A summer of adventure, challenge, and fun!

 

Youth Backcountry Camps

Make new friends. Disconnect from technology. Observe local wildlife. Bag a new peak. Leave No Trace like Bigfoot. Turn lake water into Gatorade. Discover Tahoe’s formation. Create flavorful meals over tiny backpacking stoves. Surround yourself with wildflowers. Swim in pristine alpine lakes. Fall asleep while watching shooting stars. All this and more jammed into your Youth Backcountry Camp (YBCC) experience. Follow the footsteps of knowledgeable guides on a four-day backpacking expedition along the Tahoe Rim Trail to challenge yourself, connect with the natural world, and most important – have fun!

With the help and collaboration from our friends at the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, we are excited to offer options for youth ages 12-17 to explore the Tahoe Rim Trail with the inspiration and support from our trained backcountry instructors.

In Partnership with

The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science YBCC Tahoe Rim Trail Association

Thank you for an Amazing Summer!

Fill out an interest form below for our Summer 2025 Youth Backcountry Camps!

Interest Form
Formulario de Interés

Registration Details

Registration Closed.

Give the youth in your life an adventure they will never forget!

Sliding Scale! Pay what you can afford. The TRTA offers this program on a sliding scale to ensure that any youth who wants to attend, can.  Read below for price options, scholarship information, and more details.

Have questions? Contact our office at info@tahoerimtrail.org or call (775) 298-4485.

Review the Cancellation Policy

Adventure Details

Join a group of youth, ages 12-14 or 14-17, on an exciting and challenging four-day adventure to discover and experience firsthand the beauty of the Lake Tahoe region with the trail experts themselves, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. Make new friends while backpacking between three and six miles per day. Learn new backcountry skills and support your fellow adventurers in the wild. Discover and explore the exciting flora, fauna, and natural history of the Tahoe Basin. Sleep under the stars after cooking your own dinner over a backpacking stove. Each day is jam-packed with new experiences, character-building challenges, and outdoor fun.

Topics include:

  • Backcountry living skills
  • Leave No Trace wilderness ethics
  • Local ecology and geology
  • Outdoor leadership
  • Teambuilding

Participants can expect to practice working together and leading their peers, be involved in making group decisions, and learn to care for themselves and others in the backcountry. Meaningful experiences like this encourage teens to make new friends, build confidence and skills, disconnect from technology, and discover their place in the natural world.

Requirements

The TRTA invites participants with no prior backpacking or camping experience as well as those with significant experience to register. This four-day journey is designed to teach participants all they need to know about backpacking and camping to feel confident in the woods. However, there will be physical and mental challenges along the way. Participants should be in good mental and physical condition to carry a 25-30lb pack while hiking up and down mountainous Sierra terrain at 8,000-9,500 feet in elevation. The TRTA will provide all food, camping gear, permits, medically-certified backcountry instructors, and transportation to and from the trailheads, so participants only need to bring clothes, shoes, and a desire to explore the outdoors.

Preparation

After registering and submitting all required paperwork, the TRTA will evaluate your child’s suitability for this program. If approved, you will receive a packet of preparation materials and guidelines for your trip. See a sample Handbook here to learn more.

Program Fees

Sliding Scale! Pay what you can afford. The TRTA offers this program on a sliding scale of $225, $445, or $665 to ensure that any youth who wants to attend, can. Select a partial fee of $225 or $445 if your child/ward faces financial, cultural, language, homelife, identity, mental health, or other barriers that prevent them from accessing an outdoor recreation and education program or seeing themselves represented in outdoor recreation.

If $225 is still a barrier, scholarships are available. Click here to submit a scholarship application. Haga click aquí para la aplicación.

Click here to view the TRTA YBCC Cancellation Policy before registering.

Participant Quotes

 

“I am stronger than I think. I can do anything with the right attitude.”

“Participating in the program allowed me to not feel so dependent on my phone and allowed me to make friendships without social media.”

“My favorite moment was talking to the instructor because she really made me feel like I could be more social and taught me to not be afraid to be me.”

“The thing that stood out to me was climbing the mountain which to me felt like life because you need to keep climbing to reach your goals.”

“Something I learned about this is that nature is really beautiful and its really important to take care of it.”

“I learned that I can be myself to make new friends.”

“My favorite memories were talking at night with everyone telling stories, hiking/climbing up the big hill, and swimming with everyone.”

“I learned from this trip that there’s so many things, plants, animals, and places to learn/explore and there’s so much more out there.”

“YBCC made me feel super free from a lot of things especially my devices. It felt blissful to fall asleep to the stars and the trees above my head.”

“It made me excited to learn, make new friends, and be more independent. I think it’s a pretty cool program that allows many teenagers to experience things they wouldn’t have been able to experience without it.”

“I learned I could do way more than I thought my body was capable of doing. YBCC made me feel so strong and I feel like I grew a lot mentally and physically.”

“My favorite memory was when we reached the top of Dick’s Pass, and the view and sense of accomplishment were enormous.”

Parent Testimonials

“She loved it, and had such a sense of accomplishment. She has been talking about it nonstop since we picked her up.”

“Very valuable, especially at this time. My child loves the outdoors but this experience really inspired him to want to do more (for the environment) and backpack more.”

“My child’s favorite part was being with kids about the same age, learning about different cultures and learning by experiencing nature! She loved it!”

“It’s so valuable for any person to have life experiences. Learning a skill, while gaining new friends and being away from technology is such a great experience for them.”

“I love this program. I feel my kids have grown in confidence and independence and it shows the rest of the year. This is our second time.”