You may have heard me say this before, but it’s worth repeating: I believe that outdoor backpacking is the gateway into epic outdoor adventure. That’s why I’m really excited to share these 15 adventure-worthy backpacking trips for beginners with you.
What do I mean when I say that backpacking is the gateway? I mean that, if you can learn the skills you need and gain confidence in using them outdoors on the trails via backpacking, your outdoor adventure options will open wide up!
For instance, my first backpacking trip was backpacking Half Dome in Yosemite, and that trip was one of the biggest catalysts in me eventually saying yes to bigger and epic adventures such as rock climbing, mountaineering and even canyoneering.
Backpacking gave me the confidence I needed to push myself even further and see what else I was made of. I found I had a love for the outdoors that extended well beyond 3-4 day backpacking trips.
Now I don’t want “beginner backpacking trips” to be exclusively “easy” backpacking trips, because I believe that many of you (newbies) are probably capable of quite a bit more than you can imagine. So in this post, you’ll find a variety of mileage and difficulty options, but I did purposefully chose trails that were not technical or overly exhausting.
As you go through this post, read a bit about each of the trails and choose what fits you (and where you are starting out physically) the best. Each and everyone of us are starting from different points when we pick up backpacking, and that is 100% OK, my friend! I knew absolute zero about backpacking when I started!
This post is also split up into 2 main sections – a US-focused listed of backpacking trails for beginners and some international backpacking trails for beginners as well. I also reached out to a few bloggers in order to include a geographic variety of backpacking trails, so you’ll see that a few of the suggestions below come from other outdoor adventure bloggers.
Let’s get after it, shall we?
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Best Backpacking Trails in the US for Beginners
First up on this list are some excellent backpacking destinations for beginners in the United States. You’ll notice many of these are in California, and well, that’s because I know California the best and have backpacked in California the most! I promise you these backpacking trails are SO worth doing!
1. Half Dome - California
Backpacking Half Dome Quick Facts:
Location: Yosemite National Park, California
Type of Trail: Out and back
Total Mileage: ~ 14.5 miles via the Mist Trail, ~16.5 miles round trip via the John Muir Trail, or you can choose to go up the Mist Trail (7.25 miles) and down the John Muir Trail (8.25 miles) for a round trip of around 15.5 miles. Its easier on your knees to go down the John Muir Trail, because the Mist Trail is stair steps the practically the whole way.
Total Elevation Gain: ~5000 feet of elevation gain (though, when I took my GPS, It said more like 5,600 feet of gain)
Time Needed to Backpack: As a beginner, plan to spend 3 days and 2 nights backpacking this trail.
Permit Needed? Yes! You must have a backpacking permit and a Half Dome permit to hike this trail. Read more about California permits here.
Want to read the full trail guide? Check Out the Half Dome Hike Guide here
About the Trail:
Many people attempt the Half Dome hike as a day trip, but I also think it makes an absolutely fantastic backpacking trail! Half Dome is hands down one of the most unique hiking experiences you can get in the United States, so spending more time on this trail feels like a no-brainer to me.
You’ll start your first day by hiking up the Mist Trail. Its a brutal uphill stair-stepping workout, but it is the quicker and more efficient option. Make sure to bring plenty of water, particularly if you are hiking in the summer. You will get very thirsty!
Your first night, you’ll want to camp at Little Yosemite Valley Campground after your long uphill trudge up the Mist Trail. This is a really nice campground, and it even has pit toilets (which is not common on most backpacking trails). Enjoy your evening here and rest up for day two when you will tackle the Half Dome cables.
On day two, once again, make sure you have plenty of water as you head up to conquer Half Dome. You’ll want to leave the bulk of your backpacking gear at your campsite so you can tackle Half Dome with a smaller and lighter pack, but bring a small daypack so you can go hands-free at the cables.
There’s not much downhill on this hike as you make your way up the sub-dome. It’s an uphill battle until you make it to the top! At the bottom of Half Dome, you’ll probably hesitate, since the hike up the cables is nearly vertical, and your only protection is your grip on the cables and your footing against the planked “stairway” to the top.
DO NOT attempt the cables without proper gloves or shoes with good traction. DO NOT attempt the cables if you are very terrified of heights. I also advise against using a “harness” system to go up the cables. In my opinion, harnesses are just a false sense of protection here, because you would need a very specific set up in order for this to actually be “safe”, and most people are not going to have that setup. Having to fuss with carabiners and your harness system is going to do you more harm than good in getting up the cables.
Just take your time, and focus on going plank to plank and hanging on with a strong grip. There will be a LOT of people on this hike, and really the only way to avoid crowds would be to get there around sunset or very early in the morning.
The views are worth it though, and I think it is a super exciting backpacking trip – making it to the top of Half Dome is extremely gratifying! Then you can rest easy because the rest of your backpacking trip will be downhill. Make it back down to Little Yosemite Valley Campground on night two and rest up for your hike out on day three.
On day three, enjoy your final morning in Little Yosemite Valley and then make your way with all your gear back down to your car! On your way down, consider taking the John Muir Trail instead of the Mist Trail (they intersect). Even though the John Muir Trail will add on about an extra mile, it is much easier on your knees to go down this trail than the stair-stepping Mist Trail.
Why Half Dome is a great backpacking trip for beginners: Backpacking up to Half Dome instead of tackling it as a day hike helps make this monster of a hike more manageable, and frankly more enjoyable, especially if you are brand new to hiking and backpacking. While this trip won’t necessarily be the easiest backpacking trip you could go do, it certainly will be very, VERY memorable!
In fact, Half Dome was my very first backpacking trip, too! It’s where my whole outdoor adventure life got kick-started, so you could say I’m a little biased. :) If you’re up for the elevation gain and tackling the Half Dome cables, you certainly won’t regret doing the Half Dome Hike as a beginner backpacking trip!
Side Trip Option: If you want to extend your backpacking trip, consider spending an extra night at Little Yosemite Valley and hiking to the top of Clouds Rest before hiking back out.
Read more about the Half Dome Hike and other Yosemite hikes:
Hiking Half Dome << The FULL trail guide
How to get a Half Dome hiking permit
2. Havasu Falls - Arizona
Backpacking Havasu Falls Quick Facts:
Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona
Type of Trail: Out and back
Total Mileage: Roughly 25 miles roundtrip (from parking lot to Beaver Falls and back)
Total Elevation Gain: The beginning of the trip is all downhill, you descend about 2,500 feet into the Grand Canyon, but that means the total elevation gain for the trip is about 2,500 feet when you hike back out.
Time Needed to Backpack: 3 nights/4 days
Permit Needed? Yes! Very strict on permitting for this trail.
About the Trail:
I’m not exaggerating, the Havasu Falls trail is one of the most beautiful backpacking trails I’ve ever gone on. Definitely in the top five, if not in the top three. Over the course of 3 nights and 4 days, you’ll get to spend your time backpacking in one of the most surreal and beautiful places in the United States.
People come from all over the world in order to see the beautiful, crystal blue waters and the five amazing waterfalls along this iconic trail. The hike is roughly 25 miles long as a round trip if you hike all the way down to Beaver Falls which is the final waterfall of the hike. The hiking is relatively easy, but there are some tricky sections to the trail that you’ll want to take extra caution on.
The effort is worth it though! All five of the waterfalls along the trail are absolutely breathtaking and like nothing else you can see in the United States.
I have a complete guide (linked below) to backpacking Havasu Falls, and it’s definitely one of the top go-to sources on this trail.
Read my full Havasu Falls Trail Guide
Also, getting backpacking permits for this trail is super competitive, and the process can be confusing, so I have a whole post just to walk you step-by-step through the Havasu Falls permit process. Check it out here:
Complete Guide to Getting a Havasu Falls Permit
Why Havasu Falls is a great backpacking trip for beginners: I think Havasu falls is one of the best backpacking trips for beginners for so many reasons! First, it’s not too difficult, especially if you break it up into 4 days of backpacking. Second, the views and waterfalls are simply insane! It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Third, there are quite a few amenities here, like established campgrounds and toilets, so if you are still new to backpacking this can help ease you into it all. Honestly, the hardest part about this trail is getting the permits!
