California
Off the Map: Horseback Riding in the High Sierra Nevada Wilderness
Program No. 10322RJ
Immerse yourself in the Sierra Nevada’s rugged beauty, surveying the secluded landscapes on horseback to learn about the region’s history, culture and legends from local adventurers.
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
5 days
4 nights
What's Included
12 meals (
4B, 4L, 4D
)
3 expert-led lectures
4 hands-on experiences
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
4 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Location:
Bishop, California
Meals:
D
Stay:
Best Western Bishop Lodge
Activity Note
Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously). Please note that smoke and forest fires can cause road closures in California during the summer months. For up-to-date road conditions and closures please contact the California Department of Transportation hotline at 1-800-427-7623 or at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.
Dinner:
We’ll walk to a nearby restaurant.
Evening:
As we linger over dinner, continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholar riding companions, and some of our wranglers from Rock Creek Pack Station who will talk about our learning adventure on horseback. Orientation: 6:30 p.m. After dinner, the Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. Your mobile phone will not get reception once we leave town. Please inform your friends and family not to expect any communication from you until the program ends. We will typically cover 5-9 miles per day on horseback for our day rides from camp, approximately 5-6 hours with an hour break in-between for lunch. Topics for evening campfire talks will focus on aspects of the wild mustangs in the area. There will be opportunities for taking photographs so pack accordingly. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please be aware that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. After orientation, we’ll walk back to the hotel, and the rest of the evening will be at leisure. Settle in, and get a good night's rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
2
Ride to Pizona Springs Campsite, Lecture
Location:
Pizona
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Pizona Springs Camp
Activity Note
We will depart early from the hotel and drive to the River Springs Roadhead; elevation at trailhead is 5,500 feet, camp will be at about 7,000 feet; up to 5 miles horseback riding.
Breakfast:
There will be a continental breakfast available at the hotel.
Morning:
We will drive to the River Springs Roadhead to meet our expert wranglers. Breakfast will be provided by Rock Creek Pack Station at the trail head when we arrive. We will unload our gear for wranglers to haul into the Lower Pizona camp by truck. We will remain in the same camp for the duration of the program. We will be greeted by our guides and paired with a horse for the journey to the Pizona Springs camp. We will saddle up and ride out into the meadows and maneuver through the wild horse herds. It is a truly incredible experience to ride atop your horse amongst the many herds of wild mustangs.
Lunch:
Picnic lunch in a Pinyon pine forest overlooking the valley.
Afternoon:
We will continue to ride after lunch through the gently rolling sagebrush hills and Pinyon pine forest until we arrive in camp. Tents will be set up by pack station staff in the meadow and willow forest alongside the Pizona Creek. Enjoy appetizers, a cool drink and perhaps a nap. Take a shower or explore our little desert oasis. Take a short hike to see the old stone cabin. Some may enjoy watching and helping feed our own mounts in their large corral.
Dinner:
Our dinner is cooked on the open fire, and is served buffet-style as we sit in comfortable lawn chairs around our campfire.
Evening:
At our evening campfire learn about the ecology of the area and the affects of the Montgomery Pass wild horses on the land.
Day
3
Ride to McBride Flats and Red Pass
Location:
Pizona
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Pizona Springs Camp
Activity Note
We will have a morning and an afternoon ride with a picnic lunch on the trail. Up to 7 miles of horseback riding.
Breakfast:
Around the campfire, enjoy a delicious hot breakfast prepared by the chef with choices that vary daily; coffee, tea, water included.
Morning:
With our expert wranglers, we will ride to the high country of McBride Flats and Red Pass. Riding in silence we hope to find a band watering at Upper Pizona Spring. After an hour’s ride we ascend to check tracks at McNamara Lake as we cross the state line into Nevada.
Lunch:
Picnic lunch on the trail.
Afternoon:
After lunch, our guides make plans for the rest of the afternoon. If there are many horses at the McBride grasslands we head back to camp. If there are not many horses, we proceed from McBride Pass to view the flats toward the twin peaks. Some participants will want to head back to camp to keep the total riding time under four hours. Those who want to ride further to find the horses head will ride up towards Truman Meadows and Red Pass. Those returning to camp will have time to take a shower and relax under the shaded awnings in camp. Participants who ride further out in pursuit of the wild horses return by 4 PM.
Dinner:
Our cooks will delight us with another tasty meal cooked on the open fire.
Evening:
Enjoy a lecture around the campfire focused on the social structure of wild horses. Learn about their behavior, reproduction, and fertility control attempts by humans.
Day
4
Upper Pizona Springs, Horse Trap Canyon
Location:
Pizona
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Pizona Springs Camp
Activity Note
We will have a morning and an afternoon ride with a picnic lunch on the trail. Up to 6 miles of horseback riding.
Breakfast:
Around the campfire.
Morning:
We will saddle up and head back up the canyon to Upper Pizona Springs. We follow the mustang trail up through “Horse Trap Canyon”. As the canyon narrows we ride by the wire fence used by mustangers decades ago. Riders travel up to the ridges on the northside of McBride Flats to locate any bands of mustangs.
Lunch:
Picnic lunch on the trail.
Afternoon:
After lunch, some riders will want to return to camp. Others may continue to look for more groups of horses.
Dinner:
Food never tastes as good as a hearty dinner cooked outdoors over the open fire.
Evening:
Enjoy a lecture around the campfire focused on the wild horse management implemented by Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service. We will end our night with some music.
Day
5
Final ride to River Springs Road, Program Concludes
Location:
Bishop, California
Meals:
B,L
Activity Note
Up to 5 miles of horseback riding from camp to River Springs Roadhead, where cars are parked.
Breakfast:
We will have our final hot breakfast around the campfire.
Morning:
We will pack our bags and gather our duffels for the final ride back to River Springs. The ride back to the cars takes about 5 hours.
Lunch:
Picnic lunch on the trail. This concludes our program. We will return to the cars parked at the River Springs Trailhead. If participants carpooled, cars will drive back to Bishop, CA. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.
Jun 7 - Jun 11, 2026 Itinerary Differences:
Starts in Bishop, CA and takes place near Benton, CA, focused on wild mustangs.