Denali Backcountry Adventures

Our 2017 Expedition Dates are May 29-June 2

Registration is now closed.

Tuition: $375

Program Overview

Denali Backcountry Adventures (DBA) is a week-long backpacking expedition for high school students interested in exploring Denali’s vast 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 local high-school students with quality learning experiences through an extended expedition in the backcountry of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Goals

Provide an opportunity for students to experience the wilderness of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Promote understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the subarctic ecosystem.
Develop and hone outdoor leadership skills.
Cultivate backcountry skills and methods consistent with National Park Service standards.
Create a physically, mentally, and emotionally safe environment for students to challenge themselves.
Develop an atmosphere that encourages students to equate learning with fun.

Instructors

The staff of Denali Backcountry Adventures is a supportive team that works together 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.

Registration

Registration will open at 9am on Monday, March 6, 2017, via an online registration link. You may also call the DEC at 683-2597.

Scholarship Applications are due within 7 days of registration.

Registration will close and all paperwork is due by 5pm on Monday, April 10, 2017. Paperwork due includes: Medical History Form, Authorization Form, and Code of Conduct. Failure to submit paperwork by this deadline will result in the forfeiture of your camp spot.

Scholarship notifications will go out by Monday, April 17, 2017. Payment will be collected from Monday, April 24 to Monday, May 1.

We will post about any remaining available spaces after April 10, 2017.

Cancellation and Refund policy is as follows:

5 weeks before camp- Full refund
4 weeks before camp- 75% refund
3 weeks before camp- 50% refund
2 weeks before camp- No refund

DBA Students Celebrate Wilderness!

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