Jackson Hole Outfitters

Back-Country All-Day Trail Rides Outfitter Sy Gilliland             Wyoming Outfitter License #BG001       A Bridger-Teton National Forest Permittee    Operating near Greys River, Wyoming Grant Gertsch, professional guide and camp manager PO Box 3209, Alpine, WY 83128 (307) 654-7008 or send email Site updated June 14th, 2007

	The best place for you in the summer is out in the open, between the clear sky and the clean earth, astride a good horse on a scenic trail, in the mountains near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Just your family or group. Personal service just for you!
Click on Pictures on this page to view full size.

Day Rides:  Our most popular trip and the one we highly recommend.  We meet in Alpine, 35 miles southwest of the town of Jackson, at 9:00 am.  We load the horses in a horse trailer, climb in the Suburban or pickup and drive a few miles up Greys River to a trailhead.  We ride into the mountains, stopping frequently to take pictures and stretch our legs, then have lunch, usually mountain burgers cooked on an open campfire in a fantastically scenic spot.  If there is a fire ban in effect because of fire danger we have hoagie sandwiches.   A leisurely afternoon ride, again with frequent stops to enjoy the scenery, and we are back at Alpine between 4 and 5:00 pm.  For summer of 2007 cost is only $125 per person* for all day which includes lunch on the trail, a good horse, and a good personable guide. (also includes Forest and Resource User Fees totaling $10 per person per day.)   We take it easy on you, realizing that you haven't ridden much, so an "all day" trip is not 6 hours in the saddle.  Actual saddle time is 4 hours or so, depending on how far you want to go, and it is spread out enough so that you don't get sore.  We have long trails and short trails.  All of them see great scenery, so let your guide know how easy or hard to take it.  We have no minimum age.  We will tailor the trip to the age of your group.  For young children I have a "buddy-seat" that goes behind the saddle of mom or dad. $10 charge for the youngster in buddy seat.  I recommend that you do not bring children under age four.  They don't enjoy it, and neither do the parents.   PAYMENT IN CASH, PLEASE. Sorry, I don't take credit cards.  I take your credit card number to confirm the booking, but we don't charge your card unless you don't show.  You may pre-pay by money order or cashier's check before arrival.  Cancellation Policy:  If you cancel 10 days before your trip, no charge.  If 9 days, 10% charge.  If 8 days, 20% charge.  If 7 days 30% charge.  If 6 days, 40% charge, if 5 days or less 50% charge.  If no-show, 100% charge.  Full refund cancellation requires 10 day notice; 10% charge for each day late on cancellation.   How we differ.  I often have people ask how we differ from other trail ride companies.  I haven't ridden with the others, but from talking with our guests that have, these are the points they make; 1.  Our scenery is more spectacular.  You just can't get any prettier than where we ride. 2.  Our area is uncrowded.  We almost never meet another human after we leave the trailhead.  Some of those who go into other areas report that every half hour they have to move off the trail for another group to pass going the other way.  Sometimes going the same way one group goes faster than another and they are basically riding with that other large group until an opportunity to pass.  They eat their dust for a while. 3.  We have smaller groups, usually just your family by yourselves.  We try to keep the groups to five or fewer. 4.  We are easier to get along with, allowing those in the back of the group to hold back and trot or gallop to catch up.  A little fast riding is permissible, within reason.  We are cautious with this as Search and Rescue services are a long ways off, not only to get a paramedic but also to find phone service, and getting an injured person out of where we ride would be difficult. 5.  We are cheaper.  We have to be a little less because we are a little further from Jackson, 35 miles. 6.  We allow children to ride.  We don't have an age limit.  Kids can be put in a buddy seat behind the adult on the same horse, or an older child can ride their own horse and we tie it behind an adult horse so it can't do anything it is not supposed to. Those are just some of the reasons you should ride with us.   Sorry, No Half Day Rides. We don't do half-day rides simply because it takes a guide, a truck, a trailer, and horses, and basically prevents us from having them available for our all-day rides.  Guides don't like just a half of day work and we can't get to some of our gorgeous scenery in a half day and do it justice. On our all-day rides we seldom are in the saddle for more than 4 hours.  We typically ride a half hour, stop and relax, ride another half hour, rest stop, then another half hour and have an hour lunch, cooking burgers on the trail.  In the afternoon we repeat the procedure, being in the saddle for 2 1/2 hours, scattered throughout the afternoon.  We realize our guests don't ride much, so we  take it easy on them, but still get into great country.  However, if you want to go farther and faster just let your guide know at the start of your trip.   Directions: Hwy 89 south from Jackson for 35 miles to Alpine.  At the stop sign by the Chevron Station turn right, then just 200 yards across the parking lot and we will meet at a small building, Riding & Rafts, 9 am.  The phone number at R&R is (307)654-9900.  If no answer call Jonesy at 307-886-3356, or his cell 307-654-1273. We operate June, July, and August   NO SUNDAY RIDES Booking form   Liability Release form

Enjoy the scenery while lunch is being prepared

Location: Jackson Hole Outfitters Back-Country Trail Rides are near the Grey's River in the Salt River Range.  These rugged mountains have the same scenic beauty as the Teton Range, just 30 miles to the north, as the eagle flies. This area has not been discovered by the summer crowds that pack Jackson Hole. We ride from an elevation of 7,000 feet to 10,000 foot peaks.  You can find real peace and solitude without having to horseback many miles into a remote wilderness.

Our Bridger-Teton National Forest permit allows us to enjoy millions of acres of scenic beauty.  This is a haven for wildlife of all kinds, just perfect for watching or photography. Elk, mule deer, bald eagles, and moose, are commonly seen.

The Photos above and below are samples of what scenery you may see on your ride.  Click on the picture to view full size.

Bates Family at Lunch.	Kids love to ride!	Creech Family	Glassin' for wildlife.

Nirschl bunch.

Johnson family

Spectacular Scenery

Snowball fight in July? You better believe it!!

Waterfall along the trail.

Tour of Jonesy's Office.

A big HOWDY from our group on the trail.

  Photo of your 2003 guides, left to right Grant, David, Jonesy

 

References:   When you contact these people, please be brief to respect their privacy.  NOTE:  If you want to email them, I am writing their email address with an extra space right after the @ sign in order to foil the dastardly spam search engines that look for email addresses on websites.  Copy the email address or click on it, paste it to your email program, and then delete the extra space.  It won't work as written! 2006 groups: If you are on this list and info is incorrect, or you want to add something, a quote or picture, or if you are not on this list and want to be, just email me with the details and attach a picture (smaller jpg files about 60k, if possible).  I'll be glad to put you on here.  Jonesy  email   (Listed in inverted order, most recent first) Phil, from Long Island New York, had a great time.  pic  pic  We went high and dodged snowbanks. The Allen Family;  All 12 of them, had a great time.  Lots of cute kids that loved to ride!  pic  pic pic pic Jim and Phyllis Knudsen went on a ride with us and we got into some incredible blowdowns.  A huge wind had hit the mountainside and toppled almost every tree, some uprooted and some snapped off.  Utter devastation.  Took us several hours to cut through it with a chain saw.  They were big help!  pic    pic  pic   pic   2005 groups  If you are on this list and info is incorrect, or you want to add something, a quote or picture, or if you are not on this list and want to be, just email me with the details and attach a picture (smaller jpg files about 60k, if possible).  I'll be glad to put you on here.  Jonesy  email (beginning in July I am putting them in inverted order, most recent first) Johnson Family,  "Here are some pictures of our adventure on horseback in the Rocky Mts. of Wyoming.  It was a great day!  Wonderful guide! Thanks!  Alice and Terry Johnson" pic  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic ajohnson@ rosedale.k12.ca.us   August 20, 2005  David Spencer Family "Hello Jonesy, I just wanted to drop you a quick e-mail to say ?thanks again? for a great day horseback riding with you and your wife.  Laura, Kristina, Sarah and I had an absolute awesome time.  I can honestly say that after spending 8 days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the highlight of our Wyoming vacation was the horseback riding with you!  We especially appreciated your cowboy poetry, camp fire burgers and getting away from the tourist crowds.  Life just does not get any better than riding up to beautiful mountain meadows, snacking on Huckleberries and seeing my kids? smiles at 9000 feet. Thank you for making a life-long memory for us!!!!"  David Spencer, NY David.Spencer@ genzyme.com   pic July 12, Ray & Becky Hansen from South Dakota, Rose & Lydia Gladd from Salt Lake, Rae Fullmer, my granddaughter.  Had a great ride, beautiful scenery, and good riders.  We covered a lot of ground and Rae and Lydia had a blast!  Lydia hadn't ridden much, but she took to it like a duck to water.  Ray Hansen has hunted with me a few times and is a great friend.  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic  July 8, Troyan family, Dennis, Marina, and Brooke.  Two cute little gals who had a great ride with their dad and Jonesy.  pic  pic  pic  Heffner Family, July 8, with Brian guiding  pic  pic  July 7, Warren family, Farley has hunted with me before, and my wife does Carol's hair.  We had a great ride on a beautiful day.  pic  pic July 6, Hyde Group, includes Dan, Carrin, Nate, and Nick Hyde, Alex Hernandez, Bob Kilgore, and Lynn.  A quote from Carrin "We've taken Trail rides in Jackson Hole before, but this is ten times better.  This is great!"  pic of snow skiing.  pic of Lynn falling down and butt skiing.  pic of lunch spot.  scenery pic.  Group pic   Alex first time on a horse pic Hynes/Grady/Hale families, July 5, 2005.  Bernie, Cindy, and daughter Christine Hynes from Paradise Valley, AZ hynesbenefits@ cox.net , Steve and daughter Maggy Grady from Scottsdale, AZ sgrady@ montereybenefits.com , and Dr. Liz Hale, a psychologist talk show host from KUTR (KSL), Salt Lake City lhale@ ksl.com  We had a great trip, did some exploring, and found our own trail.  Terrific scenery and lunch in the middle of a meadow of yellow flowers with a huge mountain backdrop.   We saw a big bull moose today.  pic  pic  pic  pic  Paul & Teresa Brown, July 4, tbrown727@ hotmail.com  "Jonesy, we had the best time with Bryan on our trail ride July 4th.  He was delightful and very informative about the mountains, trails and wild life.  We really had an incredible time.  And that Black Beauty - the sweet horse I rode - well, she certainly likes to jump over creeks! We did have a great time.  Paul and I both thank you and Bryan for the opportunity of a lifetime." Lane family, July 2, three cute little girls, Jaclyn, Rebekka, and Kaitlyn, who could really ride!  pic  pic    Peden family, June 13  Had a great time with them. A bunch of cute little kids on a rather cold day.  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic  Marie & Chuck Taylor,  June 14 loftbox@ insightbb.com  "Thank you for the trail ride June 14, 2005.  Now that was a trail ride!!  Brian Thomas was our guide. pic  I'm ready to go again. It was a great adventure and the main topic of our reiteration of our trip to our friends."  pic  pic  pic  pic Deby & Steven, June 23 dstewart@ deby.com "We have been raving about our adventure (and your cowboy poetry) to anyone who will listen ever since. It was what riding in Wyoming should be like. In fact if we had gone with you on Tuesday we would probably have cancelled the other ride and gone again. We sure want to come back." pic  pic  pic  pic Foster family, June 23  Had a great time, including a snowball fight with Deby & Mike.  Florida folks love a snowball fight!    pic  Avery Mother & Daughter  June 24  They got a special treat.  My daughter, Katie, and I took them on a LONG ride in some rugged country, just to explore.  pic  pic  pic  Kurylo couple and their brother tagging along, June 27  pic  pic  pic  Barnett family, June 28  "Thanks so much for a fantastic day of horseback riding.  My husband and I appreciated the personalized ride with just our family among the great scenery that we come back for every year.  Grant, our guide for the day, was excellent.  We could tell that he really liked what he did and got to enjoy himself also.  I am so glad that I took the time to do the research on the internet so my five year old daughter could go.  She had a blast.  Thanks so much.  We will definitely be back again and I will recommend others to you too."  Chris Barnett Peterson family, June 30  Brian and Jonesy took them on a great ride and had a great time!  pic  pic  pic  pic  pic    2004 groups We have many more than listed, but I haven't had time to update all of them.  Call me for more references. July 8, 2004  Jack & Ann, Jackson, Wyoming  Had a great ride up in the really high country.  Still a lot of snow up there.  Saw a bear.  Fantastic scenery, even for locals who guide Helicopter skiing.  pic pic pic pic pic pic  "This is the best value for the buck of any vacation thing to do in Jackson Hole." June 23, 2004  Troutner family, jckranch@ epix.net  Had a wonderful time, pic and so did we in guiding them. pic  pic  Henry was walking down the trail holding his wallet, knowing that Jonesy and Shadow were close behind. pic  Aunt Margaret pauses with view of the waterfall pic  The old fogies pic went the shorter route (but just as scenic) while the older teens went with David the long way.   All enjoyed the waterfall from the top of it. pic June 21, 2004 Frank & Jake Chaloupka  fjc@ uic.edu  Had a great time  pic June 14, 2004 Terry & Carol Kuzilik, Oklahoma (918)906-6638 and Sharon & Emily Pickle and Alex (919)931-6906;  Great ride on a gorgeous day!  Kuzilik  Pickle  Snowball fight  Group shot Goocher family, Alabama 334-657-9328  Good ride with Grant.  Two small girls.  pic Holmes family, Louisiana (225)683-5513  Had a great ride, rainy and snowy day, but still some sunshine and great scenery.  The snowstorm was a real event.  Take a look at the pictures!  snowstorm   scenery  family Crabtree group, Houston and Oklahoma, (281)646-1230  email crabfamily@ houston.rr.com  Had a great ride in great weather, June 2.  Take a look at the pics  Snowball fight  Group  Stream Crossing 2003 groups Unsolicited email received Aug 23, 2003;  "Jonesy, I took the trail ride on the 20th of August and I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time I had.  The horses were well behaved, the scenery was absolutely beautiful and our guide, Tom, was hilarious and a ton of fun.  It was the highlight of my Jackson Hole Vacation.  I would like to thank you and your staff for the great experience.  My adventure will have me smiling for years to come."    Jaime D'Alessio  groovin28@ juno.com   Case Vanderlei & family, Texas (806)246-3538 vdlei@ door.net  Had a great ride on a hot day. Horses crossing the creek pic Played in the creek near the waterfall  pic  pic   Jonesy led the kids in an Indian Rain Dance because it is so dry  pic  The kids were great at riding  pic  Had a coneflower fight  pic  The family enjoyed the scenery  pic Desiree Lineberger, age 12, visiting grandparents for the summer joined the Vanderlei family for their ride.   (307)883-4285  pic  pic Squires, July 5, 2003  Montana, repeat clients from last year.  (406)348-2583  pic  pic  pic  pic Pall family, Florida (407)886-5462  Had some little kids, ages 3, 3, 4, 9 & 11 and had a great ride, some stayed overnight.  pic  pic  pic July 3, 2003 Dunn couple,  Utah (435)232-3314  pic  July 4, 2003 Overnighter to the Top of the World.  A challenging ride, not for the faint of heart;  Dan & Terrie Tressler, FL (407)859-2470 and Tom & Kelly Donegan, FL  pic pic pic pic pic Peter, Tara, Tyler, and Jonathan Kavanaugh, NH  June 25 (603)863-6177  pic  pic pic pic Pat Bannion, Wyoming  June 28 (307)883-2263   A local who had never been into our "secret" canyon.  Was tremendously impressed!  pic pic pic Brent White & Family, Idaho (208)308-0161  Had a fun ride in the rain.  Saw elk & deer. June 24, 2003 Photo  photo  photo photo Bonnie Marsh & Lucas, Idaho  (208)720-2506  Rode in the rain, had a good time, saw some elk & deer. June 24, 2003  Photo, Photo.Photo Mike Ferm & family   photo, photo  Mike, if you see this, we found your camera.  For some reason we've misplaced your phone number to contact you.  Give us a call. Steve & Judy Schmidt & boys David and Andrew.  (301)695-0341 June 10, 2003  photo, photo, photo, photo Janna Rolfe  jrolfe@ hsc.usf.edu  "Maury, My kids and I had a fantastic time riding on June 12th.  We have great memories and great pictures.  Thanks a bunch." Dennis & Sue Stone , Missouri stones532@ aol.com  and Debbie Pittenger, Ohio June 16 photo, photo, photo, photo  "The real highlight of our trip."  Debbie says "I'll be back every time I return to Wyoming." Washburn Family, (817)270-2358  June 19, 2003  Great Ride.  Quotes;  "The pictures on your website don't do this place justice."  "I found out heaven ain't in Texas."    Pic of group.   Snoball Fight  Group shot on the trail. Mike & Jane Gillitzer, 612-201-7936 (cell) June 19, 2003  Grant flips a burger for Jane.  25 years a guide and Grant is still flipping burgers to make a living.  Mike & Jane on left in this scene. Randy Hervert and family, Debbie, Cindy, and Page.  Nebraska (308)452-3300 June 21  Pic  pic  pic of Page, age 6  (I told Page, "Six years old?  Shame on you!  When I was your age I was eight!") 2002 groups Rod Fitzrandolph, Party of 9 including young children, Tampa, Fl (813)968-2330  June 3, 2002  All day ride and an overnighter June 6-7  Rod177@ aol.com    merideth@ cigarfamily.com Vickie and Josh Garner, June 10, 2002  vickiegarner@ mindspring.com  click for photo and photo                                       Great ride in a snowstorm Jackie Line, Atlanta, Ga (404)679-9964  Great letter of reference. Unsolicited, of course. Terry & Pebble Sellers: GraphicSpy@ aol.com Now that we're back home and into our normal routine (unfortunately), we thought we'd write to tell you how much we appreciated the trail ride. Andy was a great and cordial guide. We had a lot of fun exchanging stories and he put us at total ease for the entire ride.  The day started out really good with the welcome we got from Tedi Jeen and it just got better throughout the day.  Be glad to recommend you to anybody and you're more than welcome to use us as a reference on your website.  Please give Slim & Honey a pat on the nose for us...they were great horses.  Thanks Again...Terry & Pebble Sellers Brad & Lisa Judge, Michigan, Aug 8,'02  bjudge@ umich.edu We really had a great ride on Thursday.  Probably the highlight of our week out there.  Your nephew, Andrew, is a nice kid.  If we know anybody going out your way, we will definitely recommend your outfit. Scout Troop 121, Pennsylvania dcapp@ comcast.net  Overnight pack trip to Lost Lake Aug 6-7, 02 Jonesy, I and all the boy scouts from troop 221 greatly enjoyed the horseback riding adventure that you lead us on. Your horses are very well trained, sure-footed and gentle and I was amazed at your willingness to take novice riders on such challenging trails. The combination of really exciting horseback riding with spectacular scenery, good food and excellent company made it a most memorable trip.  Best regards,  Bill Dupont Larry & Cindy Symanko, Stamford, CT (203)323-6226  Great ride.  Pic & Pic Sharon & Paul Rogerson, June 12, 2002 sharonms@ juno.com  click for photo and photo Bruce & Irene Carman, May 25, 2002  Washington (360)675-1641 BP147@ aol.com Lovell Family, Georgia mirn.com@ juno.com (706)692-6876  May 28, 2002 Alan Hiatt, Cincinnatti, Oh (513)-615-5556  May 29, 2002 2001 groups Travis & Sara Thetford, Texas  (281)894-5565 All day ride May 30, 2001 Jan Scott, North Carolina (336)969-5295  Group of 14, June 7, 2001 Howard & Debbie Biggs, Idaho (208)667-2418  June 14, 2001 Howard_Biggs@ ML.com Sue Stafford, Georgia (912)863-7714  Overnight 8 people June 15, 2001 Creech family of 5, North Carolina (919)847-3193  June 18, 2001 TCreech2@ NC.rr.com Johnson family of 4, Texas, (281)370-8516   June 19, 2001 Gjohnson@ pdq.net Russ & Vicki Zinter, North Dakota, (701)349-4797  June 21, 2001  Hometown@ DRTel.net Dave Early, Massachusetts (781)769-5233   3 men, June 22, 2001  dave.early@ att.net Marty & Mary Burger, Florida (954)846-1488  June 22, 2001 Jane and Nancy, Pennsylvania (215)679-6351  June 23, 2001 JMKohler@ webtv.net Bates family of 8, Michigan (313)730-9739  June 26, 2001 juliebates63@ hotmail.com Pat and Stephanie McKown, Missouri (417)859-3229  June 27, 2001 patmck@ fidnet.com Gary & Cathy Hayden, Belle Vernon, PA (724)929-9028 cathie@ stargate.net Mitch & Michelle Menaker     mmenaker@ whitecase.com Craig & Marilynn Knecht, Livermore, Ca (925) 447-8751 cknecht@ attbi.com Brent Rowse, California  (916)877-5374 Brent brought his family to our operation, and he comments, ……." the perfect spot; the horses, the scenery, ..... You couldn't have found a better place!"  For Unguided Trail Rides & Whitewater Raft Rentals go to Riding & Rafts page.

Note:  In addition to other forms of payment, I accept the silver-backed NORFED dollar for payment of all services.  To learn more about the NORFED silver-backed American Liberty Dollar, click on the following link;

Remember the old Silver Certificates? They are back.