Denali Backcountry Adventures

DBA Registration Link

2021 DBA Date
July 4th – 9th

Tuition:
$425

Program Overview

Denali Backcountry Adventures (DBA) is an introductory 4-day backpacking experience for high school students interested in exploring Denali’s wilderness. DBA is open to students entering high school (9th-12th grades) in the fall. No prior experience is necessary – if you are adventurous, have a positive attitude, and are interested in improving your wilderness and leadership skills, this expedition will be the highlight of your summer!

Mission

To provide high school participants with extraordinary wilderness experiences in the backcountry of Denali National Park and Preserve that challenge and extend physical, mental, and spiritual limits.

Goals

Strengthen common sense, good judgment, and decision-making skills.
Foster an understanding of one’s relationship with the environment of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Develop and hone leadership skills.
Increase appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor experiences.
Cultivate backcountry skills and methods consistent with Leave No Trace principals and National Park Service standards.
Create a physically, mentally, and emotionally safe environment for students to challenge themselves.
Foster an atmosphere that equates learning with fun.

Instructors

Throughout this program, DEC and NPS staff work together to create a supportive team with a shared vision to provide students a fun, informative adventure in Denali National Park and Preserve. We pride ourselves on creating an engaging learning atmosphere in an outdoor setting with a student-to-instructor ratio of four-to-one.

Backpacking in Denali National Park and Preserve

Denali National Park and Preserve provides a stunning classroom for studying undisturbed taiga and tundra and experiencing firsthand an untrammeled wilderness. Denali is unique in its backcountry management procedures and has few established routes or backcountry campsites. Traveling in this environment requires that we design our own adventure by choosing the route. Along with this opportunity comes the responsibility to protect the wilderness resource for future users by adhering to the principles of Leave No Trace.

Please Note: Due to increase safety and health protocols, during our 2021 DBA programs groups will be base-camped in Denali’s wilderness campgrounds. This will ensure that our campers and staff have ready access to proper sanitation and are able to better distance themselves as needed. Hikes throughout the program will still be off-trail and aimed at exploring Denali’s wilderness areas.

Registration

Registration is open. This page will be updated as we continue to confirm camp details and itineraries. We will post a link to our registration page on the morning of registration. You may also email Justine at youth@denali.org or call us at 907-683-2597 if you have any questions.

Scholarship Applications (see form below) are due within two weeks of registration along with all other camp paperwork. Scholarship notifications are announced four weeks after registration opens.

All paperwork is due two weeks after confirmation of program enrollment. Required forms include Medical History Form, Authorization Form, and Code of Conduct. Paperwork can be emailed to youth@denali.org or mailed to Denali Education Center.

Payment will be collected starting Monday, April 25th. Scholarship recipients will be notified by Friday, April 16th. All camp fees must be paid by Monday before the start of camp.

Cancellation and Refund policy:
5 weeks before course – Full refund
4 weeks before course – 75% refund
3 weeks before course – 50% refund
2 weeks before course – No refund

DBA Students Celebrate Wilderness!

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act in 2014, we asked Denali Backcountry Adventures students what wilderness means to them. Watch the video to learn what future stewards had to say.