Clydesdale Outpost Guest Ranch — Hotel in Whitefish

I wanted to share my experience at the Clydesdale Outpost this past summer. This was a bucket list thing for my granddaughter Q. My daughter and I had promised Q she could do a trail ride as her 12th birthday gift as twelve is the minimum age to ride the Clydesdales. She has been waiting to be old enough for a couple years. This was a highly anticipated experience for all of us. If you don't know horses or have never been around a Clydesdale, they are magnificent animals. Similar to our Great Danes, Clydesdales are also gentle giants.

Check-in was easy and we were able to use credit cards for payment, sign the necessary waivers, and get some information from the small shop on the property. There were lots of gift items, books, snacks, and tchotchkes to browse. Once done there we headed to the barn to meet our guide and most importantly those beautiful Clydesdale horses.

Our guide for the day Kamber was knowledgeable, gracious, and offered to take photos so we could concentrate on our ride as distractions could interfere with rider and horse safety. She selected horses specifically for us. Those selections were based on rider ability, both rider and horse temperament, and experience of the rider. Kamber assisted in getting a proper helmet fit for all of us and provided a great safety talk. She also went over thorough instructions especially so that my granddaughter understood as she has only ridden once before this. I was raised around horses, took equestrian classes in college, and have ridden throughout the years, but these horses are not the same as riding a regular sized horse. Even I needed to hear some important information. I practically did the splits getting onto my horse because they are so wide in comparison to a non-draft horse.

My granddaughter Q and daughter got the sweetest, most easy-going horses. Nothing was hard, their safety and security was priority number one, and Q enjoyed this experience, which was the entire point. My horse was a little more stubborn but having experience I knew how to handle a stubborn horse that wants to eat along the trail and is not supposed to do so. Having Kamber take photos allowed us to enjoy the scenery around the Outpost property and she was able to point out interesting things along the way.

We also spent time in the barn before and after our ride taking our own photos and getting to know all the horses. The juvenile horse were our favorites. My daughter and I had lots of questions and each one was met with an answer by Kamber. I had not brought cash to tip our guide but I was able to use a banking app as the barn had Wi-Fi. Thank goodness for technology and that was an able option. Q wants to come back and do this again and I don't blame her. I would highly recommend booking a trail ride at Clydesdale Outpost and don't forget to ask for Kamber.

PS We loved it so much I told my son who took his girlfriend the...

My financé and I are on the last day of a 4 day summer vacation at the Clydesdale Outpost. Words can not describe how beautiful our experience was. When we turned onto the road for the first time our mouths dropped. It was like stepping into a Remington painting. If it weren’t for the extraordinary staff (Kacey in particular) greeting and guiding you, one might mistake it for a mirage We were immediately taken to the barn to meet the female horses. They came over to greet us and let us pet them. They were so majestic we fell in love instantly. We visited with them every day and felt the healing power of these gorgeous animals. The cabins are exquisitely designed, the first thing we saw was a beautiful welcome box with a note and tons of local treats and even an s’mores kit for the fire pit out back! Every detail purposeful and elegant. A sparkling clean kitchen, extremely comfortable beds, a beautiful bathroom, hot tub. Everything you could ask for. A record player with a stack of records to choose from. If you think we didn’t cook a meal and dance in the kitchen to Nat King Cole you would be mistaken because, oh ya, there’s a FULL KITCHEN with everything you could need. We settled in on the first night, sat on the back porch and watched God paint the most spectacular sunset we’ve ever seen. Just as the light was becoming a faint memory on the horizon a deer came walking right in front of us. I ran in to get my phone to take a picture and noticed a set of Binoculars on the bookshelf. They were perfect for getting a closer look. It’s those kinds of details that make this place so special. Each day was better than the one before. The proximity to downtown White Fish, Glacier National Park, every adventure you could imagine is right there for the taking. We rode the horses, rode the complimentary bikes throughout the property, explored the national park and soaked up every minute of every day. I could not recommend this place more. It’s romantic, charming, and family friendly on top of it all. We plan to return many times. Thank you to the owners and the staff for this magical experience.

Not to forget the adorable friends we met…Ella and Fitz the dogs, and Puck the cat made the whole experience...

The positives:

Amazing place to stay. The horses are beautiful and well cared for. The staff were all very friendly (Kacey was extremely helpful and patient with me as I had issues leading up to the trip). There are better views of the mountains elsewhere, but none that include Clydesdales and like most of Montana, they were still amazing and absolutely nothing to complain about. The cabins were very nice, clean, well maintained, cozy and well decorated. Ordered my girlfriend a massage in our room while I enjoyed the hot tub and she said it was probably the best she’s ever had. So great to be able to walk out and interact with the horses whenever we wanted and we booked a ride as well.

The negatives: (None of these to me were worth lowering the stars but still things I feel are worth mentioning.)

We slept upstairs because it was easier to throw our suitcases on the downstairs bed so can only speak to the one mattress, but I found it uncomfortable. My back started to hurt after 2 nights and if we had stayed longer could have been an issue. The carriage ride and horseback rides were great but for the price felt lacking a little. I’m still glad we did it but just want to warn you basically just travel the perimeter of the property which is mostly open pastures so not too much to it. Still great views of the mountains and creek and everything else near by. There is no tv in the cabins which I think is a good thing overall but if you like to relax watching something at night before bed after a long day exploring, that’s not an option. Price was a bit steep but worth it, especially if you could split the cost between 2 couples or a group.

Overall this was such a great experience. Like I said none of the negatives were a big deal at all to us, just thought I’d mention to warn potential guests. Miss it there and want to go back so bad and...