What you get on this adventure: An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area 4-day all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure (either along the West Fork Loop Trail or the Silver Run Plateau Trail) Breakfasts and dinners Cooking equipment What’s not included: Transportation to and from the starting point Lunches Eating utensils Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) — available to rent Backpack (at least 55L) — available to rent Guide gratuities — optional

How fit do I need to be?

In order to join this all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure, you have to be in decent shape. You will gain a maximum of 2,000 ft (610 m) in a day. You will hike 4-6 hours a day and keep in mind that you’ll be carrying a 30lbs (14 kg) backpack. For more detailed information, check out the day-by-day itinerary, distances, and elevation changes. If you feel like carrying the heavy backpack would be too exhausting for you, your guides have the option of hiring a porter who would carry it for you. If you’re interested, let us know upon booking. Check out two of our other all-women backpacking trips in Montana: backpacking to Upper Holland and Sapphire Lake and basecamp backpacking in Whitefish .

What do I need to bring?

Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring: Backpack large enough to carry all the items listed (+55L) Hiking poles Sleeping bag and sleeping poles Tent Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity) Lightweight hiking boots or shoes Spare clothes for layering Waterproof rain jacket Comfortable outdoor clothing Sunhat Water filter Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.) Headlamp or flashlight Sunglasses Camera — optional (but recommended) Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Can I rent equipment?

Indeed you can! You can rent a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and a backpack with your guides. Let us know if you’re interested.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and prices: For this all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure, maximum group size is 6. There will be one guide on the trip. It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate. Beartooth Mountains backpacking can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors younger than 18 and older than 8 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

To get to Red Lodge, Montana, the starting point of your all-women backpacking trip, it’s best to fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) and Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) . It takes one to two hours to reach Red Lodge from these two airports by car. There’s also the option of flying into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) , from which there’s a 5-hour drive to Red Lodge. You will meet your guide at the Tourist Office in Red Lodge. Exact location will be shared once you and your guide agree on the details of the itinerary.

Safety measures in Montana

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more. Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans. We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!

All-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking

Woman backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains

BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS | MONTANA

All-Women Backpacking Trip in the Beartooth Mountains

Season

June through September

Duration

4 days

Difficulty

Accommodation

Camping in tents

Guides

Anju Samuelson, Elise Marquette, Beartooth Mountain Guides

Questions, additional dates, private groups

Book a call

From $1,335 () / 4 days

Intro
Itinerary
Brochure
Guides
Things to know

Nothing compares to spending a night deep in the wild, where you’re far away from everyday chaos and it’s just you and the stars. This 4-day, all-women backpacking adventure in the Beartooth Mountains is more than just a hike—it’s a welcoming, safe space for women wanting to discover the mountains and themselves. A fantastic guide (with local geology and history knowledge) will take you off the beaten path, through serene conifer woods and past remote alpine lakes, all the while teaching you important outdoor skills and ethics. You can choose between the 22-mile West Fork Loop Trail or the 17-mile Silver Run Plateau Trail. All set for a journey that promises personal growth, camaraderie, and a newfound appreciation for the great outdoors?

Adventure highlights

Beginners welcomed and encouraged

A thoughtful guide will enable you to learn all the necessary outdoor skills
An adventure just for the ladies

Hike through Montana’s wilderness alongside like-minded women
Pristine Beartooth wilderness & wildlife

Spot deer, moose, marmots, or elk in pine forests and wildflower-strewn meadows

Available itineraries

All-Women Backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains: West Fork Loop Trail

Spend four days exploring Montana’s backcountry on this all-women backpacking adventure in the Beartooth Mountains! Beginners are encouraged to join, as your guide provides you with expert leadership, meals, cooking equipment, and can provide you with tents and sleeping bags. You will follow the 22-mile West Fork Loop Trail over four days. You will learn important outdoor skills (such as Leave No Trace as well as local geology and history) and even spot exciting wildlife, such as moose, deer, elk, or marmots! Ready for a journey full of serenity and peacefulness of the great outdoors?

Today we will hike along the West Fork Creek of Rock Creek at 7,900 ft, a drainage of the Beartooth Mountains. Camp for tonight will be at Quinnebaugh meadows. There’s also the option to hike up to Lake Mary, one way it’s 2 miles with 1,000 ft elevation gain.

Distance: 5 miles / 8 km
Elevation gain: 1,000 ft / 305 m
Meals: Dinner
We’ll hike along the West Fork Creek today, ending at Shadow or Sundance Lake. The environment will change from higher forests to a more alpine terrain.

Distance: 5 miles / 6.5 km
Elevation gain: 900 ft / 275 m
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Hiking up to Sundance Pass will bring us to the highest point at 11,000 ft of elevation. Then we’ll descend to September Lake in the Lake Fork of Rock Creek. The environment is still alpine with September Lake being at 9,694 ft.

Distance: 5 miles / 8 km
Elevation gain: 1,500 ft / 460 m
Elevation loss: 1,400 ft / 425 m
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
For our last day of the trip, we’ll descend back into the valley along the Lake Fork of Rock Creek. Our surroundings will feature more forests again and finally, we’ll reach Lake Fork trailhead at 6,900 ft—marking the end of our adventure.

Distance: 8 miles / 13 km
Elevation loss: 2,500 ft / 765 m
Meals: Breakfast

All-Women Backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains: Silver Run Plateau Trail

Spend four days exploring Montana’s backcountry on this all-women backpacking adventure in the Beartooth Mountains! Beginners are encouraged to join, as your guide provides you with expert leadership, meals, cooking equipment, and can provide you with tents and sleeping bags. You will follow the 17-mile Silver Run Plateau Trail over four days. You will learn important outdoor skills (such as Leave No Trace as well as local geology and history) and even spot exciting wildlife, such as moose, deer, elk, or marmots! Ready for a journey full of serenity and peacefulness of the great outdoors?

Starting at Timberline Creek trailhead, we’ll hike for about 4 miles and gain 2,000 ft on the beautiful Timberline Creek trail to the Timberline Lake at 10,000 ft. This beautiful alpine lake is surrounded by granite walls and mountains, and it’s where we’ll spend the night.

Distance: 4 miles / 6.5 km
Elevation gain: 2,000 ft / 610 m
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Today we’ll hike for about 5 miles and gain 800 ft to Silver Run Lake. The other option is hiking one of the surrounding mountains like North Silver Run Mountain, and spend another night at Timberline Lake. The next two days will then be longer, 7 miles per day on average.

Distance: 4 miles / 6.5 km
Elevation gain: 2,000 ft / 610 m
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
We’ll hike up the switchbacks to gain the Silver Run plateau. This involves about 5 miles. We’ll camp in the alpine tundra of the Beartooth Mountains.

Distance: 5 miles / 8 km
Elevation gain: 1,000 ft / 305 m
Elevation loss: 2,000 ft / 610 m
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
For our last day on the trek, we’ll hike for about 5 miles on Beartrack Trail and Silver Run Trail. We’ll enter the forest once again and finish our route at Silver Run Trail.

Distance: 5 miles / 8 km
Elevation loss: 2,000 ft / 610 m
Meals: Breakfast

Get free trip brochure

Download All-Women Backpacking Trip in the Beartooth Mountains Brochure

Brochure sent, check your inbox

Talk with us and let one of our adventure experts help you plan your perfect adventure.

Meet your guides

5.00

Anju Samuelson

Anju is an AMGA Assistant Rock Guide and Apprentice Alpine Guide. Together with her partner, she runs Beartooth Mountain Guides located in Southern Montana. She is passionate about making the outdoors accessible for underrepresented groups in a supportive and empowering way. Originally from Germany, she has lived in Turkey, Chile, and the US and loves to connect her climbing pursuits with traveling.

5.00

Elise Marquette

Based out of Red Lodge, Montana, Elise is an experienced trekking and hiking guide and a backcountry traveler through Montana’s wilderness. She focuses on following Leave-No-Trace standards and is an Emergency Medical Technician. Her love for the mountains started early on while growing up in Colorado. Elise is also a PSIAA Level 1 Ski instructor and ventures into the winter backcountry in her free time.

5.00

Beartooth Mountain Guides have a team of experienced guides who provide safety in the mountains as well as mental support during your adventure. Regardless of what you might choose—ice climbing, skiing, rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, rafting, ice climbing—they’ve got you covered. Beartooth Mountain Guides think of the mountains not only as a source of mental rest but also a place to challenge themselves and their perceptions. They know where to lead you safely and plan private or group outings accordingly to your skill level and ability.

Things to know

What you get on this adventure:
- - An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - 4-day all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure (either along the West Fork Loop Trail or the Silver Run Plateau Trail)
  - Breakfasts and dinners
  - Cooking equipment
What’s not included:
- - Transportation to and from the starting point
  - Lunches
  - Eating utensils
  - Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) — available to rent
  - Backpack (at least 55L) — available to rent
  - Guide gratuities — optional
In order to join this all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure, you have to be in decent shape. You will gain a maximum of 2,000 ft (610 m) in a day. You will hike 4-6 hours a day and keep in mind that you’ll be carrying a 30lbs (14 kg) backpack. For more detailed information, check out the day-by-day itinerary, distances, and elevation changes.

If you feel like carrying the heavy backpack would be too exhausting for you, your guides have the option of hiring a porter who would carry it for you. If you’re interested, let us know upon booking.

Check out two of our other all-women backpacking trips in Montana: backpacking to Upper Holland and Sapphire Lake and basecamp backpacking in Whitefish.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
- - Backpack large enough to carry all the items listed (+55L)
  - Hiking poles
  - Sleeping bag and sleeping poles
  - Tent
  - Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
  - Lightweight hiking boots or shoes
  - Spare clothes for layering
  - Waterproof rain jacket
  - Comfortable outdoor clothing
  - Sunhat
  - Water filter
  - Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
  - Headlamp or flashlight
  - Sunglasses
  - Camera — optional (but recommended)
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
Indeed you can! You can rent a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and a backpack with your guides. Let us know if you’re interested.
Group sizes and prices:
- - For this all-women Beartooth Mountains backpacking adventure, maximum group size is 6. There will be one guide on the trip.
  - It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate.
Beartooth Mountains backpacking can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors younger than 18 and older than 8 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Red Lodge, Montana, the starting point of your all-women backpacking trip, it’s best to fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) and Billings Logan International Airport (BIL). It takes one to two hours to reach Red Lodge from these two airports by car. There’s also the option of flying into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), from which there’s a 5-hour drive to Red Lodge.

You will meet your guide at the Tourist Office in Red Lodge. Exact location will be shared once you and your guide agree on the details of the itinerary.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.

Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.

We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to.

If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Secure your spot for 2025 with a 10% deposit! This tour gets sold out very quickly, but with early-bird booking, you’ll be the first one to know. Pick the month that suits you best and we’ll let you know once the dates are live—don’t risk missing out on your bucket list adventure!
- - Only 10% of the total amount should be paid as a deposit upon booking. This deposit is non-refundable, but can be transferred to another 57hours adventure in case the dates don’t suit you by the end of the year.
  - Once the set dates for the following season are live, you can confirm your booking by the end of this year by paying another 20% of the total amount.
  - The final balance is due 1 month (30 days) prior to departure.
For set dates, a 30% deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 1 month (30 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies. If the Client cancels…
- - More than 30 (thirty) calendar days prior to departure, Client is entitled to a full refund.
  - 14-29 (fourteen to twenty-nine) calendar days in advance, Client is entitled to a refund in the amount of 50% (fifty percent) of the total amount.
  - After that deadline, Client is not entitled to any refund.