Swan Mountain Outfitters (Glacier Division) — Local services in West Glacier

If it was possible to give less than one star, I would. If you are reading this, and considering using this service, you might want to reconsider. This place is lucky that I didn’t pursue suing them. I booked this trip for my husband and two older teen kids. As we start out on the trail, I was immediately separated from my family because they put me on a horse that ‘must to be last’. For the entire ride, of 3 hours, I never got to ride with my family. None of that would have mattered, except for what happened on the trail. Apparently, my horse doesn’t like bees either. I found all this information because I had to ride next to the guide in the back, so we converse the whole way. He proceeded to tell me how, they have ill fitting saddles. One poor guy from England was riding a draft style horse, but the saddle was so ill fitting that we had to stop OFTEN to adjust the saddle to which was NEVER going to fit right. So then, midway back, they had to stop and adjust the saddle yet again. Unfortunately, they stopped my horse and the couple people around me, on a rocky ledge. Also, unfortunate, it happened to be next to a major beehive. Long story short, the horse bucked me off and I flew up in the air 10 feet, only to fall down the cliff 20 feet down, landing my right knee on a boulder. By the grace of God, the guide carried me up the hill and put me on his horse. I honestly don’t know how I walked away from that! That was such a messed up situation they put us in! The worst thing that I found out that I feel they haveresponsibility for is the ledge. We stopped at, or at least mine, and the other two horses, were on a ledge that was known to be infested with bees! Responsibility for is the ledge. We stopped at, or at least mine, and the other two horses, we’re on a ledge that was known to be infested with bees! They knew all this! It’s like the Amazon chick that assigned me this horse had it out for me the entire time. This guide proceeded to tell me all of the terrible things about this particular industry! You are truly risking your life on these horses! These are not “privately owned horses“! We ended up finishing the trip at Rich Ranch in Swamy Lake, MT . Awesome place! I actually talked to my family back into one last horseback ridecom and I am so grateful for this ranch to have shown us such hospitality. We would totally go back to Rich Ranch! But we would NEVER consider getting on a horse that a company ‘rents’ seasonally. The guide told me they medivac a person out of glacier Park almost every day. Not necessarily from the horseback riding group, but somewhere in the park. I think God that I was not one of them! And that is truly why I did not pursue suing them, because I am too busy, thanking God that I was able to walk...

My husband and I booked a short trail ride back in June to do the lake McDonald ride. The horses were great-We were very unimpressed really with the guides. Especially being an experienced rider myself. The girls barely had the saddles tightened. They were so loose that one riders saddle slid off two or three times during the ride. I had tried telling the guide when I noticed the man’s saddle sliding from the get go it needed to be tightened and we just kept moving. Mind you we were going downhill and the saddle had slid so far over that the man finally fell off. (He could have gotten his foot hung in the stirrup) I told her about it and She acted clueless like she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She finally got off to go re-adjust the saddle and we had to hold her horse for her (and she was the more experienced guide out of the two). I’m 5’3 and they put me on one of the tallest horses- which is fine -but my legs were so short and the saddle was so loose I couldn’t get my leg up high enough to even get up and if I did so happen to catch the slick cheap PLASTIC stirrup- the saddle fell over to me. I told her I needed a ladder and/or to tighten the saddle. She told me to just grab the horses mane and lift myself up. And she insisted that my husband could not help lift me up lol. He did anyways otherwise I would have been there all day. For the horse that ate the most on the trail- they had an ungodly amount of reins. I swear they were like 10 foot long. The poor guy was trying to jerk the horses head up every time it ate but he was hardly successful because he had a big bundled up mess in his hands because the reins were wayyy too long. One little girl fell off a horse the same day as well-not sure what exactly happened there. The main guide that day had to stop and call for a backup horse because she was too scared to keep riding the one she was on because “he wasn’t acting right”.

I just don’t understand why the company is allowing inexperienced riders to guide other inexperienced riders. It’s literally the blind leading the blind here. Seems like a...

Carmen, you are not only an amazing wrangler, but you helped keep my husband alive at Sperry Chalet on July 24th, 2022. Everyone this young lady was amazing. My husband is 83 years old, but he grew up in Glacier National Park starting in 1954. His family has been running Granite and Sperry Chalet’s since then. Working on 4th generation now. On this date we got to Sperry on horseback. When we reached the Chalet, helped my husband off the horse to a very large rock in the shade. I went to drop our saddlebags in our room. Came back to, first person saying he passed out, the next person (young man we rode up with) grappled me by the shoulders, telling me first his sister was an ER nurse, Lanny had a heart attack, he was gone 2-3 minutes, but she brought him back. When I got to my husband, he was grey and struggling. Carmen you were right there taking his pulse, oxygen,etc. when someone else could step in you ran and attended the horses. Coming back after 2-3 horses to help out again. Realizing I could not fly out with my husband,and Carmen realizing on way up I am a very experienced back woods rider, looked at me and said “ We will get these horses down the mountain as quick as possible.” I took the rear, was the longest 6.5 miles of my life on the way down. She kept looking back and checking on me, realizing I did not know if my husband was alive or dead. I fell in love with this young lady’s composer and her determination take care of her riders. We got down to the corrals. Everyone there was so compassionate, caring, loving towards me. I had to take about 20 minutes to get myself together, to drive to the hospital, an hour away with no cell service for half of the way. Got to the hospital to find my husband alive. No heart attack, but heat stroke. Carmen you did everything right. You helped save a man’s life. I am so thankful for you and the young woman on our ride that was an ER nurse. I can never say Thank You or hug you big enough for everything you did. You are amazing. Love Mama Vic and Lanny Luding. Oh! You helped save a man well known on...