YOUTH HORSE CAMP

Ride through the rugged, wild terrain of Alaska while learning all about your horse, yourself, and wilderness camping. 10 days in the Alaskan wilderness! For boys and girls ages 14-18 of all skill levels. Parents may join the last couple days of camp for a final ride with their kid(s), awards presentation, slide show, and other lodge activities.

Start planning your trip!

July 6th – 16th for 2023

$8800 per person includes charter flights between Anchorage and the lodge, and all meals, housing, and activities while at the lodge.

Parents may join for the last two days, July 14th – 16th, for $1000 per person per day and includes charter flights between Anchorage and the lodge, and all meals, housing, and activities while at the lodge.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

RIDING - PACKING - WILDERNESS SKILLS

Activities during camp may include:

Saddling lessons, horse care, safety around horses, western riding skills, horse packing skills, water safety and sports including; kayaking, canoeing, paddle board and tubing, gun safety and shooting, archery, campfire building, camp cooking, cabin and tent camping, wilderness survival, nature studies, wildlife conservation, and more.

Riding Activities

Riding Activities may include a variety of on and off trail riding, up and down hills and mountains, water crossings, difficult terrain navigation and avoidance, how to use your body while riding and to expect the unexpected, do’s and don’ts while riding and around horses, riding in groups, leading a group, leading a pack horse, trotting, light running, packing gear on your horse and on a pack horse and more.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Activities and the order of events may change due to weather and conditions.

DAY 1 – Campers arrive 11am. Meet and greet, safety speech, tour of property and lunch. Let campers get settled in then bring horses down and teach saddling lesson, horse safety, and horse care. Go for a ride up Look Out Hill, get off practice tying horses, individual and group pictures, ride down the back side of look out and back to the lodge. After dinner archery, volleyball and go over pack list/gear for the rest of the trip.

DAY 2 – Breakfast then ride by fox den, to the burn area and to Puntilla’s original cabin, then back to the lodge. Practice turning and stopping your horse and asserting that the rider is in control. After lunch goes over the pack list/gear for the rest of the trip then water safety & gun safety discussion and downtime for water sports and shooting activities. After dinner archery, campfire, and volleyball.

DAY 3 – Breakfast, go over food items, then pack up, teach horse packing and pack saddle skills/techniques, then ride out to Half Way Lake. Take turns leading a pack horse and leading the group. Eat lunches on the way or stop for a little picnic. Settle in horses at Half Way Lake, unpack, and get settled into camp. Ride down to the Happy river for a river crossing and back to the cabin for campfire building and camp cooking lessons. Hot chocolate, s’mores, and stories around the campfire.

DAY 4 – Pack up and ride to Sheep Lake with 13 river crossings. Prep for tomorrow’s overnight tent camp out.

DAY 5 – Ride into Peak-A-Boo Ponds for an overnight tent camping experience, camp cooking over a fire, and wildlife conservation discussions.

DAY 6 – Pack up and ride back to Sheep Lake. Have lunch and re-pack gear and ride up to Rainy Pass Lake. Settle in for a campfire and fish on the Lake.

DAY 7 – Hike up to the highest spot on the Iditarod Trail for pictures, fish in the lake, and enjoy their last night out with stories around the campfire or cards in the cabin.

DAY 8 – Pack up and ride back to the lodge. Meanwhile, their parents would have flown in that day and be waiting for them at the lodge when they return. Story sharing around dinner that night and volleyball or lodge activities after dinner.

DAY 9 – Kids take their parents for a ride (with counselor supervision), saddle their horses, and do the whole thing themselves. Up Look Out Hill with pictures by the cross and down the other side. Other free time for lodge activities, water sports, shooting gallery, etc. Presentation/slide show that night with made-up awards for each camper (“funniest horseman”, “most serious rider”, “saddle sore cowboy”, etc.).

DAY 10 – Planes come to bring everyone home, departing around 11 am.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Your journey begins as your bush plane takes off from Anchorage. You’ll cross Cook Inlet and fly West up the Susitna Valley with amazing views of Sleeping Lady (Mount Susitna) and if the weather allows you will have a stunning view of Mountain McKinley (Denali, North America’s tallest mountain). Glaciers and wildlife are also regularly seen on your flight tour into the Alaska Mountain Range. After about an hour you will land at Alaska’s oldest recreation lodge, Rainy Pass Lodge which was established in 1937 while Alaska was still a Territory.

Rainy Pass Lodge is located on Puntilla Lake in Ptarmigan Valley, a 3-5 mile wide glacial valley with mountains in every direction. The lodge is right at the top of the tree line so you can experience a good mix of forest vegetation and open tundra for amazing scenery views.

The lodge is your well-appointed yet rustic-comfort base camp for all wilderness activities. You will be very comfortable and pleasantly surprised with first-class service throughout your stay. All activities and excursions are fully guided by a highly trained and knowledgeable Alaskan bush guide to provide you with top-notch service, a memorable trip, and added safety during your wilderness expedition.

Lodge activities to enjoy during your stay may include:

Watersports like Canoe, Kayak, Paddle Board, Motor Boat, tubing, swimming, and water skiing
Shooting activities like .22 target shooting at pop-up silhouettes and an antique shooting gallery, clay pigeon shotgun shoot, long-range 100 yds, and 300yd target and gong shooting, as well as archery for all skill levels
Yard games such as axe throw, volleyball, 3-hole putting green, driving range with floating golf balls, and a floating hole-in- one, horseshoes, bocce balls, can jam, corn hole, and more
Historical museum tour featuring Alaskan culture and museum-grade artifacts from around the world
Nature hike with a carved log bench purposefully placed for a private viewing area of the West end of Puntilla Lake
Floating sauna for relaxing in the evening
The Bridge at Squaw Creek to watch the salmon spawn, check for Grizzly tracks, and fish for Arctic Char.
Two campfire pits for roasting marshmallows and re-telling of the day’s adventures
Local microbrewery beer on-tap from Matanuska Brewery located in one of the social gathering areas where appetizers are typically served
Many other well-placed sitting areasfor taking in the majestic scenery views. Peaceful places to end your evening with a glass of wine or start your morning with a hot cup of coffee

Food Accomodations

Breakfast

Each morning awake to our freshly brewed custom-labeled Rainy Pass Coffee and enjoy a full breakfast prepared by our chef.

Lunch

For lunch, you may enjoy an in-lodge exquisite specialty sandwich or a packed picnic lunch for out-lodge day activities.

Snacks

In the late afternoon each day, you may enjoy some tasty appetizers and try our specialty drink of the day (alcohol and non-alcohol versions available).

Dinner

Each evening you will enjoy an exquisite dinner from our chef, complimented with wine if you would like, and finished off with a specialty dessert from our bakery chef.

Complete each evening however you would prefer; maybe a peaceful canoe ride around the lake, roasting marshmallows by our evening campfire, or sipping wine and listening to the loons call.

Not included in your trip: Hotel stays in Anchorage, personal liquor, fishing license, and gratuity. We will be happy to help you with any of those arrangements to make your trip more of an all-inclusive, hassle-free experience.

CALL US TODAY