Ridges and Rapids is our epic 18-day wilderness adventure summer program that explores the backcountry wilderness of Colorado and Utah. We backpack through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, surrounded by gargantuan jagged peak, move to the Green River in Utah, to whitewater raft and master kayaking skills in Desolation Canyon and work our way back to “Jurassic Park” in Colorado where we learn the basics of rock climbing on some of the best crags in Estes Park. Click on Read More to discover more about our unique take on summer camp travel experience for teenagers. 

Time is precious, so we are wise to spend it in the right places. The Great Sand Dunes National Park is the place to begin. Here we take the time to hike larger-than-life dunes before getting acquainted with our new friends, sorting out food and gear, and preparing to backpack for four days through the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. Our trail takes us up hills, through meadows and alongside lakes to campsites reaching elevations above 11,000 feet!

Sometime in the middle of June, the summer sun briefly melts the snow, allowing us to travel through the alpine landscape. Surrounded by eight jagged peaks above 14,000 feet, we camp under starry skies, enjoying the breathtaking views that surround us. Our next stop is the Green River in Utah. For five days, we whitewater raft and master kayaking skills in both hard-shell and inflatable kayaks in Desolation Canyon. Don’t let the name fool you — the canyon is anything but desolate. Each bend in the river reveals a progressively more difficult rapid within the 90 odd-mile whitewater crescendo that peaks on the final day’s run through Gray Canyon. The river’s plunge pools — where each rapid is followed by a stretch of calm — offer us a chance to regain our composure before diving into the next wave along the winding corridor. At our stops along the way, we explore traces of the Fremont Indian culture preserved in petroglyphs, stone ruins, arrowheads and pottery which line the river gorge. At night, we camp along beautiful, clear-water side streams and canyons, and on pristine, white sandy beaches, many conveniently shrouded by clusters of tall cottonwoods.

Finally, we work our way back to Colorado to “Jurassic Park” for two days of expert instruction in rock climbing, knot tying, belaying, rappelling and setting anchors. Soon we are tying our own knots, belaying and climbing top-rope, moving to multi-pitch rock climbs on some of the best crags in Estes Park — not to mention a sky-high Tyrolean Traverse 80 feet off the ground and nearly 100 feet wide. Climbing through off-widths, overhangs, cracks and faces, we learn laybacks, finger-locks, hand-jams and toe-jams — and find there’s no other sport quite like this.

We cap things off with a sensational farewell banquet. Bidding farewell to our trip leaders, we board a homeward bound plane, filled with that inexplicable, overwhelming feeling of contentment we can only close our eyes and smile about.

Settling In

Arrival in Denver, CO; program orientation; transfer to Great Sand Dunes National Park; day hikes; acclimate.

Our Adventure

Four days backpacking in the Collegiate Peaks of Colorado; transfer to Utah; five day whitewater rafting trip through Desolation Canyon on the Green River; transfer to Estes Park, CO; two days rock climbing and Tyrolean Traverse in "Jurassic Park."

El Fin

Final banquet; transfer to Denver; homeward bound.

Whitewater Inflatable Kayak: Desolation and Gray Canyons, Green River, Utah