Summer Backpacking
In the heart of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, Yosemite National Park is home to one of the world’s most striking and beloved landscapes. Towering granite domes, gushing waterfalls, and diverse forest and meadow habitats provide the perfect setting for endless exploration and exciting, hands-on environmental science research. This summer, you can avoid the crowds and see a side of Yosemite National Park that many will never encounter.
Yosemite Trips
Yosemite Science Expedition
Immerse yourself in backpacking, in environmental science, and in the wonder of exploring a national park on this exceptional two-week experience.
June 23 - July 6, 2019
Two Weeks | High School
Also check out our Olympic Summer Backpacking programs! ->>>
Why Join?
Explore
- Hike through the stunning wilderness of a national park
- Learn the basics of backpacking and backcountry travel
- Live simply, bringing only what will fit into your (rather large) backpack
Experiment
- Use science to gain a deeper understanding of your natural surroundings
- Conduct hands-on science projects
- Apply your experience to high school capstone projects, college applications and job resumes
Empower
- Strengthen your leadership skills
- Test your decision-making skills as you alternate with your peers as one of two Leaders of the Day
- Have fun and create long-lasting friendships
- Apply your experience to high school capstone projects, college applications and job resumes
Fees and Financial Aid
Enrollment & Tuition: Fees include all meals, lodging and educational experiences. Transportation costs to and from Yosemite are the responsibility of the participant.
Financial Aid: NatureBridge is committed to making our programs financially accessible to all students. We are pleased to offer financial aid for families who qualify. To apply for financial aid, complete our online financial aid application. Financial aid decisions are based on the family's demonstrated need and the student's commitment to participating in one of our summer backpacking trips.
| Summer 2019 Programs | Dates | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Science Expedition | June 23 - July 6, 2019 | $2,690 |
| Yosemite Science Adventure | July 13 - July 20, 2019 | $1,605 |
| Yosemite Science Adventure: Middle School! | July 7 - July 13, 2019 | $1,550 |
Get Ready
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Our Campus
Our Crane Flat campus is nestled in the forest on the northwest side of Yosemite National Park. The campus includes a cozy dining hall, a large dorm with bunk beds divided into male and female sections, a bathhouse, and a spacious outdoor area for group activities. The campus also has several trails that lead to local points of interest, like the famous Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias.
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Getting Here
We can’t wait to see you this summer!
Yosemite National Park is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. It is your responsibility to get to and from Yosemite at the beginning and end of the course. Travel options are listed below. Please refer to the program-specific student packets under “Getting Prepared” for exact arrival/departure times.
Travel by plane
We offer a shuttle service, for a fee, to and from Fresno Yosemite International Airport on the first and last day of each session. Please review the student packet for your program before buying airline tickets to ensure that the arrival and departure times coordinate with our shuttle service. You can purchase this shuttle service while registering for the program on our online registration page.
Travel by car
If you’re planning to drive, indicate this on your online registration, or email Katie Draude, Summer Programs Manager, at kdraude@naturebridge.org so that we can help you arrange carpooling with other participants.
Map and Directions
Google Map of NatureBridge in Yosemite National Park. Route to Crane Flat Campus.
When you arrive at the park
Present your gate pass (you will receive this via email prior to your trip) at the park entrance to waive the park entrance fee. Tell the rangers at the gate that you are going to NatureBridge’s Crane Flat Campus (not Yosemite Valley), and they will direct you. Our Crane Flat Campus is on Highway 120, about one mile East of the Crane Flat gas station.
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Getting Prepared
Ready, set, go!
Unless you are an experienced backpacker, the thought of living in the wilderness for multiple days and nights can be a little daunting. Rest assured that our environmental science educators have a great deal of experience leading wilderness expeditions and will be able to help you live happily and comfortably in the backcountry.
It is important that you arrive physically and emotionally prepared for the challenge. Our student packets will help you to prepare with a complete packing list and guidelines for buying or renting the right equipment and clothing.
2019 Student Packets
- Preparing for the Yosemite Science Expedition
- Preparing for the Yosemite Science Adventure
- Preparing for the Yosemite Science Adventure: Middle School!
Registered Student Paperwork and Information
Registered students must complete the following forms:
- Participant Registration Form (electronic) - requires parent/guardian signature
- Student Contract (electronic) - requires student signature
- Medical Exam (printable pdf) - Participating students must visit a physician prior to the course to discuss the course and ascertain that their health is well-aligned with the demands of the course. The NatureBridge Medical Exam form must be used.
Our Team
The magic of NatureBridge begins with our staff. Our Summer Backpacking staff consists of three administrative members and 14 year-round environmental science educators. Scroll down to learn more about the people who make up this professional, well-qualified and fun group of people.
Katie Draude, Summer Programs Manager
Katie worked as an environmental educator for Olympic National Park and NatureBridge for three years, leading Summer Field Research Courses (the predecessor to the Olympic Science Expedition) each summer. Now, as the Summer Programs Manager, Katie enjoys finding ways to get more students backpacking in national parks. When not backpacking or thinking about backpacking, Katie enjoys canoeing on Lake Crescent, playing cribbage, and sipping coffee while watching the ships go by out her back window.
John Patton, Science Education Manager at Yosemite
John has spent the past 11 years helping to share the natural world with students as an environmental educator. Upon arriving in the mountains of California in 2010, John found a wild natural place to adventure in and call his home. When not looking under river rocks for tiny aquatic insects, John can be found skiing, fly fishing, snorkeling, and photographing the phenomena of the natural world.
Chris Morgan, Science Education Manager at Olympic
Chris has been involved with connecting youth to the outdoors for 13 years. He has spent 9 of those years working with NatureBridge trying to provide meaningful wilderness experiences to students both as an educator as and as someone working behind the scenes. When not trying to help get others outside, you can find Chris getting muddy, wet, and snowy in the forests, rivers, ocean, and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula.
Our Educators
Though we can't guarantee who your NatureBridge educators will be, we can promise you that they will be fantastic. Our educators are highly qualified and passionate about the natural world. During the school year, they teach for NatureBridge's Environmental Science Program, working with K-12 school groups in our national park locations. Every educator is trained in Wilderness First Responder and CPR, and has multiple years of teaching experience in formal or informal settings. We maintain a 1:7 ratio adult to teen participant ratio, which works out to two educators per trail group at all times.
Find Us
NatureBridge at Yosemite
P.O. Box 487
Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
Katie Draude
Summer Programs Manager
415-598-9832
kdraude@naturebridge.org