Backpacking Trip in Yellowstone National Park

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity. 

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Yellowstone, please refer to the Montana Office of Tourism.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get in this adventure:

• A professional, knowledgeable, certified Yellowstone backpacking guide
• All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
• Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Bozeman, Montana to Yellowstone and back
• Entrance fees and national park permits
• Top-of-the-line tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and technical backpack
• Use of trekking poles
• Bear safety equipment including bear spray canisters and food-hanging gear
• Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and satellite phone

Due to its length (20 miles) and change in elevation, this Yellowstone backpacking trip is rated intermediate. You will hike four to eight miles per day carrying 25 to 35 pounds. The trails are well-maintained, but you will gain around 1000 feet of elevation over mountainous terrain. Keep in mind, the weather in summer can be very hot and you’ll also be carrying a full backpack filled with water, your gear and other things you’ll need throughout the day, so you should consider yourself active and healthy before attempting it. If this trek is too challenging, there are plenty of less strenuous Yellowstone hikes to get started on.

A trip packet will be emailed to you after your booking with more details, but here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:

• Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 40L bag)
• Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
• Lightweight hiking boots or shoes
• Spare clothes for layering
• Waterproof rain jacket
• Sunhat
• Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
• Sunglasses
• Headlamp or flashlight
• Camera — optional (but recommended)

Hiring a local guide offers you the chance to experience Yellowstone’s beauty to the fullest. Local guides know all the hidden gems the area has to offer, will explain the history and geology during the hike, and will customize your adventure to the objectives of your group. Because there is so much to see and do in Yellowstone — and it gets crowded quickly — this is one location where it really pays to have a guide by your side to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

With us, it’s all play and no work for you! 57hours is an open platform that connects you with trained and certified outdoor adventure professionals all over the world. Using our tech-savvy, we make it super easy to find and book adventures worth tackling, with guides worth booking, all gathered from the first-hand experiences of the locals who adventure in these amazing locations.

The standard group size on backpacking trips is six guests and one guide, with a maximum of ten guests and two guides. All pricing is per person.

Anyone 5 and older can join private day-hikes in Yellowstone, with final approval on a case-by-case basis. If you’re travelling with children under 12, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Yellowstone is prone to sudden temperature and weather changes, so you need to be prepared with the right gear. The same white cloud shielding you from sunbeams can easily turn into a thunderstorm within minutes. Rest assured, your guide — all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMTs — will know the correct course of action if the weather throws a curveball. In most cases, unfavorable weather won’t stop you from experiencing a guided hiking tour within the park, but if plans need to shift, your guide will amend your itinerary to find a trail more suitable to the day’s weather.

It’s highly recommended that you cover all your bases with travel and medical insurance. While hiking might seem like a low-risk outdoor activity, accidents can happen anywhere and we recommend insurance to avoid paying out of pocket for costly medical expenses. And as we’ve recently seen, travel plans can be abruptly halted, so it’s a good idea to have cancellation insurance that also covers lost baggage. It’s tried and tested and it works.

With 57hours, you benefit from both our own cancellation policy as well as that of the individual guiding service that delivers your adventure. All policies regarding cancellation will be clearly laid out by your guide after booking your adventure, but rest assured that our own cancellation policy will work on top of what is provided by your guide.

For this adventure, 57hours offers a Moderate Cancellation Policy, which states:

If Client cancels the Booking anytime prior to thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the trip contemplated by the booking, Client is entitled to a full refund. For cancellations fourteen (14) to twenty nine (29) calendar days in advance, Client is entitled to a refund in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the total amount paid when Booking. For cancellations zero (0) to thirteen (13) days in advance, the Client is not entitled to any refund. In case of cancellation due to COVID-19, you can reschedule or get a full refund.

For more information on terms and conditions, please visit our Terms of Service page.

Yellowstone multi-day hiking tours begin in Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman has an airport served by many major airlines. You can also fly into Billings and drive the 2.5 hours to Bozeman.