Saddle and Paddle

[SteakMama]

Has anyone taken the "Saddle and Paddle' land excursion in Skagway? Is it worthwhile?

[Cruisetrekker]

We are going to do it . We will be on the Zuiderdam leaving tomorrow. We'll be a day ahead of you.:o

[Yukon]

I did it in July and it was excellent - both the horse and canoe guides love the country and made it a really enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.Bring a camera - the views are great too.

 

Murray

[Mrs007]

DH and I did the "Saddle" part and loved it!! The horses are very well trained and they are very easy to handle. The only thing I would have liked would have been a longer ride. Mr. and Mrs. van den Hoorn are very nice and they provided a wonderful homemade lunch (soup, sandwich and pie - all homemade and delicious!!!! Plus, there are some wonderful photo ops of Spirit Lake behind their lodge. If you are doing the "Paddle" part as well, you will have the best of both opportunities for photos and absorbing the beautiful scenery - ENJOY!!

[SteakMama]

DH and I did the "Saddle" part and loved it!! The horses are very well trained and they are very easy to handle. The only thing I would have liked would have been a longer ride. Mr. and Mrs. van den Hoorn are very nice and they provided a wonderful homemade lunch (soup, sandwich and pie - all homemade and delicious!!!! Plus, there are some wonderful photo ops of Spirit Lake behind their lodge. If you are doing the "Paddle" part as well, you will have the best of both opportunities for photos and absorbing the beautiful scenery - ENJOY!!

Thank you so much! That really helps! Off tomorrow, I'll let you know when we get back how it was :D

[cruisin'mama]

Can this be booked independently, if so do you know the name of the tour operator?

Thanks

[Mrs007]

Two tour operators that I know that go to Spirit Lake are http://www.frontierexcursions.com and http://mmtours.eskagway.com/tourTemplate.php?id=24

 

Both of these are for the "Saddle" part, but I think M&M also does the "paddle" part if you ask about it, Frontier probably would too if you ask about it. This tour is offered on Holland America if you are cruising with them.

[Yukon]

The "Paddle & Saddle" combination can only be booked through the cruise lines - ie http://www.yukonsaddlepaddle.com/ . With Frontier you can do one or the other (paddle or saddle) but not both, but I think that if you rent a car, the operator could hook you up with a cruise excursion - http://www.spiritlakeyukon.com/

 

M&M doesn't run tours at all - they're just a reservation service.

 

Murray

[Mrs007]

I only mentioned M&M Tours because the van den Hoorn's mentioned them. (never heard of M&M before then) But, as you suggest Murry, rent a car and contact them (van den Hoorn's at Spirit Lake http://www.spiritlakeyukon.com directly and enjoy at your leasure!!! ;)

[cruisin'mama]

How does riding at Spirit Lake compare to riding with Joni's at Emerald Lake?

[Yukon]

How does riding at Spirit Lake compare to riding with Joni's at Emerald Lake?

 

Having done both now, I can't honestly put one ahead of the other - they're different but both excellent. That may be because I combined the Spirit Lake one with the canoeing, though, as the views of Emerald Lake on Joni's ride are pretty tough to beat. You won't be disappointed by either - great horses, trails and guides.

 

Murray

[cruisin'mama]

Thanks Murray. Wow, tough choice now!

[Cruisetrekker]

We just returned from Spirit Lake and the views there were awesome ! The leaves are out in full gold colour . There was GOLD in those dar hills !

 

Horses were well matched to riders and the homemade pie was delicious !

 

Wish we would have had more time there .....:(