Yeehaw, your back country adventure begins today! Your hosts will collect you from your hotel at 7am. A short, picturesque drive takes you to the office just south of Jackson Hole, where you’ll check in and be given a quick orientation. Then you’ll be driven to the trailhead, where the horses and mules are patiently waiting. Here, gear will be loaded onto the mules and you’ll be matched with your sturdy steed for the week.

Mounting up, it’s a 3.5-hour journey to the beautifully-situated Base Camp #1. Dinner will be served at camp, then you’ll bed down in the spacious wall tents equipped with sleeping cots, air mattresses, sleeping bags, chairs and a lantern. The gentle huffs and swishing tails of the four-legged team will lull you to sleep.

This morning, the camp cook will whip up a delicious breakfast at around 7am. Then it’s time to saddle up for the 8-hour ride over Pinnacle Peak to your next campsite. The terrain will be challenging and rugged at times as you navigate a high mountain pass. At around midday, you’ll pause and let the horses and mules graze while you take in the spectacular view, search the sky for eagles and gobble up a packed lunch.

Halfway down the other side, at about 9,500 feet, you’ll reach a serene mountain meadow – your campsite for the night. Simple canvas tents will be complemented by a hot meal prepared over the open fire.

After breakfast cooked on the coals, you’ll break camp, load the pack mules and ride out. Today’s 5 to 6-hour journey takes you all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, then up another picturesque slope to Base Camp #2. Along the way, you might be lucky enough to cross paths with deer, or even moose!

Base Camp #2 boasts more big canvas wall tents, as well as a dining tent, where you’ll tuck into a hearty Western-style dinner.

Today the mules get a rest while you explore the surrounds of Base Camp #2, embarking on a scenic 5-hour loop ride to Turquoise Lake. A high alpine gem perched at over 9,000 feet, this lake offers fishing enthusiasts the chance to throw in a line (provided you’ve secured your fishing license in advance). Meanwhile, the rest of the group will sit back and enjoy a leisurely lakeside picnic.

You’ll take in completely new surrounds on the trip back to Base Camp #2, and perhaps enjoy a trot and canter en route.

Another day in paradise: the smell of coffee, or perhaps the sizzle of bacon or the scrape of flipping pancakes, will coax you out of your tent sometime after daybreak. No alarms dictate the pace here!

Depending on what you all decide as a group, today’s ride could be anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. You’ll ascend to the top of 7 Mile Flat to marvel at breathtaking views of the Teton Mountain Range to the west, including the famous ‘Sleeping Indian’ mountain. Riding on, you’ll find yourself looking out across an awe-inspiring vista of Jackson Hole Valley far below. The setting sun sees everyone back at Base Camp #2, circled contentedly around the fire.

You’re heading back to civilisation today, but rest assured, there are a few more adventures to be had on the way. After breaking camp, loading the mules and saddling the horses, you’ll set off on a 3-hour ride towards the Granite Creek trailhead, with lunch en route.

Shortly before reaching the trailhead, those of you who are keen to soak in the inviting waters of Granite Creek Hot Springs (that’s everyone, right?!) will say a fond farewell to the horses and jump into the water. The rest of the group will travel one more mile to the trailhead, where the horses and mules will be untacked and turned out on the pasture for a well-earned break. Then your guide will drive to the hot springs and together you’ll return to Jackson, where you’ll be dropped off at your accommodation.

After reacquainting yourself with the wonders of technology, you’ll rejoin the group and head downtown to the Saturday night rodeo, the perfect finale for your epic adventure!

Transfers to and from your accommodation in Jackson, Wyoming are included in the price (on day one and day six).

You will need to arrive and stay in Jackson at your own expense the night before the ride begins. You will also need to book a night’s accommodation in Jackson on the last day of the ride so that the group isn’t rushed getting back to town. You can fly out anytime the following day.

On day one, you will be collected from your accommodation at 7am. And on the final day, you will be dropped off at your hotel in Jackson in the late afternoon.

PLEASE NOTE: Globetrotting strongly recommends guests book their Jackson accommodation immediately after booking their saddle seat on this ride. It is peak summer season and accommodation availability will be tight if you leave it too late. We recommend the Virginian Lodge, Cowboy Village Resort or Elk Country Inn, but there is a plethora of hotels in town to suit all budgets.

Globetrotting is happy to recommend a third-party travel agency that can provide a competitive quote on international flights, travel insurance, and accommodation before and after your ride.