Learn the Skills. Find Your Confidence. Get Outside.

There’s something powerful about carrying what you need on your back and walking into the wilderness.

There’s also a lot to learn!

What gear do you actually need? How do you pack a backpack? Where do you get water? What do you eat? How do you choose a place to camp? What happens when you need to pee in the woods?

Our Summer Solstice Women’s Backpack is designed to take some of the mystery and intimidation out of the backpacking experience.

Explore Yosemite’s Range of Light across the Summer Solstice

Over four days in Yosemite’s spectacular backcountry, Balanced Rock’s experienced female guides will teach practical wilderness skills while supporting you through the experience of traveling and camping in the mountains.

Along the way, we’ll make space for something equally important: slowing down.

Morning yoga, trailside mindfulness, evening reflection, shared meals, laughter, quiet moments, and the rhythms of moving through wild places are woven into the adventure.

Come away with memories from a long weekend in Yosemite, and skills and confidence you can carry into your next adventure!

Your tuition includes:

• Professional guiding from expert female backcountry guides

• Yosemite wilderness permits and park entry reservations (if reservation system is in effect)

• Group camping equipment, including tents, stoves, water filtration systems, and bear canisters

• Nutritious backcountry meals (you won’t find any dehydrated meals here!)

• Backpacking and wilderness-skills instruction

• Daily yoga and mindfulness practices

• Guided group reflection and connection

• Pre-trip preparation and packing guidance

• A detailed gear list

• Access to limited loaner gear or support for REI gear rentals

• Four days of learning, exploring, and sleeping under the Sierra sky

Note that you tuition does not include Yosemite National Park entrance fees, as these must be paid individually upon entrance to the park. Please visit Yosemite National Park’s website for current entry rates.

Making You Travel Plans: we highly recommend arriving to the area at least a day before the trip begins. Our team can recommend local lodging entities upon request.

The closest airport is Fresno International, which is approx. 2-2.5 hours from Yosemite National Park. We recommend renting a car or exploring carpool options with your fellow trip participants. All registered participants will be emailed a contact list upon registration, which is only shared amongst those trip participants and guides. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance.

SAMPLE TRIP SCHEDULE

Day 1 — Step Into the Backcountry

Meet your guides and fellow adventurers, complete a final gear check, learn how to properly pack and fit your backpack, and hit the trail. After arriving at camp, we’ll settle in, share dinner, stretch out with gentle yoga, and gather for an opening circle.

Day 2 — Learn + Explore

Wake up to morning mindfulness and movement before heading deeper into Yosemite. Throughout the day, we’ll practice essential backpacking skills, stop to explore and rest, and learn how to move comfortably and responsibly through the backcountry.

Day 3 — Adventure Day

With lighter packs and growing trail confidence, we’ll spend the day exploring from camp. Depending on our final route, that might mean reaching an alpine lake, climbing to an incredible viewpoint, or taking on an optional challenge. We’ll return to camp for restorative movement, dinner, and an evening together beneath the stars.

Day 4 — Carry It Forward

One last quiet morning in the mountains. After breakfast and a closing practice, we’ll pack camp and hike back to the trailhead—hopefully a little dirtier, a lot more confident, and already dreaming about where your next backpacking trip might take you!

**This is a sample schedule. Please note the actual schedule may change. All participants will be emailed a final schedule with exact times and locations closer to the trip date. This program operates rain or shine.

Somewhere beautiful in Yosemite National Park’s backcountry!

Our exact 2027 route will be announced once Yosemite wilderness permits become available in the spring. Rather than building this experience around a specific destination, we’ll select a route that offers the right balance for our group: spectacular Sierra scenery, a true backcountry adventure, and terrain that is approachable for newer backpackers while still offering a rewarding physical challenge.

Once permits are secured, we’ll share the trailhead, route, daily mileage, elevation gain, terrain, and other details so participants know exactly what to expect.

What we already know: four days, three nights, a small group of adventurous women, and one incredible corner of Yosemite.

Past trips have explored:

• Ostrander Lake, Hetch Hetchy & Eleanor Lake, Ten Lakes, Cathedral Lakes, May Lake Loop, and Chilnualna Falls.

*Please note that the route may be subject to change based on weather or road closures.

As a general rule, participants for backpacking trips are strongly encouraged to acclimate to hiking at elevation with a pack prior to the the trip. Our trailhead may begin at 8,000-9,000 ft with anticipated elevation gain depending on the permit location.

Pricing varies based on trip length and format.

Balanced Rock strives to offer affordable programming to all of our interested participants. If you need financial assistance to attend this program, please contact us to request an application.

You’ll need personal hiking and backcountry camping essentials such as appropriate clothing and footwear, a backpack, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. Once you register, we’ll provide a detailed packing list and guidance so you know exactly what you need.

Brand new to backpacking and don’t own the gear? You’re still invited.

We don’t want a lack of equipment to keep someone from trying backpacking for the first time. Our team can help you identify what you need, navigate rental options through REI, or arrange rentals on your behalf for an additional fee. Limited Balanced Rock loaner gear may also be available.

Group equipment—including tents, camp stoves, water filtration systems, med kits, all food, and bear canisters—is provided as part of your trip.

You do not need to invest in a closet full of backpacking gear before discovering whether you love backpacking. We’ll help you get outfitted and ready for the trail.

If you cancel your registration more than 1 month prior to the trip start date, you will receive a full refund minus a $50 registration fee to the credit card on file.

If you cancel your registration less than 1 month prior to the program start date, you will not be eligible to receive a refund.

We highly recommend all participants purchase trip insurance in the case of a trip cancellation (a full refund of course tuition will be remitted if Balanced Rock has to cancel the trip due to natural disaster, park closure, etc).

All participants are required to read and accept our Cancellation and Refund Policy upon registration.

Q: Do I need previous backpacking experience?

Not at all! This trip is intentionally designed to welcome women who are new to backpacking. Our guides will teach you the essentials along the way, from packing and fitting your backpack to setting up camp, filtering water, cooking in the backcountry, and practicing Leave No Trace.

If you’ve been wanting to try backpacking but haven’t known where to start, this is a great place to begin.

Q: How difficult will the trip be?

This is a beginner-friendly backpacking trip—but beginner-friendly doesn’t mean effortless. You’ll be carrying a backpack over mountain terrain, hiking at elevation, and sleeping outdoors for three nights.

Our final route will be selected with newer backpackers in mind. Once wilderness permits are secured, we’ll provide specific information about mileage, elevation gain, terrain, and physical expectations so you know exactly what you’re signing up for.

Q: How fit do I need to be?

You don’t need to be an elite athlete or experienced backpacker, but you should be comfortable hiking for several hours and prepared to train for carrying a loaded backpack over uneven terrain.

We’ll provide preparation recommendations ahead of the trip, and we strongly encourage participants who are new to backpacking to practice hiking with a weighted pack before arriving.

Q: What if I’ve never camped before?

That’s okay! You’ll have experienced guides there to walk you through the process. We’ll cover setting up camp, sleeping comfortably outdoors, food storage, wilderness hygiene, and the other practical pieces of living outside for a few days.

Q: What if I don’t own any backpacking gear?

You do not need to buy an entire backpacking setup to join us. Balanced Rock provides shared group equipment such as tents, camp stoves, water filtration systems, and bear canisters. Participants will need personal items including a backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, appropriate clothing, and footwear.

If you’re starting from scratch, we can help you determine exactly what you need and navigate rental options through REI. Balanced Rock can also arrange gear rentals on your behalf for an additional fee. Limited loaner equipment may be available as well.

We’ll send you a detailed packing list and gear guidance well before the trip.

Q: Do I have to carry all of my own gear?

Yes. Backpacking means carrying your personal gear, a portion of shared group equipment, and some food with you into the backcountry.

But learning how to pack efficiently—and discovering how little you actually need—is part of the experience! Your guides will help with pack fitting, weight distribution, and making sure you aren’t carrying unnecessary items.

Q: Can I come by myself?

Absolutely! You do not need to bring a friend or partner to participate. This is intentionally a small-group experience, with plenty of opportunities to get to know your fellow participants through hiking, shared meals, camp life, yoga, and reflection. Most participants on this trip often come solo and leave with a brand new group of soul sisters!

Q: Do I need to practice yoga?

No yoga experience is necessary. Our yoga and mindfulness practices are designed to support our bodies and minds during the backpacking experience rather than test your flexibility or ability to perform certain poses. Practices may include gentle movement, stretching, breathwork, meditation, and quiet reflection, and will be adapted to the group and our environment.

Q: Where exactly are we going?

Our exact Yosemite backcountry route will be announced once wilderness permits become available in the spring.

We’ll select a beautiful route that offers a rewarding backcountry experience without requiring participants to already be seasoned backpackers. Once permits are secured, we’ll share the trailhead, mileage, elevation gain, terrain, and detailed itinerary with participants.

Q: What will we eat?

Balanced Rock provides hearty, nourishing meals designed for life on the trail. Backpacking food is lightweight and practical, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring!

We’ll gather dietary information from participants before the trip and communicate what accommodations we can make in the backcountry.

Q: What are the bathroom and hygiene situations like?

There may not be a bathroom—and yes, we’ll teach you what to do!

Learning how to go to the bathroom, manage your cycle, wash up, stay comfortable, and follow proper Leave No Trace practices are all normal parts of becoming confident in the backcountry. There’s no need to arrive already knowing how any of it works.

Questions that feel awkward at home tend to become very normal very quickly on the trail.

Q: What happens if I’m on my cycle during the trip?

This is a part of life and it happens in the backcountry, and it doesn’t have to keep you from adventuring.

Our guides can walk you through options for managing your cycle comfortably and responsibly outdoors, including packing out menstrual products and following Leave No Trace practices. We recommend bringing whatever products already work best for your body rather than experimenting with something completely new on the trail.

Q: What happens if the weather is bad?

Mountain weather is part of backcountry travel, and conditions can change quickly. Our guides will monitor conditions and make decisions with participant safety as the priority.

Participants should come prepared for a range of Sierra conditions. Your packing list will include the clothing and equipment you’ll need to stay comfortable if temperatures drop or weather changes.

Q: Will I have cell service?

You should plan to be offline for most or all of the trip.

Cell service in Yosemite’s backcountry is unreliable and often nonexistent. That disconnection is also part of the experience: four days to step away from notifications, schedules, and everyday distractions and settle into the rhythms of the trail.

Our guides will carry appropriate backcountry satellite communication and safety equipment.

Q: What if I’m nervous that I won’t be able to keep up?

It’s completely normal to feel some nerves before your first backpacking trip. This isn’t a race, and the goal isn’t to see who can hike the fastest. We’re intentionally keeping the group small and choosing a route appropriate for newer backpackers so we can move together, take breaks, learn, and support one another.

We do expect everyone to prepare physically for the trip, and once our route is confirmed we’ll give you clear information about what that preparation should look like.

Q: Who is this trip for?

This trip is for women who are curious about backpacking, excited to spend several days immersed in Yosemite, and interested in experiencing the backcountry through movement, mindfulness, learning, and community.

Some participants may be sleeping in the backcountry for the very first time. Others may already have backpacking experience but want to deepen their skills or simply experience Yosemite alongside a supportive group of women.

You don’t need to arrive as a backpacker, you just need to be ready to become one!