Wild Yellowstone Llama Trek
Yellowstone National Park, WY
5.0 (1 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Famous River Valleys
- Abundant Wildlife Habitat
- Remote Wilderness
- Mountain Views
- Vast Meadows
- Pristine Creeks and Rivers
Description
This llama-supported trek takes guests into two of the most wildlife-rich valleys in Yellowstone National Park for a 4-day hiking/camping extravaganza (wildlife viewing is never guaranteed.) We will have the area mostly to ourselves, leaving the crowded highways behind as we venture into a land of vast meadows, pristine rivers and creeks, geothermal phenomena and towering, craggy peaks. Possible wildlife sightings include bison, Pronghorn, elk, deer, moose, black bears, grizzly bears, river otters, wolves, birds of prey and more.
Our route on this trip is also a loop hike, which means we have all new scenery every day. The loop takes us up two river valleys on days 1 and 2, then up to a remote peak on day 3, and finally over a high pass on the final day. Come join us for an unforgettable, llama-supported journey into the remote wilderness of America’s first national park!
$2285 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
The hiking on this trip is mostly on well-maintained trails with moderate distances and elevation changes. Day 3 is off-trail in moderately rugged terrain as we head toward the summit of The Needle.
Hiking Distances:
Up to 9 miles
Backpack Weight:
10-20 lbs
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
Up to 2000 feet
Heights Exposure:
Light
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 10-20 lb backpack for 6-8 hours
- Maintaining balance while hiking in rugged terrain and with light exposure on Day 3
- River and creek crossings
SOLITUDE LEVEL 4
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this Yellowstone llama trip a solitude 4. You can expect to see a couple other groups of hikers over the duration of the trip, particularly once we’re a couple miles into the backcountry.
MINIMUM OF 2 GUESTS
If a trip does not reach the minimum number of guests, you may choose to transfer to another trip date or another trip, be refunded your payments in full, or you may have the choice to pay a supplemental fee to run the trip with fewer guests. We make the final determination for these trips 4-6 weeks before the departure date, and notify guests of changes and options immediately.
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: 4 hours
- Hiking Distance: 8.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1200 feet
- Elevation Loss: 700 feet
This hike starts in of Yellowstone’s most famous river valleys, known for its abundance of wildlife. As we trek through breathtaking meadows, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for Pronghorn, bison, elk, deer, bears, wolves and more. Eventually we’ll divert our route to the east into a secondary, wildlife-rich drainage, and pass Death Gulch on our way to camp. Death Gulch, named in the 1800s, is a legendary geothermal canyon known for its high concentrations of volcanic gases which can settle into the valley and kill wildlife, especially bison.
We’ll set up camp near and settle in for the evening, surrounded by pristine wilderness. After a delicious dinner and an evening wildlife walk, you can stay up by the campfire to get a glimpse of one of the most amazing night skies you’ve ever seen or crawl into your tent for some much deserved sleep.
Day 2
- Hiking Distance: 2 miles plus optional day hiking
- Elevation Gain: varies
- Elevation Loss: varies
After enjoying a big backcountry breakfast and relaxing morning, we will move camp a short distance up the valley as we continue farther up Cache Creek. The rest of the afternoon can be spent relaxing in camp, fishing or going for a wildlife hike farther up the valley. We’ll end the day with a hot meal, evening wildlife walk and cozy campfire.
Day 3
- Hiking Distance: 4-8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1000-3000 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1000-3000 feet
Today is a layover day for exploring the mountains and wilderness that frame Cache Creek. We will head off-trail up toward The Needle (9,866 feet). This hike is quite rugged, so we will play the day by ear and get as close to the Needle’s craggy summit as we safely can. Our goal will be to – at minimum – earn views of the Eye of the Needle, an impressive volcanic arch below the summit.
After our hike we’ll return to camp and celebrate our adventure with a final backcountry dinner
Day 4
- Hiking Distance: 8.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1300 feet
- Elevation Loss: 2100 feet
- Shuttle to Jackson: 4 hours
Our final day takes us up the Cache Creek Valley and over Chaw Pass (8,800 feet) before descending through a dense old growth forest to the trailhead. Watching for wildlife as we hike, and enjoying all new scenery, today is another wonderful day of hiking. We will have one more obstacle, fording Soda Butte Creek, before we reach our vehicle and shuttle back to Jackson Hole.
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
- Pack llamas to transport the majority of gear and food
- 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 Jackson 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)
- Mandatory 5% national park fee that passes through directly to Yellowstone
- 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 Packing 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.
Travel to Jackson, WY
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.
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 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.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Weather Around Yellowstone
Being a Northern mountain environment, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is prone to sudden temperature and weather shifts. This is an exciting aspect of being in Wyoming’s mountains. On trips in June, snow is a slight possibility, and the rest of the summer you’re likely to get rained on at least once during your trip. To be fully prepared, please follow the recommended clothing list closely (this list comes as part of your trip packet when you register). See below for average summer temperatures around Yellowstone:
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 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
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 llama trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Reviews
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Roxanne G
Will Never Be Forgotten
Backpacking llama adventure was amazing. The guides worked hard to make sure our trip was one that will never be forgotten.
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