Bear Canyon Loop
Jackson, WY
5.0 (4 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Spectacular Mountain Scenery
- Mountain Solitude
- Peak Bagging
- Adventurous Loop Hike
- Remote Campsites
- Pristine Creeks & Rivers
- Views of Grand Teton National Park
- Cross Historic Dead Horse Pass
Description
This trek takes us high into some of North America’s most famous and spectacular mountains – The Tetons. You will earn unique views of the iconic, jagged Teton Peaks, and the valley floors on both the east and west slope of the Tetons. We will be hiking and exploring the high country of the Jedediah Smith Wilderness, which is full of rich heritage and western culture that will come to life for you as we hike.
This trip features amazing, remote camps; mountain rivers and streams; rich wildlife habitat; and two spectacular day hikes to high peaks with stunning views. Additionally, we will trek up and over Dead Horse Pass and down into the locally famous Narrows Meadows. Lastly, with visits to two hidden lakes it’s clear it doesn’t get much better than this!
This trip is operated by Wildland Llamas, an authorized backpacking and llama outfitter in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
$1600 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 4
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
Generally this trip is moderate-strenuous. However, there is a very strenuous section at the bottom of Bear Canyon, which has significant loose rock and is very rugged. We also have a dry camp on the last night so must carry additional water, makes for heavy packs.
Hiking Distances:
4-9 mi
Backpack Weight:
45+ lbs
Terrain:
Significantly Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
1800 ft
Heights Exposure:
Moderate
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 45+ lb backpack for 6-8 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on significantly rugged terrain
- Hiking with occasional, moderate heights exposure
- Crossing rivers and creeks on slippery river rocks
SOLITUDE LEVEL 5
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this Tetons backpacking trip a solitude 5. You can expect to see a couple other groups of hikers over the duration of the trip.
This trip begins and ends in Jackson, Wyoming. Jackson has an airport served by United, Delta, and American Airlines. A Black Car Service (307-413-2572) provides private airport shuttles (advance reservations are recommended.)
You can also fly into:
- Idaho Falls – small, more affordable airport; can meet your guide in Driggs, ID instead of Jackson; requires a car rental
- Salt Lake City – Salt Lake Express (800-356-9796 or 208-656-8824) and Alltrans (800-652-9510) offer daily shuttles (4.5 hours). Advance reservations required.
Private Trips
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
Private Rates FOr This Trip
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
Learn About Our Private Trips
View Private TripsITINERARY
Day 1
- Shuttle to Trailhead: 75 minutes
- Hiking Mileage: 6 miles
- Elevation Loss: 500 feet
- Elevation Gain: 140 feet
This Tetons backpacking trip begins with pickup at your hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We’ll drive up and over famous Jackson Pass and down into the beautiful Driggs Valley before arriving at our trailhead. After doing a final pack fitting and adjusting trekking poles we’ll start on our adventure in the Tetons!
We will begin our hike with a short descent to North Leigh Creek, but make up our elevation as the day goes on. We will end at the beautifully serene Green Lakes Basin where we will make camp for the night.
Day 2
- Hiking Mileage: 4-5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1600 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1600 feet
We’ll start today with a delicious breakfast, and then set off for an amazing day of hiking! We will wake up early and make miles to our camp just below Dead Horse Pass. Today’s hike gains significant elevation in a short amount of mileage as we pick our way through the gorgeous Teton high county and offers magnificent views of the Tetons and surrounding mountain ranges.
We will have a good chance of seeing elk or deer below us in the lush meadows. After a full day of absorbing breath taking views, and creating wonderful memories we head into camp where we will enjoy another wonderful evening and feast of a dinner.
Day 3
- Hiking Mileage: 6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1800 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1800 feet
Today’s hike is another hard day and we move camp to an adjacent valley. Our destination is Hidden Corral Basin. We will enjoy our lunch on top of the pass and plot our route to our second campsite. After lunch, we will head down the pass to another pristine mountain creek until we reach our camp nestled at the base of a high-country peak and settle in for a much needed night of rest and relaxation after our amazing backcountry dinner.
Day 4
- Hiking Mileage: 6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1800 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1800 feet
We will wake for another exciting day of exploration after our delicious breakfast. We will meander through the Bitch Creek Narrows and traverse back south towards Indian Meadows. We will dry camp at Indian Meadows, and likely pick up water where it’s available before we make camp for the night. We’ll celebrate our last evening in the wilderness with a backcountry feast and a roaring campfire (weather permitting).
Day 5
- Hiking Mileage: 8.5 miles
- Elevation Loss: 1000 feet
- Shuttle to Jackson Hole: 85 minutes
On our last morning together we will enjoy a tasty breakfast. After our relaxing morning, we will pack up our gear and trek down to our ending trailhead.
The pickup on this trip is variable and your guide will make the decision that best fits your group’s fitness. One option is to continue South to our trailhead at Indian Meadows. Another other option is a longer hike south, past Indian Meadows, across Badger Creek, ending at our Day 1 drop-off of North Leigh Creek.
Once at the trailhead, we’ll say our good-byes to the peaks, creeks and meadows of the Tetons and drive back to Jackson Hole. With a fond farewell, we’ll drop you off at your hotel for much-deserved showers and relaxation.
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.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- 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.
- Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
- High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use) – or bring your own.
- Use of trekking poles
- All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
- Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Jackson, Wyoming to the trailhead and back
- Bear safety equipment including bear spray cannisters and food-hanging gear
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
- You will receive a Lifetime Hiking Membership entitling you, your spouse and your kids to a lifetime discount of 10% off any Wildland Trekking hiking trip after your first one!
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Waterbottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-15% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What To Expect
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs or Mountain Hardware tents
- Sierra Designs, Kelty, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware synthetic-fill sleeping bags (or bring your own)
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki trekking poles
- Mountain Safety Research cooking stoves
- Mountain Safety Research cookware
- Bear spray cannisters and food-hanging gear
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Clothing List
When you register for this tour you’ll receive access to a printable, downloadable trip information packet with a detailed packing list specific to this trip (click here to see it now.) All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, rain gear, a recommended clothing system, a headlamp or flashlight, a hydration system (water bottles and/or bladder) and other items specific to each trip.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
Where Do We Meet?
Your guide will conduct a virtual orientation meeting (via conference call) at 5:00 PM the evening before your trip begins to review the packing list, communicate the first day’s logistics and answer any last minute questions you have. Your guide will give you the phone number for this call during the pre-trip contact approximately 10 days before your trip start date.
Early on the morning of Day 1 your guide will pick you up from your accommodations in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Driggs, Idaho; or Victor, Idaho.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Start/End Times
You can expect the first day’s pick-up time to be between 5 and 7 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.
Weather in Northern Wyoming
Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit)
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| June | 70° | 42° |
| July | 80° | 47° |
| August | 78° | 45° |
| September | 68° | 37° |
Accommodations
BACKCOUNTRY SLEEPING
Tent Camping
Sleeping on backpacking trips 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 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
Of course campsites vary tremendously 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 backpacking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Reviews
- SORT BY:
- Most recent
- LOW - HIGH
- HIGH - LOW
Janet E
Accomplished my Goal
The Jedediah Smith Wilderness trail was the hardest and most challenging thing I have ever done. I am proud to have accomplished my goal. The guides were very friendly and knowledgeable and made it a great trip. Thank you to Chris, Keith and Phil!
Robert W.
Extremely Pleased
Casey was very organized yet was flexible if the group had a particular preference. He stressed safety and sanitation and was a fine steward of the environment. We are extremely pleased with our experience with Casey and Wildland Trekking.
Grant K.
Terrific Guide
Casey is a terrific guide. He proactively previewed the route and made the excellent decision to reverse it. He cooked great meals and was always enthusiastic.
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