Backpacking Trips for Teens in the Pacific Northwest

BOLD & GOLD backpacking trips take you into the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Carrying what you need on your back, you'll trek through alpine passes, coastal trails, and old-growth forests while building resilience and responsibility. Each day brings outdoor skill-building, leadership opportunities, and teamwork. Whether navigating rugged switchbacks or sharing stories under the stars, you'll return with stronger confidence, lifelong friendships, and a lasting connection to nature.

To help participants and families choose the right BOLD & GOLD experience, we rate trips on a scale of 1–5 for Physicality and Leadership. Together, they offer a sense of the effort a trip asks of campers and the opportunity to build leadership skills it provides. See Trip Ratings >

One Week Trips

Week-long trips feature routes ranging from beginner-friendly to advanced, with no prior experience needed.

Backpacking and Fishing in the North Cascades

High in the Cascade Mountains is a land of clear mountain lakes, old-growth forests, and meadows filled with wildflowers and snowcapped peaks, where you will learn the basics of backpacking and fishing. Be captivated by dramatic mountain landscapes, fish for trout, and develop leadership skills in ways you never thought possible. After taking on the challenge of the wilderness, you will know you can overcome any obstacle before you.

Physicality: ●●●○○ | Leadership: ●●○○○

Entering Grades: 6-8

Call of the North Cascades

The North Cascades have drawn many great explorers, mountaineers, anglers, and poets with their high alpine meadows, huge clear lakes, and stunning mountain peaks. Be the next to explore this wonderland as part of this expedition. You will be backpacking in North Cascades National Park, where you may see eagles and falcons, gaze upon incredible mountains, and share stories and s’mores around the campfire.

Physicality: ●●○○○ | Leadership: ●●○○○

Entering Grades: 6–8

Cascade Challenge

kids hiking with the mountains in the background

Get more out of your summer with the Cascade Challenge. This one-week alpine expedition explores beautiful mountain landscapes and visits glacier-fed lakes. Bond with new friends over days on the trail while cooking meals by the fire under the starry sky. Leave this adventure with new wilderness skills, leadership tools, and memories that will last a lifetime. The leadership and technical skills gained on this trip will help you rise to any challenge, both in the woods and at home.

Physicality: ●●●○○ | Leadership: ●●●○○

Entering Grades: 9–Graduating Seniors

Call to the Coast

Take a simply magical journey to the land of barking seals, massive trees, and constant waves – the Olympic Coast and the Pacific Ocean make the perfect classroom for this backpacking expedition. You will start in the rainforest and hike on the beach, where you may see eagles, seals, and explore tide pools filled with marine life. On your adventure, you will go up and over headlands, camp each night just above the beach, watch dramatic sunsets, and share stories around a campfire.

Physicality: ●●○○○ | Leadership: ●●●○○

Entering Grades: 7–9

Olympic Challenge

Journey out to the Olympic coast, a land shaped by roaring tides and dotted with majestic sea stacks. Discover your true leadership potential as you guide your peers along the rocky shores and up and down coastal headlands. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to investigate tide pools, spy coastal wildlife, and enjoy the incredible sunsets from the comfort of your campfire. By the time your adventure comes to an end, you will have made lasting friendships, learned new skills, and discovered what you are truly capable of.

Physicality: ●●●○○ | Leadership: ●●●○○

Entering Grades: 9–Graduating Seniors

Peaks and Creeks

young boy writing in a journal next to a waterfall

The North Cascades are a wild, magical place where you will discover the true meaning of adventure! On this one-week journey, you and your new friends will experience joy and laughter as you play games, perfect your backpacking skills, and learn about the vibrant community of strong young leaders that surrounds you. The fun continues as you navigate beautiful mountain landscapes, explore rivers and lakes, and relax with deep conversations under the summer sun and around the evening campfire. This is one adventure you don’t want to miss!

Physicality: ●●●○○ | Leadership: ●●●○○

Entering Grades: 9–Graduating Seniors

Two Week Trips

Two-week trips give you more time to build skills, gain confidence, and grow through extended outdoor adventures.

American Alps: Backpacking in the North Cascades

North Cascades National Park is home to some of the country's most impressive mountains, also known as the American Alps. On this trip, you will travel deep into the heart of this incredible landscape. Surrounded by mountains, glaciers, and pristine alpine lakes, you will have the chance to disconnect from the outside world and connect with yourself and those around you. You will face challenges, but the bonds that will be made and the sunsets that will be gazed upon will make it all worth it.

Physicality: ●●●●○ | Leadership: ●●●●○

Entering Grades: 9–12 and Graduating Seniors

Heart of Nature

kid with a pinecone, holding it as a phone

The Olympic Interior is home to some truly magical places - ancient glaciers, pristine alpine lakes, roaring waterfalls. Heart of Nature will take you deep into Olympic National Park and will reveal some of its best kept secrets. Your two-week journey will take you to the base of Mt. Olympus, across mountain divides, and down roaring rivers. You’ll discover not just the beauty of the natural world, but also what you are capable of as a leader.

Physicality: ●●●●○ | Leadership: ●●●●○

Entering Grades: 10–12 and Graduating Seniors

Trip Ratings

Trip ratings range from one to five based on physicality and leadership, and are intended to help participants and families choose the BOLD & GOLD experience that's right for them.

Physicality is the level of physical difficulty or effort required to complete the distance, hike the elevation, navigate the terrain, and manage the conditions.

Leadership is the number of opportunities participants have to help lead the group through planning and problem-solving, managing camp tasks, and more.

Level One: ●○○○○

Physicality: Day hiking up to 5 miles, front-country climbing with short approach hikes, or flat-water kayaking up to 4 miles. Includes at least one rest day.

Leadership: Focus on exploration, social-emotional learning, and skill building. Participants take on small tasks like cooking, camp setup, journaling, and photography.

Level Two: ●●○○○

Physicality: Backpacking 3–4 miles per day, moderate terrain with under 1,000 ft elevation gain. Front-country climbing with longer routes. One to two rest days.

Leadership: Each participant serves as “Leader of the Day,” exploring responsibility through rotating, slightly more complex tasks.

Level Three: ●●●○○

Physicality: Backpacking 3–7 miles/day with some elevation gain. Coastal trips include tideland navigation; Cascade trips may have steeper climbs. One to two rest days for some trips.

Leadership: Greater responsibility for day-to-day tasks. Instructors step back, allowing the group to work together and practice basic group and risk management.

Level Four: ●●●●○

Physicality: Multi-week itineraries, backpacking 7–10 miles/day, challenging terrain, multiple consecutive travel days. Coastal and mountain routes may include overland crossings and steep gains.

Leadership: Multi-week trips with structured leadership and group management opportunities. Leaders of the Day get peer feedback and guide camp tasks and trail navigation.

Level Five: ●●●●●

Physicality: Advanced climbing/mountaineering trips. Early “Alpine Starts,” technical routes, glacier or snow travel, heavier packs, and extended consecutive travel days.

Leadership: High technical rigor and leadership challenges across physically demanding days. Teens develop advanced wilderness leadership and instructional skills.

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