balchpark.com

Balch Park Pack Station's all-inclusive pack trips are priced per person, per day, with the rate dropping as your group grows: $350 per person per day for 2 guests, $300 for 3–5 guests, and $250 for 6 or more. Trips are customized to your group and must be requested through the station's online form, with dates limited to June through September. The pricing covers the trip itself; the station's published rates do not itemize what is included, so confirm details when you book.

Pricing Tiers at a Glance

Two things follow from this table. First, the trip is priced by the day, not as a flat package, so a longer trip multiplies the daily rate. Second, the per-person cost falls by $50–$100 as the group gets larger, which makes the 6+ tier the most economical per head.

What "All-Inclusive" and "Customized" Mean Here

The station describes these as customized pack trips "designed just for you," and its site lists them alongside day rides, "glamping" trips, and pack trips into the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park. The published rate is a per-person, per-day figure rather than a menu of separate add-ons.

The site does not break down what the daily rate covers (meals, camping gear, stock, guide, and so on). Treat "all-inclusive" as the station's own label and ask directly what a given trip includes before you commit.

How to Request a Trip

1. Choose your dates. The request form notes June–September only, so plan within that window.
2. Fill out the request form on the site with your first and last name, email, phone, the service you want (select the pack trip option), your requested date, and trip details.
3. Submit and wait for a response. The form is a request, not an instant booking; the station follows up to plan the trip.
4. Confirm the plan and inclusions with Tim and Dianne Shew, the family that owns and operates the station, before finalizing.

A Worked Example

Suppose four people want a two-day trip. At the 3–5 guest tier, that's $300 per person per day × 2 days = $600 per person, or $2,400 for the group. The same trip with six people drops to $250 per person per day, or $500 per person and $3,000 total — more overall, but $100 less per person.

Related Services and Rates

If you're comparing options, the station also publishes:

• Day rides: 1 hour at $65 per person (minimum 2 guests); 2 hours at $125 and half day at $165 (minimum 4 guests).
• Stock spot trips: $100 per animal per day for 1 day, $150 per animal per day for 2 days, covering destinations such as Hockett, Maggie's and Blossom Lakes, Wet Meadow, and Pecks (8 hours or more in and out).
• Packer: $200 per day for a guide on a 1-day spot trip, $250 per day on a 2-day trip.

These are separate from the all-inclusive trips and are useful if you only need animals or a packer rather than a fully planned experience.

Before You Book

• Dates are seasonal. The request form accepts June–September only.
• Group size drives the price. If you're near a tier boundary, adding a guest or two can lower everyone's per-person cost.
• Ask what's included. The site gives rates but not an itemized list, so get the specifics in writing when the station responds to your request.

Balch Park Pack Station takes ride and trip requests through the "Request a Ride!" form on balchpark.com, and the form is the only booking channel described on the site. You fill in your name, email, phone number, the service you want, and a requested date, then add any details in the request box and submit. Trips run June through September only, so any date outside that window won't work. The station is family owned and operated by Tim and Dianne Shew, who invite you to contact them directly if you're unsure where to start.

What the Request Form Asks For

The form has five required fields plus a details box:

The site doesn't list the dropdown options, so match your choice to the service names below. Put anything the fields don't capture—number of riders, whether you need stock or a packer, special needs—into Request Details.

Pick Your Service Before You Submit

Day rides

• 1 Hour Ride — $65 per person, minimum 2 guests
• Two Hour Ride — $125 per person, minimum 4 guests
• Half Day Ride — $165 per person, minimum 4 guests

If your group is smaller than the minimum, say so in Request Details rather than assuming you can book.

All-inclusive pack trips

• 2 guests: $350 per person, per day
• 3–5 guests: $300 per person, per day
• 6+ guests: $250 per person, per day

The per-person rate drops as the group grows, so a larger party pays less per head.

Spot trips (stock and packer)

For trips to Hockett, Maggie's and Blossom Lakes, Wet Meadow, and Pecks—eight hours or more in and out:

• Horses and mules: 1-day spot trip $100 per day per animal; 2-day spot trip $150 per day per animal
• Packer (guide): 1-day spot trip $200 per day; 2-day spot trip $250 per day

Details Worth Including in Your Request

• Group size and ages — it determines which rides you qualify for and your pack-trip rate.
• Preferred dates and a backup — June through September fills up; give the station room to fit you in.
• Service and destination — name the ride or trip, and for spot trips name the lake or meadow.
• Stock needs — how many animals and whether you need a packer.
• Experience level — useful for matching you to the right ride.

After You Submit

The form is a request, not a confirmed reservation. The station reviews it and gets back to you by email or phone, so watch both. If you haven't heard back and your dates are close, call or email Tim and Dianne directly using the contact details on the site. The homepage also has a video about the pack station if you want a feel for the operation before committing.

Common Stumbles

• Requesting a date outside June–September. The form says June–Sept. only; off-season dates won't be honored.
• Booking below the minimum. A single rider can't take the 1-hour ride, and the 2-hour and half-day rides need four.
• Leaving the service blank or vague. The dropdown is required, and a clear choice speeds up the reply.
• Treating the form as a confirmation. Plan around hearing back before you finalize travel.

Balch Park Pack Station offers spot trips for stock (horses and mules) and for packer guides, priced per animal or per guide per day. A one-day spot trip is $100 per day per animal; a two-day spot trip is $150 per day per animal. A packer guide is $200 per day for a one-day trip and $250 per day for a two-day trip. The listed destinations are Hockett, Maggie's and Blossom Lakes, Wet Meadow, and Pecks, and these trips involve eight hours or more in and out. Requests are accepted for June through September only.

What a Spot Trip Is

A spot trip is stock support rather than a guided riding package. You arrange for horses, mules, or a packer to move gear and supplies into the backcountry while you handle your own trip. The station's page separates these services from its day rides and all-inclusive trips, so the rates below apply to stock and guide support, not to a guided horseback outing.

Rates at a Glance

Rates are quoted per day, so a two-day trip is billed at the two-day daily rate for each day of service. Confirm the total for your group size and animal count when you submit a request.

Destinations and Trip Length

The listed spot trip destinations are Hockett, Maggie's and Blossom Lakes, Wet Meadow, and Pecks. The station describes these as eight hours or more in and out, which means a spot trip is a full-day commitment at minimum, and the two-day option covers an overnight stay in the backcountry. Plan your gear and timing around that travel window rather than a short out-and-back.

How to Request a Spot Trip

1. Decide whether you need animals only, a packer guide, or both, and whether your trip is one day or two.
2. Choose your destination from the listed areas and confirm it fits an eight-hour-plus in-and-out schedule.
3. Pick a date between June and September.
4. Submit a request through the site's ride request form with your name, email, phone, selected service, requested date, and trip details.
5. Wait for confirmation before treating the date as booked; the form is a request, not an instant reservation.

Common Pitfalls

• Season: dates outside June through September are not accepted for requests.
• Minimums: day rides carry minimum guest counts, but the spot trip listing does not state a minimum, so ask directly if you are a small party.
• Per-day math: the two-day rate is a daily rate, not a flat total for the whole trip.
• Scope: spot trips move stock and gear; if you want a guided ride or a fully outfitted trip, look at the day ride and all-inclusive options instead.

For a party that needs gear hauled to one of the listed lakes or meadows, the animal rate plus an optional packer guide is the relevant cost. For a guided experience, the day ride and all-inclusive pages are the better starting point.

Balch Park Pack Station is a family-owned and operated outfitter based in Springville, CA, offering guided horseback day rides, all-inclusive backcountry pack trips, and glamping trips in the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park. It suits travelers who want a guided Sierra Nevada wilderness experience without arranging their own stock, gear, or route—and who can travel during its June–September season.

What the Station Offers

The operation is run by Tim and Dianne Shew and centers on customized pack trips planned around each group. Its services fall into three main categories:

• Day rides — short guided horseback outings, from one hour to half a day.
• All-expense-paid trips — multi-day backcountry experiences priced per person, per day.
• Stock and packer support — spot trips for groups bringing their own itinerary, with animals and/or a guide provided.

Day Ride Options and Pricing

The minimum-guest rules matter for planning: a solo rider or couple can book the one-hour ride, but the two-hour and half-day rides require a group of four.

All-Inclusive Pack Trips

These are per-person, per-day rates that decrease as the group grows:

For a small party, the two-guest rate is the most expensive per head; assembling a group of six or more cuts the daily cost by roughly 29% compared with the pair rate.

Spot Trips: Animals and Packer

For groups that want stock support rather than a fully guided package, the station lists spot-trip rates for destinations including Hockett, Maggie's and Blossom Lakes, Wet Meadow, and Pecks—trips described as eight hours or more in and out.

Animals

Packer (guide)

Note that animal and packer rates are listed separately, so a supported trip typically combines both line items.

Season and Booking

Rides are requested for dates from June through September only. Booking goes through a request form on the site asking for name, email, phone, service selection, requested date, and trip details—so the first step is submitting a request rather than purchasing a confirmed slot immediately. Expect to discuss itinerary and group size with the station before a date is finalized, especially for custom pack trips.

Is It the Right Fit?

Choose Balch Park Pack Station if you want a guided, stock-supported trip into the Golden Trout Wilderness or Sequoia National Park and are traveling between June and September. A one-hour ride works for a pair or small family; the two-hour and half-day rides need four people. For multi-day trips, the per-person cost drops noticeably at six or more guests, so larger groups get the best value. If you prefer to plan your own route but need animals or a packer, the spot-trip rates give you that middle option.

Balch Park Pack Station offers three guided horseback day rides: a 1-hour ride at $65 per person (minimum 2 guests), a 2-hour ride at $125 per person (minimum 4 guests), and a half-day ride at $165 per person (minimum 4 guests). Rides are requested through the station's online form and are available June through September only. The minimums matter most for small parties — a couple can book the 1-hour ride but would need to recruit two more riders (or pay for four) to take the longer options.

Day Ride Comparison

All three are guided day rides; the station also runs multi-day "All Expense Paid Trips" and stock/packer spot trips, but those are separate services from the day rides above.

How to Request a Ride

1. Confirm your group size against the minimums. Two riders can only book the 1-hour ride as listed; four or more unlock all three options.
2. Pick a date between June and September. The request form states "Date Requested (June-Sept. Only)," so rides outside that window aren't offered through this process.
3. Fill out the request form with first and last name, email, phone, the service selected, your requested date, and any details about your group.
4. Submit and wait for confirmation. The form is a request, not an instant booking — the station follows up to confirm availability and arrangements.

What to Know Before You Book

• Pricing is per person, not per group. A party of four on the 2-hour ride pays $500 total; the same four on the half-day ride pays $660.
• The minimums are guest counts, not price floors. The site lists minimums alongside per-person rates but doesn't state whether a smaller group can pay for the minimum to ride anyway — ask when you submit the request.
• The station is family owned and operated by Tim and Dianne Shew, and rides run in the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park area out of Springville, CA.
• Trips are described as customizable, so if your group wants something beyond the listed day rides, the request form's "Request Details" field is the place to say so.

If you're a party of two set on a longer ride, the practical move is to find two more riders before submitting, since the 2-hour and half-day options both require four.