My family has always been pretty careful of not hunting too far from the roads, or at least good trails. Furthest we've had to go has been a couple miles. That's where the Badlands 2200 really paid off. I packed out a rear quarter on it last year, the head (spike) and carried a front quarter for a little ways before I gave up the head and front quarter and hauled the rear the rest of the way to the ELK CART! If you don't have a cart, get one. A single wheel is harder to handle, but you can use it on a side hill trail, and most elk hunting involves some sort of side hill
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So, we usually pack out to where we can use the cart and use the cart from there. Never made more than one trip with more than 20 elk in the last 10 years. The worst so far was last year, 3 elk down opening day, 1 came out on horses but mine and another we had to skin/quarter and pack. We did leave the bones in as the packing was only about 1/2 mile to the cart. For long hauls boning would probably be the way to go, take only the rack and what you will eat. Most people leave the ribs and neck (boned out) if they do pack the quarters with bone in.
It's not a lot of fun but it's not horrible. Just take your time and try to think about the nice steaks you'll have all winter. I'm pretty stout (6', 250#'s) comparred to all my 150# in-laws I hunt with and I've packed a lot of elk off the mountain. So much they call me The Mule (although I tell the ladies its for other reasons).