Located in Southwest Montana near Dillon, the mountains are a hidden gem for recreational enthusiasts. The area is rich in cultural history with many old log cabins and outbuildings representing prospectors, homesteaders and ranchers inhabited the area more than 100 years ago.

This alpine playground must be on your bucket list for a Montana vacation. With more than 50 peaks exceeding 10,000 feet; many of them remain unnamed, and nearly 60 lakes at timberline, our mountain llama adventure will take you into the heart of some incredible, remote Montana Wilderness.

Come join us for solitude and serenity as we explore the high alpine lakes that are great for fishing and relaxing. Grab your binoculars to witness the incredible mountain goats as they dance along the high ridge lines. Or put your climbing boots on and let’s tackle an alpine peak. You’ll be impressed with the view. Come relax, breathe fresh mountain air, bathe in nature, and eat well. Let’s go explore with pack llamas!

What To Expect

This Lakeside Camp sits 9,000 ft below some incredible peaks along the shores of mountain lakes. Spend your days exploring the area viewing mountain goats, elk, deer and bear, fishing several different lakes, climbing a peak or just relaxing around camp. Bring your sense of adventure and let our guides and llamas do the rest.

On all our trips we’ll meet the evening before for dinner and orientation meeting at a predetermined location. This allows us to get any last minute provisions making sure we all have the proper gear. Plus its nice to meet everyone beforehand.

We generally meet all guests at the trailhead the following morning around 9:00 am unless otherwise discussed. At the trailhead, you’ll be introduced to the llamas, help sort gear and prepare to hit the trail. We usually depart around 11:00 am.

8-Mile Lakeside Camp

One of our favorite places to be in the summer. The drive to the trailhead is an easy drive on pavement until the last 2 miles of dirt roads. The trailhead has a bathroom and campground. This longer approach to camp has less foot traffic by other outdoor adventurers. This means on most occasions we’ll have the area all to ourselves. This llama trek is a nice easy beginning winding through old growth forest as we make our way to a picturesque stream winding its way through a broad open valley. The first 2.5 miles are relatively easy along the meadow giving us plenty of chances to absorb the mountain scenery. Its really incredible to be able to see off in the distance our proposed route.

Let us show you the variety of wildflowers Montana has to offer.

Once we reach the end of the meadow, the trail makes some long switch backs as we head up higher into the alpine. The montane vegetative zone is ripe with wildflowers – lupine, arnica, indian paintbrush, balsam root, lark spur, and sticky geranium to name a few. We’ll stop for lunch at our halfway point along a nice cool mountain stream. This gives the llamas and people a break to enjoy the area.

Following lunch, we’ll load up again and continue following the creek as we climb up into the subalpine zone with a little less grass and other vegetation with more rocks and boulders. The last couple of miles you’ll has some significant elevation gain before finally coming into the basin. Our camp for the next few days is well protected in the trees with amazing few of a jagged peak in the background.

Guests looking for mountain goats right from our llama basecamp.

Our llama basecamps are a great way to get a lot of different activities in without needing to move camp each day. With our layover days, we can enjoy breakfast and still have plenty of time to explore the area.

8 Mile Lakeside Camp |  Llama Basecamp
4-days/3-nights

Dates & Price:
August 7-10, 2o23
$1750, 4-days/3-nights
Custom Dates Available. Please inquire.

All our trips will have 6-8 people. If you prefer a private group, please inquire to discuss options.

Included: All meals, beverages, snacks, and camping equipment including sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and backpacking tents. Also included is your own llama trail companion, trail guide, interpretation of the flora, fauna, geography and history.

Excluded: Airfare, arrival/departure hotel (can add at additional cost), Montana fishing license, gratuities (15-20% suggested).