WILDERNESS PERMITS for our guests are issued from our commercial quota, NOT from the general public quota.

WILDERNESS PERMITS: All wilderness permits for our guests are provided through the Pack Station commercial quota allocation not from the general public quota.

Schedule your own customized PACKING SCHOOL or participate in one of our scheduled classes!

Book a Packing School online now!

MOUNTAIN HORSEMANSHIP: Veterinary care and Horsepacking in the Wilderness
-ORIENTED FOR YOUTH-
5 days
$950
July 7-11, 2025
Starts and ends at Cottonwood Pack Station (Horseshoe Meadows)
This trip is operated by Rock Creek Pack Station dba as Mt. Whitney Pack Trains.

This deluxe pack trip covers all the essentials of horsepacking in the wilderness-with the Golden Trout Wilderness of the High Sierra as your laboratory.

Ride into the Golden Trout Wilderness for five days of learning how to pack and camp in the backcountry. Trip is open to everyone. Those under 18 need to attend with a parent or guardian. This is a fully outfitted trip with cook, packers and all meals provided.

In the 1970's Craig London started the 4-H Pack Trips for high school students and their parents to travel through the wilderness on four to six day trips. On those trips, many brought their own horses and completed rigorous itineraries along the John Muir Trail. And, in 1973 in cooperation with University of California at Davis, Craig started an extension course of Horse packing in the Wilderness. The pack trip this summer will continue that tradition with Rock Creek Pack Station's crew teaching the course.

Participants will learn how to ride and pack. And, everyone will learn how to cook and setup camps. Emphasis will be on learning how to camp to minimize impact on the wilderness. Rock Creek's educational program preceded Leave No Trace by decades.

There will be plenty of time for fishing and having a good time around the campfire. The goal is for everyone to have a good time and appreciate being in the wilderness. The Golden Trout Wilderness has a rich history of cattle grazing, hunting and trans-Sierra travel.

The itinerary will be a moving trip departing from Cottonwood Pack Station headed over Trail Pass to the vast meadows of the Kern Plateau.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

1. Catching, saddling and handling horses and mules.
2. Planning and making loads for mules.
3. Pack hitches and how to tie on bulky items.
4. Riding and leading strings of mules.
5. Feeding in the backcountry—how to graze stock, when and how to picket, how to wrangle.
6. Horseshoeing.
7. Veterinary skills for the layman.
8. Methods in selecting horses and mules for back country use.
9. Nutritional needs of pack animals.
10. Selection of campsites.
11. Management of livestock to minimize impact on wilderness.
12. Planning and outfittng your own pack trips.
13. Selection and maintenance of camping equipment.
14. History of packing in the High Sierra.
15. Knots used in packing.
16. The effects of altitude on livestock performance.
17. Maintenance of pack equipment.
18. Trail safety

CAL POLY MULE PACKING TRIP
-Sponsored by the Cal Poly Mule Packing Club-
5 days
$1825
July 12-16, 2025
Golden Trout Wilderness
Starts and ends at Cottonwood Pack Station (Horseshoe Meadows)
This trip is operated by Rock Creek Pack Station dba as Mt. Whitney Pack Trains.
Support the Cal Poly Mule Packing Club! This all inclusive pack trip will give you the opportunity to learn the basics of backcountry horsemanship and packing. Topics will include livestock management, equipment maintenance and shoeing. This is a traveling trip in the Golden Trout Wilderness. You have the chance to learn camp setup, cooking, camp maintenance and cleanup, as well.

A significant portion of the fee will go to support the Cal Poly Mule Packing Club. Open to anyone!

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL
Packing Fundamentals
6 days
June 23-28, 2025
$2100 including fees
Backcountry itinerary at Tamarack/Hilton with emphasis on mastering hitches, packing techniques and management of livestock and people to minimize impact on wilderness.

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL #2
Advanced Packing in the Wilderness (section 2)
6 days
June 30-July 5, 2025
$2100 including fees
This trip is operated by the Mt. Whitney Pack Train
Meet at Horseshoe Meadows—a six day traveling educational pack trip into the Golden Trout Wilderness
Emphasis on moving camps, wrangling and feeding livestock on the extended wilderness pack trip.

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL
John Muir Wilderness
6 days
September 6-11, 2025
$2100 including fees
Start and End at Rock Creek
Master packing and outfitting skills in this September course on a six-day pack trip into Mono Creek. Emphasis on wrangling and moving camp daily to improve packing skills. This fall session will be an ideal course for those who have completed UC packing courses, Backcountry Horseman seminars and introductory packing clinics.

ABOUT THE COURSES
Each is designed for:

• Those who use their own stock for trail riding or pack trips.
• Those seeking employment in the commercial packing industry.
• Those administering or using livestock in wilderness areas.

Students will participate in all activities such as moving camps, wrangling and packing. There will be time for discusssion and questions and free time for fishing and sightseeing. The course will conclude with a practical as well as a written examination. All students will receive a written evaluation and certificate of completion.

1. Catching, saddling and handling horses and mules.
2. Planning and making loads for mules.
3. Pack hitches and how to tie on bulky items.
4. Riding and leading strings of mules.
5. Feeding in the backcountry—how to graze stock, when and how to picket, how to wrangle.
6. Horseshoeing.
7. Veterinary skills for the layman.
8. Methods in selecting horses and mules for back country use.
9. Nutritional needs of pack animals.
10. Selection of campsites.
11. Management of livestock to minimize impact on wilderness.
12. Planning and outfittng your own pack trips.
13. Selection and maintenance of camping equipment.
14. History of packing in the High Sierra.
15. Knots used in packing.
16. The effects of altitude on livestock performance.
17. Maintenance of pack equipment.
18. Trail safety.

Craig London D.V.M. outfitter and owner of Rock Creek Pack Station, teaches packing to University of California riding groups.

• Handbook on practical veterinary care. (For a PDF version of the "FIRST AID/VETERINARY CARE FOR THE WILDERNESS HORSE", click here.)
• Plans showing how to make packboxes.
• Drawings showing how to fit pack saddles.
• Food and equipment lists.
• Information on where to purchase mules and their equipment.
• List of opportunities for employment in the packing industry.
• Bibliography of reference material on packing.
• The Handbook "Management of Livestock in the Wilderness".

  Graduates of our school include United States Forest Service and National Park Service employees, pack station owners, pack station and outfitter employees.

  All Inclusive - You furnish only bedroll and personal items.

  
  

  Call us TODAY at 760-872-8331 for a quick response to your questions. You can email us, also. Please note that per California Senate Bill 478 (SB 478), also known as the Hidden Fees Statute, the prices shown for our hiking trips and trail rides include the fees. Your reservation will reflect a breakdown of all fees, and the base price of the trip. FEES: All Trail Rides and Packing Schools are subject to a 2% USFS fee. Horse Drives are are subject to a 3% USFS fee. Mustang Trips are are subject to a 3% USFS fee. Trips traveling in Yosemite National Park are subject to an additional 3% park use fee. Trips traveling in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are subject to an additional 3% park use fee. Permits and permit monitoring fees are applied per person for trips. Permits are issued from the commercial allocation. Rock Creek Pack Station, Inc operates under permit on the Inyo National Forest. NOTICE: In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA?s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English. To file a complaint alleging discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027 , found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provided in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (a) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (b) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (c) email:program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Last Updated: July 11, 2025 Copyright © 2005-2025 Rock Creek Pack Station - All Rights Reserved