Backpacking that feels like a walk in the wild.
Wilder Walks runs small-group guided backpacking trips in California’s Yosemite National Park, Emigrant Wilderness, Point Reyes National Seashore, and along the Lost Coast. Each season I guide a limited number of trips built around great routes, light packs, and days spent fully outside, with careful planning and risk management behind the scenes so you can focus on connecting with wild places.
Choose your adventure
Group trips
Join a small group of other hikers at a similar experience level and fitness on fixed-date, dialed-in itineraries. A good fit if you’re solo or a pair and happy to share the experience with others.
Private trips
Go with your own group of family, friends, or a small team on dates that work for you. We’ll design the route, pacing, and focus around your goals and experience.
The Wilder Walks experience
Trips that get you deep into wild parts of California without having to figure everything out on your own. You walk lightly through the landscape and learn as you go. I handle the route, logistics, and systems so the days feel grounded and manageable, even when the terrain is vast.
Light, comfortable travel
Modern, ultralight gear is included on every trip, and I show you simple systems for packing and camp. That means less weight on your back, fewer fiddly chores, and more attention on where you’re walking.
Skills you keep
Learning is woven into the days: pacing, navigation, camp setup, food, foot care, reading weather, and understanding the landscape. The goal is that you leave feeling more capable planning and running your own trips.
Small groups, clear plans
Trips are planned with thoughtful itineraries, honest difficulty ratings, and small groups. That makes pacing easier and keeps the experience intimate and personal.
Nature-forward, giving back
We slow down to notice rock, water, plants, animals, weather, and the human stories in each place. A portion of every trip fee supports Big City Mountaineers, helping more youth access multi-day wilderness trips.
Want the full breakdown of how trips work? See What to Expect.
Wild places we walk
Wilder Walks focuses on two of California’s wildest landscapes: the granite high country of the Sierra Nevada and the edges of the Pacific coast. Within those, I guide a small set of backpacking trips in pockets I know and love.
California Coast
Two very different stretches of shoreline: Point Reyes National Seashore, with bluffs, forests, and beaches close to the Bay Area, and the more rugged Lost Coast, where we hike sections of sand and rock above the surf, timing our movements with the tides.
Sierra Nevada
Granite basins, domes, meadows, and passes in the higher elevations of the range. Trips here include routes in Yosemite National Park and Emigrant Wilderness, from on-trail introductions to longer journeys that wander through quieter basins and canyons.
Types of trips we guide
Trips are organized into three levels so you can quickly see how big the days feel and how complex the terrain is. All of them use the same backbone: small groups, ultralight gear included, and time to connect with the wild.
Level 1 Essentials
For newer backpackers and experienced day hikers who want a solid introduction to the fundamentals of better backpacking or gentler access to wild landscapes.
Level 2 Explorations
For fit hikers or people with some backpacking experience who want more challenge or fuller days visiting quieter basins, canyons, or coastal stretches.
Level 3 Immersions
For very fit backpackers who want a demanding high-country or high-route style trip with a strong emphasis on navigation, trip design, and decision-making.
Learn more about our Trip Levels & Difficulty >
Meet your guide
I’m Alex, and I’ll be your instructor, guide, and campfire companion. I’ve been backpacking for over 25 years, camped hundreds of nights beneath the stars, and hiked thousands of miles of wilderness — including a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. I love watching moonrises over distant mountain ranges, soaking my feet in cold streams, and making new friends out on the trail.
“The one-on-one attention we got from Alex was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and generous with what he knows. There's no way we would have gotten that in a larger group.”
— Zoe from San Francisco, CA