5 Day Grizzly and Black Bear Tracking and Horse Riding Tour in Canada

Itinerary

Day 1

You depart early morning from Vancouver with your shuttle or from home with your own transportation. You arrive midday and have lunch at the ranch. You match riders to horses, fit saddles, and practice horsemanship skills during horse riding orientation. You learn how to saddle your own horse so you can be self-sufficient in saddling your horse throughout the whole trip, increasing your sense of empowerment and independence. You take an introductory trail ride to get to know your horse's capabilities and the terrain you will be riding.

You have dinner and reflection on your day's successes, appreciations, and challenges in your evening review. You participate in map orientation, highlighting the uniqueness of the Chilcotin Ark, the conservation efforts you will get involved in, and the trails and terrain you will explore throughout your journey. You learn more about bears and their habitats. You complete the duffel routine and repack your personal gear into mountain duffel bags that will be packed on the horse. You stay overnight in ranch accommodations.

Day 2

You saddle your own horse and learn from your guides how to pack the pack horses, getting a hands-on orientation before you ride out to camp. You eat breakfast at the ranch and set your intentions in your morning review. You journey through Douglas fir and Lodgepole pine forests, climb stunning mountain passes, and ride through tranquil valleys and break for lunch in a meadow of wildflowers. You connect to nature by collecting Grizzly bear hair from rub trees, drinking water from the creeks, scouting for bears along the way, and learning tracking techniques. You arrive at your rustic mountain camp and settle in by contributing to camp chores like carrying water from the creek, learning how to split firewood and make a fire, and unpacking horses.

You ride the horses to their grazing meadows and enjoy a hike back to camp through untouched wilderness. Meadows are 15-20 minutes from camp, where you learn how to stake and hobble your horse for the night. You get involved in conservation with your range record grazing sheet by identifying different grazes and wildflowers. You help cook dinner at camp, cook on the campfire, and roast marshmallows. You review your day's successes, challenges, and appreciations with your evening review. You stay overnight in your rustic prospector wall tents, listen to the sounds of nature, and count the stars.

Day 3

With sunrise, you hike out with your guides to retrieve your horses from the staking meadows, saddle your own horse, and ride back to camp. You help make breakfast, pack lunches at camp, and enjoy breakfast while setting your intentions with your morning review. You take a day ride from camp to prime locations for tracking bears, enjoying lunch with breathtaking views along the way. You play your part in conservation while scouting for wildlife as you record every animal you see in your wildlife sightings form, learn about the endangered whitebark pine trees and assess the health of their population, and collect Grizzly bear hair from rub trees for DNA analysis.

You connect to nature by drinking from the creek, learning about different plants, and bonding with your horse. You return to camp, bring horses to staking meadows, stake and hobble the horses, and enjoy the evening hike back to camp. You help cook dinner at camp, cook on the campfire, and roast marshmallows. You review your day's successes and appreciations with your evening review. You stay overnight in your rustic prospector wall tents, listen to the sounds of nature, and count the stars.

Day 4

With sunrise, you hike out with your guides to retrieve your horses from the staking meadows, saddle your own horse, and ride back to camp. You help cook breakfast and make packed lunches at camp, and enjoy breakfast while setting your intentions with your morning review. You complete packing up camp and cleaning and help pack the horses before heading out. You explore striking landscapes, like valleys and towering ridgelines, as you ride back to the ranch. You enjoy lunch on a mountain top or in an alpine meadow. You arrive and have dinner at the ranch. You review your day's successes and appreciations with your evening review. You relax around the fireplace or step onto the deck for spectacular stargazing. You stay overnight in ranch accommodations.

Day 5

You eat breakfast at the ranch and set your intentions in your morning review. You participate in bareback horse riding lessons. You aim with target shooting instruction and practice. You fill in the wilderness journal to reflect on your journey, how it impacted you, and what learning's you will implement in your daily life. You enjoy a farewell lunch at the ranch with a review of your wilderness journal and certificate presentation to reflect on your transformations during your trip. You depart for home or Vancouver, arriving in the evening.

About the tour

This Canadian wildlife tracking trip provides you with hands-on experience in wildlife identification, behavior, and habitats, conservation projects, and unique wildlife viewing opportunities. This overnight horseback riding trip allows you to make your contribution to conservation, grow, and gain a new perspective on life that cannot always be found in busy city streets. Some of the animals you might find include grizzly and black bears, mountain goats, moose, California Bighorn sheep, mule deer, wolves, eagles, and marmots. The tour is based on Wilderness Trails' six principles of nature conservation, nature connection, personal development, self-sufficiency, consciousness and awareness, and empowerment.

All six principles are used to facilitate your ability to create positive change – for yourself, for others, and for your environment. Embark on a transformational self-development journey with Wilderness Trails' community, discovering who you are and who you want to be. Connect to nature and feel its restorative benefits. Get involved in nature conservation and make a real-world difference. Become more self-sufficient as you learn new skills and mindsets. Experience real empowerment as you do things you have never done before, or never believed you could. Become more conscious and aware as you learn to see the natural environment and every aspect of life from a new perspective.

The community facilitates you on your journey, where you have the opportunity to reach your full potential and realize your goals. You will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally, succeeding in ways you may not believe possible. So stay open-minded, step out of your comfort zone, and you will be rewarded by a unique experience that will transform your life. Every day, depending on the trail, you have to walk downhill steep terrain for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours, since you have to walk down the mountains you climbed up on your horse.

This is a hands-on experience where you will participate in all activities from horse care, camp chores, conservation projects, daily reflections about your experiences, and more. The itinerary is subject to the unpredictable weather and terrain conditions that come with a mountainous environment. And while Wilderness Trails does their best to stick to the itinerary, there are times when the current conditions and needs of the group require them to adjust schedules, campsites, etc. This is part of any true wilderness experience; however, they are well-equipped to adapt the adventure to changing conditions.