M O N T A N A
The Real Western

 
15-day Exploring Montana with The Hitch-n-Rail Ranch itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Great Falls, day free and overnight at Great Falls.

Day 2: Pick up at the hotel by the folks from The Hitch-n-rail  Ranch, and optional visit to the Museum dedicated to Charlie Russell, a famous artist. Go to Cowboy store. The Hitch-n-rail will buy you a cowboy hat and wranglers to ride horses the true cowboy way. Leave for the ranch. On arrival you will all have a training session on how to saddle your own horse, and then we will go for a short ride along the beautiful Missouri River . After the ride, we will have a campfire supper all cooked on a campfire. Then we will go to Virgelle, a small town just up the road. Provided with modern bathrooms cabins or Bed and Breakfast rooms of your choice. (Choice of rooms is limited to availability at the time of arrival, unless reservations are made before arrival. Go to www.VirgelleMontana.com to see room and cabin choices.)

Day 3: After breakfast there will be a lunch packed to go, for a guided canoe trip down the Missouri river to the famous White Cliff Area, mentioned in the Lewis and Clark Journals. There, you will be met by the Hitch-N- Rail Ranch with horses, and you will explore part of this famous Lewis and Clark area. Then you will  be shuttled back to Virgelle for supper, and then back to the ranch to spend your first night in a teepee at the Hitch-n-Rail's Riverside Camp. 

Day 4: Breakfast served at campground, then we take a guided Van tour of all the local museums at Big Sandy, Havre, Chinook, and Fort Benton

Lunch in Havre. 

Overnight in Fort Benton at the Grand Union Historical Hotel

Day 5: After breakfast at Fort Benton, go to the ranch  to saddle up the horses and ride to Sandy Coulee. Having a Cattle drive along the way. Have Lunch at The Hitch-n-Rail's Sandy Coulee camp. Keep horses saddled explore Sandy Coulee,  Native American Teepee Rings, Buffalo Jump, and Sand Dunes. Campfire supper and overnight in a Teepee on the prairie. There will be singing  and story telling on the prairie this night in the Big Sky Country.

Day 6: After a Campfire breakfast at Sandy Coulee camp we will saddle up and ride back to the  Hitching Rail Ranch, where we then  get ready to go to some event in the area... Rodeo, Native American Powwow, County fair, or some other Event that is currently going on in the area

Lunch and supper along the way.

Overnight at Virgelle

Day 7: After breakfast go to the ranch to saddle up the horses and go to the Bears Paw Mountains and the  Native American Rocky Boy Reservation for the day. There we will meet and ride with Joe Big Knife, a Chippewa-Cree Native American Elder, and also visit with a local  Native American Artist named Vernon The Boy.

This route will be partially riding horses and partially driving.

Picnic lunch at Rocky Boy Reservation, and on the way back, supper at Big Sandy town restaurant.

Overnight at the river camp. 

Day 8: Breakfast at the river Camp, then we will start our grand tour of Montana driving to Little Big Horn Battlefield, having lunch on our way there.

Visit the battlefield Museum, and also see on our way, The Teepee capital of the World.

Overnight at Ashland or surroundings.

Day 9: After breakfast we will visit the Cheyenne Museum in Ashland and follow our route to Yellowstone National park. Lunch on the way. Visit to the Upper Geiser Basin at Yellowstone . Supper and overnight in Yellowstone area lodges. 

Day 10: After breakfast free day for visiting Yellowstone park. Overnight in Yellowstone area lodges.

Day 11: After breakfast, we follow our route to visit the Ghost Town of Virginia City and Nevada City, as we follow our way up to Flathead lake.

Lunch on our way and overnight in Flathead Lake surroundings.

Day 12: We continue our route to Glacier park, having a picnic lunch at the park.

Supper and overnight at a campground in Glacier park in tents.

Day 13: After breakfast at our camp, free day to visit the park. Meeting at the campground to have supper.

Day 14: After having our breakfast, we return to the Hitch-N-Rail Ranch, having supper at the Ranch beside a campfire. Then overnight at Virgelle.

Day 15: After breakfast, and depending upon schedule, saddle up the horses and go for a ride before leaving the Ranch to go back to Great Falls.

Overnight in Great Falls.

Day 16: Shuttle to the Great Falls airport, as per flight schedule.

 
Restrictions:

* Maximum people per group: 6 persons.

* Minimum people accepted : 2 persons.

* The stay at the Ranch can be changed from the first week to the second, according to the rodeos and county   events schedule.

 *This itinerary is available from 01 April till 30 November.

Customized trips available upon request.

 Price in USD: 3,500 per person

Price includes:

1-Transfers: From and to airport.

2-Accommodations:  In hotels and lodges in tourist category, as per detail in itinerary. 3 nights free camping & 2 night in tents in campground with WC facilities.

3-Meals:  10 days in full board, 4 days in half board, and on day 16 breakfast upon flight schedule.

4-Entrance fee to the Museums and events detailed in itinerary.

“Accompanying guide during all the trip in English spoken “

Booking and payment terms:

1-50% deposit for booking confirmation.

2-30 days prior to the trip, the balance payment should be made.

 3-Payment should be by bank transfer.

 Cancellations:

 In any moment the customer can cancel the trip, but the following expenses will be applied:

1-At any time cancellation fee of USD 100 will be charged.

2-If the cancellation takes place before 6 weeks of the date of departure, 75% of the total import of the trip will be refunded.

3-If the cancellation takes place 30 days before the date of the departure, 50% of the total import of the trip will be refunded.

4-If the cancellation takes place less than 30 days before the departure not any deposit will be refunded.