The initial introduction process will include an interview to get to know your school and learn about your goals. We will then tailor a high adventure program for you!
Each day of any itinerary will include a mix of group challenges, team-building, friendly competitions, and group reflections and debriefs over a campfire.
Below, view the itineraries we’ve run for schools from Seattle to Florida.
6-day backpacking adventure in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains
5-day multisport & science adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains
5-day backpacking adventure in Olympic National Park
5-day intro to the outdoors in Washington State
7-day southeast multisport adventure
6-day PNW climb & hike adventure
5-day Rocky Mountain National Park raft & hike adventure
5-day Oregon rafting adventure
We will help handle logistics to make trip planning and travel as smooth and stress-free as possible. We take care of all ground transpiration once you’ve arrived; purchase all food on approved menus beforehand; provide all packing lists, medical forms, and waivers; and have even worked with travel agents to book flights.
Read more FAQs below!
Pre-trip planning
We work closely with faculty to tailor each program to the school’s goals and desired outcomes. We also offer Zoom orientations and Q&As for parents.
Staffing ratios
We can accommodate any number of students, from a small group of 12 students and 2 teachers to groups of over 100. When we welcome schools with large groups, we generally assign students to smaller groups of 10 to 12, with 2 Adventure Treks instructors and 1 teacher/chaperone.
Transfers & arrival/departure
We can provide transportation to and from airports if groups are flying into the nearest airport. If groups are driving to us, we will provide all transportation until departure.
Meals & dietary restrictions
Our food is delicious! Students will be involved for cooking meals with each other with outdoor cooking gear, and many of the meals we prepare are similar to what you might eat at home! Sample meals include breakfast burritos; cereal, yogurt, and oatmeal bars; sandwich and wrap buffets; pasta and chicken salad; macaroni and cheese with vegetables; stir fry; jambalaya; and more! Parents love it when students come home ready to cook a meal for them.
We can accommodate vegetarians and many food allergies and dietary restrictions, including peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, sesame, and gluten. Throughout the trip, our staff will work hard to prevent cross-contamination for those with food allergies (though in our basic outdoor kitchens, this can never be 100% guaranteed). It is also important that students take responsibility and an active role in managing their allergies and dietary restrictions along with our instructors, including reading ingredients labels, avoiding foods with a known allergen, and seeking help from an instructor if needed. Our instructors carry EpiPens and are trained to respond to allergic reactions.
Adventure Treks may choose to operate a trip free of a particular food (peanuts, tree nuts, etc.) due to student allergies.
Instructor qualifications
Our instructors are qualified outdoor education professionals, with experience working not only in the outdoors, but also with youth! They’re well-versed in teaching outdoor skills, making sound risk management decisions, giving students leadership opportunities, and showing teens how much fun we can have together in the outdoors.
All of our instructors are certified as wilderness first responders at minimum.
Communication & safety
Schools typically choose a tech-free program where they collect students’ phones in order to fully immerse into, enjoy, and benefit from an outdoor adventure field trip. Our leadership team remains on call 24/7 for any issues that might arise in the field. Parents are generally in touch with the school office for specific trip communication and photos, though we are always happy to chat directly with parents to answer questions.
Packing & gear inclusions
We will provide a packing list that details everything your child needs to bring to Adventure Treks. We include:
Lodging & accommodations
Most of our programs include a mix of frontcountry and backcountry camping. We assign 3 or 4 students to a 4-person tent; teachers and chaperones will have their own tents.
Frontcountry camping refers to developed campsites we can drive up to; these sites often include running water, toilets, picnic tables, and other amenities. Backcountry camping refers to wilderness sites that we hike or paddle to.
Most teachers are excited about the possibility of camping out; we will outfit both students and teachers with everything they need to stay warm, dry, and comfortable. If any of your faculty have questions about camping out, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Safety is our primary concern, and we are extremely proud of our outstanding record. Caring for your student is our top priority from the moment they arrive until they depart the trip.
We work closely with teachers and administrators to create fun, community-building, and growth-oriented educational experiences for students. The outdoors is the perfect place to augment classroom curricula, invigorate students’ sense of curiosity and discovery, and make lasting impressions that are often the pinnacle of the school year.
Knowing that we all have more fun and success when we feel included, valued, and supported, we put a lot of energy into the intentional development of community. As soon as students arrive, they are divided into small groups in order to promote positive social dynamics. Our instructors facilitate games, activities, and discussions that foster the development of a close, caring community. After a week of supporting each other, you can expect your classes to return to school more united and energized.
Adventure Treks blends hands-on science and environmental lessons with community-building and adventure activities for an exceptional, well-rounded educational experience. Students can explore watersheds and study constellations in some of the best star-gazing areas in the country. Our itineraries are designed to weave experiential learning with outdoor adventure so students will more effectively retain the information they are learning in the classroom. Our trips are as fun as they are adventurous and educational!
Your students will learn outdoor skills, hike through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, discover the flora and fauna of the forest ecosystem, and much more. While immersed in nature’s classroom, students will be learning other valuable lessons, too:
Let’s turn the classroom into an outdoor expedition your students will remember for a lifetime!
For the past several decades, we have had our 8th-grade students spend the opening week of school immersed in the Pisgah backcountry with Adventure Treks.
This trip, away from the structure of bells and homework, remains the most important week for our students during their middle school journey.
They are literally learning on the spot in an authentic manner and environment that challenges them to confront important lifelong questions: Who am I in relation to myself and my peers? How do I handle new and often uncomfortable situations? How do I lead others? How do I support others? What do I truly value and love? These questions provide the foundation for our students to return to school as happier, confident, and kinder human beings who embrace the value of community. Adventure Treks is the only organization I know of where the “return on investment” far outshines any program that focuses on helping students grow and expand their horizons. John Dewey (a pioneer of educational reform) stated, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Similarly, Adventure Treks is “life itself” for each one of our students who has started their school year in this manner.
– Bill Waskowitz, school administrator
