Register HERE for Denali Backcountry Adventures!
2023 DBA Dates:
June 4th – 9th
Tuition:
$425
DBA Program Overview
Denali Backcountry Adventures (DBA) is an introductory backpacking experience for high school students and student groups through Alaskan partner organizations. This is a great opportunity to foster interest in the natural world by 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 or a group of students you work with are adventurous, have a positive attitude, and are interested in improving your wilderness, teamwork, and leadership skills, this expedition could 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 teamwork and leadership skills.
- Increase appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor experiences.
- Cultivate backcountry skills and methods consistent with Leave No Trace principles 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 with a fun, informative adventure in Denali National Park and Preserve. We pride ourselves on creating an engaging learning atmosphere in an outdoor setting and strive for a student-to-instructor ratio of four to one.
Backpacking in Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National P
ark and Preserve provide a stunning classroom for studying undisturbed taiga and tundra and experiencing firsthand an untrammeled wilderness. Denali has unique backcountry management procedures and few established routes or backcountry campsites. Traveling in this environment requires 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 Leave No Trace principles.
Registration
Register HERE for Denali Backcountry Adventures!
Email Shannon at youth@denali.org or call us at 907-683-2597 if you have any questions.
All paperwork is due two weeks after confirmation of program enrollment. Required forms (and the scholarship application) are available below.
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
Detailed Expedition Information:
Program Description 2023
Required Camp Forms
Equipment Checklist 2023
Gear Check and Packing Info
Leave No Trace
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.
