Family Backpacking Trips

Backpacking Trips for Families

Find the best backpacking trips for families with children listed below!

If you have school-aged children and would like to find a backpacking trip that is a good choice for kids, this page is for you!

On our Family Trips page, we don’t list most backpacking trips due to the weight of the backpacks (25-35+ pounds). If the children aren’t able to carry their full load, then the parents end up with more weight. However, if you are confident in your child’s (or children’s) ability to hike with a multi-day backpack, then the below trips are fantastic options for a family backpacking adventure!

The below trips are recommendations for family backpacking trips. Most are not exclusively intended for families. The criteria we used to make these selections are: 1) pack weight of 25-35 lbs; 2) overall 2 or 3 difficulty level, and if level 3 on the easier side of that rating; and 3) less elevation gain/loss of other backpacking trips in the same region.

Please note: we require children to be 12 years of age or older to join scheduled group trips. Families with children younger than 12 are asked to book private trips, which have special family pricing.

Porter Services

We also offer porter services. You can add porters to any backpacking trip, as long as there is space on the permit, for $400 per porter per day. Porters are permitted to carry up to 30 pounds of Wildland-provided guest gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, group food…etc.) and do not necessarily hike with the group. Guests hike with their clothes and personal items.