Your trip includes a complete curriculum with two virtual preparation sessions. The first will be four to eight weeks before your trip date, and the second will be one week before you depart. These sessions will cover the essentials of planning a successful backpacking trip including gear selection and training. Your trip itself includes expert instruction from your guide, a complete kit of ultralight backpacking gear, and nutritious delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Additionally, at least 5% of your trip cost is donated directly to Big City Mountaineers and helps fund backpacking trips for youth from disinvested communities.

Our trips are popular and demand often exceeds supply. Additionally, trip planning and preparation requires significant time and expense. We will always try to work with you to find an equitable solution no matter when you cancel. But to be fair to us and to other people who may wish to sign up, we’ve implemented the following cancellation policy:

If you cancel, or fail to complete required forms for any reason:

More than 90 days from your trip start date: You will be refunded your full deposit and all payments minus a 3% transaction fee.

Within 61-90 days of your trip start date: You will be refunded all payments minus your $300 deposit.

Within 30-60 days of your trip start date: You will be refunded 50% of the cost of your trip.

Less than 30 days before your trip start date or after your trip has started: You will be issued a credit equal to 50% of your paid trip cost that you can apply to a different trip within 12 months from your original trip start date. No cash refund will be provided.

Please read additional details regarding our Cancellation and Refund Policy carefully before booking.

Learning to backpack with Wilder Walks is the best way to learn! We offer two trips perfect for fit beginners: Coastal Wilderness of Point Reyes National Seashore and Yosemite’s Meadows and Muir Trail Loop. Between the two, the trip in Point Reyes is easier due to its flexibility and lower altitudes.

A trip with Wilder Walks will drastically accelerate your learning, help you avoid common beginner mistakes and costly gear choices, and empower you to confidently plan your own backpacking trip. (Of course, we’d always love to see you again!)

Trip difficulty can be highly subjective, and varies based on the route we plan and the conditions we might encounter. Every trip can be made easier with pre-trip training and a lighter backpack, and thankfully our gear is about as light as you can get!

Each trip page has a detailed breakdown of the different dimensions that contribute to trip difficulty: how long we’ll be out there, how far we’re hiking, how much elevation we’ll be climbing, the terrain we’ll be traveling through, and the exposure to heights and the elements we’ll experience. Each of these categories are given a score from one to five and are then weighted evenly when we average them to arrive at an overall trip difficulty rating.

If you’re unsure if a trip is right for you, please contact us and we can figure it out together.

Our state-of-the-art ultralight backpacking gear is unique among other guided backpacking trips – most of which don’t provide gear at all, or when they do provide gear, it’s extremely heavy. Our gear is the best stuff out there and has been thoroughly vetted by your experienced guide. Every participant gets a complete kit of ultralight gear including a backpack, tent, sleeping bag/quilt, sleeping pad, trekking poles, and other essential gear you’ll need. You’ll still need to bring proper clothing, footwear and some other personal items. But don’t worry, gear selection is a core part of proper trip preparation and we’ll help you make the best choices.

You’ll have your own tent but we highly encourage you to share one if you’d like. It’ll lessen the weight on your back and make it easier to find suitable campsites for the group.

Most of the gear you’ll need will be provided. We’ll help you plan out the stuff that isn’t provided, like clothing, footwear, and other items you may want to bring. If you’re interested in bringing or buying your own gear, we’d love to help guide you. You’re welcome to try out different pieces of our gear on your trip before you buy, or you can supplement our gear with your own. We take a modular and multi-purpose approach to gear selection and have a simple list we’ll walk you through as part of our pre-trip preparation process.

We embrace the simplicity at the heart of a better backpacking experience, so our meals are lightweight and easy to whip up and clean up. Your trip cost includes delicious and nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that we make from scratch — no bagged backpacking meals here! Each meal is designed with a mix of dehydrated and fresh ingredients to be tasty, nutritious, and lightweight. They’re also vegetarian by default making them more backpackable and better for the planet.

Breakfasts will typically be a hearty mix of dehydrated grains, fruits, and dairy to help us get moving and to fuel us until lunch. We always have hot coffee and tea available to start each day.

Lunches are usually build-your-own wraps including hummus, avocado, cheese, and other tasty options. Something salty and sweet rounds out the meal.

Dinners vary. Crowd-pleasers usually include cheesy bean burritos, sun-dried tomato pesto pasta, coconut cashew curry, and mushroom onion risotto.

We can easily accommodate almost any dietary restrictions. Since snacks are always a personal preference, you’ll be in charge of planning and packing anything else you may want outside major meals. Meal planning is a core part of our complete curriculum and we’ll discuss the meals, ingredients, and snack planning prior to our trip.

Our trips are educational and participatory, with the goal of teaching you to be a better backpacker. And the best way to learn is by participating fully in all aspects of the trip – from preparing the route to preparing the meals. Expect to carry your own gear plus your portion of group supplies, and set up and pack down your own tent. Since we keep our group sizes deliberately small, everything will run smoother if we all chip in while we’re out there.

You can expect a professionally trained guide committed to helping you love backpacking as much as they do. Their priorities are to ensure the safety of the group first, and to maximize your learning and enjoyment second. They’ll make sure the group is paced so that everyone has a successful trip and a great time. Though your guide will encourage everyone to take an active part in the entire backpacking experience, ultimately it’s their responsibility to make final decisions while out in the field. Above all, you can expect an expert and experienced guide to help build you up into the best backpacker you can be.

We’ll cover everything you need to know to get properly prepped in our first virtual session four to eight weeks before your trip starts. But if you want to get a head start on fitness training, then the best thing you can do is put some weight in your backpack and go on a hike. Pay special attention to your form while doing so: engaging your biggest muscles in your legs as you make each step. Even a walk around your neighborhood is great training – just aim for the biggest hills or longest staircases you can find. If you can replicate the mileage and elevation gain you expect to encounter on your trip, even better.

Children ages 16 and up are welcome on any trip we operate, subject to parent/guardian consent and approval by Wilder Walks. Younger children may be allowed if accompanied by a parent/guardian. Backpacking trips are excellent opportunities to bond, so we encourage all participants to bring family and friends along to share in the experience.

Have a large family or group of friends? You can also book any of our trips as a private adventure, or let us customize one unique to you. Learn more about private and group trips.

Leaving a trip early should never be our goal, but will always be a possibility. One of the benefits of going on a trip with Wilder Walks is our small group sizes and singular guide. However, that means that if someone needs to leave early for any reason, then the entire group may need to travel back to the trailhead together. In rare instances, the remaining group may stay in the field while the guide leads someone back to the trailhead. Ultimately, the guide will determine what is best for the safety of the entire group.

Please read our Policies carefully before booking.

Your guide is professionally trained and certified in wilderness medicine, CPR, and risk mitigation. Our first priority is to minimize risk so that we stay safe and healthy. We have clear protocols for everything from basic first aid like blisters and scrapes up to and including basic life support and emergency evacuation. Every trip has carefully planned contingency plans and evacuation routes, and your guide carries a satellite messenger for 24/7 communication with basecamp and relevant emergency agencies.