White River Trips

White River Base Camp

Location is geographically in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana is the benchmark of the American Wilderness System. It is the biggest wilderness complex in Montana, and one of the largest in the United States.

We headquarter in Augusta, Montana, guiding Montana pack trips from Benchmark trailhead on a regular basis, through the Sun River Game Preserve, over the Continental Divide, and in to the White River, Danaher and South Fork of the Flathead River drainages.

The center of our wilderness operation and pack trips is a base camp in the White River, just four miles from the Continental Divide. This camp is in close proximity to many well-known landmarks including the Chinese Wall, Needle Falls, Flathead Alps, Gladiator Mountain, Haystack Mountain, Turtle Head, Flat Iron and Cliff Creek. There are many other areas of interest nearby that not are not known as well, such as the “Lost World of Peggy Creek” offering an indescribable landscape.

This area affords good opportunities to see Montana wildlife in one of the most natural strongholds in North America. There are also many opportunities to fish for native cutthroat, both big and small. See also our White River fishing trips.

For those folks looking to experience other areas in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we do offer customized trips. Please contact us for options and detail.

What to expect on our pack trips

Day 1

The first day of your trip you will arrive at the Benchmark trailhead just after daylight, either shuttled by us or driving your own vehicle, depending on your needs. After an introduction to safe horsemanship, you will be introduced to your horse for the trip. Riders are matched as closely as possible to their mounts according to individual skills, size and ability. Our stock is always being complimented on their good nature and gentle manner. We try to have guests mounted and on their way to an amazing Bob Marshall Wilderness adventure by 8 a.m.

We cross the South Fork of the Sun River via the pack bridge, then cross the West Fork pack bridge. Quite often we see elk, whitetail deer and mule deer along this stretch of the trail while the dew is still on the grass. We often stop for lunch near Indian Creek.

After lunch we saddle up and start the ride up Indian Creek. This is an especially scenic area. On most trips in late July to mid-August, bears can be seen from time to time, feeding on the berry crop across the drainage.

This is also a good area to see mountain goats. The scenic trail ride climaxes on top of the Continental Divide which is also known as White River Pass. From here it is approximately five miles down to our camp, and a well-deserved rest after the 22 plus mile ride.

Day 2

The second day of the trip is a good time to get familiar with camp and the surrounding sites. As the horses have worked hard getting everyone into camp, they are turned out for the day to eat and rest. Our camp is located at the nexus of the White River and South Fork of the White River, almost the exact geographical center of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The White River is approximately 150 yards from camp and affords some of the best Montana fly-fishing. This is a great river for the novice or expert fly fisherman. If you do not wish to fish, you can go for a scenic hike right out of camp to admire the wildflowers, sit next to the river read a book and or just enjoy the serenity. There are times moose will travel through camp and deer are often around camp too.

Days 3-6

For the next three days there will be three amazing horseback rides offered and arranged to fit both the personal and group desires, as well as weather conditions.

Haystack Mountain……is the usually the first day ride (weather permitting) The ride is just approximately 6 miles up the trail from camp, on Haystack Mountain, leading to the Chinese Wall. This is an OVERPOWERING sight, as the mountain appears to have been cut off with a huge knife, some 1,400 feet from top to bottom. This is the Continental Divide. The general area is also referred to as the “over thrust belt”. Often we see bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and sometimes a herd of elk can be spotted in the valley below. If you like mountain scenery, you will love this place as it is set in the midst of a panorama of the wildest places in the continental U.S.

Rampart/Turtlehead Rid is one of Tucker and Amy’s favorite rides. The ride is very scenic. We cross over to the west side of the White River and go up onto Rampart Mountain, ride through the timber and across “the drum” where you can hear the echo of your horses’ hooves, as the mountain is hollow. From there continue on to the “upper tie up”. If the group is up for even more amazing scenery we will do a large loop which is approx 15 miles of pure beauty and diverse scenery. Lunch (no matter if on Rampart or to our favorite lunch spot on Turtlehead) you will be looking across to view, Haystack Mountain, Gladiator, Amphitheatre, Moccasin Butte, Cliff Mountain, Flat Iron and more. All of which are AWESOME sights of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Gladiator is usually the last day ride of the trip. This ride is packed with amazing views and riding as well. The ride is approximated 10 miles round trip and is a loop. Lunch is typically under Gladiator mountain, this mountain is bold and makes a person feel so very small. It is hard for guests to pin point their favorite ride as each one is so unique and beautiful.

These are just a few of the most popular rides. A person could spend weeks in the base camp and not cover all of the amazing rides and sights.

Day 7

On the sixth day we begin our day as early as possible to head back out to the Benchmark Trailhead. The same trail is taken on the way out, but somehow the ride looks much different. It is just as beautiful!! We should be back to the Benchmark Trailhead by late afternoon and in to Augusta around 6 p.m. Our suggested gear list may be viewed on the web site.

Ready to join us in the Bob Marshall Wilderness? Take a look at our rates and available dates.