Trip Highlights:
Our 13-Day Teen Adventure Summer Camps are the ultimate gateway to a lifelong passion for the outdoors. This backpacking summer camp for teens combines our coastal and ancient forest adventures for nearly two weeks of skill-building and exploring immersed in Olympic National Park. Designed for teens ages 13-18, this camp often begins on the coast, exploring sea caves and marine life along trails that weave on and off the beach. By the end of the journey, campers often find themselves traversing the moss-covered terrain of the ancient old-growth forest. Our experienced outdoor educators, who are are trained specifically for the Olympic area, share their knowledge with participants as the group covers between 4 and 8 miles hiking each day. For teens looking to develop their outdoor skills by fully immersing in some of the world’s most majestic wilderness, the 13-Day Olympic Teen Backpacking Adventure is the ultimate choice.
Age Range
Price
Length
Length
You will receive a full refund if you cancel within 48 hours of the original booking date.
Book with confidence knowing you can cancel for any reason up to 30 days before your trip date and receive a transferable lifetime credit that is good for use on any of our programs.
Not sure if your current trip dates work? Rest assured, you can change your trip date as many times as needed, provided you do so at least 30 days before the current and new trip dates.
YOUTH PROGRAM ADVENTURE SHUTTLE
Lasting Adventures will be providing transportation from near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and the greater Seattle-Tacoma area to our Youth Backpacking Programs in Olympic National Park. Skip the long drive and traffic while helping save the environment.
This is a sample itinerary only and is subject to change.
Day 1: Begin your journey by meeting your outdoor educators/guides and fellow campers and becoming familiar with your backpacking gear. We’ll do a quick bag pack and check, map review, and goal setting before catching a shuttle to Ozette Triangle Trailhead to start our hike. As we hike along the beach with towering sea stacks, we’ll cover about 3 miles to reach Sand Point campsite. Here, we’ll relax and learn about marine life as we camp on the beach under a blanket of stars, sharing stories and playing games on the endless stretches of sand.
Day 2: Start the day with a refreshing stretch and breakfast, followed by our morning meeting routine (stretches, map review, goal setting, etc.) before setting out for the approximately 5.5-mile hike to Yellow Banks.
Day 3: After our morning routine, we’ll set out for another 5 miles to Norwegian Memorial. The relatively flat terrain offers an awesome interactive experience with the rugged coastline. We’ll spend another night camping on the beach, enjoying the sound of the ocean and each other’s company.
Day 4: Enjoy a morning stretch and breakfast before setting out for the approximately 6-mile hike to our next camp at Chilean. Along the way, we’ll practice navigating tides, hike through the coastal forest above the ocean, learn about geology and biodiversity, and explore the tide pools.
Day 5: Today, we’ll cover another 2 miles, starting the day with a hearty breakfast before packing up camp and making our way toward Hole in the Wall campground. This is our final night, so we’ll savor the experience by enjoying each other’s company while playing games, viewing the blanket of stars above our heads, and participating in our beloved bracelet ceremony.
Day 6: On our last coastal day, we’ll hike out to the trailhead, where we will be transported to our campsite for the night and celebrate the halfway point of our journey with ice cream and a re-supply of fresh food and a clean change of clothes.
Day 7: Today is a well-deserved “Zero Day”. We will rest today and enjoy the area around the campground. There will be an opportunity for some mellow day hiking and we can prepare for the next half of our trip starting tomorrow.
Day 8: After a night of rest, we will have the chance to sleep in this morning! Our hike today will take us 3.5 miles to picturesque Mink Lake high in the mountains and surrounded by deep, dense forest. We will settle in for our first night in the mountainous backcountry with an entirely different perspective of the same national park.
Day 9: After our regular morning meeting we will embark on one of our more strenuous days of uphill as we travel to Deer Lake. By now we will have had plenty of practice in trail games and keeping spirits high as we pass through forests draped in mosses and slime molds. There is an alpine lake at camp today, and after we have had time to set up our camp, we will get to wade in the water and relax as we watch the alpine glow of the mountains reflected in the water.
Day 10: Today will be another long day, hiking over 6 miles to CB Flats Campground. Yes, the day will be strenuous, but after more than a week of hiking together, we will have found a rhythm to make the time pass. We will have the chance to look back on the valleys and lakes below, where we can see just how far we have come already. We will finish our day with a descent past beautiful Hoh Lake and camp in a more secluded area near meadows of wildflowers.
Day 11: Today we will hike about 5 miles to Sol Duc Park. Along the way, we will hike across the High Divide which provides unparalleled views of the Olympic and Bailey mountain ranges. We will break for lunch at one of the passes and relax near alpine lakes, mountain creeks, and meadows of wildflowers. We might even have the opportunity for sledding and snowball fights! Hiking through the Seven Lakes Basin is an unforgettable experience and our sleep tonight will be well deserved.
Day 12: On our second to last day, we will have an easier hike. Continuing about 2 miles to the Seven Mile Group Site, we will have the chance to relax for a good part of the day as we prepare to reenter the front country tomorrow. We will take our time identifying all of the flora and fauna of the forest and spend the afternoon learning about the geological, cultural, and human history of this part of the park as we relax in the shade of giant trees near the river.
Day 13: On our final day we will pass by the famous Sol Duc Falls, reflecting on our long journey, as we descend to the trailhead.
Other: On all of our summer youth programs, we have a daily morning meeting where youth engage in group games, share highlights, offer praise to each other, stretch, review maps and day itineraries, and set individual and group goals for the day. Also, whether breaking on the trail in the afternoon or evening at the campsite, our Outdoor Educators also facilitate additional opportunities for youth to develop a personal connection with nature. Problem-solving and initiative games are common, as are smiles. Additional outdoor skills are gained as we practice Leave No Trace principles and promote environmental stewardship throughout the length of the program.
Note: This is only a sample itinerary and actual itineraries are subject to change. If we are unable to obtain the permits, or if various conditions make this itinerary unfeasible, we will provide an alternative trailhead and itinerary in Olympic National Park.
Scholarship Application – Every youth deserves this opportunity!
Yes, our trips are perfect for first-time backpackers and those with prior backpacking experience. Our professional, caring, and fun Outdoor Educators design innovative, engaging ways to teach and orient all participants to backpacking during the first days of a trip, and by the end, they come home feeling quite accomplished backpackers. Additionally, often, those with backpacking experience are past participants returning for different itineraries, more exploration, and additional lasting memories.
For ages 11-13, we recommend our 6-Day Young Adventurers program. For more mature/physically developed 13-year-olds and older youth, they can consider our 6-, 10-, 13-, and/or 20-day programs. It’s really up to your child and how much fun and memorable outdoor explorations they are after.
Over 50% of our participants come without friends, though this can vary by trip. From day one and throughout the program, our Outdoor Educators facilitate activities and games to help all youth bond. It is almost too common for youth who come with friends to leave with new, stronger friendships. It’s just the nature of how we have run our programs for the past thirty years: to be all-inclusive and fun for every attendee.
Historically, we experience increasing bookings from December through June, with almost 50% of bookings occurring in the late spring. You are welcome to book early and check back periodically to monitor group composition, while knowing we allow date changes as often as you like. Also, during our booking period, we continuously monitor group composition to ensure similar age and gender distributions across groups.
Yes, for a detailed packing list, see the Olympic (WA) Youth Summer Camp Packing and Equipment List.
Yes, thanks to our partnerships with leading gear companies, we can provide backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, trekking poles, and tents (as needed). There will be a field to indicate what you would like to borrow when you complete the required forms after registering.
Youth should be able to carry a backpack of 25-45lb, and not to exceed ⅓ of their body weight. The weight is a combination of their personal gear and part of the group gear. Always bigger youth carry more, and smaller youth carry less.
Our Outdoor Educators are among the best professionals in the field, sharing a passion for the outdoors and for sharing it with others in a fun and caring manner. All staff undergo a rigorous application process and background check, during which they must demonstrate experience in outdoor recreation, backpacking, working with youth, risk management, and customer service. All staff must possess a Wilderness First Responder certification and also pass a Department of Justice fingerprint background check. Our staff are trained yearly by us, and they are consistently supervised throughout the season with required pre- and post-trip meetings/reviews.
We always have at least two staff members for each youth group that doesn’t exceed 10 youth.
We eat good food!
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We have a long history of meeting the needs of almost all dietary restrictions, including some very complex ones. When registering, you will complete a questionnaire to provide a brief overview of your needs. Later, you will complete a more detailed Medical form to provide additional information. The staff guiding your trip will call you the day prior and, when they are packing the food/gear for the trip, will go over your needs and modifications in more detail. Although we have many options in stock, we respect it if you ultimately decide to bring your preferred substitutions.
The wildlife in the parks we operate in is not really a significant threat. Black bears are naturally afraid of people and are easily scared away. In addition to the bears, we encounter many other animals and critters, including deer, squirrels, marmots, birds, and even rattlesnakes and scorpions. We work with participants to teach them to respect animals and wildlife, so we do not encounter any issues.
Unfortunately, no. We go by the principle that no news is good news. Because these groups backpack in wilderness areas, there is little to no cell service, and communication is limited. However, group leaders use satellite technology to stay in contact with our office and send the required nightly “All-ok” check-ins, including their GPS location, which aligns with their intended itinerary on file with our office and in each park’s systems. They can also send custom messages for any other emergencies or issues requiring support. As always, if there is ever any emergency or concern involving your child, you will be one of the first to be notified.
If you need to reach us, please note that both our 1-800-513-8651 voicemail and Staff@LastingAdventures.org email are actively monitored by multiple members of our on-call Admin team. Your contact will be responded to as soon as possible.
About one-two weeks after the camp has concluded, you will receive an email that includes a daily journal, trip highlights, and a link to pictures from the trip.
Lasting Adventures has been operating youth wilderness backpacking trips since 1997. We are highly experienced in the industry and know the parks we operate in better than many others. Additionally, the park staff knows us and respects our experience.
With over 30 years of experience operating youth wilderness camps, Lasting Adventures has faced a wide range of issues, including bug bites, twisted ankles, illnesses, and wildfires. If there is an emergency with your child or their group, you will be notified as soon as possible. Our highly trained staff also has direct contact with our on-call admin team and with the dispatch for Ranger and Search and Rescue (with helicopter support) in the parks, as needed. Fortunately, because we focus on managing risks and educating youth on safety protocols from day one, our evacuation needs have been minimal.
As far as wildfire concerns go, we are fortunate to operate in alpine areas (or beach areas in Olympic) where the risk of rapid wildfire growth is minimal. (Simply put, our normal hiking speed is typically faster than a wildfire can spread in these areas.) However, if a wildfire erupts, park personnel are dispatched promptly and will support an evacuation if necessary. The bigger threat is unhealthy smoke levels coming from wildfires many miles away. When a distant wildfire erupts, we use an established evacuation criterion based on smoke levels and wind patterns, which we monitor consistently while in contact with field groups.
Yes, we operate a shuttle from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with additional stops in the area before heading to Olympic National Park. See here for more information: Olympic Adventure Shuttle.
Yes, Lasting Adventures is a nonprofit with the mission to foster environmental stewardship, teach responsible recreation, and provide opportunities for personal growth by facilitating impactful wilderness experiences. You can see here to Apply For a Scholarship.
Lasting Adventures offers a very forgiving and structured Cancellation Policy, with lifetime, transferable credit always available up to 30 days prior to the trip. For a full description, visit our Terms and Conditions page.
Yes, see here for our Parent Reference List.
Also, feel free to search our Google and TripAdvisor reviews, which feature hundreds of testimonials from past summer camp participants and parents.
