The Wyoming Trading Post Guide to Horseback Camping

Horseback camping is the classic form of wilderness travel in the American West, and almost two centuries after the rendezvous era it still does things no other form of travel can. A pack string can carry hundreds of pounds of camp gear and food into terrain a backpacker would need days to reach. A horse-camp base with a wall tent and a wood stove stays comfortable in weather that drives a backpacker home. And riding country at horse pace, five to fifteen miles a day, with time to look, gives a relationship to landscape that walking or motoring cannot.

It is also harder than backpacking. The skill stack is bigger, the financial commitment is bigger, and the consequences of mistakes are bigger. This guide is the complete reference: how to start, what to learn, what to buy, how to plan a trip, and the parts that nobody tells beginners until they hit them in the field.

Three ways to start

There is no shortcut to becoming a competent backcountry horseback camper. There are three legitimate entry paths, in order of recommended sequence:

Path 1: Outfitted trips. A 4-7 day guided trip with a licensed outfitter is the right first experience. You will learn what real backcountry stock work looks like, see how a wall tent camp is set up, watch how panniers are loaded and tied, and develop a realistic sense of what owning the kit yourself would entail. Most importantly, you will eat camp food cooked on a wood stove a hundred miles from the nearest road and discover whether this is a hobby you genuinely want or a hobby you thought you wanted.

Cost: a fully supported multi-day trip is a significant expense; get quotes from several licensed outfitters.

Path 2: Back Country Horsemen volunteer trips. After 2-3 outfitted trips, join your state or regional chapter of Back Country Horsemen and participate in trail-clearing and maintenance trips. These are unguided in the sense that you bring your own stock if you have them, or sometimes ride borrowed stock from chapter members. The atmosphere is mentor-heavy, you ride and camp with people who have been doing this for decades and want to teach the next generation.

Cost: chapter dues plus your own gear and travel.

Path 3: Owning your own outfit. After 5-10 trips through paths 1 and 2, you’ll know whether to invest in your own stock and gear. The decision is significant: a complete two-rider, two-pack-animal outfit is a large up-front cost and an ongoing time and financial commitment closer to running a small farm than to owning camping gear.

Cost: as above.

Skipping paths 1 and 2 and going directly to path 3 is a classic mistake. The cost of learning by trial and error with your own stock is much higher than the cost of outfitted trips, and the consequences (injured horse, ruined gear, unsafe encounters) are real.

Choosing stock

If you eventually own your own outfit, the stock selection is the most important decision you will make. The right horses make a hard trip easy; the wrong horses make an easy trip a disaster.

Saddle horses for backcountry use should be:

• Sound (no chronic lameness, structurally correct).
• Calm (spook resistance is not optional in grizzly country or around stock blowdown).
• Well-broke to mountain conditions specifically (steep terrain, river crossings, blowdown, switchbacks).
• Moderate size (taller horses don’t help and are harder to mount on the trail).
• Mature but not old (younger horses lack experience; older ones start having soundness limits).
• Good doers (maintains weight on natural forage; expensive horses that need supplement are bad pack stock).

Quarter horses, Tennessee Walkers, Mustangs, and various crossbreeds are all common in backcountry strings. The breed matters less than the individual animal’s training and disposition.

Pack stock has different requirements:

• Same soundness and calm as saddle horses, plus:
• Comfortable carrying loads from the front (sawbuck or Decker pack saddle pressure).
• Trained to lead in a pack string (front animal stays with the lead rope; back animals don’t crowd or pull back).
• Many packers prefer mules for pack work, for their sure-footedness and their steadiness in tight terrain. Quarter horses and Mustangs work fine as pack horses; many working outfitters use them.

A complete two-rider outfit runs four head: two saddle horses, two pack animals (or a saddle horse plus lease arrangements if you’re not ready to own the whole string), the single biggest line item in the total startup cost. Some operations get by with three (two riders sharing the second pack animal between them). Single-pack-animal trips for two riders force aggressive minimization of camp comfort and food.

The gear stack

Beyond the basic riding tack (saddle, pad, bridle, breast collar, breeching, halter, lead, hobbles), backcountry horseback camping requires:

Pack stock equipment

• Pack saddle. Sawbuck (older traditional design) or Decker (the Forest Service standard in Idaho and Montana).
• Pack pad. Wool or felt pad larger than a riding pad.
• Panniers. Canvas-and-leather oblong boxes, two per pack animal. Canvas and leather panniers are not bear-resistant; where food-storage orders apply you need hard-sided bear-resistant panniers or another approved method.
• Top pack / manty tarp. 8x10 or 10x12 canvas tarp.
• Lash rope. 40 feet of 1/2” cotton for diamond hitching. Cotton grips better than synthetic in knots.
• Cinch and breast collar specific to the pack saddle. Neoprene for multi-day wet conditions; mohair for dry summer trips.
• Spare halter and lead rope. A 10-foot poly braid lead with a bull snap shrugs off mud, water and cold better than cotton, and the snap opens one-handed while the other hand holds the horse.
• Hoof boots for barefoot stock on rocky trail, such as the EasyBoot Trail. They’re sold per boot by hoof size, so trace each hoof and measure width and length against the maker’s chart before ordering; a boot one size off won’t stay on.

Camp gear (carried in panniers)

• Wall tent or teepee. A 10x12 or 12x14 wall tent, or a teepee. The defining piece of a horse camp.
• Wood stove. A small collapsible tent stove.
• Bedroll. Per the bedrolls article, canvas tarp and two wool blankets.
• Cooking gear. Lodge camp Dutch oven (5 qt, 3-legged for direct coals), skillet, graniteware percolator, enamelware mugs and plates, basic utensils.
• Tools. Bow saw, axe, shovel, spare lash rope, spare cinch. Leatherman Wave Plus for field repairs.
• First aid (human and stock). See the first aid kit article.
• Communications. Garmin inReach Mini or equivalent satellite messenger.

Food

• 1.5 lbs per person per day for moderate trip (less for long backcountry; more for cold weather).
• Mix of fresh (first 1-2 days), shelf-stable (entire trip), and freeze-dried (later days).
• Bear-resistant food storage is required across much of the Greater Yellowstone area. On the Bridger-Teton, for example, unattended food has to be in a hard-sided vehicle, an IGBC-certified bear-resistant container, or hung at least 10 feet up; the Pinedale and Big Piney district offices lend bear-resistant panniers.

A complete kit for a 4-rider weekend trip in panniers is roughly:

• 4 panniers × ~95 lbs each = 380 lbs of camp gear, food, and stock supplies
• 2 top-load bedrolls × ~28 lbs = 56 lbs
• Total: ~440 lbs, or about 220 lbs per animal on 2 pack animals. That is a heavy load; a third pack animal lightens it.

The detailed pack-out for a specific 4-day Bighorn trip is in our companion article on packing for a Bighorns horse trip.

Route planning

The single most important pre-trip work is verifying that the route exists, is open, and is appropriate for the party.

Step 1: Pick a destination. For a first solo trip, choose:

• A wilderness area with established stock-use trails (Cloud Peak in the Bighorns is a good beginner choice).
• A trip length matched to experience: first solo trip, one night out at most.
• Elevation moderate (under 10,500 ft) to reduce altitude stress on stock and riders.

- Trailhead within 4-6 hours of home for the first trip.

Step 2: Verify trail conditions. Call the relevant Forest Service ranger district (in Wyoming, usually the Bridger-Teton, Shoshone, Bighorn, or Medicine Bow-Routt) two weeks before the trip. Ask:

• Is the trail open?
• Any blowdown reports?
• Snow conditions on passes?
• Stock-use restrictions in effect?
• Recent grizzly bear activity reports?

Step 3: Get the maps. USGS topographic quads for the route at 1:24,000 scale, plus the Forest Service motor vehicle use map and wilderness map. Cell coverage is unreliable in most of Wyoming wilderness; printed maps are essential.

Step 4: File a trip plan. Tell at least one person at home: planned route, planned camps each night, expected return time, whom to call if you don’t return on schedule, GPS coordinates of trailhead and approximate camps.

Step 5: Permits. Rules vary by wilderness, so always verify. In the Bridger Wilderness, organized groups and overnight trips with stock need a permit, groups are capped at 15 people and 25 head of stock, and stock can’t be tied within 200 feet of a lake or 100 feet of a stream. Non-residents hunting big or trophy game in any designated wilderness in Wyoming must have a licensed guide or a resident guide with them.

Stock care in the field

The work that consumes the most time on a horse camp is stock care. Plan accordingly:

Morning routine (60-90 minutes):

1. Check all stock at first light. Look for injuries, lameness, loose shoes, eye irritation, signs of colic.
2. Hoof pick and visual check of each foot.
3. Move from picket line to grazing area; let them graze for 60-90 minutes.
4. Brush, tack, pack as appropriate.

Trail discipline:

• Single-file on narrow trails. Lead pack stock behind saddle stock.
• Stop every 60-90 minutes for 5-10 minute breathing rest.
• Adjust loads if you see slipping or rubbing during the rest.
• Water at every safe water source. Avoid letting stock drink from stagnant pools where giardia or contamination is likely.

Evening routine (60-90 minutes):

1. Untack at camp, brush down, check feet.
2. Set picket line at least 200 ft from lakes, 100 ft from streams, and away from camp.
3. Distribute weed-free pellets / hay net feed.
4. Hobble or picket per the local rules.
5. Final check before dark for injuries or signs of stress.

Overnight:

• Move picket location every night to avoid soil compaction.
• Be prepared to respond to stock disturbance, bear sign, blown trees, escaped stock.

This time commitment to stock care is why outfitters charge what they charge. The riding is the easy part.

Weather and emergencies

The Mountain West weather is unforgiving. Standard considerations:

Daily weather pattern. July and August: morning sun, afternoon thunderstorms (usually 1-4 PM), evening clearing. Plan to be off exposed ridges and high passes by noon. Ride in the morning, camp by mid-afternoon.

Cold weather management. Even summer trips can hit 25°F overnight at altitude. Wool layers, Pendleton blanket, heavyweight wool socks, lined work gloves, dry sleeping system, and a working wood stove are non-negotiable.

Lightning protocol. The real protection is timing: be off ridges and passes before the storms build. If you are caught above timberline anyway, dismount, get away from the horses, spread the party out (NOLS teaches about 50-foot intervals so one strike can’t take everyone), and crouch low in the lightning position, on a foam pad if you have one.

Stock injuries. Common: thrown shoe, hoof puncture, scrape from blowdown. Rare but serious: colic, broken leg, snakebite, severe laceration. Have a vet contact in the planning stage, and know how you would get an injured animal out; in remote country the nearest vet can be hours away.

Personal injury. Per the first aid article, satellite messenger, real first aid kit, real training.

Costs over time

Once you own the outfit, the recurring costs of horseback camping are not trivial:

• Stock care year-round: boarding or pasture, feed, vet, and farrier, for every head, every month.
• Truck and trailer maintenance.
• Tack and gear replacement.
• Trip costs: fuel, lodging in and out, supplies.

Add it up before you buy. It costs less if you have land and can pasture stock yourself, more in expensive boarding markets.

This is why most people who horseback camp do so via outfitters or chapter trips rather than personally owning the outfit. Both are valid; the cost difference is significant.

What nobody tells beginners

Three things that consistently surprise people on their first few backcountry horse trips:

1. Stock takes more time than the riding. A 6-hour riding day is preceded by 90 minutes of morning routine and followed by 90 minutes of evening care. Managing two pack horses on a four-day trip is roughly like having two energetic dogs along, except the dogs weigh half a ton each and can hurt themselves badly in a moment of inattention. Expect camp, stock, and route work to take more of the trip than riding does.

2. You will be sore in places you didn’t know existed. The first three days of a trip are physically demanding even for experienced riders. Pre-trip conditioning matters, saddle time in the weeks before the trip, plus general fitness.

3. Weight management is unforgiving. Every pound you bring is a pound a horse carries up a switchback. Every “I might need this” item adds up. The discipline of packing minimally is a learned skill.

Resources

• Back Country Horsemen of America (and state chapters), chapter resources, trail-clearing trip schedules, mentor network.
• Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, licensed outfitter directory.
• Forest Service ranger districts, current trail conditions, regulations, special use permits.
• Smoke Elser, Packin’ In on Mules and Horses, the standard textbook, first published by Mountain Press in 1980.
• Working outfitters’ videos on packing, hitches, and stock care can be good, but check them against the textbook.

The longer view

The horseback camping tradition in the American West is alive but fragile. The Back Country Horsemen network keeps trails open with volunteer labor; the licensed outfitter community keeps the commercial knowledge alive; the working ranches keep the breeding stock and the practical horsemanship in the broader culture. None of these are guaranteed to continue, and all of them depend on people taking the time to learn the work and to teach the next generation.

If horseback camping appeals to you, the path is clear: book a guided trip, join the Back Country Horsemen, log enough trips that the work becomes second nature, and eventually if it makes sense own the kit yourself. There is no faster way and no shortcut. The country rewards the patience.

It is also one of the most worthwhile things a person can do with their time. The Wind Rivers, the Bighorns, the Tetons, the Bob Marshall, the Frank Church, all of them give themselves up to riders willing to invest the work. Every other form of travel into that country is partial. This one is complete.

Related reading on this site

• How to pack for a four-day horse camp trip in the Bighorns
• Wyoming’s best horse packing trails: a working rider’s shortlist
• The Wyoming regional outfitter directory
• Wyoming outfitters offering horseback hunting trips
• A buyer’s guide to heritage camping bedrolls in 2026
• Building a working-ranch first aid kit
• Wyoming horse breeds: what works in mountain country
• Cody, Wyoming: a local’s guide to the East Gate of Yellowstone
• Lander, Wyoming: NOLS, Sinks Canyon, and the East Slope of the Wind Rivers
• Pinedale, Wyoming: the Bridger Wilderness gateway and Mountain Man capital
• Wyoming hot springs you can actually soak in: fees, seasons, access

Further reading

• Smoke Elser & Bill Brown, Packin’ In on Mules and Horses (Mountain Press Publishing, 1980 with later revisions).
• Joe Back, Horses, Hitches, and Rocky Trails, still in print. The classic packing book by a Dubois, Wyoming, packer, guide and artist.
• Back Country Horsemen of America, Leave No Trace guidance for stock users.
• Our companion articles: Wyoming horse packing trails, packing for a 4-day Bighorns trip, and horseback hunting outfitters.