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  • Fully Customizable

Yellowstone Backpacking Trip

Quick Details

Hour Glass Duration: 1 – 7 days

Users Ages: Ages 8+

Info Further information: Fully customizable

Summer 2023 Rates Call to inquire about longer overnight trips!
1 Night / 2 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $200/person
$1,800
2 Nights / 3 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $300/person
$2,700
3 Nights / 4 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $400/person
$3,600
4 Nights / 5 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $500/person
$4,500
5 Nights / 6 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $600/person
$5,400
6 Nights / 7 Days
1 - 2 Guests Additional guests $700/person
$6,300

Backpack through Yellowstone National Park

Backpacking Highlights

  • Experience the magic of Yellowstone in the backcountry
  • Your own local naturalist guide
  • Fully custom-designed hike
  • Difficulty level to match your fitness level
  • Small, single-party groups
  • Away from the crowds and into the wild
  • Vast wide open spaces and clean mountain air
  • Wilderness safety and bear safety practices  
  • Learn important backcountry skills
  • “Leave no trace” principles
  • Safe, fun and educational

If you’re looking for a break from the everyday grind or wanting to connect with Nature, there is nothing better for the soul than a good hike through Yellowstone’s wild country, followed by an evening around the campfire and a good night’s sleep alongside a mountain stream.

Yellowstone National Park contains more than 2.2 million acres of beautiful, pristine wilderness with nearly 1,000 miles of excellent hiking trails to explore. We custom-design small, single-party backpacking trips around your schedule, your physical abilities, and your personal interests.

Hiking with our naturalist guides is an interpretative natural history lesson, literally walking through the core of Yellowstone’s wilderness. You will experience wildlife, geology and breathtaking landscapes and you will learn how interconnected this ecosystem is. Additionally, you will learn about wilderness navigation, setting up a primitive camp, safe cooking and cleaning practices in bear country and “leave no trace” wilderness ethics. Our backpacking trips are often somewhat physically challenging, and overcoming those challenges in a place like Yellowstone is extremely rewarding.

Please call so we can discuss what the ideal backpacking trip for you looks like.

Please note: Our backpacking trips are custom-designed around your specific desires, level of difficulty, and schedule; therefore, rates can vary somewhat.

A must if you want to really visit Yellowstone

We did a 4-day hike into the Lamar Valley, guided by Emil, the owner of Yellowstone Wild. This hike was definitely the highlight of our trip because of Emil’s experience and professionalism. Don’t miss out! During the hike, we had the opportunity to see bears, wolves, elks, buffalo, coyotes, and lots of other smaller animals. Emil knew all the perfect spots to watch wildlife, both in the backcountry and from the road. But with Emil, who is an expert biologist and tracker who has worked in conservation projects around the world, you don’t just see the animals, he helps you to understand how and why they are behaving. At some point, we were seeing a lot of wolf footprints in all directions and he told us that some of the wolves were following an elk, but some others were there just minutes before and had turned when they heard us. This may sound like a spicy story for tourists, but after less than ten minutes of following them we saw the elk and the pack of wolves from 100 yards. Besides the experience with wildlife, the guys from Yellowstone Wild also really helped us to prepare for our hike. Conditions in late October were somewhat hard, and they advised us about the best route and the distance per day, with daily updates on the local conditions (i.e., snow depth), they review with us all the gear, to make the hike safe and pleasant. During the hike we encountered some surprises and difficult situations, such as a campsite flooded by a beaver, very windy and cold conditions in an exposed campsite, a close encounter with a bear… Emil managed all these situations very professionally and helped us to feel safe at all times. I definitely recommend to reach out to Emil for your next visit to the park. If you are planning a hike or you want to spot widlife from the road, Yellowstone Wild is the best way to go. PS. Emil speaks perfect Spanish, so if you are not comfortable with your “biology English” he is the best option

– Bernat S., TripAdvisor
Highly Recommended

We did a 6-day backcountry hike with Emil in early October 2020, and it was wonderful. Emil is a genuinely good person and was a great guide. He not only made it a safer and easier trip, but he also shared his knowledge of the park and its ecosystem with us as we hiked. Taking in Yellowstone from the road provides plenty of spectacular views and wildlife, but actually going into the park's backcountry can be an incredible experience with a guide like Emil.

– Sam, TripAdvisor
Amazing backpacking trip

I recently was able to go with Emil for a 9-day backpacking trip in the Greater Yellowstone backcountry. It was the trip of a lifetime - with a slew of different wildlife. Emil pointed out many types of animal tracks as we walked along both on and off trail and he has a special eye for spotting wildlife. The heavy-duty scopes he brings are essential for viewing wildlife well, and blew my binoculars out of the water. We got views and video of grizzlies, goats, deer, and bighorns even when they were at far distances from us. More up close, the highlight was seeing an elusive American Pine Marten. We also did well with birds - I especially cherish a memorable encounter with a Goshawk that perched near us and that we got great views with using the scope. Emil has a great demeanor on the trail and a wealth of knowledge. I'm super thankful for all I learned.

– John N
Overnight backpacking and wildlife viewing

Amazing overnight back-country backpacking trip. Emil went above and beyond from start to finish. We moved along creeks filled with trout, ridges that overlooked the park interior and spotted elk, antelope, coyote and bear on an early morning wildlife watch. Thanks for showing us the hidden gems Yellowstone has to offer and giving us a great appreciation for the beauty and nature found there. We will be back!

– Phil K., TripAdvisor
Backpacking trip of a lifetime

We did a 4-day backpacking trip with Emil McCain. We had an absolutely amazing time. We asked for a trip catered to wildlife that would also be physically challenging and Emil did exactly that! His knowledge as a biologist allowed us to see all types of wildlife like Bison, Grizzly and Brown Bear, Beaver, Marmot, Bald and Golden Eagles, Elk, Osprey, Fox, Mountain Ram, Deer, 2 types of snakes, salamander, and finally coyote. We also spotted plenty of wolf and mountain lion tracks. Had we stayed longer, I'm sure we'd have spotted them. Emil went out of his way to educate us, make us feel safe all while creating a genuinely fun atmosphere. His passion is obvious and contagious. Could not recommend any better of a person to guide you thru Yellowstone!

– Jpkoepse, TripAdvisor