Budgeting a trip

Quick Cost Calculator

Set your trip length, party size, and region below for an instant estimate. Covers guiding, food, permits, and trip consumables — personal gear is never included.

Trip length4 days

Party size2 people

Trip type

Guide tier

Private1–2 peopleOne guide, all the attention. Best for 1–2 people or a trip that needs extra flexibility.Recommended for your groupSmall Group3–6 peopleOne guide leading a small group. The most common setup for friends & family trips.Recommended for your groupGroup7–10 peopleLarger parties automatically add a second guide to hold our ratio — lower cost per person.Recommended for your group

Region

Include food — skip this if you're bringing your ownInclude consumables — fuel, water treatment, shared repair/first-aid

Estimated cost

4 days · 2 people · Guided · East Side

Estimated total

$0 per person

Illustrative example rates for a fictional demo business — not a real quote. Excludes personal backpacking gear. See the FAQ for what's included.

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Every real trip is custom-quoted — this is a starting point to compare guided vs. self-guided, not a final price.

How this is calculated

What's in each line item

Guiding / planning

Guided trips price by tier (day-rate or per-person, depending on group size). Self-guided trips can add a flat trip-planning package instead.

Food

Guided trips include guide-provided meals by default. Self-guided is a rough grocery-cost estimate for a similar ration.

Permits

A one-time per-person fee that varies by land manager — Eastern Sierra (Inyo NF) vs. Western Sierra (NPS reservation systems).

Consumables

Stove fuel, water treatment, and a shared repair/first-aid kit — the small per-day items that get used up, not durable gear.

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