30 Amazing Horseback Riding Adventures in North America 2020

If you love horses, why not make your next vacation a horseback riding adventure? After all, there’s something special about seeing the world from the back of a horse. The following are 30 of the most amazing horseback riding tours offered in North America.

Alberta Rockies Trail Ride

Unicorn Trails

Unicorn Trails offers the Alberta Rockies Trail Ride, an eight-day horseback riding adventure in Canada. Equestrians will trek the Continental Divide from Alberta to British Columbia. The ride covers a variety of terrain types. Supplies are transported via horse-drawn wagon, so riders are free to pick up the pace where they feel comfortable. Nights are spent camping out in the wilderness.

Alpine Wilderness Ride

High Pointe Tours

High Pointe Tours is a leading company in the industry of horseback riding tours. It offers this six-day adventure through Canada’s Chilcotin Mountain wilderness. The Alpine Wilderness Ride is a relaxing ride through forests, mountain paths, valleys, and aspen meadows. Moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat are common sights along the way, as are stunning wildflower displays and gorgeous natural landmarks like the crystal-clear Tyaughton Lake. Nights are spent camping in cozy cabins, though the last night is spent at a four-star luxury wilderness lodge.

Banff Backcountry Lodge Ride

High Pointe Tours

Luxury hotels, stunning scenery, world-class restaurants: Banff is one of those places that is just laced with luxury. Fortunately, those who enjoy getting a little dirty don’t have to miss out on this great Canadian destination. High Pointe Tours’ Banff Backcountry Lodge Ride is a six-day horseback riding adventure through Banff National Park. Days are spent riding through the Park’s postcard-perfect scenery, viewing wildlife, and enjoying nature. Evenings are spent eating, socializing, and sleeping at luxurious Sundance and Halfway Lodges.

Beautiful British Columbia on Icelandics

Hidden Trails

Explore British Columbia and ride Icelandic horses. Check two big items off your bucket list with this tour offered by Hidden Trails! The six-day tour invites riders of all skill levels to trek over trails through the beautiful Canadian province of British Columbia. The days are spent riding the hardy gaited Icelandic horses. Evenings are spent in rustic log cabins that ensure comfort over the course of the week.

Bitterroot Cattle Drive

Equitours

Wyoming is The Cowboy State. What better place is there to join in on an authentic cattle drive? Equitours’ Bitterroot Cattle Drive consists of eight full days of gathering cattle and driving them back to the ranch from their summer grazing spots. Each day you’ll work with an experienced wrangler. You’ll eat packed picnic lunches and drive the cattle over a series of challenging, but beautiful terrains. The drive takes place once a year, in September.

British Columbia Ride

High Pointe Equestrian Tours

This four-day horseback riding adventure offered by High Pointe Equestrian Tours covers the stunning North Okanagan Mountains. Over the course of the journey, riders will spot wildlife such as deer and black bear. You’ll see stunning meadows full of wildflowers (perfect for an Instagram shot!). The ride includes plenty of opportunities for some non-riding adventures, too, like swimming in local lakes and stopping at some Okanagan wineries.

Cattle and Trail Adventure

Hidden Trails

Quebec may not be the first Canadian province you think of when considering a horseback riding adventure, but we think Hidden Trails’ Cattle and Trail Adventure will convince you otherwise. Riders spend eight days and seven nights at a picture-perfect ranch located on the high plateaus of Haute Beauce. Days are spent riding trails around the Appalachians. You’ll learn the basics of Western riding and what it means to be a cowboy.

Central Highlands Adventure

Unicorn Trails

Adventurous horseback riders can experience the real Mexico on the popular Central Highlands Adventure offered by Unicorn Trails. The nine-day trek follows the historic Silver Route, which gives riders the unique opportunity to experience both stunning natural scenery and UNESCO-listed historic towns and villages. Nights are spent in hotels along the way.

Charros’ Hacienda Ride

High Pointe Tours

The best way to see Mexico is through a horse’s ears! High Pointe Tours offers the Charros’ Hacienda Ride, a seven-day trek which follows the ancient Camino Real trail. Advanced riders will enjoy galloping across open meadowlands, while everyone will appreciate the stunning sights along the way. Adventurers will be immersed in the lifestyle and culture of the charros, or Mexican cowboys. You’ll enjoy evening meals with them, herding cattle, and visiting some working ranches. Overnights are spent at the four-star Hacienda Sepulveda and Spa, one of Mexico’s most luxurious hotel haciendas.

Chiapas Adventure: San Cristobal to the Pacific

Unicorn Trails

Unicorn Trails’ nine-day Chiapas Adventure consists of everything one probably expects from a horseback riding adventure in Mexico. Riders who know how to walk, trot, and canter confidently will spend exhilarating days riding along the beach, watching for wildlife, and even swimming with horses.

Chilko Lake Wilderness Pack Trip

Hidden Trails

The Chilko Lake Wilderness Pack Trip is an eight-day horseback riding adventure offered by Hidden Trails. This is a great opportunity to get close to nature, as riders will spent their days riding around Chilko Lake and through some of the most beautiful wilderness on the planet. While the first evening is spent at a lodge, the rest of the nights are spent camping under the stars in packed tents.

Cowboy Work/Cattle Drives

McGinnis Meadows Cattle & Guest Ranch

Most of the riding adventures on our list are more traditional journeys. McGinnis Meadows Cattle & Guest Ranch in Libby, Montana offers something a little different. Guests who book time at McGinnis have the opportunity to experience what it’s really like to help out on a working ranch. Depending upon the time of year you choose to go (the high season runs June through October), activities might include:

cattle driving
horsemanship classes
trail riding
cattle sorting
colt gentling.

The Gila Wilderness Pack Trip

Hidden Trails

New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness is one of the largest and most pristine wilderness areas left in the world. This region is rich with human history, stunning landscapes, and wildlife. Horseback riders can see it all on this five-day guided adventure with Hidden Trails. This ride is ideal for beginner and intermediate riders. Riders will spend four to six hours in the saddle each dayexploring Gila National Forest. Nights will be spent camping at the base camp.

Long Valley Fall Cattle Drive

Equitours

Here is one for the bucket list! Equitours offers an authentic American cattle drive. Experienced riders can take part in the annual moving of cattle from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon. The landscapes are challenging, including:

canyons
foothills
sand dunes
sagebrush flats

Perhaps most interestingly, you’ll be riding alongside a family of ranchers who have been running cattle along this route since the West was first settled. Available in late October, the Long Valley Fall Cattle Drive is a truly one-of-a-kind riding adventure.

Mexico City Ranch Stay

Unicorn Trails

Unicorn Trails’ Mexico City Ranch Stay gives equestrians the opportunity to experience both the city and a traditional horseback riding adventure. This trip, which is a minimum of three nights in length, is a great option for novice riders who can walk, trot, and canter comfortably. Riders will stay at an authentic ranch near Mexico City. Here, they’ll spend days riding out on guided trail rides, enjoying all-you-can-eat buffets, swimming in the pool, or playing basketball on the court.

The Mixteca Trail

Unicorn Trails

Those who want a nice mix of horseback riding and traditional sightseeing would do well to consider Unicorn Trails’ The Mixteca Trail. Riders will spend six days of the eight-day trip riding through the other-worldly-like plains of Oaxaca. The trip includes plenty of stops along the way for things like:

touring ancient sites
visiting remote villages
checking out a variety of artists’ studios.

Navajoland

Equitours

On horseback is easily one of the best ways to see Arizona. On Equitours’s eight-day Navajoland riding adventure, riders will get to see the most spectacular sections of the massive Navajo Indian Reservation — something that just can’t be done via car. Experienced guides lead you. You’ll ride through the old Navajo ruins of Canyon de Chelly, take in the famous mesas and arches of Monument Valley, and explore the rarely visited Navajo Mountain foothills. At night, you’ll sleep under the stars in some of the most pristine and picturesque landscapes to be found anywhere.

Northern Rockies Pack Trip

Unicorn Trails

Unicorn Trails’ Northern Rockies Pack Trip is a 15-day adventure with 9-10 days spent in the saddle. Best for confident and skilled riders, the pack trip involves riding in some of the most remote wilderness found anywhere on Earth. The challenging trek includes riding through river valley, along alpine ridges, and over high mountain passes.

Saskatchewan River Valley Ranch

Hidden Trails

Hidden Trails takes horse lovers to the stunning Saskatchewan River Valley for this eight-day horseback adventure. Riders will have the opportunity to immerse themselves into life on a working ranch. Just a few of the daily activities include:

open range riding through canyons, hills, and even lake country
calf roping
herding
evenings spent socializing around the fire with real cowboys and cowgirls.

St. Lawrence Ride

Equitours

Quebec is a landscape full of beauty and history. You can get a unique view of it all on Equitours’ St. Lawrence Ride. Over the course of six days, you’ll traverse country roads established over 200 years ago! After your long days of riding, you’ll spend the evenings at a traditional rustic cabin, filling the time with campfire songs and traditional home-cooked meals.

Sugarbush Tolt Trek

Equitours

Vermont is easily one of the most picturesque states, and seeing it via horseback provides for a one-of-a-kind riding adventure. In Equitours’ Sugarbush Tolt Trek, riders will spend four days riding sturdy Icelandic horses through the stunning Green Mountains. Accommodations are in a traditional country inn where hot homemade meals will await you after a day of riding.

Three Park Spectacular

Equitours

Channel your inner cowboy on this one-of-a-kind, seven-day tour through three of the world’s most famous national parks in Arizona and Utah:

the Grand Canyon
Zion National Park
Bryce National Park

Experienced guides lead the way over rugged trails with dramatic views seen by very few. While you’re riding, support vehicles move camp from one site to the next, ensuring you’re all ready for a night under the stars after each long day’s ride.

Tombstone Monument Ranch

In the Saddle

In the Saddle offers adventurous equestrians the opportunity to book a stay at Tombstone Monument Ranch in Arizona. Located near the site of the famous gun fight at the OK Corral, this dude ranch provides riders the chance to fully experience life in the Wild West. Guests may choose the duration of their stay, then spend 1-4 hours of each day on guided rides.

Tsylos Pack Trip

In the Saddle

Fly into Vancouver, then head out on In the Saddle’s Tsylos Pack Trip. This seven-night trip consists of six days riding through the largely undiscovered Chilcotin region of British Columbia. Riders will awe over the stunning natural scenery, and see myriad wildlife.

White Stallion Ranch

In the Saddle

Immerse yourself in the Old West on In the Saddle’s White Stallion Ranch horseback riding adventure. For this trip, you choose how long you wish to stay at this gorgeous working horse ranch in Arizona’s Tucson Mountains. Days are spent riding out on guided trail rides, while afternoons and evenings can be spent enjoying all of the resort features the ranch has to offer.

Wilderness Pack Trip

Unicorn Trails

Unicorn Trails’ Wilderness Pack Trip is the real deal. This horseback riding adventure — which is appropriate for confident intermediate riders and above — is a seven- or 10-day (you choose) pack trip through the Canadian Rockies. The terrain gets challenging in parts, and each night’s camp site is remote, but the scenery is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

Willamette Coast Ride

Equitours

On this week-long riding adventure offered by Equitours, riders trek through Oregon’s world famous wine country, the Willamette Valley. You’ll continue on through the Coastal Range Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Because this unique ride covers myriad terrains, riders will have the chance to travel through picturesque vineyards, up steep mountain trails, and even gallop on the beach. Along the way, riders take part in wine tastings and stay in charming bed and breakfast-type accommodations.

Wyoming Wilderness Packtrip

Equitours

Leave civilization behind on the eight-day Wyoming Wilderness Packtrip offered by Equitours. This challenging ride takes horses and riders through some of the most remote areas of Yellowstone National Park. The ride includes grassy valleys, high mountain passes, and tons of wildlife spotting. Some of Equitours’ riding adventures depend upon support vehicles to transfer tents and other gear to the different campsites. Riders on the Wyoming Wilderness Packtrip will spend the ride completely self sufficient, thanks to the use of pack horses to carry all supplies.

Yukon Explorer

Hidden Trails

This horseback riding adventure offered by Hidden Trails is exactly that: an adventure! Riders spend a full week traversing the rugged wilderness (read: ungroomed trails!) on their provided horse. Some of the ride’s highlights include:

riding above the Bonneville Lakes for epic views
circumnavigating Jackson Lake
exploring Mt. McIntyre Ridge.

Yukon Mountain Explorer

Unicorn Trails

Canada’s Yukon Territory is one of the few truly pristine wilderness regions left on Earth, and adventurous equestrians can experience much of it on Unicorn Trails’ Yukon Mountain Explorer horseback riding adventure. The five-day trip consists of four days:

riding through untouched mountains
sleeping in the wilderness
enjoying breathtaking views of scenery and wildlife

This ride is appropriate for beginner riders and up.