WelcomE to YounG Life Camp
Trips
Backpacking trips in 2024, focusing on either outreach or discipleship, will continue a 6-day model that start and end at Wilderness Ranch.
Here in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, we provide kids with an opportunity to get away from the distractions of the city and encounter God in new ways they can’t back home by backpacking through some of the most beautiful country in the United States. At basecamp, trips will be greeted by summer staff, pack everything necessary for the week on trail at a packing station, enjoy club and an outdoor lunch and then hit the trailhead. After the week of backpacking, trips will return to basecamp on the last day, unpack, get clean, enjoy camp before having dinner in the dining hall, followed by club, before heading home that evening. Every trip is led by 2-3 of our experienced guides. Our guides are professionally trained and equipped to provide the most enjoyable week possible for your group, while doing our best to mitigate risk as much as we can. Every trip is different, and our guides are prepared to adjust the logistics of the week to meet the individual needs of each group.
Adventure camping trips base out of Wilderness Ranch and experience different day adventures around the area. These trips, which can be outreach or discipleship, will be the same length as the backpacking trips, making the logistics of doing both adventure camp and backpacking trips in the same week much more feasible!
This new experience provides a unique opportunity for your group to stay in basecamp but enjoy different activities which may include day hikes, river floats, other adventures, quiet times, life stories, Bible studies, group discussions, and of course a few surprises along the way! Trips will be greeted at basecamp by a team of our experienced staff, shown to their home for the week, and will enjoy different adventures each day. The trip is accompanied by all of the food and gear necessary for the week of adventures! Our guides are professionally trained and equipped to provide the most enjoyable week possible for your group, while doing our best to mitigate risk as much as we can. Every trip is different, and our guides are prepared to adjust the logistics of the week to meet the individual needs of each group.
What to Bring:
High-quality gear, provided by Wilderness Ranch, includes backpacks, sleeping bags, ensolite sleeping pads, and rain flies (tents). The guides will carry everything necessary for medical treatment, route navigation, camp setup, cooking and much more!
Personal clothing (base layer, mid layer, outer layer) and proper socks/footwear will need to be brought to camp for your trip. See the packing lists for more detail!
On backpacking footwear: You will be hiking with heavy packs and will need quality backpacking footwear that provides good ankle support. New footwear is more likely to cause blisters and must be properly fit and broken in to reduce the chance of blisters and sore feet, which is the most common first aid need on the trail. Your local outdoor retailer can help.
On Cotton: A cotton bandana should be the only cotton in your pack. Don’t pack cotton for backpacking, only for travel to and from camp. When cotton gets wet, it takes much longer to dry than synthetic and wool fabrics, leading to severe discomfort.
Plan Your Trip
The Unique Experience of the Mountains
All of our trips are designed to provide a unique adventure experience for both leaders and high school students. During your time on these adventures, you will have the opportunity to see some of the most amazing scenery in the country and to do it all with your friends. After spending six days on adventures, leaders tell us that the week was worth a year of club relationally, and students say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of their lives! The program options are a backdrop for promoting unity, openness, depth and personal growth in Jesus Christ, while guiding kids to seek, explore and study the Creator of it all!
Much more detail for planning can be found on our TRIP LEADER WEBSITE.
Dates, Costs and Payment Schedule
2024 Dates
Backpacking/ Adventure Camp Trips: June 2-7; June 9-14; June 16-21; June 23-28; July 1-6; July 8-13; July 15-20; July 22-27; July 29- August 3
2024 Trip Costs
2024 summer reservations will continue on a per person pricing model.
Backpacking Trips: Minimum of 11 to have own trail group, maximum of 14 for any trail group (this includes campers & leaders). Contact us for pricing.
We reserve the right to combine a backpacking trip of 9 or 10 (anything under 11) with another trip of 4 or 5 (anything under 11). But in this example, the area is only paying for the 4, 5, 9 or 10 people on their trip, not the historical 7 or 14.
Adventure Camp Trips: Maximum of 10 beds in each canvas tent (this includes campers & leaders). Contact us for pricing.
Payment & Contract Schedule
October 19th, 2023: Initial Reservation Contracts Sent
November 1st, 2023: Initial Reservation Contracts DUE (no financial commitment)
December 15th, 2023: R1 Contracts Sent
January 16th, 2024: R1 Contracts DUE; $50 non-refundable deposit per spot due
March 15th, 2024: R2 Contracts Sent
April 1st, 2024: R2 Contracts DUE; Commitment of 90% of contracted spots; Any spots below 90% are subject to an accountability fee, which is equal to 1/3 the camp fee.
(NOTE: This contract schedule is for Young Life areas. Non-Young Life areas, please contact the Wilderness Ranch office at either wilderness@wilderness.younglife.org or 719-867-3622)
