Bucket List Adventures for the Extreme Mule Rider BY ANGIE MAYFIELD

Bucket List Adventures for the Extreme Mule Rider by Angie J. Mayfield

People ask me all the time where my next adventure is because I try to ride in at least two new places each year. Even though I’ve trail ridden mules in all 50 states and six countries, there is an endless list of places I have yet to explore in North America (and Mules and More readers and my Facebook friends are always the first to hear about them when I do). However, here are a few of my most memorable adventures that I recommend for those ultimate bucket list trips. The scenery and riding is so good that you’ll want to go back again and again. Pack Trips

You can’t really call yourself an extreme mule rider until you’ve ex- perienced a week-long pack trip. It’s truly a roughing it, remarkable adven- ture. You’ll witness God’s canvas in a whole new light. Go to a packing clinic and travel with an outfitter or some experienced packing friends your first trip. To see country that vehicles and most humans have never experienced, Bob Marshall Wilderness in northwest Montana is the ultimate pack trip with mountains, prairies, and roaring rivers that make the eyes bulge and the heart skip a beat. Yellowstone is another great packing destination with abun- dant wildlife and varied terrain. We go solo, but for guided trips I recommend Scott and Sandy Sallee at Black Moun- tain Outfitters or Mike Thompson at Wilderness Yellowstone Pack Trips.

Mules and More Magazine Scott Sallee (pictured standing on his mule at left) and his wife Sandy, Emigrant, Mont., operate Black Mountain Outfitters. They also operate Slough Creek Outfit- ters, two deluxe tent camps in the 980,000 Absaroka-Wilderness area in southwest- ern Montana. They are permitted to ride through Yellowstone National Park to access the camps, and take guests for outstanding riding and amazing Yellowstone Cutthroat fishing in July and August. Photos at left by Sandy Sallee

Midwest Trail Riding

If you’d rather stay within a few hours of home, but want a unique place to trail ride, then I recommend Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. You just can’t beat High Knob campground for great accommodations, whether you want a cabin or just an electric site with stalls. But the best part is the main trails go right through camp and the gorgeous scenery starts immediately with boulders and rock formations that are hard to imagine could be located in my least favorite state otherwise. The McAllister and Friends annual Mule Ride is April 13-19 at High Knob, so come on over for a week of socializing, guided rides, fun shows, clinics, mule and tack sales, and a pitch in hog roast and dance Saturday night. My son Tucker

will be opening up for the band with his banjo. There are plenty of primitive spots still available.

North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky also have my heart when it comes to good people and trail riding in the Midwest. We love Cataloochee Horse Camp in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Honey Creek Campground in scenic Big South Fork in Tennessee, and Red Hill Horse Camp in Daniel Boone Forest in Kentucky. All have scenic trails right out of camp with great people to help you find all those special landmarks. Southern Sweet Spots

My new favorite southern sweet spot is Seven Springs Lodge in northern Alabama for weekend adventures. Their Frontier Days Festival and Chuckwagon Races in late April has Angie and Sonny at Shawnee

Mules and More Magazine every event and contest imaginable on a more personable scale than those in Clinton, Ark., (though that’s my second favorite southern adventure on Labor Day weekend). Seven Springs also has some great trail riding, caves, and the unique Rattlesnake Saloon, with weekend bands and dancing in what looks like a small western town built under a rock overhang. It’s truly something you must see. The first Seven Springs Mule Ride will be held this fall October 1-4, so mark your calendars.

Another must see trail riding destination for the extreme trail rider is Caney Mountain Horse Camp. The riding is phenomenal, like Hocking Hills in Ohio on steroids. Waterfalls and steep overhangs are an added bonus, but it’s not for the flatlander or beginning trail rider. Another southern sweet spot is Virginia Beach Horseback and any of the camps that ride into Mt. Rogers in Virginia. Rocky Mountains

John Denver was my idol growing up, and when my first husband was killed in an auto accident in 1999, I spent three weeks traveling and riding my way through Aspen, Snowmass, Colorado Springs, Denver, and then Estes Park to grieve and heal. The Rocky Mountains will always have a special place in my heart. If you’re looking for a Colorado trail riding adventure, there are several great trailheads and camps in Rocky Mountain National Park to choose from. For a fun, rustic cabin retreat, go to Winding River Resort in Grand Lake. The owners are great, and the riding is spectacular. We love riding near Gunnison as well. Gila Wilderness

One of the most remote, isolated places to ride for that true off the grid getaway where you may not see a soul for days is Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. It’s rough and rocky but as close to a western cowboy movie as you’ll find with 3 million acres to explore. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is also a must see.

Booger at Glacier in Montana

Mules and More Magazine Arizona

Similar in landscape and varied terrain as New Mexico, but less remote, is the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Ariz. A really cool tourist town with every amenity one could want, the cowboy town has a dance and bar open every night. But the Goldfield and Kings Stable horse camps can accommodate your horse and camper and then allow you to take off for days of riding through the desert, mountains, along the Salt River to view wild horses, or in canyons with giant Saguaro cactus looming overhead. It’s a great place to ride when the temperatures plummet and the sun seems to disappear in the midwest. There is also great riding and several guest ranches near Florence, Ariz.

Of course all mule riders need to ride the Grand Canyon at least once in their lifetime. There are day rides and overnight stays available at Phantom Ranch through Xanterra, where you can ride the South Rim on their mules. It’s not nearly as scary as people imagine and the view is worth it. Even better, most people don’t realize you can take your own stock and ride as well. Just complete a back country permit four months prior to your trip with your itinerary. A maximum of six mules and riders is allowed. We rode rim to rim and back across in four days, and it was phenomenal. And the North Rim, well, it is scary and dangerous, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. Just make sure you and your mules are experienced and in good health. Western Wonders

For humidity dodgers like myself, when the heat of June and July suffocates me I can travel west and still find snow and wildflowers as the short spring/summer is just beginning in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and South Dakota. You can’t go wrong trail riding in any of these beautiful states in the summer. Northwest Montana is my favorite – the most beautiful place on earth in my eyes - and where I hope to retire. You can virtually stop and camp almost anywhere with no fees, so we rarely stay at a campground and there are so many national forests with trail heads, it would take ten articles to mention them all. In Wyoming, we ride in the Big Horns and also like Absaroka Mountain Lodge near the east entrance of Yellowstone. In Utah, Ruby’s Campground near Bryce Canyon is highly recommended. We also like the Uinta Wilderness in northeast Utah. In South Dakota, we like Battle Creek and Broken Arrow Horse Camps to ride Mt. Rushmore and Custer. We also pull off on our way out west each summer and day ride in the Black Hills in various locations. There’s so much to see and do in that beautiful country, it’s hard to describe. • California Dreamers

If you don’t mind a long drive and tourists, California has some of the most breathtaking riding available. I try to visit as many national forests as I can, so I made the northern California tour a few years ago, visiting Bishop Mule Days in May then riding in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, John Muir Wilderness, Sequoia, and Yosemite. Most of the parks

have small horse camps available, but reservations must be made online months in advance. A dream trip you must do is Yosemite. There were thousands of tourists, but we were the only riders making the loop around the waterfalls, valleys, and towering granite cliffs. Yosemite is truly a wonder to behold. Alaska

For a true extreme mule rider, Alaska is the frontier of adventures. Imagine all the mountains, lakes, wildlife, and travel experiences all rolled into one. The only downfall is the bugs. Alaska Horse Adventures in Palmer has a couple mules you can rent. We also rode with Denali Horseback Tours in Healy, but they only had horses. Fishing near Seward and Homer and watching the sea otters play in the bay was so cool. However, our favorite memory is canoeing through ice at Glacier Bay. Truly a trip of a lifetime. Once in a Lifetime Adventures

Besides amazing Alaska, for those with more time and money and who don’t mind renting a mule when you get there, visit a foreign country for a unique experience in not only scenery, but culture. Ireland was truly my favorite foreign adventure with some of the most remarkable green, lavish landscapes, stone walls and relics, unique cultures, and friendly people I’ve met. Total strangers took me fox hunting. We chased the fox all day on horseback, jumping rock walls, then visiting local pubs to drink and socialize all evening – on a Sunday. If you go, be sure to ride at Killarney National Park in County Kerry and see the beautiful red stag deer. There are several “pony trekking” places available throughout the island country, and some allow you to ride along the beach. My Future Bucket List Trips

What are some places I absolutely must trail ride before I die? Well, actually I want to see every national forest and mountain range in North America. However, realistically, I definitely want to go back to Alaska and this time go to Katmai National Park and watch the bears eat salmon at the falls in July. I also want to go to Olympic National Park in Washington State. But first, I want to ride with friend Lonnie King this May in New Mexico and explore the Guadalupe Mountains right on the Texas line. And there’s a thousand little places friends have recommended along the way because visiting with mule friends is half the fun.

Four foreign adventures I am planning include a trip to Costa Rica Mule Days in February 2021, a pack trip into Banff National Forest in Canada next summer, a hunting trip to New Zealand in a few years, and a trail riding adventure in Australia someday. Til then, happy trails. I’ll see you out there.

Angie J. Mayfield has logged more than 10,000 trail miles riding mules. She lives on a farm in southern IN with her husband, children, and a menagerie of pets and livestock, including 9 mules and 2 donkeys. To share your trail riding adventure or inquire about specific places in the article, email her at profmayfield@yahoo.com

Angie in Alaska

The ‘Shawnee Gang’ in South Dakota