The optimal age and minimum age varies by adventure, so please see the specific adventures you are interested in for details.
Some activities are limited to high school or older, but in general most of our outdoor adventures are optimal for students as young as those entering Middle School or Junior High School in the Fall.
Not all ___ Year olds are the same
Obviously, some kids are more physically capable, self-aware, or mentally ready than others. The “optimal” age ranges listed below are general guidelines. A given adventure might be fine for a kid younger than the optimal age, while another kid might not be really ready for it until they are a little older than the idea age. However, the “minimum” ages listed are typically firm cutoff age limits. Be aware that under some conditions (including but not limited to: weather, river flow, participants, the specific guides working that day) we might even turn away students that are the minimum age or even a year older. If we decide that it is not safe for a participant to come on an adventure, an adult will need to stay behind with them, and both of them will of course get a refund for the adventure they missed out on.
If you have any concerns, please give our office a call (1-800-738-0555). We’d love to talk with you about your specific concerns and help make the best plans possible.
Team Building
We don’t do any high ropes elements, so even a 6 year old could do most of our team building activities. However, the larger the age range of the group that you bring, the more difficult it will be for us to provide you with team building games that optimally challenge every individual within the group.
Rafting
The industry standard for Class III whitewater rafting is that participants are a minimum of 8 years old. However, it is not until kids are typically about 11 or 12 years old that they start becoming active participants in the raft (versus just along for the ride).
For Class IV white water rafting, we require participants to be entering 9th grade in the Fall, and to have had recent (within the last few months) Class III rafting experience. For those 18 years old and older, no recent rafting experience is necessary (but it can improve the quality of your trip).
We limit participants on our Class III Inflatable Kayaking trips to those entering 9th grade in the Fall or older.
Canyoneering
Some of our canyons can be done by students as young as 8 years old, but 11 years old is a more ideal age for most of our canyons. There are also some canyons where a 6 year old could hike along with the group for half the day, but then take a shortcut back for the second half of the day. Some canyons are limited to those around 14 years old and older.
Rock Climbing
The hike to and from our outdoor rock climbing location can be a bit exhausting for campers of all ages, but once we reach the climbs even a 6 year old could thoroughly enjoy and participate in a day of climbing. Often times we will do some advanced canyoneering in the afternoon heat on our rock climbing days, and that part of the adventure is more ideal for students about 11 years old and older.
Backpacking
It’s about a 5 mile hike in to our basecamp, and each participant is typically carrying a backpack weighing about 20-30 pounds. We find that most students entering 6th grade or higher are able to thrive on this trip, even those not in perfect shape.
Service Projects
Our service projects are typically broken up into a half day of outdoor physical labor, and a half day of relational time spent with the elderly or disabled. Typically optimal for those entering 6th grade or older.
