Custom backpacking trip planning

What this is 

Planning a multi-day backpacking trip takes time: a route that matches your experience and the days you have, the right permits and the dates they go on sale, campsites that fit your daily distances, and the logistics at either end.

We do all of it for your trip specifically. Tell us where you want to go, how long you have, how far you like to walk and what you have done before, and we design the route around that and write it up as a custom PDF guide: day by day, with maps, elevation profiles, campsites for your pace, the exact permits to apply for and when they open, and alternative routes if one does not come through.

Who plans your trip

  • Harmen Hoek

    Filmmaker and long-distance trekker. Has hiked in Wadi Rum, Patagonia, Mongolia, Japan, the Alps and on dozens of routes across the American West, and writes the backpacking guides sold on this site.

  • Alexander Schoemann

    xxx

The process

How it works

Reserve a slot now for a trip next summer. You do not need to plan anything today.

1

Step 1 - Reserve a planning slot

Pick your destination and a planning slot. A slot is a five-day window in which we schedule your call. You can reserve months ahead; you do not need to have anything worked out yet.

Takes five minutes

2

Step 2 - We call you

One of us calls you during your slot, at a time that suits you. Where you want to go, how far you want to walk each day, what you have done before, and anything you are unsure about.

About an hour, inside your slot

3

Step 3 - We plan your trip

We design the route, work out which permits you need and when they open, pick the campsites, and build the maps and elevation profiles.

The two weeks after your call

4

Step 4 - You get the plan

Two weeks after your call at the latest, everything lands in your inbox: your custom trip guidebook, a destination handbook for the region, a shared Google Map, and GPX files for your watch or phone. Then we stay on email with you until you are at the trailhead.

Within two weeks of the call

Explore the destinations

What you get

  • Your custom trip guidebook

    A short, practical document for the route itself. Day by day: distances andelevation gain in metric and imperial, maps, elevation profiles, where to camp, which permits to get and when they open, and the side trips worth doing.

  • Your destination handbook

    Everything around the hike. Weather and season, how to get there, car rental, where to stay the night before and after, resupply, and what else is worth seeing in the area.

  • A custom Google Map

    Campsites, trailheads, water sources, parking and permit offices, pinned and labelled. Open it before you lose signal.

  • GPX files

    The full route and each day separately, for Gaia, CalTopo, onX or your watch.

Look inside a real one

This is the plan we made for the eight-day traverse of Olympic National Park I did last summer: the trip plan and the general guide to the area. Yours would look like this, with your route and your name in it.

Watch the film of this trip here: XXX

Download the sample

Limited Availability

We’re launching with a limited number of planning slots and destinations. 
If your preferred time slot is unavailable or your destination isn’t listed yet, sign up below to be notified when new slots or destinations become available. We’ll gradually expand our availability and offer trip planning for more locations around the world.

Reserve a planning slot

Pick your trip, reserve your slot

We open a limited number of planning slots at a time. Reserve one now, have the call when you are actually ready to think about the trip, and your finished plan is guaranteed within two weeks of that call.

Choose your trip

Only a limited number of destinations are available at launch, but we’ll gradually expand to more locations around the world. If your desired destination isn’t listed yet, please fill out the form above to join our mailing list. We’ll notify you as soon as new destinations become available.

Choose your planning slot

A slot is a five-day window. We schedule your call inside it, at an hour that suits you, and your finished plan is guaranteed within two weeks of that call. Limited slots are available at launch, so some or all may already be sold out. Check the form above to sign up for our mailing list and be notified when new slots become available, including additional dates and locations in the future.

About you
The details
Your experience
Add-ons

Optional. You can also add any of these later, right up until we start work.

Pick a planning slot to continue

Paid in full when you reserve. 90% refund if you cancel before your call. After the call we have started work, so the fee is non-refundable, but you can move your slot once at no charge.

Before you book

Questions

Can you guarantee we get the permit?

No, and be suspicious of anyone who says they can. What we can do is know exactly when each permit opens, which entry points have the best odds, and what the plan B route is if the lottery does not go your way. Your guidebook includes that plan B.

How far ahead should I reserve a slot?

As far ahead as you like. That is the point of reserving a slot rather than booking a trip: you can lock one in this week for a trip next August, and have the call in March when you are actually in the mood to plan it. For the planning itself, aim for a call at least four months before your trip dates, and six months for lottery parks like the Enchantments, Glacier, Grand Canyon and Mount Whitney, so we can plan around the lottery dates rather than after them.

How long until I get my plan?

Guaranteed within two weeks of your call. Every time. That is the whole reason we limit how many slots we open.

Why are there so few slots?

Because there are two of us, and a plan done properly takes a fortnight of real work. We would rather open a handful of slots we can honour than take twenty bookings and deliver you something generic. When a batch sells out, the next one opens as soon as we know we have the time.

What if I need to move my slot?

Tell us before your call and we will move you to the next open slot once, at no charge. Life happens, and a call you are not ready for is a waste of both our time.

What if I have never done a multi-day hike?

Then say so on the call. We plan trips for the person, not for the internet. A first trip with a six mile day and a lake to swim in is a better trip than a fourteen mile day you resent.

Do you guide the trip too?

No. We plan it. You walk it. That is the point.

Can you plan for a group?

Yes. Tell us the size and the range of fitness in the group on the form, because it changes the route.

Do you plan outside the US?

Sometimes. Harmen has hiked across Europe, Patagonia, the Middle East and Asia. Ask, and we will tell you honestly whether we know the place well enough to charge you for it.

How is this different from buying one of Harmen's guides?

The guides in the shop are routes we love, written for anybody. This is a route designed for you, on your dates, at your pace, with your permits.

Reserve the slot. Think about it later.

Pick your trip, reserve a planning slot, and have the call when you are ready. Your finished plan follows two weeks later.

See available slots