Guided trips . Los Gatos . since 2014

Go somewhere your phone gives up.

Small groups, real guides, the parts of California with no bars. We handle the permits, the food and the route. You carry a daypack's worth of worry, which is none.

See the five trips Price a trip

10 people max. Always.

drag one around . sample photos

Five trips . 2 to 7 days

Pick a postcard. Flip it.

Trips run between April and October, with a guide for every five guests. The photo is the place. The back is what the days are really like, written by the guide who leads it.

  • A clear blue alpine lake ringed by pale granite domes and pines

    Sierra hut to hut

    3 to 6 daysfrom $1,130moderate

    Granite, lakes you can drink from with a filter, and a hut with a stove at the end of every day. Bring a swimsuit. Maya

    Miles a day
    6 to 9
    You sleep
    Staffed huts
    Best months
    Jul to Sep
    The whole Sierra trip
  • Grey surf breaking around sea stacks below green coastal hills under heavy cloud

    Big Sur coast backpack

    2 to 4 daysfrom $650easy to moderate

    Ridge camps 2,000 feet over the ocean. The fog rolls in under you at night. Long pants for the poison oak. June

    Miles a day
    5 to 8
    You sleep
    Ridge tents
    Best months
    Apr to Jun, Oct
    The whole Big Sur trip
  • Three small bright kayaks with paddlers spread across calm blue sea, seen from above

    Channel Islands kayak camp

    3 to 5 daysfrom $1,300paddling

    Ferry out, set camp, paddle into sea caves before the wind comes up. No experience for the 3 day. Teo

    Paddle a day
    4 to 8 miles
    You sleep
    Island camp
    Best months
    Jul to Sep
    The whole kayak trip
  • A white pickup truck raising dust on a rocky dirt track across bare brown hills

    Eastern Sierra hot springs overland

    3 to 7 daysfrom $1,050easy

    Two 4x4 trucks, short hikes, and a hot spring at dawn with steam on the sagebrush. Grandparents welcome. Dev

    Hiking a day
    2 to 5 miles
    You sleep
    Desert camp
    Best months
    Apr, May, Sep, Oct
    The whole overland trip
  • An empty wild beach with gentle surf, a long shoreline and a walker's shadow on the sand

    The Lost Coast trek

    3 to 4 daysfrom $1,110moderate

    25 miles of beach with no road. The tide table sets the alarm. Sand in everything, worth it. Rosa

    Miles a day
    6 to 9, on sand
    You sleep
    Beach camp
    Best months
    May, Jun, Sep
    The whole Lost Coast trip

Want your own dates? Private trips

Sierra hut to hut . the 5 day

Five days, drawn in pen.

This is the line Maya walks every July. Scroll and the ink follows her boots from the trailhead to the last hut. Each camp writes itself in when you get there.

  1. Day 17.2 miles, up 1,900 ft. Pine shade, first lake, first hut.
  2. Day 26.4 miles. Granite benches and a lunch swim.
  3. Day 38.8 miles over the high pass. The big day, done by 3pm.
  4. Day 45.9 miles. Easy day, long nap, fishing if you want.
  5. Day 56.1 miles, mostly down. Burgers at the trailhead town.

we carry the stove, you carry snacks

Stamped on every trip

The boring stuff, done for you.

Permits are a lottery in the Sierra and a ferry booking on the islands. We file both months ahead. Food is planned for allergies. Group gear is checked, cleaned and packed before you show up in the lot.

  • Wilderness permits filed for the whole group
  • Every meal on trail, cooked by a guide
  • Ferry seats and shuttle to the trailhead
  • Trash, food scraps and toilet paper packed out

around the fire, night two

The best part has no photo.

Dinner is done. Somebody's boots are steaming by the fire. The guide who was all business at the river crossing is telling the story about the bear and the peanut butter, and you can see more stars than you knew there were.

That is the hour people book the second trip for. We plan the whole day around getting you there warm, fed and not too tired to stay up for it.

Save a spot by the fire
A campfire burning on a gravel riverbank at dusk, dark trees behind it
sample photo, river camp

Trip estimator

What would it cost?

Pick a trip, the days and your crew. The number prints on the stub. It uses the same rates as our pricing page, so there is no surprise later.

Trip estimator

Price a trip in four taps.

4
4
Where you sleep
Admit your group Sierra hut to hut 4 days, 4 guests, trail camp Per person $1,680 Group total$6,720 Deposit to hold dates$1,680 Guides with you1 guide Group ratex1.0, small group Included: every meal on trail, permits, group gear, a wilderness first responder. Estimate only. Dates and permits confirm the real number. No. 03532

Who you walk with

Six guides. All of them first responders.

Every guide holds a wilderness first responder card, renewed every two years. Most have been doing this longer than they have owned a car.

  • MayaLead guide, Sierra14 seasons
  • TeoSea kayak lead9 seasons
  • RosaCoast treks11 seasons
  • DevOverland, drives the trucks8 seasons
  • JuneBig Sur, plants and birds6 seasons
  • AshGuide and camp chef12 seasons

Meet the guides and see their packs

Mail we got back

Three postcards from guests.

  • "I have never slept that well on the ground. Ash's breakfast burritos should be illegal."

    Priya and Sam, San Jose . Sierra hut to hut, August

  • "My dad is 71. Dev had him in the hot spring at sunrise and he still talks about it."

    Hector, Campbell . Eastern Sierra overland, May

  • "Two kids, zero meltdowns, one sea lion. Teo is a saint."

    The Lindqvist family, Saratoga . Channel Islands kayak, July

Sample reviews for this demo site.

Read all nine postcards

Write to the trip desk

Tell us the trip in your head.

A month, a rough group size and how far you like to walk is plenty. A guide writes back within one business day with dates that have permits open.

Rather talk? Call (408) 555-0138, Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5. You get a guide, not a call center.

yes, gift trips come in an envelope

To: the trip desk, 14 Lyndon Ave, Los Gatos

Phone or email, whichever you actually check.

A guide reads every one.