2025 Dates: April 14th - April 26th, 2025

2025 Lecture dates: Saturday April 19th, 2025

Opening Social: Friday night April 18th at 5 pm

Hiking dates: Before and after those dates - on you own

Residents and 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

  • 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

Background: This is a two week course, but the actual instruction for this course will occur on Friday night, April 18 and Saturday on April 19, 2025. 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 Friday night of April 19th at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 5 pm. More instructions will be given to you that night.

Learning: Formal instruction will be at 9 am on Saturday. Both lectures and outdoor skills will be taught. Instruction on Saturday will end in time so you can hike 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 Friday night April 18th through Sunday night, April 20th (check out Monday morning April 21 by noon). You can check in Friday afternoon at noon, and will check out Monday morning on the 21st. It is group sites are E003 and E004.

Opening Social Friday 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. 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 Saturday April 20th.

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 List for Hiking 

There are numerous lists of things to bring on backpacking and hiking trips. To help you with planning here is a link to a site that will help you plan.

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.

 

REGISTRATION FOR OTHERS WANTING TO ATTEND THIS COURSE

Note: This sign up link is not for medical students

If you are Resident or another health students and would like to attend this course, you are welcome to attend. You will be taken to a page and you will go to the bottom of the page and register.

 

Log on to Wild Med U to study and take the Backpacking certification exam.