Trip Highlights:
From exploring the famous Yosmeite Valley and the secret Indian trails and caves within to hiking beside towering waterfalls and granite domes, our 6-Day California Backpacking Summer Camp in Yosemite is perfect for those young adventurers ages 11-13 (and often those who have just completed their 5th- 7th grades). These 6-day programs are carefully curated by our experienced Yosemite staff to offer an intro to camping, backpacking, and the outdoors in a fun and supportive manner. Overall mileage will be shorter while camping in some of the best Yosemite wilderness locations, offering opportunities to explore meadows and vistas and/or cool off in high alpine rivers, streams, and/or lakes. Daily, participants will engage in games, initiatives, and shared leadership roles within the group. Our Outdoor Educators will also share environmental and historical highlights of the region in a fun and exciting way. Participants should share a passion for the outdoors, exploring new trails, sleeping under the stars, and those who don't mind getting a little dirty!
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 San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and the greater Bay Area to our Youth Backpacking programs in Yosemite National Park. Skip the long drive and traffic while helping save the environment.
This is a Sample Itinerary only. Itineraries differ weekly based on trailhead permits.
Day 1: Meet your Counselors/Outdoor Educators. Get acquainted with the group and with gear. Group orientation and relocation to the Yosemite Valley Backpackers Campsite for the evening. Yosemite Valley tour, including geological and natural highlights. Evening activities and campfire to strengthen bonds while goal-setting and an introduction to the Yosemite wilderness and history through storytelling.
Day 2: After our morning meeting (stretches and goal setting), we will catch the morning shuttle to Glacier Point (7,214′), where we will take in the amazing views from this most famous Yosemite location. After taking in the views at Glacier Point, we will descend into Illilouette Valley. After 3.7 mostly easy downhill miles (only one short climb of about 200′), we will cross the Illilouette Creek and camp at a knoll along the water. Creek play is optional and fun. If the sky is cloudless, experience an incredible show of stars! Total mileage: 3.8.
Day 3: This is an exploration day! We will explore the Illilouette Valley east from our campsite and the areas along the south of Mount Starr King and the natural geological formations around. Time will be spent on group games, Leave No Trace, and learning about the natural environment. Total mileage: 3-5.
Day 4: After a hearty breakfast, we will hike out of the Illilouette Valley on a moderate uphill and scenic climb to the Panorama Trail before descending to the precipice of Nevada Fall and ultimately Little Yosemite Valley at 6,040′, where we will camp for the night. A beach along the Merced River here makes for excellent relaxation. Total mileage: 5.5.
Day 5: We will descend to the Yosemite Valley Floor (4,000′) via the famous Mist Trail, which parallels the Merced River and both Nevada and Vernal Falls. We will return to the Valley Backpackers Camp for the night. A valley night hike will be on hand tonight to view the stars. Total mileage: 4.5
Day 6: After breakfast and packing up, we will explore the secret Indian Caves before returning to Curry Village.
Note: Remember this is only a sample itinerary.
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 or in the afternoon or evening in 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.
Scholarship Application – Every youth deserves this opportunity!
Yes, our trips are perfect for the first time backpacker as well as those who might have previous backpacking experience.
For ages 11-13 we recommend our 6-Day Young Adventurers program. For more mature/physically developed 13yos and all 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 experiences they are after.
Yes, for a detailed packing list, see the Sierra (CA) Youth Summer Camp Packing and Equipment List.
Over 50% of our participants come without other friends, which can vary from trip to trip. From day one and throughout the program, our guides facilitate activities and games to bond all the youth. It is almost too common for youth who come with friends to leave with new and better friendships with others. 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.
Our Outdoor Educators are some of the best professionals in the field who share a passion for the outdoors and sharing that with others in a fun and caring manner. All staff go through a rigorous application process and background check where they must demonstrate experiences in the outdoors, 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 as well as they are consistently supervised throughout the season.
We always have at-least two staff members for each youth group that doesn’t exceed 10 youth.
Yes, we operate a shuttle from San Francisco International Airport with additional stops in the Bay before heading to Yosemite National Park. See here for more information: Yosemite Adventure Shuttle.
Don’t worry we got you covered. We have a long history of meeting the needs of most all dietary restrictions and even some very complicated ones. When registering, you will complete a questionnaire to give us a brief picture of your needs. Then, later, you will complete a more detailed Medical form where you can include more information. The staff guiding your trip will call you the day prior and when they are packing the food/gear for the trip to 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 critters, so we do not encounter any problems with them.
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 an option up to 30 days prior to the trip. For a full description, visit our Terms and Conditions page.
We eat good food!
Unfortunately, no, and NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS. Because these groups backpack in remote wilderness areas, there is little to no cell service, and communication is limited. However, group leaders use satellite technology to send the required nightly “All-ok” check-ins, which also include their GPS location, which we track in our offices. They can also send custom messages for all other emergencies or for any other issue they need support with. So we go by “No news is good news.” As always, if there is ever any emergency or concern involving your child, you will be one of the first to be notified.
Yes, thanks to our partnerships with some of the best gear companies, we can provide backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, trekking poles, and tents (if necessary). There will be a place to indicate what you would like to borrow when completing 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.
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 know that we watch group composition and group youth with similar ages/sexes.
