Centre Spread - Lasso your inner cowboy

Lasso your inner cowboy

AUGUST 2006 — VOLUME 4 ISSUE 8

It’s an adventure on four legs—whether you’re a wanna-be cowboy, the real deal or something in between, seeing Sun Peaks from the back of a horse is an exhilarating way to experience the beauty of the mountains while letting the horse do most of the work.

Sun Peaks is celebrated for stunning mountaintop vistas and glades carpeted with summer flowers. What better way to experience the lure of the alpine than in harmony with a sure-footed mount and with the smell of saddle leather competing with the scent of meadows in bloom?

A ride to remember surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery can be on anyone’s summer agenda—a variety of guided rides with Sun Peaks Trail Rides are available throughout the resort, from a short jog around the village to the top of the mountain.

Sun Peaks Trail Rides offers an option for everyone, from beginners who have never been on a horse to accomplished riders. There are 17 very well-trained and quiet horses in the stable, and owner Hubert Puetz ensures that riders and mounts are matched so that even the most nervous rider will be put at ease. Horses are saddled up Western style for comfort—they do all the work so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the view.

For novice riders a one or two hour expedition is long enough to get a feel for riding, but not so long that participants will be walking like John Wayne for the next week. These rides take a route through flat terrain into the village or down an old logging road through the forest, where a glimpse of wildlife might add to the day’s fun.

Two-, three- or four-hour tours through the backcountry are also available, and for more experienced riders, there’s a five hour ride to the top of Tod Mountain. In summer the trail’s emblazoned with Indian paintbrush, lupine and other wildflowers, and since it’s not heavily used by hikers or bikers, the only company you may have is you, your horse and nature. The 880 metre (2500 ft.) ascent is breathtaking, but only for you, not for the horses, who barely break out in a sweat. After snaking up through the trees, the trail leads into the mountain’s West Bowl, where on a clear day a carpet of flowers stretching up to the sky is the backdrop to unforgettable views of valleys, lakes and even some snow-capped peaks far to the west.

A good choice for riders of mixed ability is the four- to five-hour ride to McGillivray Lake—the terrain is gently rolling and a rendezvous at the lake will be rewarded with a swim in the cool refreshing waters.

And if you’ve ever wanted to camp out in true cowboy fashion, now’s the time to try it. A new addition this summer to the option of trail rides is an overnight trip to McGillivray Lake. The horses will take you up Sundance Mountain to the lake where you can sleep out under the stars. Before you jump on your horse to head back, be sure to take a morning dip in the lake while you listen to the loons.

Trail rides are available seven days a week—for further information call Sun Peaks Trail Rides at 250-318-1835 or Guest Services at 250-578-5474.

Site designed and maintained by: PeaksMedia.com