Never went horseback riding before so Casy and Lacy made sure it was safe, secure and fun. I truly loved it and learned to trust my horse Chief. Would definitely go back again and confidently recommend for experienced riders and for sure beginners like me. read more

This is the best trail ride we've taken and we've taken over 20. The horses are. In good health and well trained; very responsive. The guide, Brad, is engaging and helpful. The surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful. The trail was just challenging enough. Everything is clean and you really get a sense of being away from everything, even though it was only a two hour ride. read more

We had an amazing experience horse back riding with Brad and Brandt. We are a family of five who visited Montana for the first time and let me tell you this was the highlight of our road trip. Brad is a true professional who made my husband and I very comfortable letting our 3 children go horseback riding. Our children's ages are 12, 8 , and 6. The youngest Sophia did great job handling her horse. I was praying for all three while they were riding, but Elk River's horses are well trained and Brad and Brandt were there every step of the way when it came to safety. Brad is a very friendly and humble guy who loves what he does, which is why we had such a great time. The views are extraordinary!! We will be back! Thank you Brad , Brandt read more

Our 3 hour ride today with Bailey was perfect! Horses were great, scenery was amazing and the history tidbits about the regions topped it off! Great job to our guide Bailey! read more

This ride was Amazing. My 12 year old son and I had never ridden before and we had a blast. Our guide Brad made us feel very comfortable and the horses were awesome. I was a little worried about going up and down the hills but so glad we did. The ride was perfect through some meadows, up and down some hills and through a creek. All while being something beginners can do on these well trained horses. Also the views are Outstanding. We were scheduled for Sunday and they called to let us know the weather was looking better Saturday and fit us in on Saturday instead. We really appreciated this. Brad remembered our names and offered to take a picture of us at the top. The ride started right on time. This is a must do if you are in Billings or Red Lodge. read more

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Absolutely amazing! My husband and I wanted to go trail riding while in Montana and we're so glad we went with Elk River Outfitters. Beautiful views, great horses and an overall amazing experience. Our guide Brad was awesome, could not recommend enough! read more

Super fabulous horses, scenery, guides and trails. Excellent way to spend a couple of hours or more in the beauty of the Red Lodge. The trails wind through shaded aspens, wild flowers and sage meadows with views of mountain ranges in every direction. It's a great place to go solo or with friends or family. Everyone is super nice and they have made every one of my rides interesting. I would go everyday if I could. read more

This is our third year riding with Elk River so you can probably guess we're satisfied. There are as many as 6 in our group and range in abilities from intermediate and up. The horses are ready to go and the tack is very nice. Our wrangler, Brad, was exceedingly helpful, funny and friendly. It's a tough job keeping six or eight riders of differing abilities comfortable and safe, but he's a good hand. The ride is beautiful, comfortable and lots of scenery and elevation changes. My only suggestion is that they develop some different trails so we're not on the same ride-regardless of how beautiful-over and over. That shouldn't deter any first-tile clients though. This is a first-class outfit! read more

My family and I wanted to try horseback riding while in Montana on vacation. None of us ever rode before. This was a super experience! It was a 2 hour ride on some pretty steep and narrow trails, with a ride through about a 4 foot deep stream, but once we got to the top of the summit, the view was breathtaking! The 2 gentleman ( cowboys) leading us were friendly and very helpful. The horses were obedient and generally followed the horse in front of it. You are required to wear long pants and enclosed shoes. My only recommendation would be to also wear a long sleeve shirt as your arms get scratched when the horses get close to tree branches. Loved this adventure and will seek out more horse riding experiences wherever we go! read more

My husband and I went on a ride with Tanner yesterday. What a wonderful experience. We rode up into a beautiful plateau where 7 mountain ranges could be viewed. It was a stunning spot with remnants of past Crow settlements. We rode thru fields full of wildflowers and saw deer plus a mama bear and her cubs in the distance. Tanner was very personable and knowledgeable about the area. It was a really good day. read more

One of the characteristics of a high-quality business leader is to listen to the people working in the trenches. Leaders don't always see what the worker bees see; sometimes, they come up with great ideas like 3M Post It Notes or Amazon Prime Memberships. At Elk River Outfitters, effective leadership is lacking. In the summer of 2020, two employees of Elk River suggested to the owner, Mr. Brad Edward, that the horses should be allowed food and water at their base camp after finishing a ride. The horses work 10 - 11 hours a day with little food and water. They are allowed to graze all night. However, horses naturally graze all day - they don't eat on a schedule like humans. After hearing the suggestion, Mr. Edward dismissed the idea because "that's not how he has run his business for over 20 years." In his opinion, the horses are not overworked. His employees, and some customers, see it differently. One of the employees reported their concern to local authorities, but no actions were taken against Mr. Edward. However, the report is on the record. Mr. Edward has a monopoly on the trail riding business in Red Lodge, so he could easily raise his riding fees to absorb the extra cost of feeding and watering his horses after a ride. The water is also free from nearby Rock Creek. Rather than try the suggestion from his employees, Mr. Edward fired one and caused the other to quit. Implementing the idea would likely improve the health of his horses, resulting in a higher quality product, and possibly a higher profit margin. The bottom line is you will have an excellent trail ride at Elk River Outfitters, but your horse will be underfed and overworked. read more

I have been riding for years and we take our kids trail riding on every vacation- this was BY FAR THE BEST RIDE EVER. Everything from our guide, Brad, the trail, the hills, the water, the storm coming in... It was AMAZING! So AMAZING the kids want to go back tomorrow. read more

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The average American gets 2-4 weeks vacation per year. I called to book a reservation on 7/21/16 at 8:00 PM for 2 or 3 riders. I specifically informed the proprietor that my daughters and I were experienced riders (20+ years for me and 10 + years each for my daughters) who went on a trail ride in Cody, WY. It was beautiful, however we wanted a more Hunter/Jump experience with walk, trot, and canter with our next ride. The proprietor stated that she had to confirm with her husband whether or not my request for a walk, trot, canter experience could be honored. She confirmed that my request could be honored and that we should be at their location at 9:45 AM on 7/22/2016 for a 10:00 AM ride. I informed the proprietor at 10:30 PM on 7/21/2016 via email that there would only be two riders. I lived up to my commitment that I would give them advanced notice whether or not there would be two or three riders. I gave our heights and weights for two riders in preparation for the next day. My daughters and I were on vacation in Billings, MT, approximately 1 hour from the property. I received no emails overnight after I completed the convenient on-line waiver forms. We woke up at 7:30 AM in preparation for our morning ride before the heat of the day. We left Billings, MT for Red Lodge, MT at 8:45 AM, plenty of time to get to the property. I received a telephone call from the proprietor at 9:20 AM, when we were 10 miles from the property. She stated that we would not be able to walk, trot, and canter because they added us to another party who could not participate in anything other than a walking trail ride. I expressed to the proprietor that I felt it was extremely unprofessional to inform us of our reservation change 10 miles from her destination and 40 minutes before our scheduled ride. There was plenty of time for her to inform me of the reservation change other than 40 minutes before our scheduled ride. The proprietor had my cell number and email address to inform me well before our scheduled and confirmed plans that we would not be receiving the service we specifically requested. In my opinion, this business did not handle our situation in a professional manner and did not respect our lost vacation time. It was too late to schedule a morning ride with any other outfitter. It is clear that their business decision to combine our ride with another group had more to do with money rather than standing behind their word to provide us with the service we requested and they promised to fulfill. Also, their business decision was disrespectful of our quality family experience planned and anticipated as well as our deserved, and limited vacation time. I cannot comment on the facility, the quality of the horses, and/or the riding experience. I do caution you to have other riding plans if you book with this outfitter. There are understandable cancellations such as horse injury, shortage of guides, or weather. It is inexcusable to notify clients 40 minutes before a scheduled service that they would not be receiving the promised service, especially when that service is an hour drive away from origination point. The proprietor had to be aware when she awoke, or shortly thereafter, that a new business decision had been made. She failed to notify us of the change in a timely manner before we left Billings at 8:45 AM. I would not recommend that experienced riders book with this outfitter as its business decisions appear to have more to do with money over family values and personal time earned. read more