best suited for this session. Girls will learn how to saddle and bridle a horse and how to wrap clothing, tents, food and gear in a canvas piece called a “mantie” and load it onto a pack mule for multi-day travel into the mountains. They’ll be introduced to their horses, which are specifically chosen to suit their comfort level, size and riding ability. There will likely be an evening ride and time to practice cantering in a ring and using a cowboy lariat rope for lassoing!

Hiking in Montana

Day 13: Our final yee-haw together brings us to West Yellowstone, MT where we will get cleaned up with a shower and laundry before we hit the town for souvenir shopping, maybe stopping at the ice cream stand for a scoop of local huckleberry ice cream.  Our end of session awards party will happen nearby and then it’s off to the wild west rodeo!  We’ll watch real western rodeo events like Barrel Racing, Bull Riding, and Bareback Bronc Riding!  Camping near West Yellowstone, MT.

Day 14: Departing from Idaho Falls Airport in Idaho Falls, Idaho. See you next summer!

Itinerary Campsites & Amenities

7 nights are spent in tents in public “front country” campgrounds where we have pre-assigned campsites with neighbors and campground hosts nearby, running potable water, and private outhouses or flushing toilets.

2 night is spent in tents on land that is privately owned where we have access to running potable water and private outhouses.

4 nights are spent in tents in wilderness “back country” areas where we will purify our water before drinking and learn and practice basic Leave No Trace camping skills such as how to select a campsite and how to go to the bathroom and keep clean outdoors. Sometimes a private outhouse is available to us.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample itinerary. Alpengirl reserves the right to cancel or alter any aspect of our program, including program itinerary, trip dates, activities or location, as a result of unforeseen circumstances, including weather, environment, or health hazards. To the best of our ability, substitutions of activities will be comparable to, or better than the original activity.

Why This Camp ROCKS!

This Montana camp session is a perfect combination for girls who love horses and who love adventure in all forms. This session includes the most horse riding of any of the Alpengirl trips and ends with a real Wild West rodeo!