For 4 Days, 3 Nights From San Francisco
Picture a digital alarm-free morning where you wake to sounds of birds chirping or the soothing trickle of a nearby stream. Hard to imagine? Not when you venture into the Yosemite backcountry to places where digital signal cannot go.
Hike amongst the tall evergreens of the Sierra Nevada, swim in the pristine waters of Yosemite’s alpine lakes and share time with family and friends after a rewarding day of trekking. Without the internet, you’d be surprised at how thoroughly and meaningfully you can connect to your day.
Are you addicted to your phone? A slave to your email? Could you use a few days to escape from the busy, incessant world around you? Our Yosemite Digital Detox Hike from San Francisco may be just what you need.
Bump into the locals in the Yosemite backcountry and you will rarely see them on a screen. Instead, they’ll be enjoying the views, hiking, painting, fly fishing and living in the moment. We can share with you the same experience, but only if you are willing to avoid your phone connection for more than a day.
You’ll still be safe; our private guides are trained and will carry an emergency beacon. But open your mind — a rich life does exist without signal. The experience even encourages independence and self-reliance. We’re talking no email, text messages, social media or other digital connection — only you hiking and exploring Yosemite, one of the most beautiful spots on earth.
Are you up to the challenge?
The pings, notifications, and algorithms of today’s digital world were unheard of in the days of John Muir, and like all addictions, should be addressed head-on, especially in regards to society’s mental health. Although we are not psychologists, we do understand the benefits of surrounding yourself with only your thoughts in nature.
There will be no phones, email, internet, or social media on this trip — only you and your private group for 3 days+ of sleeping under the stars. Longer experiences are available for a more thorough detox.
For a Father, Son and Girlfriend
The Real Yosemite
Owen, from Orlando, Florida, was about to graduate from college. His father, John, wanting to give him a present he would never forget, asked us to plan a private Yosemite backpacking hike for three: John, Owen and Owen’s longtime girlfriend, Jess. They wanted to bond as a family without their daily phone calls, emails, laptops and iPads, and see the best of Yosemite — away from the crowds.
Below is a brief description of the private tour we provided, published with their permission, as an example of what we can offer.
Before Yosemite’s Wilderness
To be sure the family was adequately prepared, we conducted a mandatory meeting in San Francisco to go over our private Yosemite backpacking tour step-by-step, which included providing each family member his or her own hiking equipment, such as an ultralight tent, water filter and rucksack, and going over the proper apparel and manners for a Yosemite backcountry hike. By the end, after answering the families’ questions, we were ready for the outdoors.
The next morning, we departed San Francisco and saw many of the Yosemite tourist sights, and were about to see so much more.
Explore Yosemite on Foot
Day two was our opportunity to forget about the traditional Yosemite crowds and instead hike ourselves into the wilderness. It was John, Owen and Jess’s first full day in Yosemite’s wondrous natural environment, and with our equipment, meals and wilderness-trained private Yosemite guide, it went smoothly. The family could concentrate on connecting with each other, rather than being engrossed in maps or getting lost on a trail.
That night, we cooked our campfire meals under the stars and ended our day without hearing one car horn.
Our Workout Day
Today was the family’s day to experience the incredible Yosemite views firsthand. We climbed the switchbacks of our trail—with plenty of breaks for healthy snacks and fresh distilled water along the way—and ascended over a ridgeline to see spectacular views of Yosemite to the horizon. There was no rush for us because we had all day to arrive at our destination. Our campsite was on the edge of a pristine lake and waiting for us when we arrived.
No hike in Yosemite is complete without a sweat, and soaking our toes never felt so good.
Saying Farewell
John, Owen and Jess were a wonderful family to be around, with good attitudes and an obvious love of nature. They were open to a bespoke experience unlike any other and had the tenacity to hike just as John Muir did in the 1800s. It was such a meaningful and bonding experience, by the end of our private wilderness hike, nobody cared who was the guide and who was a guest.
A little sore, a little sunburnt, but closer together as a family (and a friend), we conquered Yosemite how it should be done: on foot and away from the crowds.
Disconnect to Connect
Sometimes the greatest present you can give yourself is the reconnection to self and family through nature. Unfortunately, though, in today’s connected society, many rarely do, even when visiting Yosemite, one of the first national parks on earth. Only when one is forced to put the phone down (except for stellar photo ops) and privately hike can a person truly understand that there are connections among us that are stronger than a cellular one.
By The Numbers
Our Mission
Luxury and bespoke for us means the ability to get away from the crowds the park draws each year and connect with authentic Yosemite nature—privately, with only you and your chosen companions. Led by White Wolf Private Tours expert Yosemite guides, clients reach these pristine spots on foot, away from the crowds, as natives and naturalist John Muir once did.
To us, a private bespoke tour is so much more than eating caviar and drinking fine wine; it’s about balancing the body and mind.
On Our Yosemite Digital Detox Trek
A Note from White Wolf Private Tours
The majority of tourists who visit Yosemite do the same thing: fight the crowds to see Yosemite Valley in one day. Not many, though, go in the opposite direction of the crowds and do a privately guided Yosemite hike, the same kind John Muir did, the kind that makes you fall in love with a wonder like Yosemite, leaving one eager to return again and again.
The world is big; there are many places to see. We hope when you are done with your privately guided hike with us you won’t need to see Yosemite again. But you will want to.
