horses and riders resting atop mountainraft coming through whitewater rapidsgirl holding trout on river bankbeargrass in bloomwilderness cooking on campfirepack string of mules walking down trailcanvas wall tents at night with silhouettesbugling elk big game hunting

Montana Wilderness Horseback Adventures
with Snowy Springs Outfitters!

Snowy Springs is a full service Wilderness Outfitter, specializing in horseback trips designed for those wanting “More than the Standard Tourist Fare”. As a smaller horse outfitter, we customize our trips just for you. We believe in “Quality over Quantity” and can help you with all your planning. Start your vacation here!

Whatever your Budget – We have a Horseback Trip for You!

Horseback trips in the Great Bear Wilderness of Montana are our specialty. Let us show you untamed Montana on one of our guided horseback wilderness trips. Options include day rides, pack trips or fishing the waters of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. We also offer summer drop camps (drop and fish or drop and raft) and wilderness big game hunts.

Located in Northwestern Montana just south of Glacier National Park, Snowy Springs operates under a permit issued by the USDA Forest Service. Our horseback trips are mainly in the Great Bear Wilderness, a pristine area encompassing thousands of acres centered along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Call Today (406) 226-9225

Guided Wilderness Trips
Horseback Day Rides
Horseback Pack Trips
Fishing Trips
Drop Camp Services

Wilderness Hunt Trips
Spring Black Bear
Wilderness Big Game

Summer Wilderness Adventures

Loved our trail ride outside of Essex MT! The experience was so fun and we all wanted to continue. The crew, horses and scenery were grade A+!! Thanks for a great time.

Cristi C.

Wilderness Hunting

What is Wilderness?

The Great Bear Wilderness was set aside by the Federal Government in 1978, linking the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park, to be maintained as closely as possible as an untamed frontier. No motorized or mechanical vehicles, including bicycles and wheels, are allowed. All travel is by foot or horseback, with the exception of a backcountry airstrip at Schafer Meadows Ranger Station. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex (including the Bob Marshall, the Scapegoat and the Great Bear Wilderness areas) totals over 1.5 million acres on both sides of the Continental Divide. Snowy Springs operates mostly in the Great Bear Wilderness under permits issued by the USDA Forest Service. The Wilderness Act limits the number of guests we can escort through this unique area.

Base Camp

Just off Highway 2 at between Mile Marker 190 and 191, our Base Camp is nestled between Glacier National Park to the north and the Great Bear Wilderness to the south. We are at the southern end of a small mountain valley that was once the home of McCarthyville, a rough and rowdy frontier railroad town from 1890-1892. At its peak the town was home to 32 saloons and more than 1000 people. Two years later it was gone.

Located on approximately 100 acres, our Base Camp includes our main residence and shop as well as two vacation rental cabins and numerous out buildings. The American West is alive in the large arena, horse corrals and two creeks that run through the property.

Most summer evenings we practice for rodeos or other horse events in the arena. The public is welcome to stop by. During summer months, there is a local rodeo in Columbia Falls at the Blue Moon on Thursdays which our crew enters as often as possible. The rodeo schedule can be found at Brash Rodeo, Kalispell on Facebook.

Our Base Camp is 38 miles east of West Glacier and 18 miles west of East Glacier. The Flathead Valley is accessible by air to Glacier International Airport (current airlines: Horizon/Alaska, Skywest/Delta, United, Allegient), by rail (Amtrak), and by auto (US Highway 93 and US Highway 2).  You may also fly into Great Falls International Airport (Alaska, Allegient, Delta, United). There is also the option of flying directly into the backcountry at Schafer Meadows via bush plane.

The efficiency and organization of your wilderness camp to include your guides and cook proved to be amazing. The opportunities for game and the challenges of the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness are something that everyone in camp will remember for a lifetime.

Carl Zeiss Sports Optics

In The Press

Montana outfitting company helps adventurers get back in touch with their wild side.
Savannah Howe
March 9, 2022

Whether it’s to get more connected with nature, explore outdoor activities or just escape the work grind for a few days, we all have our reasons for going camping. Read Full Article

The Key to The Bob
Jeff Johnson, Managing Editor
September 2012

Light drizzle pocked the surface of the slackwater pool, further masking the dolly varden’s slide from sunken timber. I’d cast well ahead of my hovering target and let the streamer ride the current until it entered the eddy and began sinking. Read Full Article

Big Mountains  White Canvas
Mick Schoby

Sometime an elk hunt is not just about killing elk, but about hunting them the right way.
The cow elk slowly fed through the thick underbrush, alternatively grazing on green shoots and browsing on salmonberry leaves. Read Full Article