Ranch Cabins and Trail Rides - a great nature connection
trail rides
In this newsletter, we want to focus on your nature connection through our trail rides and ranch cabins and how you can make the most of this opportunity while making your contribution to conservation and experiencing personal development in the Chilcotin Ark.
Nature Connection
Spring is our favourite season to connect to nature. At the ranch, the arrival of robins and chickadees signals spring is here. But high up in the alpine, it is still winter! This elevation change means we get to enjoy spring from March until August, we just go higher up into the mountains. Many other species have this same behaviour pattern. Mule deer, mountain goats, California Bighorn sheep and bears winter at lower elevations (some of them, about the same elevation as our ranch), and as the snow melts, they follow it up the mountains to feast on the fresh green grass and wildflowers. Living close to the wilderness means following the behaviour patterns of wild animals is second nature to us and is a simple nature connection as we become in tune with our environment.
Ranch Cabins and Trail Rides
Our Ranger and Honeymoon Cabins are the perfect getaway from the city. Whether you stay for one night, a long weekend or a whole week, you can connect to the nature that is right outside your window. Sitting on the front porch with your morning coffee is the perfect time to spot mule deer grazing in the fields around you, or in the evening enjoy the colourful sunsets over the mountains. Or venture further afield with trails starting right from the ranch – self-guided hiking and mountain biking allow you to enjoy the wildflowers and wild berries of the Chilcotin Ark, identify tree species and find wildlife tracks. Find out more about our cabins here.
Our wilderness trail rides are a great introduction to mountain horseback riding and the perfect activity for your cabin stay. We offer hourly rides (2-5 hours) or a full day trail ride. Every ride comes with a free one hour orientation where you learn how to saddle your horse, wilderness riding safety and connect with your horse. Our mountain trails take you past rushing creeks, through ancient Douglas fir forests or high into the alpine. You might see wildlife including mule deer, black and grizzly bears and even mountain goats. This will bring you a great nature connection as you become in tune with your horse, view wildlife and ride to the mountain tops. Find out more here.
Ready to Book?
Complete the Wilderness Readiness Survey to help you gain clarity on your interests, goals and purpose for your wilderness experience. Then, book the ranch cabin or trail ride that meets your interests.
Wilderness Readiness Survey
Take your stewardship to another level with our membership
Already know you love the Chilcotin Ark and want to keep coming back, year after year? Our membership packages offer you the perfect opportunity to do this. We’ve introduced our stewardship membership to you in our last three newsletters, this membership will give you access to half price mountain and ranch accommodation, ranch based wildlife tracking and conservation trips and hut based wildlife tracking and conservation pack trips for the next five years, depending on the level of membership you purchase. You will make your contribution to the conservation of the Chilcotin Ark as your membership fees will be used for stewardship activities in this internationally ecologically important area. Learn more about our packages in upcoming newsletters or check out our website.
Other ways to invest in your nature connection
Looking for a deeper nature connection where you can really become one with the wilderness? Check out our hands-on training programs that will get you deep in nature every day. Not only will you learn tangible wilderness skills, you will also connect with the animals that are part of this journey and experience how they view the wilderness that surrounds them. Our partner training website, the
Wilderness Training Academy, offers programs designed around the Three Pillars of nature connection, nature conservation and personal development, these training programs all provide tangible ways to connect to nature.
Find out more
Community update
We are excited to welcome some new arrivals to the ranch this week – both human and animal. This week, three new interns arrived ready to invest in themselves on their transformational journeys and experience the wilderness lifestyle. With spring here, this is the perfect opportunity for them to get involved in every aspect of ranch life and make their contribution to the conservation of the Chilcotin Ark.
We also welcomed some new chickens to our flock. They are part of our self-sustainable lifestyle, providing us with fresh, healthy eggs to enjoy and we reward them with their favourite treats – our fruit and vegetable scraps – which also contributes to our sustainability by reducing waste.
Have you seen our latest blog story? Suzanne has now been interning with us for a month and has already had many opportunities to connect to nature, try new things and take on responsibilities. Check out her story here to see the opportunities an internship with Chilcotin Holidays provides.
Have you heard our latest song, What We Already Have? Claire and Elke were inspired by Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now to create a song about finding our true selves. Listen to it here. Did you know our songs are now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music? So you can download them and take the inspiration wherever you go. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on your favourite streaming site to get the latest releases.
Stay up to date with what’s going on at the ranch by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as Trails to Empowerment and LinkedIn as Chilcotin
Do you need some calm in this world of turmoil?
Far away from world chaos, is a place in nature known as the real Shangri-La or Utopia of Canada called the Chilcotin Ark, our real and achievable connection to nature where there is no fear in drinking water from mountain streams, breathing crisp clean mountain air, harvesting berries from the alpine valleys, catching fish in the alpine lakes and being a contributor to nature’s natural order. There’s no cell phone, no traffic, it’s off grid and self-sustainable. You can join us in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Join us as a guest, an intern, a community member or as a community business partner.
Our community is built on our Three Pillar philosophy of personal development, nature connection and nature conservation. These Three Pillars are how we embody environment, social and governance factors, taking responsibility for our environment, both natural and cultural. We are a culture of equals where women and men take responsibility and initiative to be leaders, guides and mentors.
You can work in this community from horse care, mechanics, office and kitchen to horse logging, sustainable forestry and conservation projects to name a few opportunities. We’re a diverse business and you can get involved in any aspect from intern to management. Take a look at our intern page on our Chilcotin Holidays website and if you’re ready to join us, take the Wilderness Readiness Survey on Trails to Empowerment’s website.
Our interns applying for their Working Holiday Visas through Experience International Canada are getting their visas in very short times – some as quickly as six weeks. So now is the time to apply for your work visa.
We look forward to being part of your next nature connection wilderness experience.
Your Chilcotin Holidays Team