Denali Horse Trail Adventures & Excursion companies

We are going on our first cruise on 6/12/04 on the Island Princess with 5 days up in Alaska. We just got a package of information from them about excursions up at there lodges in Denali and Mt. McKinley. Someone told me that the Denali Horse Trail Adventure is just so-so. Has anyone gone on this adventure? I need your informed views. Besides the excursions listed in the brochure that Princess sent us, does anyone know of any other excursion companies operating at/or near the Princess Lodges at Denali and Mt. McKinley? Thanks in advance for all the wonderful help out there. I've already learned a lot from Cruise Critic. Have a Happy Easter. Massageman [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

No experience is needed for an adventure with Denali Saddle Safaris
from
[url="http://www.greybearddesign.com/smurphyportfolio/denalisaddlesafaris/reservations.htm"]http://www.greybearddesign.com/smurphyportfolio/denalisaddlesafaris/reservations.htm[/url]

Come enjoy an Alaskan wilderness horseback experience of a lifetime
from
[url="http://www.saddletrailsnorth.com/"]http://www.saddletrailsnorth.com/[/url]

USS Chilton APA-38 1966-1968
USS Guam LPH-9 1968-1970
Pacific Princess Oct 21 2001 Bermuda
Golden Princess Dec 7 2002 "Eastern Caribbean"
Coral Princess Dec 9 2003 "Panama Canal"

Carnival Miracle 17 Oct 2004

NOT UPDATED again 25 Feb [url="http://www.geocities.com/fsbsdel"]www.geocities.com/fsbsdel[/url]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Massageman:
We are going on our first cruise on 6/12/04 on the Island Princess with 5 days up in Alaska. We just got a package of information from them about excursions up at there lodges in Denali and Mt. McKinley. Someone told me that the Denali Horse Trail Adventure is just so-so. Has anyone gone on this adventure? I need your informed views. Besides the excursions listed in the brochure that Princess sent us, does anyone know of any other excursion companies operating at/or near the Princess Lodges at Denali and Mt. McKinley? Thanks in advance for all the wonderful help out there. I've already learned a lot from Cruise Critic. Have a Happy Easter. Massageman [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I went with two other friends on the horseback ride out of Denali. I can't remember the name, but it was the only horseback riding available out of Denali Princess last year. As far as we were concerned, it was somewhat of a bust and this from 3 people who had most recently been horseback riding approximately 6, 20, and 25 years previously.
Not quite experienced riders. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

We were basically walking on tundra (at least that's what it seemed like to me). The top foot and a half was mud and full of pockets of holes, so anything more than a walk, single file, through the mud and up and over small mounds of grass would have been dangerous to the horses.

On the positive side, the wranglers really tried to match the horses to our sizes and experience levels, gave a decent briefing on safe riding and had an alternative for those with more riding experience and desire to ride for more than a couple of hours. They also stopped half way through and took photos of us with our own cameras.

We didn't go riding at Princess Mt. McKinley, but did do the horsedrawn wagon ride with the outfit Princess uses there. The surface seemed more inducive to possibly being able to do more than just a slow, follow the leader walk, but I don't know. I do know that the scenery at Mt. McKinley Princess is nicer than the scenery we saw horseback riding with "their" Denali company.

My top choice out of Talkeetna is a McKinley flight- a great way to see an otherwise "shy" mountain. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] You will need to shuttle there from the McKinley Lodge- 40+ miles but the town is worth a look and has some good food options too.