Lasting Adventures

I did the guided 3-day yoga and backpacking retreat at May Lake/amount Hoffman in Yosemite and it was AMAZING. The location was so beautiful and serine, and not far enough to scare off an absolute backpacking beginner like me! I kinda pinched myself several times to make sure it was all real.The yoga instructor Britta was fabulous. She had amazing insight, knowledge, and overall her "do what your body tells you" guidance approach to yoga was above and beyond what I expected. She's also just such a warm and encouraging person, which helped me engage spiritually and openly in every practice. Also, I loved that she guided us how to use yoga in our hikes and various activities throughout the day (like breathing technique and TOE YOGA!)The guide Dawson was so chill, knowledgeable and an ASTONISHING cook! I went in expecting to eat nothing but berries and raw avocado, but he made delicious meals I'd gladly eat any day anywhere (like vegan French toast with berries, chia seeds and syrup...never would have thought that was do-able on a backpacking trip!). His mellow and trustworthy demeanor made everything feel so effortless and eased so much anxiety I had going into the whole thing.Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime in such a beautiful place. I made new friends, I saw new things, I never felt judgement, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

I can not rave enough about this incredible company. I did a day tour with them and they Scott and Keirschenheuter were great. They showed our group around the valley and catered to our strengths and abilities. We will go with them anytime

I have been wanting to write this review for quite some time, as I am still reveling in our amazing family holiday with Lasting Adventures. I would give this a 20 star rating if I could. It. Was. That. GOOD.I found Lasting Adventures (LA) via google. My husband would be turning 50 over the summer and I wanted to surprise him with a camping / backpacking trip to Yosemite, as he had never been. So in June, myself, husband and 12 year old daughter headed from the Bay Area to Yosemite. After googling, I visited the website and read about the trips they had to offer. I selected the Tuolumne Meadows to Half Dome adventure - and adventure it was. It did not disappoint. I don't even know where to begin. Our guides were Nicole and Riley, there were 9 of us total, in the group. Day 1: Riley and Nicole went over every single inch of our gear... what we packed, if we needed it, how to properly and efficiently pack our backpacks to evenly distribute the weight, to making sure we had the best water bottles to sustain us on this journey. It was kind of funny, because my husband kept asking me how we were going to get our gear and food from campsite to campsite... "We're putting it on our backs and packing it in," I kept telling him. He didn't want to believe me, so upon our arrival, that was one of the first questions he asked Nicole. She assured him with a warm smile that we would be carrying in our own gear. (I had to laugh!)It was just an incredible spectacular trip. I cannot recommend Lasting Adventures enough. Very fun, friendly, and they genuinely honest from the heart want their guests to have an incredible experience.

Will and James did an amazing job with our four day backpacking trip up from glacier point to half dome. They were really attentive to our group and we had an really fun time. Whether it's campfire stories, sing a longs, riddles, swimming in the river or making the best pancakes this side of of the Mississippi, they always made our trip fun and inclusive. Felt really safe and supported, got to see yosemite in a way that few people have. Thanks so much for an amazing time guys! The company is on such a great mission to get kids into the wilderness. Inspiring.

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful time! Our guides Matt and Brando were friendly, attentive, knowledgable about Yosemite and the outdoors, and also supportive. The views and mountains are picturesque and the experience is one for the books! Everything was great, except for the food and coffee. Luckily we brought our own snacks. They accommodated my lactose problem ok but the coffee and food were all cheap and low grade stuff that neither of us found filling or good. An adult trip full of early mornings and exertion where you need a higher caloric intake should be paired with filling meals, protein bars and name brand coffee. With the amount you spend we expected this as part of the deal. It would have made the experience even better.

Sent my son on the 13 day High Sierra backpacking trip with Jack and Nicole. He was a handful I'm sure, but they really taught him so much. He came home this weekend with stories and so much knowledge. The guides were so professional. LA staff kept us informed the entire time due to the fires in the area. We were never in concern, because they kept us so well informed. My son cannot say enough of the LA Staff he encountered during his trip. I will definitely be sending my son again next year. And hopefully do a family trip with LA sometime soon.

First: I highly suggest you book on the company's personal website. We had some trouble booking through TripAdvisor, so just reach out to Lasting Adventures via their website and they will respond immediately.From the moment we spoke with Scott at Lasting Adventures to the day of our trip, it was already a great indication of the kind of company this is. Scott was quick to respond to my inquiries (first about why the booking on TripAdvisor wasn't working), then he happily gave us many suggestions of things we could do in and outside the park. I got sick a few days before the trip and emailed Scott if we could postpone for one day. Considering we did this over the Memorial Day weekend, I was surprised he responded! But they were so considerate and easily moved our booking to fit our needs. Thanks Scott!The trip itself was perfect. Nolan was our guide and he did everything right! He met us promptly in the morning and listened to what we wanted to do. We wanted something easy-going and off the beaten path, so he took us over the Mirror Lake and up into some former Indian caves. We would never have found those caves had we not been with Nolan. This is why we love booking guided tours. Nolan was an excellent guide. He knew when to talk and when to give us our own space. He shared with us about the region itself, the natives, and the history of the park. He took pictures for us and was quick to point out something that might be of interest to us. My husband, an avid audio recorder, loved that Nolan pointed out the bird sounds. I was grateful that he took our photo for us and helped us have a wonderful time in Yosemite.You should absolutely book with Lasting Adventures. This is a great company and we highly recommend them. We can't wait to come back to Yosemite and try something a bit more challenging next time! Thanks again Scott!Pro tip: We met in Half Dome Village, formally Curry Village, at the Mountaineering Shop. If you get there early enough, parking isn't an issue (plenty of space). You can fill up water bottles here and go to the bathroom.

I had a goal to hike Half Dome for my 30th Birthday and after realizing I couldn't get permits through the regular system, I researched other options and stumbled across Lasting Adventures. It seemed like a great idea, the proceeds go towards a non-profit youth camp and we hike with a guide who's hiked Half Dome several times and familiar with the hike...I questioned the cost however after all things considered, it was 100% worth it! Scott was great to work with while planning our hike - he was always available to answer questions and was very personable, however the thought of how cool this guy would really be once we met him did cross my mind but I continued to hope for the best.My group met him and his partner, the other guide bright and early as we had planned and sure enough - Scott was awesome! He was there waiting for us and got us started on time. As we hiked, Scott provided us with some history on the park and the different locations as we passed them. He had obviously done this multiple times as he knew exactly where to go and when to stop and where to filter water and he knew to keep us paced in order to get to the Sub-Dome at a reasonable time to avoid the crowds. Once we got to the Sub-Dome, a couple people in our group started to get a bit intimidated by the sight of the cables and started questioning if they would proceed up the cables but Scott knew how to handle the situation. You can't sit there and look at it too long or your mind will start messing with you - Take a short break and then get ready to hike up the cables, get your gloves on and determine the order we would hike up. Thankfully everyone in our group hiked up the cables to the top of Half Dome and we were all able to enjoy such an amazing experience. In my opinion, you can't hike all the way to Sub-Dome to not hike to the top. The cables actually weren't as bad as they look and luckily we didn't get too held up by the crowds. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the top while taking in the views and the bagel sandwiches as Scott recommended tasted so good. Watch out for those marmots though - they have no shame in taking food from you. We spent about 45 minutes at the top and then continued down to finish our hike. Everyone in our group was safe and had a blast and we all went for pizza and a much deserved beer afterwards - we were even rewarded with Lasting Adventures shirts which are actually pretty cool and comfy.Overall, I must say, if it weren't for Scott, Brendan and Lasting Adventures, my 30th birthday would never have been the same. I had the best time and it was exactly what I had hoped for. We will definitely be planning other hikes with Lasting Adventures and look forward to building our friendship with them over the years. Good guys and completely worth booking hikes with them. In fact, we're already talking about doing a 3-day hike with them soon (we figured if we can spend 12 hours with them, we could definitely have a fun time together on a 3 day hike).I highly recommend hiking with Lasting Adventures - Highly responsible, super fun, down-to-earth good people!Thank you Lasting Adventures!

This could be a six-page review just listing the endless highlights from my Half Dome in a Day trip with Lasting Adventures and my guide Maddie. What a thrill. I reached out to LA about many months go to inquire about the process for getting on one of their tours for Half Dome and kept in touch with them through the permitting process. They weren't able to snag any permits for when I'd be in town, but somehow I was lucky enough to win the permit with my own application. From the day I got the permit until the day of the climb, we were in touch. There was a big concern that the cables wouldn't go up--but they did, just in time, for the day I had my permit for. That said --even if the cables hadn't gone up, the company was prepared to give me a hike of a similar challenge. I was thankful for that. Through the initial process, I worked a lot with Chris as well as Scott. Before even arriving at the Valley to meet my guide, I felt confident in my decision to use Lasting Adventures. Now. Onto the hike. Maddie was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable, paced me well, understood my goals, paid attention to how I was feeling throughout the entire journey, and a wonderful person to have with me when we reached the top. She did an awesome job giving me the down-low on each section of the trail, what was to come, and how we would tackle each section. Our initial Mist Trail ascent was WICKED--it was a monsoon, but her positive attitude through that made it an enjoyable memory. I will never forget the mist trail ! Through the hike, and after, I just kept thinking how lucky and grateful I was to have made the decision to go on this hike with a guide---specifically a Lasting Adventures guide. I learned so much, saw so much, and enjoyed this so much. I'd definitely be into signing up for a tour with them again in the future. Thanks again LA for everything.

This is the second time I've used Lasting Adventures for a Yosemite trip and both times I had an above average experience. I booked this trip directly through their website w/ only a minor issue - the "Book Now" button is blocked from my work computer; I had to book through my phone. Anyway, A couple weeks ago my mom and I went on a day trip through Yosemite Valley. Our guide Will was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable about the area, even with the history. My mom and I both found him very entertaining! I'll definitely be booking another trip with Lasting Adventures. *don't go on a group trip with children, unless they're your own; even then I strongly urge against it - j/k ...