Horseback Riding in Yellowstone National Park

Xanterra Parks & Resorts offers horseback rides of one and two hours in length at Mammoth, Tower-Roosevelt, and Canyon. Advance reservations are recommended. Guides (and horses) catered to beginning riders (they estimate 90% of riders have not been on a horse in at least 10 years), but let them know if you're an experienced rider and would like a more challenging pace or ride.

Private stock can be brought into the park. Horses are not allowed in front-country campgrounds but are permitted in certain backcountry campsites. For information on planning a backcountry trip with stock, call the Backcountry Office.

Outfitter & Expeditions

Since 1968, Gunsel Horse Adventures has provided four-day pack trips into the Yellowstone backcountry. The trips are a great way to see moose, bear, deer, elk, and wolves in Yellowstone's forests. Bring only your sleeping bag and personal effects. Box 1575, Rapid City, SD, 57709. 605/343-7608. www.gunselhorseadventures.com. $325 per day.

Mike and Erin Thompson at Wilderness Pack Trips have led small-group trips exclusively in Yellowstone National Park for 15 years. Trips from one to nine days are available. Popular destinations include the spectacular remote waterfalls of the Bechler area (southwest corner of the park) and Mirror Plateau bear management area, which accesses a wildlife-rich region closed to the general public 11 months a year. Families are welcome. 172 E. River Rd., Emigrant, MT, 59027. 406/848-9953. www.wildernesspacktrips.com. From $240 per person for day trips to $3,100 per person for multiday trips.

One- and two-hour horseback trail rides run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts leave from three sites in the park: Mammoth Hot Springs, Roosevelt Lodge, and Canyon Village. Children must be at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall; kids 8-11 must be accompanied by someone age 16 or older. In order not to spook horses or wildlife, guests are prohibited from bringing cameras or cell phones. Box 165, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone, WY, 82190. 307/344-7311. www.travelyellowstone.com. $35-$54.