On a trail to Jackson Peak (By Corey Hendrickson)

Take a Guided Camping Excursion into the High Country

For a glimpse of a Hiking Safari, click here to see a 30-second video.

Head off with our backpacking guides to hike and camp in one of the wildest, most pristine stretches of North America. You need only carry a daypack and drinking water. Our guides will take care of the rest.

Walk through fields of wildflowers, hike up a 10,000-foot peak, cast your line in a remote mountain lake. Come back to a warm shower at our camp. As the sun is setting, sip a glass of wine and dig into a sizzling rib eye (or sizzling eggplant, if you prefer) in our Safari-style tent camp. Then, fall asleep in surprisingly comfortable style. Wake up in the morning and watch the sun's first rays on the Tetons.

Guests staying at our ranch have first choice in making reservations for our Hiking Safaris. But the trips are also open to other Jackson Hole visitors and locals.

What is a typical itinerary?

Designed for hikers in reasonably fit condition, this route involves hiking on three days and staying two nights at our camp. On the first afternoon, we pick you up in the town of Jackson and drive you to the trailhead. That afternoon, our guide will lead you up a trail with magnificent vistas of the Tetons to our Safari-style tent camp on Sheep Creek (elevation 8,400 feet). Depending on your inclination, you can hike from one to four miles on this first day. You'll dine at the camp, watch the Milky Way, retire to your tent, and wake up for a hearty camp breakfast. The second day, you'll hike four miles, gaining another 1,000 feet in altitude, to Goodwin Lake, where brook trout abound. If you're so inclined, our guide will lead you another three miles, gaining another 1,300 feet, until you reach the top of a local landmark, Jackson Peak (elevation 10,741). The trail to the rocky summit is steep but does not require technical climbing skills. Those who don't want to climb the peak can fish or read at Goodwin Lake. When you get back to our camp in the afternoon, treat yourself to a dousing in our propane-powered warm shower. On the morning of the third day, you'll hike a few miles on a trail below our camp and then be driven back to town. Or, if you have booked a stay at our ranch, we'll drive you to another trailhead from which you can hike down to the ranch in about three hours.

Are there other itineraries?

Yes. We have shorter, less difficult routes for visitors who want to spend a less vigorous night or two in the backcountry. And for more aggressive hikers who want to a tougher challenge, we offer more difficult itineraries. For details, click Contact Us and email us a message.

How much does a Hiking Safari cost?

1 Night Hiking Safari (Hike on 2 days)	$210 per person (minimum 2)
2 Night Hiking Safari (Hike on 3 days)	$420 per person (minimum 2)
Each additional person in a tent age 11 or older	$175 per person (per night)
Each additional child in a tent younger than 11	$125 per person (per night)

Please Note:

1. In addition to these base rates, we will add a 15% gratuity that goes to our staff, plus 2.4% for Wyoming sales tax and U.S. Forest Service user fees.
2. For safety reasons, we don't take children younger than seven on Hiking Safaris.
3. Our Hiking Safari season is June 21 to August 22.

What These Rates Include:

• Hot breakfasts and dinners and sack lunches during the trip, from dinner on the first day through breakfast on the last day.
• Complimentary wine or beer at dinner.
• Use of our tents and camping gear, including sleeping bags and bag liners.
• Drinking water.
• Local transportation between the trailhead and Jackson. (Or, if you would prefer, you may drive your own vehicle and park it at the trailhead.)

Where do the Hiking Safaris take place?

Our Safari-style tented camp is on Sheep Creek, about eight miles northeast of the town of Jackson and seven miles southwest of Flat Creek Ranch. From our Sheep Creek camp, trails spread through approximately 100 square miles of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Gros Ventre National Wilderness Area. It is rugged mountain territory that includes virgin forests, huge open views of the Tetons, and two dozen peaks over 10,000 feet - nearly all of them not named on the map. Our authorized hiking territory extends from the Snow King ski area at the edge of the town of Jackson eastward to the Sleeping Indian mountain (elevation 11,239 feet) , and southward to Cache Peak (elevation 10,300 feet). Within that unspoiled stretch of high country are two of Jackson Hole's more productive backcountry trout fishing lakes - Goodwin Lake and Turquoise Lake.

What should I know about hiking at altitudes?

When you breathe in the mountains, you take in less oxygen than when you breathe at sea level. If you are not acclimatized to mountain altitudes, you may experience altitude sickness, whose symptoms include headaches, nausea and irritability - and in severe cases, pulmonary or cerebral edema.

If you live at or close to sea level and fly to Jackson Hole, you should rest for a day before you do serious hiking.

What You Should Bring Along:

• A daypack.
• Sturdy hiking boots that you've already broken in, along with wool socks designed for hiking.
• A hikers' water bag that will fit into your daypack or a plastic water bottle. In addition, we'll give you a Flat Creek Ranch plastic water bottle for your daypack. (To avoid dehydration in the high country, an average adult should drink roughly 2-3 quarts of water a day.)
• Sun block and sun glasses.
• Insect repellant.
• Lightweight long-sleeved shirt and long pants in case the horseflies are out.   
• A hat.
• A camera.
• A pocket knife.
• A flashlight.
• A small bag containing a change of clothes which can be stowed at the camp while you are hiking.
• A rain jacket.
• If you have your own hiking poles, bring them. Otherwise, we'll supply hiking poles.
• If you plan to fish and have a favorite fly rod whose case is small enough to attach to your daypack, bring it. Otherwise, you can share one of our fishing rods. Waders aren’t necessary.
• If you plan to fish, you’ll need a one-day Wyoming fishing license. (To avoid delays in getting started, we suggest that you buy your license at any fly shop in Jackson before we pick you up. One fly shop that is familiar with the fishing in the waters around Flat Creek Ranch, including Goodwin Lake, is High Country Flies.)

The Fine Print

• Smoking: To help prevent fires, we don't allow smoking except in one designated area at camp. Smoking is forbidden inside tents.
• Pets: To avoid possible conflicts with wildlife, we don't allow dogs or other pets.
• Deposits: We require a 30% deposit to guarantee a reservation. We can accept Visa, MasterCard or personal checks.
• Final Payment: The balance, including tax and a 15-percent gratuity for our staff, is owed to us two weeks prior to your Hiking Safari. (If you make a reservation within two weeks of your Hiking Safari, we'll expect you to pay in full when you make your booking.)
• Cancellation Policy: With such a short season, cancellations really hurt us. If you must cancel, we will return half of your deposit - provided you tell us at least 60 days prior to your arrival. Later than that, your deposit will be non-refundable unless we can rebook your Hiking Safari. In that case, we'll refund half of your deposit.
• Arrival and Departure:
• We will pick you in the town of Jackson in the mid-afternoon of the first day of your Hiking Safari. (You should make your own arrangements to stay in town the previous night.)
• We'll deliver you back to town around noon on the last day of your Hiking Safari. (If you are not booking a stay at the ranch following your Hiking Safari, you should make your own overnight arrangements.)
• Storage: If you want to store suitcases during your Hiking Safari, we will keep them at our camp (or at our storage unit in town) at no extra charge. Please let us know in advance so we can plan.
• Liability Release: We can only accept guests willing to sign liability releases. You can find a copy of the releases at www.flatcreekranch.com/release.pdf.

A Typical Tent (By Garth Dowling)


Inside a Tent (By Garth Dowling)



Goodwin Lake (By Becky Woods)

Jackson Peak (By Franz Camenzind)

Sights Along The Way (By Corey Hendrickson)

Granite Highline Trail (By Becky Woods)