There are many ways to go on a pack trip:

Basecamps are luxurious camps set up in one location, a great setting for some rest and relaxation, or a jumping off point for more rigorous wilderness adventures. A basecamp includes a private latrine, a full kitchen, a rain tarp, a hand washing station, and many comforts big and small. We handle all the logistics, permits, camp set-up, and cooking, allowing you a comfortable experience in the wilderness.

There is so much to see when we pay attention, and guests are welcome to set up a hammock and read a book, borrow guidebooks from our library to identify plants and animals, or spend the whole day fishing. Trips can include a fishing guide, biologist, or musician, and ample time to both relax and explore.

Basecamps are also a great way to clock big miles - you can hike or trail run 30 miles a day if you’d like, carrying only a daypack, and returning to camp for a hot dinner.

Basecamps can be accessed on foot or by hoof - you can hike in or hire an equine to ride.

Rock Creek is known for their all-inclusive, multi-day to multi-week Traveling Trips, where guests might hike 30-211 miles over the course of 5 to 31 days.

On Traveling Trips, guests hike through the wilderness accompanied by a pack string of mules, packers, and a cook, who will tend to the mules, prepare meals, and pack your gear. We will also provide a full backcountry camp, including a kitchen and hot meals. Hikers will be accompanied by a hiking guide, who hikes with guests as the cook and packers ride ahead to set up camp.

We typically cover 5-15 miles per day, and guests and the mules are happier with a few layover days to rest and recoup - moving every day is hard work, and there is much to see once you’ve settled into a nice camp.

Or we can send it. It’s magical to experience moving across a great distance, seeing mountains grow before you, climbing them, and watching them shrink into the distance as you hike through vast canyons. I love an adventure, and we offer trips that cover big miles in beautiful country.

Traveling trips can include a backcountry cook, or guests can provide and prepare their own food on a Continuous Hire of Stock and Packer.

For hikers looking to lighten their load and experience the wilderness with added comforts, there are dunnage drops and spot trips. We will pack your food and gear into a camp of your choice, and pick it up later. This is a great option for families with children, people who struggle to carry a heavy backpack due to age or loss of mobility, or folks who just want to be comfortable and eat well in the backcountry. We’ve packed wetsuits and paddle boards, crash pads and fishing rods, ropes and watermelons. We can also resupply thru-hikers on certain sections of the JMT and PCT.

You can also hire a guide and a horse or mule to ride into a camp. 

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Rock Creek holds the only permits for a pack supported thru-hike of the John Muir Trail (JMT). The trip covers 211 miles over 31 days. We also offer 5 - 15 day section hikes on the JMT and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Pack support allows hikers to thru-hike or section hike carrying only a day pack, and are a great option for anyone looking to take a load off while covering many miles.

Specific trips are listed on the Rock Creek website.

I do not cook for every trip listed on the Rock Creek website. I work alongside 3 dozen backcountry cooks and guides, some of whom make better mashed potatoes than I do, or tell funnier jokes, and know things about the mules and the wilderness that I do not. There are great cooks and guides leading wilderness adventures all over the world, and we each have a wealth of skills and knowledge to offer our guests.

Please contact me if you are interested in hiring me for a specific trip, or a fully custom trip.

Most people are more comfortable on their own two feet than they are in the saddle. Others will take great pleasure in enjoying the wilderness on horseback, and a bit of practice goes a long way in enjoying yourself on a riding trip.

Riding is a physically demanding activity that requires the use of muscles and movements that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for people who don’t ride regularly. Guides will provide basic instruction in how to ride, and that is sufficient for inexperienced riders to be comfortable riding in and out of a Basecamp. The High Sierra presents some of the most challenging trails in the world, and guests without extensive trail riding experience are encouraged to take riding lessons in preparation for lengthier riding trips.

There are physical limitations on how much weight a horse or mule can carry, and for their safety we cannot offer rides to guests over 240 lbs. We are happy to provide pack support to people of all sizes and abilities, and some of our guides are fat folks with experience navigating the wilderness in a larger body.

Please contact me if you have questions regarding accessibility - pack mules allow us to get creative in providing comforts and mobility aids that may not be available in remote areas otherwise.

Riding trips are more costly and more impactful on the wilderness than hiking trips. Keeping mules and horses healthy and happy requires a lot of resources, and with increasing limitations on grazing, we must pack in cubes and grain for them to eat. For this reason, most of our pack trips are offered as hiking trips, but many trips allow for guests to hire a riding animal for an additional charge.

Most people are more comfortable on their own two feet than they are in the saddle. Others will take great pleasure in enjoying the wilderness on horseback, and a bit of practice goes a long way in enjoying yourself on a riding trip.

Riding is a physically demanding activity that requires the use of muscles and movements that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for people who don’t ride regularly. Guides will provide basic instruction in how to ride, and that is sufficient for inexperienced riders to be comfortable riding in and out of a Basecamp. The High Sierra presents some of the most challenging trails in the world, and guests without extensive trail riding experience are encouraged to take riding lessons in preparation for lengthier riding trips.

There are physical limitations on how much weight a horse or mule can carry, and for their safety we cannot offer rides to guests over 240 lbs. We are happy to provide pack support to people of all sizes and abilities, and some of our guides are fat folks with experience navigating the wilderness in a larger body.

Please contact me if you have questions regarding accessibility - pack mules allow us to get creative in providing comforts and mobility aids that may not be available in remote areas otherwise.

Riding trips are more costly and more impactful on the wilderness than hiking trips. Keeping mules and horses healthy and happy requires a lot of resources, and with increasing limitations on grazing, we must pack in cubes and grain for them to eat. For this reason, most of our pack trips are offered as hiking trips, but many trips allow for guests to hire a riding animal for an additional charge.

Your packers and cook will ride ahead of you while you hike the trail with a daypack and a hiking guide. You'll arrive at camp, gather your bags, get comfortable, and enjoy the rest of the day.

Some trips require hiking only a few miles on well-graded trail, others entail hiking many miles over rough terrain on rocky, steep trails. There are thousands of miles of trail in the Sierra, and many opportunities for novice, intermediate, and experienced hikers to enjoy themselves.

Day Rides are available at Rock Creek, Cottonwood, and Virginia Lakes Pack Stations, as well as at Convict Lake Resort, and out of Riverspring, where guests can ride out to view wild mustangs on the Nevada border. Day rides are great for inexperienced riders, guests preparing for riding trips, or equestrians looking to enjoy the Sierra on Horseback.

Book a Day Ride.