OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
Did you really enjoy your sophomore outdoor experience & want to experience another? Or perhaps you didn't get the chance to attend an outdoor trip last year and would like to go on one this year? Juniors have the option to join one of our Outdoor Adventure Programs this summer.
Program offerings range in length from 1 - 3 weeks and take place within California, such as the Bay Area or High Sierras, and out-of-state in Colorado. Most experiences include a backpacking component that varies in intensity and can include other activities such as kayaking, rafting and climbing.
2026 Outdoor Adventure Program Partners
Explore the descriptions below and click on the blue buttons to visit their website to learn more about our Partners and what participants will be doing on their courses.
Location: Portola, CA & Sierra Nevada Mountains
Group Mix: All Summer Search, mostly Sophomore SSers
Trip Length: 2 weeks
Join Sierra Nevada Journeys for a 2-week outdoor adventure in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and at their camp, Grizzly Creek Ranch. After learning the basics of backcountry living and bonding as a team, participants will backpack and choose to engage a wide range of activities that can include rafting or rock climbing.
Location: Lake Tahoe or Yosemite
Group Mix: Mostly non-Summer Searchers, youth from all over California
Trip Length: 11 days
Explore the beauty of nature on an 11-day course through Lake Tahoe or Yosemite National Park. Participants will be challenged academically, emotionally and physically, as they backpack through the mountains; study language arts & environmental science; and write poetry and personal essays. Each course ends with a ceremony where participants can share some of their writing and celebrate.
Location: Sierra Nevada Mountains & Bay Area
Group Mix: All Summer Search, mostly Sophomore SSers
Trip Length: 2-3 weeks
Depending on the course, participants have the chance to sea kayak in San Francisco or Tomales Bays, backpack along the Point Reyes seashore or High Sierras, or whitewater raft on the American river. Each trip provides opportunities to challenge yourself in a supportive environment, build leadership skills, develop your sense of self-awareness and self-confidence.
Location: Colorado (requires an ID to fly)
Group Mix: Mostly non-Summer Searchers, youth from all over the country
Trip Length: 2-3 weeks
Located in the American Southwest, participants will spend half of their experience in Colorado and Utah backpacking and rafting, while the other half will be spent working with and learning from Navajo or Hopi hosts. Participants will be challenged physically and mentally, reflecting on what they achieved and learned each day during closing circle.
Location: Sierra Nevada Mountains or Bay Area
Group Mix: Mostly non-Summer Searchers, youth from all over the Bay Area
Trip Length: 1-2 weeks
GirlVentures inspires girls* to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery and collective action. As you embark on a 1-2 week, you'll form friendships, build confidence, develop social emotional tools and explore concepts of social justice. Some trips will include backpacking, rock climbing or kayaking, and GirlVentures offers trips specifically for youth of color or youth who identify as queer.
*GirlVentures believes in practicing radical inclusivity. Girls* refers to gender expansive youth (cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth and any girl-identified youth)
