Lamar Pelican Llama Trek
Llama Treks
5 Days, 4 Nights 34MI / 55KMTrip Highlights
This trip is a fantastic choice for guests looking to explore Yellowstone’s signature river valleys, vast meadows, wildlife habitat, and backcountry thermals. We hike up three connecting river valleys – Lamar River, Miller Creek and Mist Creek to a mountain pass that drops us into the Pelican River Valley.
The views from Mist Creek Pass are breathtaking and stretch all the way to the Tetons, Yellowstone Lake, and Mount Sheridan. We’ll spend days soaking up the magic of Yellowstone’s pristine and fascinating backcountry where the Snake Indians once lived and hunted, and where early trappers thrived in the 19th century.
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River Valleys & Vast Meadows
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Abundant Wildlife Habitat
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Backcountry Thermal Features
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Moderate Hiking In Pristine Country
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Hike in Comfort With Just a Light Pack
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Top-notch Service & Wonderful Llamas!
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Trip Details
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Trip Type
Llama Treks -
Trip Length
5 Days, 4 Nights -
Daily Hiking Distance
Up to 10.5 mi -
Group Size
2-8 Guests
Is This Trip Right For me?
This trip follows good, well-maintained trails, and daily hiking distances and elevation gains for the first 4 days are moderate. The final day covers a distance of 10.5+ miles, which is at the upper end of Level 3 difficulty.
Trip Itinerary
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
Day 1
Shuttle to Trailhead: 3-4 hours
Hiking Distance: 3-4 miles
Elevation Gain: 400 feet
Elevation Loss: 300 feet
This Yellowstone llama trek begins with early pickup at your hotel in Jackson, Wyoming. We’ll shuttle past Teton National Park, where the Tetons’ towering, jagged peaks and the perfect oxbows of the Snake River frame our views to the west. We’ll enter Yellowstone and continue to our trailhead. After prepping the llamas and doing an orientation we’ll hit the trail.
Today’s hike takes us across the wide open expanse of the Lamar Valley and up the Lamar River past some classic Yellowstone thermal activity. The Lamar Valley is famous for its wildlife, particularly bison and wolves. We’ll keep an eye out for animals while we hike and discuss some of the flora we’re seeing as well – wildflowers, grasses, bushes, some edible and some with medicinal uses. The views from Lamar Valley are beautiful as we can see far up the valley to side canyons, rocky cliffs, and distant alpine ridges.
We’ll camp not far from the Lamar River and continue to keep an eye out for wildlife. Once camp is set up we will head up Cache Creek or down to the Lamar River for some sightseeing and/or fishing. We’ll cap our first day of with some great backcountry cooking and a good night’s sleep.
Day 2
Hiking Distance: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1200 feet
Elevation Loss: 1100 feet
We start today with a hearty breakfast, break camp and load up the llamas. Our hike takes us farther up the Lamar River to Miller Creek. We’ll soak up peaceful views of broad river valleys and open meadows, and keep a sharp eye out for wildlife. Most of today will be spent on the trail. Tonight’s camp is at the confluence of the Lamar River and Miller Creek – a majestic spot near vast, open meadows in the bottom of broad valleys.
Both of these rivers are very scenic as they wind down their respective, classic Yellowstone watersheds and make for great feet-soaking and/or fishing.
Day 3
Hiking Distance: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Elevation Loss: 700 feet
Today takes us higher into the mountains toward the headwaters of Mist Creek. We’ll leave the Lamar Valley behind and head up Miller Creek. More broad valleys, great wildlife habitat, the shimmering waters of the creek, interesting flora and pine forests are likely our only companions besides each other.
We’ll stop along the way to soak up the magic of this wonderful valley and to enjoy trail snacks. Tonight’s camp is at a pristine spot along Mist Creek. We’ll feast on a great dinner and sit around a roaring campfire before turning in for a good night’s sleep.
Day 4
Hiking Distance: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1100 feet
Elevation Loss: 300 feet
Today is a very special day as we’ll be leaving the Lamar/Miller/Mist network of valleys behind and entering into the
famous Pelican River Valley over Mist Creek Pass. Although this entire trip is good for seeing wildlife, today is probably our best chance.
After breaking camp we’ll hike up to the pass and enjoy views of the surrounding mountains that include Pelican Valley, Yellowstone Lake, the West Thumb, Mount Sheridan and the Tetons. We’ll descend into the valley for tonight’s camp not far from the shores of the Pelican River, and enjoy a feast to commemorate our last night in the wilderness.
Day 5
Hiking Distance: 10.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Elevation Loss: 1400 feet
Shuttle to Jackson: 3.5 hours
Today we wake up to tea or coffee and a tasty breakfast. We will break camp, load up the llamas one more time and continue down the valley to our trailhead. We’ll pass some wonderful geothermal features, including mud pots on today’s hike and keep an eye out for wildlife. Eventually we arrive at our ending trailhead, de-rig the llamas and shuttle back to Jackson.
Perhaps we’ll start contemplating our next adventure as the Tetons float past our windows. We’ll say our good-byes in Jackson and head off for some much-deserved showers and rest.
Trip Dates
What's Included
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Pack llamas to transport the majority of gear and food
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Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
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Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
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High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use)
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Use of trekking poles
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All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
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Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Jackson Hole, WY; Victor, ID or Driggs, ID
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Bear safety equipment including bear spray cannisters and food-hanging gear
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Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
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Mandatory 5% national park fee that passes through directly to Yellowstone
What's Not Included
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Clothes, raingear, and footwear
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Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
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Waterbottles and a headlamp or flashlight
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Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-15% of trip cost)
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on llama treks is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your trekking guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Campsites vary by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Logistics & FAQs
Travel Details
This trip begins and ends in Jackson, WY, with pick-up also available in Driggs and Victor, ID.
You can fly into:
- Jackson Hole – some hotels and several transportation companies provide airport shuttles.
- Idaho Falls – small, more affordable airport; Salt Lake Express (208-656-8824) offers 2 daily shuttles between Idaho Falls and Jackson.
- Salt Lake City – Salt Lake Express (208-656-8824) and Alltrans (800-652-9510) offer daily shuttles (4.5 hours). Advance reservations required.
Pre and Post-trip On Request Lodging
We secure limited amounts of pre and post trip lodging in Jackson, Wyoming as an optional add-on for guests of this trip. This lodging is on request, and is available on a first come, first serve basis. If interested, please reach out directly to our team to check availability.
Start/End Times
You can expect the first day’s pick-up time to be between 4 and 6 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day no later than 7 PM.
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Reviews
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Bethany K
3 years agoSimply Stunning
If you’re on the fence about booking a trip with Wildland, all I can say is stop thinking about it and do it! Their pre-trip staff and guides are well organized, friendly, highly capable professionals. We just came back from a Yellowstone llama trek and loved every second of it! In addition to thousands of fun & beautiful experiences, we also encountered wildlife, high water & bad weather - the guides knew exactly how to help us through each situation. We were in the best of hands and have amazing stories to tell. A trip with Wildland will give you new adventures, access to areas you won’t see on your own, and memories to last a lifetime!
Steven M
3 years agoAmazing
My third trip with Wildland! Great guides and loved working with the llamas. The solitude and scenery are amazing. Saw elk, deer, and moose. Wonderful!
Robert B.
7 years agoBeyond Expectations
A truly delightful experience for me, my children and their spouses. Our guides were great, they really worked hard to insure our comfort and safety. They took the time to interact with each of us to understood what we wanted from this trip - and then planned the activities to deliver a first rate experience. We had a great time learning the personalities of each llama and really appreciated the 'load' they carried for us! Lastly, the food was way beyond expectations. BB - Jackson Hole
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