Wilderness Horseback Pack Trips

Active Adventure

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2009 was our 41st year of outfitting in Yellowstone National Park and the Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota. With Gunsel Horse Adventures you are going back in time to a time when you could ride for days and never hit a fence. When you rode into a camp you were offered a cup of coffee and maybe even a meal if it was the right time of day. We have excellent horses that are used for riding, packing in YellowstoneNational Park, Mid-July thru August, herding Buffalo. (Buffalo Roundup- Custer State Park, South Dakota Sept 25th to Sept 28th,2009 ) . Our adventures are geared to fit from the most inexperienced rider to the rider that can ride the hair off most anything. The youngest rider we have taken in to the backcountry was 4 years old. His family has been on nine trips with us in Yellowstone and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The oldest person was 81 years young and says he's going again.

Typical Day

Just listed : ARIZONA CABIN FEVER TRAIL RIDE with MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY, March 17th -20th. We will be riding in the Arizona Sonoran Desert and camping in the Seven Springs area , 15 miles from Carefree, Arizona. Michael will be riding with us and singing around the campfire every nite, plus we will have front row seats for his concert at Bretts Barn March 20th. Beautiful desert country with lots of historical sites and great trails. Friday we will ride from the Wingate Pass Trail to West World and the Festival of the West. The price for this Fantastic Adventure is $1800.00 per person.

RESERVATIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN YELLOWSTONE FOR 2010 PACKTRIPS JULY 20th -23rd, ( July 26th- 29th, Full) August 1st -4th, August 7th -10th, August 13th -16th, (August 19th -22nd,Full) and August 25th -28th,(3 openings) .

The first day you arrive at the Trail Head in YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK . We weigh all your gear after it is placed in the panniers, as it will need to go on the pack horses. Your personal gear ie: Raincoats, coats, cameras, lunch ( which we furnish) will be placed in the saddlebags and horn bag on your saddle horse. We will then leave for the camp which is about 4 or 5 hours away. During this ride into camp and every day, we will have the possibility of seeing all types of wild life ie: Moose, deer, both whitetail and muledeer, elk, coyotes, eagles, buffalo, antelope, wolves, black bear & grizzly bear. When we reach camp,we unpack and unsaddle the horses and turn them loose. We set up camp and have supper and just enjoy the country around us. Set by the campfire and listen to old cowboy songs and poems, even maybe a few coyotes and wolves. Fishing for Cutthroat trout is great. Each day, we saddle up and ride to new places and return to camp to spend the night. The price for this trip is $1400.00 per person`

The first annual Michael Martin Murphey Buffalo Roundup was an awesome adventure. Michael rode with us every day and had two sellout performances at the playhouse and we had front row seats. Plus he did some of Badger Clarks poems and songs at the Badger Hole cabin.
The 2nd annual Michael Martin Murphey BUFFALO ROUNDUP and Trail ride in Custer State Park, South Dakota, September 24th - Sept 27th, 2010 will be an event you don't want to miss. You again will be Michael's guests with front row seats at two evening concerts Friday & Saturday at the Play House in Custer State Park and around the campfire on Sunday evening. We.will camp in the French Creek Horse Camp, where they have new showers & restrooms. The first day, we will ride to areas seldom seen. Saturday, we will ride to the Badger Hole, Home of the late Poet Laureate of the state of South Dakota. He wrote some great cowboy poetry, such as the " Cowboy's Prayer ". Michael will sing some of the songs Badger wrote . Sunday, we will ride down the beautiful French Creek Canyon and return by the Rim Trail. The last day, we get up early, saddle the horses, eat breakfast at Blue Bell Lodge, and head down to the Buffalo Corrals for a briefing before the roundup. You then will ride up on the ridges where you can see the Buffalo Roundup from the back of one of our safe, trail wise saddle horses. You will see the finish of the Roundup, pushing the Buffalo into the corrals. And you will see it all horseback. Afterwards from a catwalk, you can watch the park personel work the buffalo below, brand & vaacinate the calves, run the cows thru chutes to check for health problems. Don't miss this exciting opportunity ! The price for this Awesome adventureis $1800.00 per person plus 5.5% salews tax. We SOLD OUT for 2009 and have 11 guests already for 2010.

CENTENNIAL TRAIL & BADLANDS TRAIL RIDE - May 28th -31st. On this ride, we operate out of a base camp and trailer the horses to the various trailheads. We camp in tents with floors and zippers. The 1st day we will take a nice leisurely cloverleaf ride out of camp to give everyone a chance to get used to riding in the Black Hills . The 2nd day, we will load the horses in the trailers and drive to the trailhead in Custer State Park and ride out to see the Buffalo. The 3rd day we will load the horses in the trailers and go down to the Badlands trailhead and explore that country. The 4th day, we load the horses in the trailers and go to Spring Creek Canyon Area to try to find the Big Horn Sheep that live there. In the evenings, you can listen to Cowboy songs, poems and stories. All you need to bring is your sleeping bag & personal gear.


THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA PACK TRIPS - The Black Hills of South Dakota have always had a mystic about them from the early days of the Indian culture, Custer, the goldseekers, homesteaders to the present day. From approximately 100 miles east of the Black Hills, you can see them off in the distance. Black & loomimg. A magnet drawing you towards the beauty of the Black Hills. Granted there are highways, towns, & people who live in the Black Hills, but there are still areas that have not felt civilization. We can take you to those areas, horseback. Join us for a pack trip into the higher reaches of the Black Hills, into areas seldom seen. We always have the possibilty of seeing deer, elk, moose, coyotes, bald eagles, and even a few black bear & mountain lions. Big meadows, clear streams, wide open spaces, safe, trail wise horses, cowboy cooking, range tents with floors & zippers, bright days & starry nights, cowboy songs & poems, these all add up to an EXCITING ADVENTURE of a lifetime

Age range, type of group

If a person can sit a horse, age doesn't mean a thing. I recommend the youngest be 5 years old and the oldest not over a hundred. The main thing is a spirit of adventure and a can-do attitude. Families, couples, singles and kids will enjoy these trips. We will do everything in our power to make each individual a better rider and gain some wilderness skills. You can participate in all activities of camp or not, it is your choice. `

Sleeping and meals

Sleeping arrangements are usually two people to a tent unless it is a family group and then we have special tents. All tents have floors & zippers. You will need your own sleeping bag. All of our cooking is done on propane pack stoves and some campfires. Our menus are varied but 1st night- its Chicken Fried Steak, 2nd- night Boneless Pork Chops, 3rd night-Ribeye tips. Breakfasts consist of pancakes, french toast, bacon and sauage. Depending on the day. Sack lunches are furnished each day.

Restrictions

Pets are not allowed in the backcountry, smoking is not allowed on the trail and in really dry areas, not allowed at all. Ages 5 to 100, as long as they can handle the riding. The only restrictions in Yellowstone as far as horse camping is concerned is that you have to use designated sites for camping. In some areas, you can brush pop with out the pack horses but you do have to camp in designated areas. The beauty of it is there are still places that seem as though no one has been there ahead of you. And they will stay that way, only if every one does their share as far as not abusing the Beauty & Wonder of Yellowstone National Park and other wilderness areas.. We definitely believe that and act accordingly.

Rates

The rate for our pack trips & trail rides in South Dakota is $325.00 plus 5.5% sales tax per person per day. Trips with Michael Martin Murphey are $1800.00 plus 5.5% sales tax per person
The rate for Yellowstone backcountry pack trips is $350.00 per day..

Other Information

We have been outfitting in Yellowstone, the Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota for 41 years, and Arizona for 6 years in 2009. Excellent horses, good food, magnificent scenery, great companionship, cowboy songs, stories and poems and abundant wildlife all make for wild and woolly western adventures.