The combination of the most awesome place I’ve ever trekked with a dynamic group learning and sharing environment made the trek the best backcountry experience I’ve ever had. – Jeremy Hanks (Lehi, UT)

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Take a wilderness trip with Backpacking Light. It will be good for your soul.

Backpacking Light Wilderness Adventure Treks provide you with the opportunity to unplug in a remote and scenic mountain setting.

Rest and recharge from your busy life for a few days, forge new relationships with like-minded outdoor enthusiasts and learn or hone your lightweight backpacking skills along the way.

Life is hard, busy, and stressful: a Backpacking Light Wilderness Adventure Trek is the perfect antidote: a backcountry trip in the world’s most beautiful wilderness!

In a pure setting that only nature can deliver, Backpacking Light and crew provide the absolute best experience to learn and put into practice what it means to ‘backpack light’ – Mark Smith (Huntsville, AL)

Hike with us in the world’s most beautiful wilderness.

The Beartooth Plateau is the largest contiguous expanse of land over 10,000 feet in the Continental United States. It’s home to more than 300 alpine lakes teeming with trophy sized trout, dramatic peaks that provide a scenic view through your shelter doors, and 12,000-foot high plateaus that provide a surreal hiking experience.

How hectic, busy, and stressful is your day to day life? How about a little R&R on a granite slab, watching evening alpenglow bath a 12,000-foot plateau. (If you’d like to hike one of those high plateaus, select a Level 2 or 3 trek!)

I would highly recommend a trek with Backpacking Light based upon the experience my wife (first-time backpacking trip) and I had on a Wilderness Adventures Trek on the Beartooth Plateau – simply awesome in every way! – Gary Parkes (Franklin, TN)

Connect with Like Minded People

Studies show that spending time with people who share your values is good for your well-being and contributes greatly to long-term life satisfaction.

The Backpacking Light community brings together people who care about the environment, enjoy serving and teaching each other, and who find deep value in shared wilderness experience.

There’s something pretty special about the people that come on our programs. We are all knit together by the unique fabric that makes up the community of people who are passionate about traveling light in the wild…and beyond.

Trekking in the Montana Beartooths with Backpacking Light is the perfect combination of world-class terrain and incredible scenery coupled with expert leadership from Backpacking Light’s trek leaders. Do it. – Mark Shane (Cody, WY)

Learn Wilderness Travel Skills from Experts

Our guides share a deep love of wilderness backpacking and are among the most experienced ultralight backpackers around. All guides are carefully trained in facilitating positive group dynamics, wilderness safety and first aid, and the use and application of lightweight backpacking principles, skills, and equipment. Your guide will be an interesting and engaging conversationalist, storyteller, teacher, mentor, and friend!

Plus, you’ll get full, unrestricted access (available immediately upon enrolling in a course!) to the Backpacking Light Ultralight Backpacking Boot Camp – an online course with more than 40 lessons that will take your understanding of lightweight backpacking gear and skills to a new level of expertise!

Whether you brew your morning joe over an ultralight wood stove or a gas-powered jet engine, you’ll experience an eclectic and engaging series of conversations about lightweight gear, how to use it to your best advantage, and how to shave pounds of pack weight simply by increasing your skill and confidence in lightweight techniques.

Enroll Now: 2016 Schedule

    • May 17, 2016 – Enrollment Opens for Unlimited Members
    • May 24, 2016 – Enrollment Opens for General Public

How do I choose between a Level 1, 2, or 3 itinerary?

  • Adventure Ratings of Levels 1 (Sundance), 2 (Timberline & Hellroaring) or 3 (Silver Run) are assigned based on how much time is spent at high altitudes (above 10,000 feet) and the physical effort required to complete the route.
  • None of our routes are technically difficult, and are entirely suitable for hikers of any experience level, even complete beginners who have never spent a night in the backcountry before!
  • Level 1 routes have a more relaxing tempo, have lower elevation camps, stay more on trail, and have less elevation gain and loss.
  • Level 2 and 3 routes involve more off-trail travel, higher elevation camps, and more ups and downs.
Still need more help deciding? View the Welcome Packet!

* Discounted pricing is a benefit of Unlimited Membership. Subscribe or upgrade your membership today to Unlimited and contact us at [email protected] to get your discount coupon code prior to ordering.

Enroll Now   July 24-27, 2016 – SUNDANCE ITINERARY – Level 1 – $447*
Enroll Now   August 10-13, 2016 – TIMBERLINE ITINERARY  – Level 2 – $447*
Enroll Now   August 17-20, 2016 – SUNDANCE ITINERARY – Level 1 – $447*
Enroll Now   September 7-10, 2016 – SILVER RUN ITINERARY – Level 3 – $447*
Enroll Now   September 25-28, 2016 – SUNDANCE ITINERARY – Level 1 – $447*
Enroll Now   October 12-15, 2016 – HELLROARING ITINERARY – Level 2 – $447*
Enroll Now   October 26-29, 2016 – SUNDANCE ITINERARY – Level 1 – $447*

Payment, refund, and cancellation policy: Full payment is required in advance to reserve your spot on a trek. If you cancel a reservation within 90 days of the start date of your trek, you will only be issued a refund if the trek is sold out and we have someone on the waitlist who is willing to take your spot. If you cancel a reservation earlier than 90 days prior to the start of your trek, you are entitled to a full refund minus a $50 processing fee. If Backpacking Light cancels a trek, you are entitled to a 100% refund of all monies paid. In the event of cancellation of a trek, you are responsible for costs associated with nonrefundable airline tickets, etc. Plan accordingly..

Off-trail at more than 11,000 feet on the Beartooth Plateau. Whether you select a Level 1, 2, or 3 trek, you’ll be treated to the astounding scenery offered by trekking on a high plateau.

How it Works

  1. First, review the Welcome Packet.
  2. Then, enroll in the trek (or trek(s)!!) of your choice.
  3. We work with you to help you get ready for private consulting and an online course about lightweight backpacking.
  4. You connect and collaborate with your fellow trek participants for several weeks before your trek.
  5. You meet up with your group in the beautiful mountain town of Red Lodge, Montana, where we’ll have a pre-trip briefing to go over our itinerary, check gear, and make a few last minute preparations.
  6. We hit the trail!
  7. Come home recharged and ready to tackle the world (or perhaps, ready to sell all your stuff and go live in a van)!

Still Interested? Learn More

  • Review the Trek Participant Welcome Packet – it’s comprehensive and answers most questions you’ll have about travel, course logistics, equipment requirements (gear list), and more!
This could be YOU: the envy of all your heavy-pack-carrying friends and colleagues…!

Backpacking Light Wilderness Adventure Treks in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness are operated by Ryan Jordan LLC, a licensed outfitter of the Beartooth Ranger District of the Custer-Gallatin National Forest.