AI Trip Planner for Backpacking

• A multi-day route has to balance daily mileage and elevation against your fitness and the group you are with, including its slowest member.
• Water sources, resupply windows, permit quotas, and bear-storage rules all shape the route, and getting one wrong can strand you or end the trip.
• The information is scattered across trail databases, permit portals, water reports, and forum threads that may be years out of date.

22% of applications to Yosemite’s 2024 Half Dome preseason lottery succeeded, and that is per application across up to seven requested dates, not the odds on any one date. Permits, not fitness, decide whether many routes happen at all. (National Park Service) Up to 90% of John Muir Trail permit requests are denied on popular days. Yosemite receives at least 300 to 500 wilderness reservation requests on a typical summer day, and 80% to 90% of them are for the JMT. (National Park Service)

Mileage and elevation matched to skill level and group

Tell Xavier your skill level and who is coming. Daily distance and elevation are held to what that level can realistically cover, days are shorter for groups with young children, and a mixed-ability group is planned to its slowest member. Distances and elevation are checked against routed trail data rather than guessed. If a route cannot be calculated, the map can show a straight line instead, so check the real trail before you go.

A camp or lodge at the end of every day

Every day starts and ends at a camp or lodge, and each day starts where the previous night ended, so the route stays connected from the trailhead to the way out.

Permits and quotas flagged

Xavier can point out where a permit, quota, lottery, or seasonal closure may decide whether a route is even bookable. It does not look up live quotas or lottery dates, so confirm them early with the managing agency.

Local support

Where it helps, Xavier can surface relevant local Xperts, from shuttle services to outfitters, in the context of your specific trip.

You say:

"Plan a 5-day backpacking loop in the Sierra. I am experienced, comfortable with 10 to 12 miles a day, and I will carry my own food."

Xavier builds:

1. Getting there: A driving leg to the trailhead with a permit-pickup note and a last food and fuel stop before the road ends.
2. Days 1 to 2: The route out to the high country, with daily mileage and elevation held near your stated pace and a camp at the end of each day.
3. Day 3: The scenic core of the loop, ending at a camp that keeps the next day in range.
4. Days 4 to 5: The return legs back to the trailhead, tapering the mileage, then the drive out with a food stop on the way.

This is an example of the shape Xavier builds. Your Xpedition is generated around your real route, dates, and experience, with the drive, trail segments, camps, and stops pinned on an interactive map.

1. Describe the trip. Tell Xavier where you want to go, when, and how many days you have, in plain language.
2. Answer a few questions. Xavier asks about anything that changes the plan, such as your starting point, group size, skill level, budget, and vehicle.
3. Get your Xpedition. Once you confirm the trip brief, Xavier builds the plan one day at a time on an interactive map, with your trail segments, camps or lodges, driving legs, other stops, and the permits to check. You confirm each day before the next.
4. Save it and keep shaping it. Your Xpedition is saved to your Xploreum account for free. With Xplorer Pro you can open the full plan, ask Xavier for deeper edits such as shorter days or a different camp, and share it with the people coming with you.
5. Take it to the trailhead. With Xplorer Pro on mobile, you can hand one stop at a time to Apple Maps or Google Maps for directions.

The gaps in a plan show up when you are far from a road, so it helps to know them before you go.

• No permit or campsite booking. Xavier can note where a permit may be needed, but it does not look up quotas or lottery windows. You apply with the managing agency yourself, then keep your confirmation numbers in the Xplorer Pro booking log attached to the Xpedition.
• No water data and no live conditions. Xavier has no water-source data, and no live trail, water, or weather conditions. Springs dry up and trails close after a plan is made. Check recent water reports and the managing agency before you go.
• No pack-weight or food planning. Xavier does not ask for your pack weight, and it does not plan food quantities, calories, or menus. Work out what to carry between supply stops yourself.
• No offline maps. Use a mapping app that works offline for navigation on the trail, and download the area before you lose signal.
• Not a guide or a park authority. Confirm permits, weather, closures, and fire restrictions with official sources before you leave.

• Experienced backpackers who want the route, camps, and driving legs in one place.
• First-time multi-day backpackers unsure how to break a trip into days and where to camp.
• Anyone planning a loop or thru-section who wants the permits to check flagged early.

For more on planning this kind of trip, read How to Plan a Multi-Day Backcountry Trip With Campsites and Resupply Points, Ultralight Backpacking Gear Guide 2026: What Actually Belongs in Your Pack and How to Read a Topographic Map Before Your Next Backcountry Trip.

Describe the trip and Xavier builds the Xpedition. Back to Meet Xavier for the other trip types.

• National Park Service: 22% of applications to Yosemite’s 2024 Half Dome preseason lottery succeeded. Half Dome lottery statistics published by Yosemite National Park. There were 35,289 applications in 2024. The daily lottery ran at 19%.
• National Park Service: Up to 90% of John Muir Trail permit requests are denied on popular days. Yosemite National Park’s page on the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails. It describes typical summer demand for wilderness permits rather than a single season’s count.