A NatureBridge program is an overnight outdoor experience that complements your student’s typical academic school program and deepens their connection to nature and the world around them. At NatureBridge students will:
Olympic National Park is located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Our NatureBridge campus is located about 30 minutes west of Port Angeles on Lake Crescent.
Directions: Follow US 101 west through Port Angeles. Approximately 20 miles west of Port Angeles, exit at the large brown highway sign for Storm King Ranger Station/Lake Crescent Lodge/NatureBridge. Take a left at the four-way stop. Take the first right at our sign. Our driveway is on the left.
Breakfast and dinner are served buffet style. Lunch is served in the field facilitated by your educator. Your educator will make sandwiches for your students and snacks will be passed out.
To see our dietary accommodations please visit our Dietary Restrictions (Spanish) document. For more information about specific dietary accommodations, reach out to our Operations team at least two weeks prior to your program.
View a sample menu here. Due to the large volume of participants served at NatureBridge every day, we cannot switch out a specific item in a meal for something other than what is listed in the alternatives menu. Some items may change due to availability.
Special accommodations can be made for students with additional dietary or medical needs who are unable to eat NatureBridge-provided food. To make these accommodations, let your Group Coordinator know or contact the Operations team prior to your program.
Available amenities:
Please reach out to your Group Coordinator for assigned lodging. Students sleep in bunkbeds located in cabins maintained by NatureBridge staff. Each school’s Group Coordinator will determine who will be staying in the cabins provided by NatureBridge. Cabin assignments are not finalized until a month prior to the program date. You will not share a cabin with anyone outside of your school.
It is recommended that your student bring a sleeping bag and pillow. However, if your student prefers linens, the bunkbeds are a standard twin size bed.
While there are multiple groups on campus, you will not share a cabin with anyone outside of your school. Some cabins have restrooms inside the cabin, while others will use the bathhouse, which is a shared space with everyone on campus. The bathhouse is no more than 100 yards from your cabin. Your school will receive a shower schedule to ensure that there is a time for only your students to utilize the shower space.
Some cabins have full bathrooms, some have toilet facilities, and some do not have either. All cabins will have access to the bathhouse which has multiple toilet stalls and showers. Most cabins are within 100 yards of the bathhouse.
NatureBridge strives to maintain inclusive lodging. Restrooms inside of cabins and Storm King Hall are gender neutral. There are also gender neutral individual restrooms and showers located on one side of the bathhouse. For gender neutral cabin assignments, please reach out to your Group Coordinator.
Safety and Risk Management Practices (Spanish)
Please reach out to your Group Coordinator for their policy on medication administration while on programming.
ADA accessible cabins and restroom facilities are available upon request. Please let your Group Coordinator know as soon as possible if this is something your student will need.
In an effort to create a fair and equal environment, we do not allow parents/guardians to be in the same learning group as their student. This allows the parents/guardians to fairly fulfill their chaperone expectations, while also allowing the student of their parents/guardians to participate to their full potential. These learning groups are for the learning day between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Outside of this time, you may refer to your Group Coordinator for their expectations during free time and meal times. Please see the Chaperone Responsibilities and Expectations page for more information.
If your student requires additional needs, we will make exceptions to accommodate having a parent/guardian in the same learning group as their student. However, this parents/guardians will not act as a full chaperone and the Group Coordinator will be required to assign an additional chaperone to meet the needs of the rest of the group.
Morning: Gather in the dining hall for breakfast, pack backpacks, and prepare for the day.
Instructional Day on Trail: Spend the day in small learning groups led by a professional NatureBridge educator. Students engage in collaborative, authentic scientific learning experiences in a safe and supportive environment. These experiences are designed to support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and student’s social and emotional development.
Sample Activities:
Afternoon/Early Evening: Return to campus to reflect, relax, and unwind, while school chaperones supervise. Family-style dinner in the historic Rosemary Inn gives everyone a chance to share their trail stories.
Evening: NatureBridge educators facilitate evening programs selected by group coordinators that could include a short night hike, Native American storytelling or a town-hall style meeting on a current environmental issue. Students then return to the cabins and get ready for bed.
While your group will spend a majority of the day outside, this does not mean they will be hiking the entire time. The trail day is broken up into multiple activities depended on your schools chosen area of study and activity preferences. During the day, your group could be canoeing, hiking, doing team building games and projects, spending time in any of our labs, or other activities. Longer hikes are broken up into smaller periods of hiking and stopping to do activities.
The physical rigor of the day is up to your students and the plan your Group Coordinator made with NatureBridge prior to your program. Our educators will gauge the activity levels of the group and adjust the daily plan accordingly. Your NatureBridge educator will encourage students to let them know if they are feeling overwhelmed or tired and they will adjust the plan to meet their needs.
While on campus your students will have open access to multiple bathrooms. During your trail day there may be times when hiking off campus that there may not be bathroom access. In this case, your instructor will go over proper etiquette for urination and defecation in the woods. If your student has additional bathroom needs, you may reach out to the Group Coordinator to see what accommodations are available.
See a full packing list (Spanish)
Your educators will use a bandana in a variety of ways during your program, the most common being used as a place for your students to set their food on during lunch.
Unless told otherwise by your Group Coordinator, your student will need to bring a towel and bedding. All students will need to bring their own toiletries.
View current weather information here.