John Muir Pack Trips

Introduction
California USA
You are invited to experience the natural beauty that John Muir fought to save and spend a precious few days in a special kind of paradise!

Get away from the city life for a few days and take your family, sweetheart or best bud to enjoy a short, but most memorable wilderness pack trip into the High Sierras of magnificent California. Explore the vast areas of the John Muir Wilderness Park throughout the glorious summer days; discover deep canyons, lush meadows, impressive snow-capped mountains and the hundreds of intricate alpine streams and lakes. This is the largest wilderness region of California, located in the prime central of Sierra Nevada and it encompasses more then one-half million acres within the Sierra and Inyo National Forests. Elevations range from 5,000 to the incredible 14,495 feet of Mt. Whitney. The wilderness here was named after John Muir, a dedicated preservationist and activist, who referred to the Sierra Nevada as "the most beautiful of all the mountain chains." 

Accomodation

Accommodation
These are pack trips and all nights are spent camping (camp locations vary depending on the program chosen).

Description
We have a wide variety of tents available (single, double, or family), so please let us know what type you prefer if you have not already. There is a solar shower and privy with toilet seat and tent at the campsite. There is no generator on our trips -- no electrical source is available.
We do not provide ground mats or sleeping bags, so you must bring your own! 



Meals
All meals are included from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on the last day.

Food is typically sourced from local establishments. We strive to provide a deluxe dining experience and tailor our menus to reflect the tastes of our guests. We prepare breakfast and dinner.

A hot breakfast is prepared fresh each morning. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads are available at lunch and dinner each day.
Lunch is a build-your-own affair, typically completed before breakfast is served. Sandwich makings, fruits, and snacks are available for you to create your own take-along meal.
Each dinner has a different entrée (beef, chicken, pork, etc).

Alcohol is not included in this trip, but guests are free to bring their own.

Dietary Restrictions
We can cater to vegetarians with prior notice.

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding


Pace
Riding experience is considered when fitting you for a mount. There are plenty of horses and mules to choose from to fit your expertise. All trips go at a walk. Our crew will help you get comfortable before we leave the pack station. We ride as few as 2 hours or as many as 6 hours in a day.

Horses
Approximately 130 horses and mules are the backbone of the operation. Pack mules carry the provisions for trail riders, hikers, and those wishing to have their gear packed to a wilderness campsite. Mules typically carry 150-240 pounds of equipment, food and dunnage and work from June through September. During the off season, livestock graze fields in the Owens Valley.
Horses and mules come to the pack station as four to five year old green broke. After a couple of years of training they spend up to another twenty to twenty-five years working in the Sierra.

Tack
You are encouraged to bring your own saddle if you have one. However, if your tack doesn't fit our stock, or we deem is unsafe, you will not be able to use it.

Guides
Each year young men and women bring youth and enthusiasm to a crew of senior packers and cooks. Most of the crew come from ranch backgrounds and once they start packing with us, they have a hard time ever leaving. Every member of the crew carries on the traditions of the talented men and women who started the business in the 1940s. New employees learn the trails, traditions, and develop skills to serve another generation of guests. Only the most able, hard working and those with exceptional people skills succeed as staff.

Itinerary


Each of the different departure dates will have their own specific itinerary, but all of them will follow the guidelines below:
- Your arrival and meeting at the Pack Station will be for 7:00am of Day 1 and most rides start at 7:30am. On the last day of the trip, a van takes you back to the pack station, generally around 4:30pm to 6:00pm.
- On the longer itinerary there are layover days where you can ride and explore the area from camp. Most of our camps also have opportunities for fishing during the day.-
Because the trip starts in the early morning, we highly recommend you make arrangements for an extra overnight in a local hotel the night before to experience minimum stress when finding the pack station and arriving on time.

4 Day Trip, AP Hilton Lakes Ride from Rock Creek - Click here for more info
Be among the first of the season to enjoy the beauty of nearby Hilton Lakes, on this four-day trip we camp near Davis Lake, the largest lake in the area. There will be time for you to explore the upper lakes and the meadows below the Basin on horseback.

4 day Trip, AP Fourth of July Ride from Rock Creek- Click here for more info
Celebrate the 4th of July by starting out on a four-day trail ride to Davis Lake or Lake #2. Fishing is great, with day rides to Turk Meadows, Lower Hilton Creek and the Upper Hilton Lakes.

4 day Trip, AP Cottonwood Lake
Meet at Horseshoe Meadow and travel to our camp at Cottonwood Lake. We will have day rides from the camp. Return to Horseshoe. Outstanding Golden trout fishing!

5 Day Trip, AP Golden Trout- Click here for more info
The route begins at Horseshoe Meadows and continues to South Fork Kern, then travel to our campsite near Golden Trout Creek below Tunnel Meadows. Layover days allow for rides to Little Whitney Meadows, South Fork of the Kern in Templeton/Ramshaw Meadows and options to ride to Kern Peak and Big Whitney Meadows. On the last day, we ride back to Horseshoe Meadows.

3 Day Trip, AP Parent and Child Ride from Rock Creek- Click here for more info
We invite you and your child to join us for three days of riding, fishing and camping. Learn how to care for your horse and enjoy comfortable camping. A wonderful experience for those who enjoy meeting others with similar interests.

3 Day Trip, AP Labor Day Special
A leisurely trail ride to the lakes and streams of the East Fork of Rock Creek. Our camp at Dorothy Lake provides easy access to Catherine, Buck, Francis, Deer and Dam lakes. The Tamarack Basin provides alternating forest, meadows and streams - ideal for those seeking wilderness seclusion without a long ride to camp.

3 Day Trip, AP Fall Colors Special
A leisurely trail ride to the lakes and streams of the East Fork of Rock Creek. Our camp provides easy access to Catherine, Buck, Francis, Deer and Dam lakes. The Tamarack Basin provides alternating forest, meadows and streams - ideal for those seeking wilderness seclusion without a long ride to camp.

3 Day Trip, AP Dorothy Lake Trail Ride (not offered in 2022 & 2023) 
A leisurely trail ride to the lakes and streams of the East Fork of Rock Creek. Camp at Dorothy Lake gives easy access to Catherine, Buck, Francis, Deer and Dam lakes. The alternating forest, meadows and streams of the Tamarack Basin makes this the ideal trip for those seeking wilderness seclusion without a long ride to camp.

4 Day Trip, AP Hoover Lakes
Riders will depart from scenic Green Creek, and return there, riding up to East Lake. Enjoy great fishing and the secluded wilderness. The Hoover Lakes Basin is known for its beautiful lakes and unique Eastern Sierra landscape.

4 Day Trip, AP Mulkey Meadows Trail
Explore the Golden Trout Wilderness with a loop heading over Trail Pass into the meadows and stringers of the Kern Plateau. This is a secluded wilderness area with vast meadows and trails to explore. We make a loop with camps at Little Whitney and Big Whitney Meadows crossing both Barringer and Cottonwood Passes.



Note: This tour is operating under permit with the USDA Forest Service through Special Use Permit on the Inyo National Forest.

Rates and Dates for John Muir Pack Trips

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Pack Station/ Cottonwood
Airport: Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH)
Transfer: --

Climate:
                                                Bishop area