2 daysGuided
Guided Backpacking Trips Near Glacier
Two to five days in the Flathead National Forest with a guide who carries the plan, the stove and the bear spray, so your first night out, or your fortieth, is the good kind.
The Flathead National Forest borders Glacier National Park on the west and south: 2.4 million acres, three wilderness areas and more than 2,000 miles of trail, with the same mountains and a fraction of the people. Hidden waterfalls, a camp under a blanket of stars, moose and mountain goats and the odd grizzly at a distance. Because it is forest and not park, there is no permit lottery between you and the trip.
We run three trips from our shop in Columbia Falls. All three include the route, two calorie-dense meals a day, bear spray and a guide with years of real mountaineering and hiking experience; the gear comes with the trip or from our rental. One of them was written up by the Daily Inter Lake as a trip to nowhere, which was the point.
Trip details from our guides; forest facts from the Forest Service and the park service, checked October 21, 2026
Pick Your Trip
| Trip | Length | Who it suits | What is different |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro to Backpacking | 2 days, 1 night | First-timers and the nervous | Taught by an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker: pack only what you need, set a proper camp, learn the wilderness habits |
| 3 Day Backpacking Trip | 3 days, 2 nights | Anyone with a weekend and some legs | Deeper into the forest, a remote camp, a packraft on request for an alpine lake |
| Custom Backpacking Trips | 3 to 5 days | Groups who know what they want | You choose the mileage and difficulty; we build the itinerary around your experience |
What We Carry for You
- A lightweight tent, a 50 to 70 liter pack, sleeping bag, pad and pillow, a headlamp.
- Bear safety and first aid equipment, a water filter, cooking equipment.
- Two calorie-dense meals a day, breakfast and dinner; you bring lunch and snacks.
- The map, the GPS and the route decisions, chosen for the season, the conditions and your group.
- Have most of your own gear? Fill the gaps from our ultralight gear rental, the kit our guides use themselves.
Where We Go and When
Routes stay in the Flathead National Forest and the wilderness that borders the park. Your guide picks the valley for the month: the lower drainages melt out in May and June while the high passes hold snow into July, and September brings cold clear nights and the most active bears of the year. Expect stream crossings early, mosquitoes in July, and the chance of snow after mid-September at any elevation.
- Season: roughly June through September; the exact window depends on snow.
- Fitness: the intro trip keeps mileage short; the 3-day and custom trips go as far as you ask.
- Food storage is the law in grizzly country; your guide handles it and shows you how.
Why Not Inside the Park?
Glacier's backcountry needs a wilderness permit from the Apgar office or St. Mary, and the popular routes are a lottery months ahead. Guided hiking inside the park is limited by permit, so we do not run trips there. The forest next door has the same ranges, the Bob Marshall and Great Bear wilderness beyond them, and room to decide your route the week before instead of the winter before.
The Trips
2 daysGuided
3 daysGuided
Guided
Self-GuidedGood to Know
- I have never backpacked. Which trip?
- The 2-day intro. It is built for exactly that: short mileage, a guide who has walked more trail than most people ever will, and the skills you keep. Most people who do it book a longer trip next.
- Do I need my own gear?
- No. Tent, pack, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, headlamp, stove and filter come with the trip or from our gear rental. Bring your own boots, broken in, and clothing for three seasons.
- Is it safe with the bears?
- The forest is grizzly country and we treat it that way: bear spray for everyone, food stored by the rules, camps chosen with care and a guide trained in what to do. Hiking in a group is the park's own first rule and ours.
- How do I book?
- Send your dates, your group and what you want from the trip through the request form or a call to the shop. We plan the details together by email before you arrive.
Your Next Ride Starts Here
Pick a date and see everything you can book, or call the shop and talk to someone who rides these roads every week.