Kananaskis Trail Rides at Boundary Ranch, Alberta

Trail Ride at Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada).

My memory of horses as a kid is of getting a black eye from a horse nose while I was feeding him carrots. Ever since then, I’ve been a bit intimidated by the big animals. I seem to go on a trail ride whenever I’m in Alberta, though, and it has made me a definite horse lover.

At Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis, AB, I was treated to a two-hour ride through dense forest, open space and high ridges overlooking the area. The scenery is absolutely stunning.

My horse Willy had some spunk and was the best out of all of them, in my opinion. He had a rebellious streak and definitely didn’t like just walking along single file. He would poke the horse in front of him (and often got a tail smack in return), veer off any chance he got and took breaks to chow down on the nearby grass.

Boundary Ranch mountain setting in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada).

There are a few different options for spending a couple of hours or a day at Boundary Ranch. They’ve even partnered with Inside Out Tours to provide a “Surf & Saddle” package to those who want to combine trail rides with whitewater rafting. Remember, Kananaskis is only an hour outside of Calgary.

For those wanting a more intense experience, I was told you can go out into the backcountry with the owner’s son and camp out. These trips require much more preparation and experience, but sound really fun.

What I liked:

• The staff here are laid back and down to earth, as you would expect.
• The meal I had was some good homemade food (and they could accommodate my vegetarian request).
• The trail scenery is stunning and a real breath of fresh air.
• If you go, take some time to look around the buildings, as the owner, Rick Guinn, has some fabulous historical photos taken of movies being shot at the ranch. He’s a well-known cowboy and was raised in the Kananaskis area.

Tags: AB, Alberta, backcountry, Boundary Ranch, Calgary, Kananaskis, Rick Guinn, Trail Rides, whitewater rafting