Backpacking With Us

Backpacking trips are the most basic and exciting way to wilderness adventure. Backpacking is simply exploring beautiful wild country on foot, self-sufficient, hiking with all essential items in a modern comfortable backpack. You will be camping in a tent in a primitive, undeveloped area. All of our trips are in real wilderness, and they are organized and led by some of the most experienced guide/naturalists in America.

Scheduled trips vary in difficulty, so you can choose a trip that suits your fitness level. We require no prior experience, we utilize safe low impact camping and hiking techniques, and we emphasize getting folks off the beaten path into wild and remote enclaves that few others ever experience.

To arrange a trip, download the Backpacking Questionnaire, complete the included forms and mail with deposit. For more specific information on our trips, click the links below.

Scheduled Backpack Trips
Custom and Family Trips
Backpack Alaska
Canoeing
Advertised Prices
Equipment
Food
Physical Conditioning
Connecting and Lodging

Scheduled Backpack Trips provide a unique small group experience in the magnificent wilds of the American West. We generally limit each expedition to eight participants. These trips are for hikers at least 16 years of age. Daily mileage is usually modest and all scheduled trips have at least one layover so folks can explore, fish, day hike, or just lie back and soak up the rays of the sun.

Please Note: We offer a $100 discount for the second trip in a calendar year. All prices include our full gear package. There is a $200 discount if you bring your own equipment. (See questionnaire and equipment list for specifics.)
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Custom and Family Trips: These trips are built around your personal or group interests. Here is a personalized guided wilderness experience for individuals, groups, or families. We arrange the trip dates and location to suit your needs. We are glad to run Custom/Family trips in virtually any remote and wild corner of North America. For more information, click here.
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Backpack Alaska: Most years we offer one unique backpack trip to the big wilds of Alaska. These trips are limited to 4-8 clients, depending upon the area. Most trips include one or two flights into the wilds, and we usually meet in Anchorage or Fairbanks. There is no wilderness on earth like the big wilds of Alaska!
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Canoeing: Some years we will schedule a canoe adventure on Montana's remote and beautiful upper Missouri River. There is no whitewater, lots of wildlife, and these trips are suitable for novice canoeists.
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Big Wild Advocates Scheduled Trips: Our sister organization, Big Wild Advocates, is a 501-c-3 non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring public wildlands and wildlife habitat. It is run primarily by Big Wild Adventures owners Howie Wolke and Marilyn Olsen. These trips are run entirely by and for Big Wild Advocates, led by a professional Big Wild Adventures guide, and are listed on this website along with our Big Wild Adventures trips. Sign up as you would sign up for a Big Wild Adventures trip, but please make your check payable to "Big Wild Advocates". All payments are tax-deductible under applicable laws! Profits will be used to advance the conservation agenda of Big Wild Advocates, and participants must be Big Wild Advocates members ($50 membership accepted any time) to participate.
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All Advertisted Prices include food, equipment, trip planning, user fees, and the services of our professional staff. Although it is our guests' responsibility to get to the pre-trip meeting place (usually a motel), free transportation will be provided from our meeting place to the trailheads and back. There is public transportation to all towns in which we meet.
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Equipment: As outfitters, we supply our clients with proper-fitting modern lightweight backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, tents and eating utensils. We use quality outdoor gear, and most novices are surprised how comfortable carrying a backpack can be. Many clients, especially those who regularly join us in the wilds, opt to supply gear and receive a $200 discount, as specified each year on our Questionnaire form. Click here for a complete list of the equipment we recommend.
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Food: We supply 3 hearty healthy meals each day: hot breakfast and dinner, a nourishing trail lunch and plenty of calorie-filled snacks plus hot drinks in the morning and evening. The needs of coffee addicts will be met! We are also happy to accommodate the needs of vegetarians and those with food allergies. Our guides organize all of the food prior to each trip, and each participant is given a bag to carry in his/her backpack with a portion of the group's food.
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Physical Conditioning: Wilderness travel can be physically demanding. Though prior experience is not required for our treks, good fitness is essential! Depending upon the trip, you will be hiking from four to ten miles on most days (all trips have one or two scheduled layovers) over variably rugged terrain.

So do not expect to get into shape simply by walking on level ground. Sustained cardiovascular workouts of power walking, running, hiking, bicycling, etc. are strongly recommended; weight training is also very helpful. Beginning and maintaining a regular conditioning program until trip departure will greatly enhance your safety and enjoyment of the adventure.

If you haven’t had a recent physical exam or if you have doubts about your health or fitness, we strongly recommend that you see your physician before the trip.

CONNECTING AND LODGING
We will meet the night before the trip at 6 p.m. in the lobby of one of the following motels, at which time we will hand out trip food and equipment, and conduct a brief safety meeting. We'll set a pick-up time and leave for the trailhead early the next morning.

We recommend these motels for accommodations while in town. Please inform the management that you are a Big Wild Adventures client. It is your responsibility to secure your motel accommodations. These motels provide storage space for personal items while you explore the wilds and will help you find alternate accommodations if they are full.
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Have a great time!

Scheduled Trips 2008
Below, we've listed our trips by region. Trips listed under Yellowstone Backpacking are also listed under the state in which they occur. You'll find complete information on each trip by clicking on the regional heading above each section.

For a chronological list of our adventures, click here.

List prices include our complete gear package and there is a $200 discount if you bring your own (see equipment list and/or questionnaire for details). Also, we offer a $100 discount for the second trip in a calendar year. Scheduled trips are for persons ages 16 and over. Exceptions to the age requirement will be made by us on a case-by-case basis.