Hike and Packraft: Bitterroot National Forest

Overview

The Bitterroot National Forest is an incredibly beautiful and rugged place with amazing mountains and deep glacial canyons. The trails are not always well maintained, and often times seasonal creeks will deter folks who aren't used to water crossings. You'll be glad you brought a guide along!

The hike and packraft float is an experience unique to Bitterroot Backpacking. You will not find any other guide or company providing this service! (And if you do, they probably found the idea here!)

City: Montana

Mon 23 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $167.00

Make a reservation

Mon 23 Dec

Starting at $167.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Bearspray

Backpacking-style lunch of Patagonia Provisions and/or Mountain House Meals

Guide carries GPS Communicator, First Aid Kit

Trekking Poles

One packraft, paddle, life vest per adult.

Backpacks

Lara Bars, Shar Trail Mix, and Beef (or Vegan) Jerkey

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Anyone in general good health can complete one of these trips. Please inquire before booking!
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (27)

brettgN8131UM

Oct 2022

My group did a 3 day to night Hike and Packraft trip with through Bitterroot Backpacking. Let me preface my review with the fact that I am a backpacking novice who’s previous experience capped out at a 6 mile out and back semi-paved hike. Our guide Luke was super accommodating to unexperienced backpackers. He provided a comprehensive list of essential items to bring along with providing all the expensive gear I didn’t want to buy. He even loaned me a rain jacket because I was coming in from out of state and had limited travel luggage space. He provided detailed descriptions of the hike we had chosen that included distance, elevation gain, and approximate timings that included scheduled breaks and lunch. This helped put my mind at ease and make the challenge seem much more approachable. Being a novice bought brand new boots and sock for my 3 day 30 mile adventure in the wilderness, this turned out to be a big mistake as day 1, hike 1, mile 1 I noticed a stabbing pain in my right heal. Luke noticed I was in trouble and prompted me to take my boot off. I removed my sock to find a half dollar size blister on that heal. I was devastated knowing the next 10 miles of this first day was still to come. LUKE SAVED MY LIFE! He pulled out a blister kit from his pack that relieved irritation and allowed me to complete the trip. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have had to turn back around and ruin the trip for myself and my entire group if Luke was not as prepared as he was. I was able to truly enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Montana, something I have always wanted to do. This is just one example of the many things he provided for us during this trip. At camp he helped pitch tents, get water, prepare delicious meals, and much much more. All these things allowed me and my group to truly enjoy the beautiful views and each other’s company stress free. His other talents included taking amazing pictures of us, steering us clear of aggressive wildlife, and even telling us entertaining stories around the campfire! Ps packrafting might not sound that fun but it was the absolute highlight of my experience!

102kendalk

Oct 2022

Luke took my group on a multiple day trip in the mountains. We had talked with him ahead of time and he was more than patient and helpful with any questions we had. He made sure we were all settled and ready to go when the day to head to the trail came around. He was well-prepared and super knowledgeable of the paths we took and the area we were exploring. He had all the camp/backpacking gear ready to go and made sure we were all comfortable with what we were using for the few days we were with him. As someone who does not regularly go camping and had never been backpacking, Luke was a lifesaver. He made sure entire group was comfortable, keeping the park and trails safe, as well as giving us the opportunity to really enjoy our experience and the beautiful places we were hiking through. He was honestly prepared for everything hiking with a group of people threw at him. Whether it was having his first aid kit handy, taking breaks during the hikes for whatever reason or even having backup options if the hike didn’t go accord to plan, Luke was always calm, professional and ready to do whatever was necessary. Luke was an amazing guide for our entire experience! He made sure we all had a great time on our trip. You can tell how much he truly loves what he does. If you aren’t familiar with the Montana area and all it has to offer, make sure to book a trip with Luke! He will make sure you get to see and experience some genuinely amazing places while you’re there!

davidqshull

Sep 2022

THE TRIP We started our first day (of three) by hiking a beautiful peak. On the way up, Luke got some great photos of us, prepared a tasty lunch for everyone, and shared some interesting information about the sights and area. However, it was on our way down from the peak into a valley that the fun really started. One of our group had waved us to go forward, saying they would catch up momentarily. We navigated around a switchback, and as our group member came back into view (far above us now), we saw a terrifying sight just barely behind her: a grizzly bear barreling down the slope in her direction! She quickly sprinted down the trail towards us, and Luke was ready in a flash. He had his bear spray out and ready to go, calmly reminded us *not* to run from bears, and got everyone in line. The bear had disappeared into some trees that our trail led to, so Luke took us back down the trail slightly to point out an alternate path we would need to take if the bear was ahead. It was at this time that we looked down and saw a grizzly bear cub in the direction we needed to go. Clearly, we'd ended up between a mama grizzly and her cub (the most dangerous position to be in). Luke, ever prepared, procured another can of bear spray and passed it to the group member in the rear of our train. With Luke in the lead, we had bear spray in the front and the back. The next couple of hours were stressful, but Luke kept things light (if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought he saw grizzlies every day, but he later mentioned that they're an extremely rare sight in the Bitterroot), and periodically made sure to make a clamor in order to avoid accidentally sneaking up on a bear. By the time we reached the road, we'd decided as a group that we'd merely gotten a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime story! I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone go out trying to have an experience like this... but if you do, I'd highly recommend having Luke with you! THE PLANNING Normally, planning for a multi-day trip like this can be very stressful. Having to think about walking speed, distance covered, time for camping/food preparation, etc. is a complicated logistical problem. However, Luke made this effortless on our end. We told him the broad strokes of what we were looking to experience, he presented us with some options, and we chose one. Easy! Shortly before our dates, he reached out with bad news: large portions of the area we intended to backpack were dangerously smoky due to nearby fires. I was worried this meant our trip was canceled, but Luke simply had more options to present us. Again, this would normally have been very stressful, but Luke made it nice and simple for us.