Enjoyed the most: 1. The small group of wonderful guests which made the trip a very pleasurable and fun experience. The intimate environment helped create lasting friendships with like-minded and like-hearted fellow travelers. 2. Karen and her staff were very friendly, kind, and gracious and created a very pleasant, relaxing and low key atmosphere. 3. The plane ride to the remotely located lodge; the natural beauty and peace and quiet surrounding the lodge.

Bothered you: I had a great time at Chilko Lake. The only disappointment was the slower pace of some of the rides.

Comments: I would recommend HT for the wilderness experience, the cozy lodge environment thanks to Karen and her crew.

Enjoyed the most: Excellent atmosphere and friendly staff. The horses were clearly well looked after and suited the terrain brilliantly which made for some great riding to see the spectacular scenery. Nita and Roger in particular made our stay very memorable.

Bothered you: Nothing .. other than not long enough of a stay!!

Enjoyed the most: Excellent food, great scenery. I also very much enjoyed meeting Anne and Anna.

Bothered you: The inexperience of one of the riders.

Enjoyed the most: The riding was superb and the horses very responsive and also well behaved. I also enjoyed the physical nature of the rides.

Bothered you: The inexperienced rider in our group.

Enjoyed the most: The horses were the most robust, beautiful bunch I've been around, and the people were all very compatible -amazingly- as my friend tells me, who's been on other such rides. The hosts Bud, Nancy and Karen were very sweet and gracious, and made us feel part of the family. The scenery and setting was really beautiful, especially as the aspen were turning. It was a most memorable week. We'd hoped to do the Vermont Icelandic trip, but it was full. I'm so glad we went on this trip instead (on Barbara's suggestion I think).

Bothered you: I found the cantering opportunities rather limited and I found myself wanting to ride longer than the mid-afternoon quitting time, too!  The "roller coaster" through the forest is the reason for the higher level rating.

Enjoyed the most: The stay at the lodge was wonderful!!

Bothered: Nothing.

Enjoyed the most: All of it

Bothered you: The mosquitoes

Comments: This was beyond my highest expectations. Ryan suggested we book Nancy's cabin and it was perfect for us! The food was superb! The weather even cooperated. The horses were lovely!

Enjoyed the most: The hospitality of the family.

Bothered you: The cabins with no air in them. And if you stay in the lodge you are sometimes subject to late night noise from people partying.

Enjoyed the most: Great weather, accomadations and food.

Bothered you: I felt that they covered the same trails too many times.

Enjoyed the most: The terrific horses, beautiful scenery, great friends that I met, wonderful food.

Bothered you: A couple of riders were under the advertised riding level.  But that was not your fault.  You advertised it as an advanced trip and some people just don't read.

Comments: EXCELLENT scenery, meals, guides, horses.  Great hosts, great people on the trip. Half the people were excellent riders and once the owners realized that half were excellent riders and the other half beginners, they split us up and took the excellent ones on AWESOME rides.  THANK YOU!!!  My expectations were exceeded.  I've recommended this trip to several of my horsey friends.

Enjoyed the most: I enjoyed many things of the trip. The seclusion, the cleaness, the relaxed atmosphere. The rides were graded from easy to more challenging as the week progressed. I hadn't thought this should be necessary but looking back it seemed to help introduce the horses and riders, riders to each other, and help with accomodating to new tack and new terrain. I wouldn't change it now that I've experienced it. The owners and staff seem to really love their lodge, their horses, their work and their guests. The welcoming atmosphere was genuine. I still miss my evenings on the leather couch, sipping my wine, and enjoying the conversations.

Bothered you: Nothing. I'm an irritable type of person and found nothing to be irritated at! Shame eh?

Enjoyed the most: The beauty of the area coupled with riding such awesome horses each day.

Bothered you: N/A... it was all awesome!

Comments: Exceeded my expectations!

Enjoyed the most: The varied riding, we have riden all over the world, but this is close to being the best riding holiday we have experienced so far. Also, our small group of like minded people all got on like a house on fire!

Bothered you: Not having a sitting area in our cabin, we would want to be in one of the bigger cabins if we returned. The massage therapist was an unexpected pleasant addition to the services advertised, however, the eagerly anticipated hot tub was out of action - a bit disappointing!

Comments: A pretty perfect holiday!  Well cared for horses, a great guide, fantastic food, perfect surroundings!

Enjoyed the most: The great beauty and wildness of the Chilko area, but the whole cozy, family atmosphere of the host was a great pleasure.

Bothered you: There were squirrels in the ceiling that were very noisy, but I was able to secure ear plugs from a fellow traveler.

Enjoyed the most: Seeing bears!

Bothered you: Nothing!

Comments: It fullfilled all our expectations!

Enjoyed the most
Everything was great

Bothered you
Can't think of anything

Comments
It was lovely, thank you!

Enjoyed the most: Riding through the spectacular, secluded scenery!

Bothered you: Nothing bothered me.

Enjoyed the most: The riding was great; scenery beautiful; everyone was very accommodating and pleasant; absolutely no complaints! Especially enjoyed the guides who couldn't do enough for us, and Karen who is a lovely host.

Bothered you: Nothing!

Enjoyed the most: In the afternoon, coming back to the lodge after a fast, hard ride to swim in the river. The icy water is refreshing and you can sunbathe on the docks while dinner is prepared. It is a very relaxing place.

Bothered you: Nothing.

Comments:  The trip was as described on the website. The pace was fast and the horses were fantastic.  The guides / staff were friendly and informative and the food was top notch.

Enjoyed the most: The horses were fabulous and all the people were lovely - the place is very comfortable and friendly and like staying in a real home - oh and the food was amazing! All of it basicially!

Bothered you: Nothing - i was more unbothered than i ever am for the whole week i was there!

Comments: Fabulous place - 5 star everything - couldnt recommend more highly!!

Enjoyed the most: The remote location, friendly family-like atmosphere, beautiful scenery, personalized attention, family-style dining and lots of dogs. My trail guide, Dave, was terrific!

Bothered you: I am a vegetarian and 6 out of 7 meals were meat-based with no alternate protein source. The food was delicious, though!

Enjoyed the most: Riding in a pristine setting.

Bothered you: Not a thing. This trip exceeded all of my expectations!

Enjoyed the most: The long canter on the last day with the ridge ride and the horses swimming the Chilko River. Our guide, Dave, was outstanding and really added to the whole experience -- better than expected. Will return in the future.

Bothered you: A few bugs and didn't bring the repellant. Good to mention it in suggestions going to the ranch!

Comments: One of Hidden Trails' best!

Enjoyed the most
The beauty of the location, and the friendliness and enthusiasm of the employees. And I loved that the horses just wandered around the yard.

Bothered you
I thought there could have been a little more effort to involve the guests in the evening. I didn't learn until later in the week that there was a good variety of games available.

Enjoyed the most
The scenery, the "family" atmosphere at the lodge and the horses.

Bothered you
Heater problems in the bunk house.

Comments
Would love to go on another adventure but will have to see when and where I'd be able to fit it in/ find the funding!

Enjoyed the most
the horses were lovely; views magnificent; hospitality was great 
Remote place with little outside connecitvity is what I needed and why I chose it... also heard how lovely scenery would be in Canada - horses were great and enjoyed turning them out for the winter... 

Bothered you
I know it was western saddles; but they were heavy and cumbersome for me to get used to.. being an english rider
getting horses in morning thru some wet condtions; and heavy saddles.. again not used to western saddles and girths

Thanks for a lovely trip; thoroughly enjoyed ... have great memories and pictures 

Enjoyed the most
The companionship and the fact that the staff interacted so well with the guests. There was no deliberate segregation of staff, which added to the experience. It really was like be welcomed into someone's home. Also, the horses were obviously very happy in the service and were delightful.

Enjoyed the most
Watching the horses go swimming in the river on the last day, and watching our horses wandering around the property after the ride and parking themselves on the porches of the cabins...very amusing. We loved the fast canters and cool weather. We came here to get away from the heat. We also enjoyed seeing the bears.

Bothered you
MOSQUITOS. Bring repellent! It had rained quite a bit before our arrival and they were fierce. We were surprised to find that the airstrip was well over an hour from the lodge. It probably wouldn't have affected our decision to go there but it was disappointing to have a long car ride when not expecting it.

Comments
It would be good to warn people before the boat trip that Chilko Lake is big enough to get quite choppy, as if you were at sea. I get seasick very easily and thus did not enjoy the boat trip much because I wasn't prepared and didn't bring my drugs for motion sickness, thinking "it's just a lake". The scenery was quite beautiful though. 

Enjoyed the most
Beautiful scenery, food, horseback riding and fishing.
Truly enjoyed the adventure package - 3 1/2 days riding  3 days fishing

Bothered you
One of the fishing guides.

Enjoyed the most:

The accommodations and food

Bothered you:

Some of the riders were not at the level specified and held us back

Enjoyed the most

The horses and rides combined with the excellent dinners and the warmth of the hosts. The amazing surroundings and the nature around us, we even seen some grizzly's (from a good distance).

Bothered you

Nothing really, bit uncertain how much tip is normally given.

Comments

Thnx for the support during booking and offering this ride. Verry verry nice one. Seems strange but it was all excellent. Maybe we got lucky because the lodge hired a kitchen chef that really was remarkable good. Also the other riders where good company and skilled to do the rides.

Enjoyed the most

I enjoyed many aspects of the trip. Accommodations were great, host and staff were so helpful, pleasant, and kind. The horses were very trusty, in shape, happy, well-fed, and taken care of. The food was DELICIOUS! Most definitely looked forward to our meals and happy hour every day. I felt at home away from home from the time I got off the plane.

Comments

This was a fabulous experience! First time to British Columbia.

Enjoyed the most

Scenery

Bothered you

A mandatory staff tip added at the end. It was also very smoky this time of year.

Enjoyed the most

The friendliness of the staff, making sure we had everything we needed, and of course, the horses!

Bothered you

Nothing!

Comments

This trip exceeded all expectations.

Enjoyed the most

The beautiful pristine country, great accommodations and horses, wonderful staff and guide, and delicious gourmet meals!

Bothered you

It rained one day.

Enjoyed the most

Most of all the wonderful rides, the sweet horses, and the beautiful scenery, but also he warm and welcoming atmosphere of all of the workers, their obvious joy to be a part of the family-run outfit, and the delicious meals. It was also fun to be able to interact with the fly-fishermen at meal time.

Bothered you

Nothing bothered me. It was a week of bliss.

Comments

If you're looking for wonderful horses and guides in a remote, pristine, scenic locale with unexpectedly fine service and excellent cuisine, this is your place! What a top-notch organization. The guides for our rides were fantastic, the scenery was breathtaking, and the pace of the rides was just right. I especially enjoyed the way the guides were so interactive with us, such as Australian guide sharing a poem she'd written about her rescued Brumby, and one guide's great video of his various bear encounters over the years.

Enjoyed the most

i loved the fact that it was a small group - 14 of us in total (6 riders & 9 fishermen). We were all competent riders so as a group it worked really well. I also enjoyed the remoteness of the lodge, it was so peaceful and unspoilt.

Bothered you

Nothing bothered me, never been so relaxed on a holiday. I suppose if I tried really, really hard I could nitpick about tiny, tiny things but that would be petty.

Comments

I absolutely loved this holiday,, the scenery, the lodge, the horses and the rides, the staff, the food - great that everyone ate together including the staff and the weather was sunny all week. Perfect! Next riding holiday will have a lot to live up to!

Enjoyed the most

The atmosphere at the lodge was amazing. The hosts were very accomadating. Food was awesome. Trails were amazing and gorgeous.

Bothered you

nothing

Enjoyed the most

The atmosphere at the lodge is wonderful. I was impressed with how many repeat visitors there were. Food was AMAZING, accommodations very cozy, but it's the staff who make it top notch. Very high level service from some interesting, knowledgeable people!

Bothered you

The other riders were not as experienced as I thought they would be. Lovely people, but not big riders.

Enjoyed the most

Very hard to pinpoint as it was ALL wonderful. The scenery, the knowledge of the area, the accommodations, the food, the folks, the hosts and guides...it was by far the most wonderful week of our life!

Bothered you

The week went by too quickly!

Comments

I googles horseback vacations and yours was one of the sites that came up.

This was the most wonderful week; words cannot express the satisfaction we had with the entire experience!
Not only my expectations were fulfilled, but far exceeded. 

Enjoyed the most

This was a totally peaceful, in the moment week for me. The scenery was spectacular, the staff orchestrated everything with great generosity and good humor, the trails were very diverse, the food excellent, and the horses were perfect for the job.

Bothered you

That I couldn't't stay longer!

Comments

Thank you for finding this lovely wilderness lodge and ride!

Enjoyed the most

The scenery, the horses, the long canters, learning about the ranch

Bothered you

the trip ended

Enjoyed the most

Tempted to say " The Bears" but the riding trips were excellent. The hosting and guiding was also excellent, which made for very enjoyable days out in the high country. The food was homely and wholesome and there was plenty of it.

Bothered you

We can't think of anything that bothered us. We were very well looked after in all respects.

Comments

We found Hidden Trails staff members most helpful and courteous. Nothing was too much trouble. We shall be definitely arranging our future riding holidays through Hidden Trails. We are using you for our holiday in Italy this year

Enjoyed the most
The whole package just a wonderful family and staff.

Bothered you
Nothing

Enjoyed the most
Everything was the best!

Bothered you
Nothing.

Comments
Very hospitable hosts and employees.  Really superb scenery.  Fantastic food.  Good stock.  Excellent accommodations. Best by far of the three trips I have arranged through Hidden Trails!

Enjoyed the most
I enjoyed the family atmosphere of the lodge. The views were breath taking. We didn't have to trailer the horses at any time and never crossed the same terrain twice. The food was excellent!!

Bothered you
Considering the cost of the trip, I was surprised that you had to pay for a soda. The alcohol drinks were a little pricey too as was the cost for a bottle of wine.
 [Canada - high taxes on alcohol, but cheap health care]

Enjoyed the most
Can't really pick out one thing, people, horses surroundings, accommodations, loved our two story log cabin, the wonderful bear dogs, thank heavens for them, the guides which are all part of a big family. Saw lots of grizzlies! and the sockeye were amazing, never seen anything like that!.We had a blast! The trails were beyond expectations

Bothered you
Absolutely nothing!

Comments
Thanks again to the McClean Family for a great adventure. The trip was one of the best I have been on. Wonderful hosts, our group of 7 riders were delightful The food was amazing and the horses were great. So surefooted and responsive.