We serve all veterans. If you wore the uniform, you belong here. We also welcome spouses of veterans on select trips marked Spouse. Details are in the Home and family section. Labels don't matter out here. Getting outdoors, pushing your limits, and building camaraderie again does.

Any veteran, any branch, any era. No combat requirement. No minimum length of service.

No. We serve veterans nationally. You don't need to be a Montana resident to apply or attend.

No. No combat requirement, no minimum length of service. Any branch, any era.

No. You don't need a disability to come. If you have one, we can accommodate you. Many of the veterans we've taken out have no physical disability, and they still got a ton out of the trip.

No. You don't need a diagnosis to come. If you served, you can apply: any branch, any era.

We've had everyone from E-1 ("the lowest enlisted rank") through O-8 ("a two-star general or admiral") on our trips. Your rank doesn't matter, and you never have to share it with the group. We do need your history to do our jobs, but the only thing you share with the group is your name and branch. Everything else is your story to share when and if you decide.

This is the place for you. Everyone belongs on an MVP trip no matter what your service looked like. You signed your name on the same line we all did when we joined.

Our mission is camaraderie. The first day is the hardest. By the last day, you will be saying goodbye to friends.

The only thing you have to share with the group is your name and branch of service. We need your history to do our jobs, but you will never have to share anything around the fire or in a group setting. Your story is yours to tell. If you decide to share, we will listen. If you never share, we will have plenty of other things to talk about. Neither choice will change your experience on our trip.

No. Montana is our therapist. Our team leaders ("the veterans who run your trip") are PsychArmor certified and trained to work with veterans, but we're not offering counseling or clinical treatment. What you get is what nature does best: physical challenge, peer camaraderie, and time outdoors away from everything pulling at you back home.

Our trips are led by veterans, for veterans. This is not a typical veteran nonprofit. Our team is more skilled than you'd expect, we run classes every day, and we're overly prepared for everything. We're not clinicians running a program from behind a desk. We're veterans who've walked the same ground you have, out on the trail or the river with you, and we can get you out and back with ease. Every VLTAT also carries the Pig Egg, a traveling memorial holding 7,054 dog tags for those we lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, so the weight of what we've lost travels with us every trip, not just in ceremony.

No. Don't bring us your sick dog. Montana Vet Program has nothing to do with veterinary medicine. Every "vet" here is a veteran.

Some of our team leaders have stories of their first time on a trip and how they almost turned around and did not come. Everyone is nervous, but everyone who breaks through and joins us grows.

Not for floats. Any veteran qualifies, whatever your fitness level. Hikes are a different animal: a minimum 40 pound pack and real trail mileage, so those spots go through a fitness assessment first. Not sure which one fits you? Apply and we'll help you figure out the right trip for where you're at.

Floats cover 12 to 16 miles a day on the water. Our team leaders are strong enough to row the entire 59 mile Smith River themselves, and they'll teach you to row if you want. That's what makes floats the accessible option if hike mileage or pack weight isn't in the cards. The real float challenge isn't the miles. It's the weather. It can snow in July and hail without warning. Hikes cover 2 to 8 miles a day carrying a minimum 40 pound pack, plus another 7 to 9 pounds on days your team carries the Pig Egg. Our wellness coordinator screens every hiker before assignment and may require a weighted walk test first to make sure you're ready.

We have great gear and our team leaders are very familiar with helping new people learn how to be outdoors. You are in professional hands and we will be with you every step of the way.

On float trips we bring a "groover" (Selway River Bank II, the river toilet we use). We pack it in and pack it out. On hike trips we will discuss and teach in more depth, but you will be squatting over a hole that you just dug.

Tell us. The follow up form after your interest form asks for your full military and medical history for exactly this reason: so we can take care of you right and put you on the trip that fits your body. You'll also go over any medication directly with our trip medic.

Many of our team leaders are Wilderness First Aid certified, and every route carries its own evacuation procedure built for that specific terrain. Regional authorities are aware of our movements on every trip, and our team carries radios and satellite communicators throughout.

We're in Montana backcountry, encounters happen. Every veteran is issued bear spray, and our team leaders are trained to handle wildlife situations safely.

Prescription drugs are allowed. Tell our team ahead of time. Cannabis is legal in Montana, and our policy is don't ask, don't tell. If it's part of how you manage your medication, we're fine with it. Just not on the raft, on the trail, or around the fire. Alcohol is different: zero alcohol on our trips. We don't consider it healthy, and it has no place out here. On floats we bring athletic beer, and on hikes the same is waiting for you at the trailhead once the trip wraps up.

Every veteran who joins a trip gets a free MTNTOUGH Fitness subscription. You'll also be in touch with our wellness coordinator, who can help you prepare with diet and exercise guidance if you need it before your trip.

There's no fixed wake time. On floats, it's coffee, then breaking camp and loading boats, floating until there's work to do, with stops along the way for sightseeing or fishing. The goal every day is reaching camp before sundown so there's time to cook a real meal. On hikes, it's coffee and breakfast before hitting the trail, hiking in a rhythm of roughly 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off, with stops for photos, water filtering, and a longer lunch. Once you're in camp, tents go up, water filters get refilled, and there's time to fish or nap before the day's classes. Every trip works in 2 to 3 classes a day, on shore, around the fire, or along the trail.

Stretching, breath-work, and meditation, combined with instant coffee and a camp fire.

We have a lot of classes and you will get a field manual containing all of them. Each trip covers the classes a little differently as we cater to the group, but think along the lines of human performance, mental health, being a better human all around.

Yes. Early risers can fish before the day gets going, on floats and hikes both. Once you're at camp there's time built in to fish or nap before classes, and floats stop along the way for sightseeing. It's not go-go-go the whole time, but it's a real wilderness trip, not a resort.

The Pig Egg is a 75 lb traveling memorial carrying 7,054 dog tags honoring service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It travels on every VLTAT, and hiking teams carry a share of its weight along with their own pack. Read its full story on our Pig Egg page.

We really do have everything you need besides clothes. MVP supplies the core trip gear: tents, cookware, and rain gear on every trip, plus PFDs ("life jackets") and waders for floats, and backpacking packs and trekking poles for hikes. Don't show up with a gear closet. We've got it covered.

Yes, with approval first. The best rule of thumb is to ask us before you bring it. Some things we are happy you will be bringing and other things just won't work based on where we are going or that we have better gear for you. We equip every trip with the best gear available, so we encourage you to use ours. Get yours approved by your team leader ahead of time.

On hikes, yes. Pack weight runs a minimum of 40 pounds, and hiking teams also carry a share of the Pig Egg, adding another 7 to 9 pounds. On floats, your gear travels in the raft, not on your back.

A book is easy to bring on a float and if you would rather read than fish it is a great idea. On hikes it is fine, but remember some books are heavier than others and you have to carry it for four days.

Food is covered. On hikes, that's freeze-dried trail meals plus a snack bag to get you through each day. On floats, meals are fresh and cooked nightly at camp, nothing freeze-dried. Water on the trail is filtered from natural sources as you go, we stop for that along the way.

We run what we call the Montana layering system, be ready for up to 90 degrees during the day and near freezing overnight, sometimes in the same 24 hours. MVP provides puffy jackets and rain gear. You'll need to bring:

• Underwear
• Socks
• An insulation layer
• Pants
• Shorts
• T shirt
• Long sleeve shirt
• Hoodie
• Head cover
• Sunglasses
• Personal hygiene items
• Any medication you take, which you'll also go over directly with our trip medic

We provide everything else.

For hikes, bring a good pair of broken in boots, not something new out of the box. We also recommend a pair of camp shoes, Crocs or sandals, for walking around camp once the day's hiking is done. Once you're assigned to a trip, our team can answer any specific footwear questions you have. For floats, we want you in chest waders, if you don't have a pair, we'll provide them.

No, firearms are not allowed for participants on any trip. Our team leaders do carry, and every veteran is issued bear spray.

We do not want this to happen. It has happened before and we will secure your weapon. DO NOT bring a weapon to gear issue ("where we hand you your gear and run the full brief"). Tell us you have a weapon before showing us you have a weapon.

Fill out our interest form. Once you submit it, we automatically send a longer follow up form asking for your military and medical history, so we can take care of you right and put you on the right trip.

No. VLTATs are free for the veterans who attend. A single trip costs roughly $1,000 per veteran to run: guides, gear, food, and lodging before and after. MVP's donors and sponsors cover that, not you.

Cover a veteran's trip.

We approve on a first come, first served basis. Every veteran qualifies for a float. Hikes require a fitness assessment, since pack weight and mileage demand more from your body. No one gets turned away outright. If you don't make the specific trip you applied for, you're invited to apply again the following year.

You can apply once per year.

Only after you're confirmed for a trip. Once you're confirmed, book as soon as you can.

Fly into Great Falls International Airport. We send an Uber to pick you up and bring you to your hotel, and a team leader brings you from the hotel to gear issue.

Check in at your hotel first. From there, everything runs the same as it does for everyone flying in. More specific details get sent as your trip gets closer.

No. MVP provides your hotel before and after the trip. We currently put veterans up at the O'Haire Motor Inn in Great Falls.

The day before your trip, you start at the MVP facility for a full brief and gear issue, followed by a group dinner. Then you head to your hotel for the night. The trip itself can look a little different depending on where you're headed, but every trip ends back at the MVP facility, where you're fed and given a ride to your hotel.

We have secure storage for your belongings, and for your vehicle too if you drove in.

That's on us. Gear issue happens at the MVP facility the day before, and the trip ends back there too, so getting you to and from the trailhead or boat launch is our job.

There is never cell service. Our team carries satellite communication for emergencies, but your family should be prepared not to hear from you for about 4 days. If you want your own way to reach home, you can get T-Mobile's satellite texting plan before you arrive. It works pretty well. You can use your own phone to satellite text, or bring a personal communication device through Garmin or Zoleo. Just plan for a way to keep it charged, since none of these run on trail power. We recommend trying to stay off your phone as much as possible, but we understand being away from family can be hard.

A trip marked Spouse on our schedule means one thing: the veteran's legal spouse is welcome to join. It is not an open plus one. We are not able to accommodate a parent, sibling, other family member, or a partner who is not your spouse on these trips. Your spouse does not need to be a veteran themselves to come.

Your spouse needs to fill out the same interest form you do. Once that form is submitted, we automatically email a longer follow up form to whoever submitted it. That form asks for military and medical history, so make sure your spouse fills out their own rather than relying on yours. We ask for that history so we can care for each person correctly and put them on the right trip for them.

Yes, in three circumstances: if the veteran has passed away, if the veteran is physically unable to make the trip, or if the two are divorced. In any of these cases, we will ask for proof of marriage to the veteran. We built this policy because we believe a spouse who stood with a veteran deserves the same respect we give the veteran who served.

Only a legal spouse, and only on a trip marked Spouse on our schedule. We're not able to accommodate a parent, sibling, other family member, or a partner who is not your spouse. See the spouse questions above for the full policy.

There's nothing specific they need to do. Being there for you before you leave and when you get back matters more than anything else.

On your last day, we build in time to close out the trip together before you head home. Afterward, we ask for your feedback through a survey.

Yes. You'll leave with contact information for everyone who was on your trip with you. We also send periodic check in emails afterward, and we're continuing to build out our follow up process. On top of that, we're partnered with America's Warrior Partnership, which has resources available across the country.

We get this a lot. Would you be willing to join your friend (if you are a veteran)? Most people will come with a friend.

Your friend has to apply on their own. We don't take nominations for our VLTATs. If you're a veteran, apply with your friend and challenge them to come. You both fill out the form, and each of you notes on it who you're signing up with.

All of us have something to gain from a trip with MVP. It is hard to trust us from a FAQ page, but trust us. You are not taking a seat. You are joining a team.

People get cold feet, and real emergencies happen. Life happens. We would rather you back out early and tell us the truth than lie at the last minute and leave us scrambling to fill an empty seat. Once the trip is close, we've already bought the food, reserved the hotels, and rented the equipment. The seat is paid for, and we need it filled.

Every route has its own evacuation procedure, and it kicks in right away. It's specific to the route you're on, not a generic plan. Our team leaders run it in real time using radios and satellite communicators, with local authorities already aware of where we are. You're not on your own out here if something goes wrong.

In ten years of trips, no one has left partway through.

VLTAT stands for Veteran Led Therapeutic Adventure Trip. It's a multi-day wilderness trip led by veteran team leaders, built around outdoor immersion, physical challenge, and peer camaraderie. We provide the gear and food. You show up and do the work.

We're headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, and we serve veterans nationally, not just Montana residents. Our Smith River float is an annual conservation partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Beyond that, we keep specific trip locations general so every trip stays about the experience, not a destination.

No. Most of our team serves as volunteers, but MVP has paid staff as of January 2026.

MVP started with three Marine Scout Snipers and mountain survival instructors who served together. After they got out, all three ended up in Montana, and they wanted other veterans to experience what nature had given them.

Yes. Montana Vet Program is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 86-2296172.

Through individual donors, corporate sponsors, and grant funding. Not government money, and not fees charged to the veterans we serve.

Yes, through our Donate page. Every $1,000 covers one veteran on one full trip, start to finish: gear, food, guides, and lodging.

Through our Donate page. Every $1,000 covers one veteran on one full trip, start to finish: gear, food, guides, and lodging. Becoming a monthly donor is one of the most direct ways to help.

Yes. Start with the contact form on our Partners page.

Yes. We have volunteer opportunities at our fundraisers, and we need volunteers to help shuttle vehicles for some of our trips.

Become a monthly donor, volunteer at one of our fundraisers, share our mission with your own network, and interact with us on social media.

The Smith River is where a lot of our trips happen, and we're not willing to just take from it without giving something back. Since 2019, we've partnered with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to keep that river healthy for every veteran who floats it after us.

Bank stabilization and bioengineering to stop erosion at priority sites, campsite restoration, clearing downed timber to keep float access open, and general support work for FWP and the U.S. Forest Service, moving material, staging wood, whatever keeps the corridor in shape.

Since 2019, 148 individual volunteers have worked the Smith River, delivering $138,242.36 in volunteer value to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Forest Service.

Every Smith River trip includes conservation work. It's built into the trip, not a separate add on.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks identifies and coordinates our conservation projects along the river corridor. The U.S. Forest Service handles logistics and technical work alongside us. GEUM Consulting is our technical partner on bioengineering. STIHL donates safety gear, chainsaws, and fuel for our crews, and NRS gives us a discount on river gear. Visit our Partners page for our full partner list.