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Travel

• Where is Lander, WY?.....Lander, Wyoming is located at the base of the eastern side of the Wind River Range in the northern most Rocky Mountains in west central Wyoming.
• How do we get to Lander, WY?.....You can fly or drive a vehicle. Trains and buses do not serve Lander, WY. The closest airport is Riverton, WY which is 30 miles north east of Lander. Also, Casper, WY is 120 miles east of Lander, Jackson Hole, WY is 150 miles north west of Lander, Rock Springs, WY is 120 miles south of Lander, and Denver, CO is 350 miles (6 hours), Salt lake City, UT is 280 miles (4 1/2 hours) from Lander. All of the airports have car rentals.
• Where can we stay when we arrive in Lander?.....We have "THE BUNK HOUSE" at our ranch or we have many fine Bed & Breakfasts, Motels, Hotels, and Campgrounds.
• How do we get around in Lander to shop and eat?.....You can walk from one end of Lander to the other in about 15 minutes. All motels and some bed & breakfasts are in the city limits. There are numerous restaurants and shops for most anything you may have forgotten or need. Stores in Lander have limited or no hours on Sundays and some restaurants are closed. If you are staying in "THE BUNK HOUSE" it is a 3 minute drive to Main Street in Lander, WY.

The Wilderness Trips

• When is your operating season?..... Our high country Wind River & Absaroka Range trips run late June through mid September.
• What is the weather like?.....Typical summer weather in the high country is sunny with very little rain. Temperatures range in the highs of 85 F and lows of 40 F. The air is dry with very little humidity. For the most part, our summer high country is very comfortable and we are usually in shorts and t-shirts in the day with a sweater or light jacket in the evening. Check out todays Lander Weather Report.
• How far can we expect to hike in a day?.....Typically people hike between 5 and 8 miles per day depending on the group. Some people like to do a little more, but usually not much more than 10 miles per day.
• What are the elevations you travel?.....We start out at about 8,800 ft. and max out at about 10,800 ft. Camping is usually in the 10,000 ft. +/- 300 ft. elevation range.
• How much water is there?.....Water is plentiful to filter or purify.
• How hard is it to cross rivers with llamas? The llamas can cross the rivers in July, Aug., and Sept. Most depths of the rivers in the summer time are ankle to mid-thigh deep and can be crossed with few problems.
• Can we bring our dog?....We do not recommend it. Sorry, we love dogs too, but we recommend they stay with a loved one at home where they will be safe and out of trouble. You will be responsible for at least two llamas and you never know how any dog will react to llamas or other wild animals and livestock you might encounter. There are no dogs allowed at your mandatory training session.
• Can we ride with you to the trailhead so we can leave our car at Lander Llama Co.?....No, sorry we do not have the capacity to haul your group and your gear along with the llamas to the trailhead on our lease program. You must provide your own transportation to the trailhead and back. If you will be flying, and plan on not having transportation you will need advanced arrangements to get you to the trailhead and back, or rent a car. Sorry, we can not accommodate last minute transportation to the trailhead. Vehicles can not be parked at Lander Llama Co. while on your rental trip. Trailhead transportation may be provided by some of these Transportation providers.
• Can we plan a one way route rather than a round trip route in the wilderness?....Yes, but you will need to provide drivers and vehicles to the other trailheads. We can not drive your vehicles or persons to the alternate trailheads.
• Do you rent or provide camping equipment?....No, we only provide the llamas pack systems and their essential gear. You are responsible for your own camping gear. NOLS Outfitting leases some backpacking equipment in Lander, WY at 307-335-2269.
• Will you help us out with a route and logistics?....Yes, we can help you out with general routes and make suggestions after a reservation is made. This must be done well in advance (months) and not at your required first time training session the day before departure. Your llama training instructor may not be able to help out with routes.
• Can we call you from a cellular or satellite phone from the wilderness and change our llama pickup dates?....No. Once a trip has been established you will be responsible to deliver the llamas at the predetermined contractual trailhead and the predetermined time in your contract. If you should need to come out early, you should plan on staying with your llamas at the trailhead, where legal, until your llama pickup arrives per your contract dates and times.
• Do cell phones work in the wilderness? Typically in the low drainages cell phones do not work. On some of the high ridges and peaks cell phones sometimes work. You should not depend on cell phones for communication or emergency.

Llamas

• How big and what size are the packs/panniers for the llamas and how much can we take?....Each llama has two sacks, or panniers. Each pannier has the volume capacity of a large backpack. The llamas total weight restriction will be 75 pounds. This means each pannier should not weigh much over 35 pounds. The panniers measure approximately 18" L x 12.5" W x 22" Tall each. It approximately represents 4,752 cu. inches per pannier. They are made of heavy duty fabric and are flexible. They are open at the top. You receive two panniers per llama. Most 16-24 qt. coolers (Igloo,Coleman, Gott, with flip handles, or soft sides) will fit in one pannier. The dimensions of the cooler should not exceed 17"L x 12 "W x 16"-22"Tall. Currently, the coolers should be the personal cooler types with the flip down handles or soft side coolers, however others will work as long as the dimensions do not exceed these recommendations, in particular the L x W.
• What do the llamas eat, and do we need to bring them food?....The llamas are browsers and grazers and will eat a wide range of vegetation in the backcountry. You do not need to bring them any food, however we provide you with a small bag of grain for treats and emergencies.
• Are there bears, what kinds, and do they bother the llamas?....Yes, mostly black bears are in the Popo Agie and Fitzpatrick wilderness areas, but encounters are rare. Grizzly bears do not roam, for the most part, in the Popo Agie Wilderness. Black bears, for most llama packers, are not a problem, as the bears seem not to want to be around the llamas. You will, however, need to practice common bear country camping techniques, and be prepared for desensatised black bears. There are Grizzly Bear Food Storage Orders in effect if you will be traveling in the Bridger-Teton National Forest OR the Shoshone National Forest and wildernesses. The Grizzly Bear Food Storage Orders are now in effect in the Popo Agie Wilderness of the Shoshone National Forest. You must keep all food hanging from trees or rock ledges OR in approved bear resistant canisters that are available from the USFS (free) or retailers. Please go to our Food Storage Order site for details.
• Do we need any special recreational pack stock use permits?....Yes, you will need a FREE "Survey of Usage and Information Permit" if you are traveling in the Popo Agie Wilderness and/or you will need a FREE "Bridger Wilderness Recreational Livestock Permit" if you will be traveling in the Bridger Wilderness. You do not currently need a permit in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness or the Washakie Wilderness or the Absaroka Wilderness. It is always recommended you check the agency jurisdiction you will be traveling in for any permits.
• Can we use llamas and travel on the Wind River Indian Reservation lands?....No, if you are not a Shoshone or Arapaho Tribal member you CAN NOT travel with livestock on tribal lands. Also, if you will be departing from the Dickinson Park Trailheads (Smith Lake, North Fork, and Bears Ears trailheads) you will be crossing tribal lands in your vehicle to get to these trailheads and you will need to purchase your TRIBAL PERMITS.
• What if a llama gets injured and we can not pack our gear out?....You will be responsible for the llama(s), and you will be responsible to hire or retrieve your gear from the wilderness. This is extremely rare, however you should expect long delays and additional costs.
• Are we responsible for the llamas?....Yes, you will be responsible for the well being of the llamas. You will be required to sign a contract before departure. Basically, if you do not bring the llama(s) back in good health or you loose them, you will be responsible for their agreed upon value in the contract and/or you will be responsible for the costs of retrieval and all associated costs.
• Have you ever had a person loose an animal and had to collect for that animal?....No, this has never happened. If you take care of the llamas as you are taught in your training session it is very unlikely you will have any difficulties. People have temporarily lost llamas, but they have been retrieved.
• Can we ride the llamas?.....No, sorry you can't. Neither children or adults are not allowed to ride. The llamas only pack the heavy gear.
• I am a very avid hiker and want to travel 15 miles per day, can the llamas do this?....We prefer to not force the pack llamas to hike extreme distances day in and day out (all summer long).You can expect a maximum of 10-12 miles with an appropriatly loaded pack llama. Lander Llama Co. prefers to not allow these types of aggressive trips and routes. Please slow down and enjoy the wilderness.
• What is the packed llamas pace?....It varies, like with people, but you can expect 2 to 2.5 mph in high alpine environments.
• How do we know if you have pack llamas availabile?....Please check out our on-line Llama Rental Availability Schedule.

Reservations & Policies (Lander Llama Co. has a strict cancellation policy and highly suggest trip insurance should you, or any other participants in your group, have any unexpected injuries or crisis, that would facilitate the need to cancel your trip. There will be financial losses with any cancellation)

Llama Rental Policies and Cancellations (Llama Rental Brochure and Reservation Form)

To reserve llamas with Lander Llama Company you must give a first paymet of 50% of the total cost (for 2-3 llamas). All balances are due at the conclusion of the mandatory training session or at the trail head drop-off for non-training repeat customers. All cancellations received shall completely forfeit the first payment, and remaining balances will be due. Lander Llama Company reserves the right to cancel and or change the trailheads for the rental of llamas for the safety and well being of all participants, and full refunds will occur if the rental of llamas is cancelled by Lander Llama Company. Any reduction in the number of llamas rented or the number of trip days, shall cause the entire first payment to be forfeited and the full balance shall be due (cost prior to the reduction) regardless of reductions in number of llamas or number of trip days. Any llama rentals of  4 (four) or more llamas is a custom  llama rental and the full estimated trip cost is due upon the  reservation. I also agree, if paying by credit card, I will forfeit all payment and I waive my right to charge back the credit card transaction for 50% first payment on the total cost. I also agree, if paying by credit card, that if I fail to appear at the mandatory training session or at the trail head, my credit card can be charged for the remaining balances due. For llama shuttle service fees, there may be a 10% fuel surcharge applied. Any credit card refunds and or credits will be charged a 5% fee.

*A llama rental contract and waiver must be signed before your trip departure*

FOR RESERVATIONS use the On-Line Rental Reservation Form Or CALL 307-332-5624 or e-mail us at: Info@WyomingHiking.com

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