Outdoor School Opportunities
Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center serves its mission of promoting forest stewardship through education by offering a variety of ways for you to visit the Opal Creek Wilderness. Our outdoor school program, which runs mid-March through June and again from September through mid-November, offers classes a chance to spend a night (or two or three!) in Jawbone Flats all the while approaching environmental science in a hands-on, engaging format in the most beautiful classroom imaginable: the Opal Creek forest.
Backpacking Programs: Opal Creek Expeditions
In the summer months, Opal Creek Expeditions offer kids ages 10-16 an opportunity to become a little more intimately acquainted with the environment through week-long backpacking courses that traverse the Opal Creek Wilderness and beyond. Participants see remote reaches only visible to those willing to carry their homes on their backs for a few days.
Workshops
A variety of workshops, most focused on local flora and fauna, run throughout our season and offer everyone, including little ones, an opportunity to delve into the pristine Opal Creek environment in a hands-on format.
Wilderness Medicine Institute Courses
For outdoor and medical professionals and those just wanting to be well prepared for their back-country excursions, Opal Creek hosts several Wilderness Medicine Institute courses throughout the season. As one of few wilderness hosts for these courses, Opal Creek is uniquely suited to offer students an authentic experience as they tackle the many scenarios throughout their chosen class.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you’re looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity, look no further! Opal Creek hosts biannual volunteer stewardship weekends at our
Jawbone Flats campus. We appreciate all the time our volunteers have donated over the many years, and realize we can’t do what we do without them! Click here for this year’s volunteer opportunities.
Cabin Rentals
For those just looking to spend a relaxing few days in the tall trees and clear waters of the Opal Creek Wilderness without the structure of a workshop, we rent several of our cabins for private groups throughout the season.
Opal Creek’s famous Jawbone Kitchen frequently serves meals in our lodge. Meals for program participants, including workshop registrants, outdoor school students, and Opal Creek Expeditions participants, are included in the price of programming. Cabin renters have the option of adding meals to their reservation when they are available. More information on our Jawbone Kitchen is available here.
Events
And finally, Opal Creek sponsors or hosts several events throughout the year. These events are a great way to meet other Opal Creek supporters and enthusiasts for activities beyond our normal mission inspired programming. For a complete list of events for this year, please click here.
See you in the woods!
