Backpacking Medicine
Listed as Internal Medicine 7982 for Medical Students
This course is open to all learners from all backgrounds, register below.
2026 Dates: April 13th - 25th, 2026
2026 Lecture dates: Monday and Tuesday April 20-21, 2026
2026 Opening Social: Monday night April 20th after class
Campsites: Watchman Campfround Group sites E002 and E004
Hiking dates: Before and after those dates - on you own
Residents and all other learners: We welcome all learners to this course. Sign up at the bottom of this page.
This textbook is designed to teach medicine associated with hiking, backpacking and trekking.
Flash Floods
Dental Problems on the Trail
Lightning
Clothing for the Backcountry
Backpacks, Trekking Poles and Back Pain
Wilderness First Aid Kits
Foot Problems in the Back Country
Stream Crossing
Back Country Water Treatment
Children in the Wilderness
Menstrual Periods in the Wilderrfness
Nature Deficit Disorder
Background: This is a two week course, but the actual instruction for this course will occur on Monday and Tuesday April 20-21, 2026. Classes will be taught at the Hampton Inn and Suites 1127 Zion Park Boulevard, Springdale, Utah When you are not in class, you will backpack or hike to your delight. We will meet for an outside dinner on Monday night April 20th at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 5 pm.
Learning: Formal instruction will be at Noon on Monday and at 9 am on Tuesday. Both lectures and outdoor skills will be taught. Instruction on Saturday will end in time so you can hike late that afternoon. Students will need to study the material by going to www.wildmedu.org prior to coming to the course. You can use the text book, listen to the podcasts and take the practice exams prior to taking the certification exam
Campsites: We have reserved campsites at the Watchman Campground for all students from Sunday night April 19th through Wednesday night, April 19th (check out Thursday morning April 23rd by noon). You can check in Sunday at noon, and will check out Thursday the 23rd. They are group sites E002 and E004.They are by each other.
Opening Social Monday night: Students will meet at 5 pm at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Springdale, Utah (Outside Zion National Park) for an opening social. Students will get to know each other and become familiar with the area.
Costs: There are no official additional costs for this course other than the registration fee. We have reserved a camp site for the nights we teach. We also have dinner for opening social, but the food for will last for several days. You might need to share gas costs, extra food, or other incidental costs of travel.
Zion National Park: We have chosen this area because it is simply beautiful. It’s early in the backpacking season and this give the best chance of having good weather. It is low in altitude and in latitude. There are many places to hike and many places to camp and also there are hotels. Below are some links to help you find places to camp, hike and hotels to stay in.
Backpacking Students will backpack before and after the course that is taught Monday and Tuesday.
Transportation: Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from Springdale/Zion Utah. You will not be reimbursed for travel.
Certification In order to pass in Hiking Backpacking medicine, students must take the course and pass the exam that is found on line at www.wildmedu.org
More places to Stay If you have other people that want to come, Here are some other options where you can camp or stay.
Students will hike and backpack on their own. You can meet people and go as groups. You can hike inside or outside the national park. Participants will plan their own trips within the park but you will likely need a permit, so you might want to check this out in advance. You will have the opportunity to meet people during the first few days of instruction.
Travel
Students are responsible for their own travel and expenses to and from Springdale, Utah.
People would like to carpool down from Salt Lake City or other locations. You might also have questions about who you could hike with, or where you are going to hike, etc. Since we cannot give out email addresses, we will send an email to all students (blinded) and you can respond that way. This will happen the months before the course.
Equipment, Permits and Trails
There are numerous lists of things to bring on backpacking and hiking trips. Remember, hiking is completely on your own. We only have you for instruction for two days and we only have rented the campground for 4 nights. if you are doing a day hike, your gear will be different if you are going backpacking into Zion National Park. There are recommendations on the National Park website. They also tell you how to obtain back country permits.
There are short hikes right at the campsite that you can do in just a few hours. There are also short day hikes if you go eaat through the tunnels that do not require a permit. This are located on trail maps for the park. Finally, there are hikes outside of the park that you can locate on trail maps of the area.
If you are planning on going into any slot canyons, be aware of flash flood danger. Also, if you hike the narrows, you will needs special shoes that you can rent in near the entrance to the park.
When you arrive in Springdale, you will be able to talk to others and see what they are bringing. We will also provide instruction in this area. You can purchase gear in the Springdale area.
Click the link above if your school needs a syllabus.
