2026 Schedule
Which Ascend Wilderness Experiences will you participate in this year? We've added a few more trips in 2026, so mark your calendars and register on April 1st! This Season will be full of fun, and valuable backpacking, camping, and learning adventures for all ages! We hope to see you on the trail!
Youth Backpacking Trips
Due to funding uncertainties, 2026 youth trips are Pending Funding. Please sign up if you're interested, and we will contact you once funding is determined.
July 9-13 - (10-12y) (5 Days): A 5-day introductory backpacking trip in the Russian Wilderness/Marble Mountain Wilderness, Klamath Mountains, with 12 youth participants, exact location TBD, designed for youth who are just dipping their toes into independent outdoor adventures. Hiking distances are age-appropriate, and destinations will include vistas, alpine lakes, and solitude.
July 20-24 - (12-14y) (5 Days): This group will spend a full 5 days immersed in the backcountry of the Russian Wilderness/Marble Mountain Wilderness in the Klamath Mountains. The exact location of this trip is TBD, but it is sure to offer amazing vistas, alpine lakes, and solitude, with plenty of dayhikes, swimming, and fun!
Teen Backcountry Internship Trips
May 23-25 - Marble Mountain Stewardship Weekend (3 Days): 12-15 Teens will rehabilitate Let'Er Buck/Stanshaw trails within the McCash Fire footprint with the goal to prep these trails to stock passable standards for the Back Country Horseman (BCHA) access for the following week when one of Ascend's Adult Volunteer Trail Crews will go in for more immersive 7-day backcountry trail maintenance project on the arterial Haypress trail and associated trail forks, in coordination with the Six Rivers National Forest (SRNF) United States Forest Service (USFS) staff & Bigfoot Trail Alliance (BFTA).
June 21-27 - Trinity Alps Teen Trail Crew (7 Days): 8 Teen interns will continue their 4th year of maintaining River Complex Fire ravaged trail systems around the popular Boulder Lakes trail systems. Each year, Ascend schedules trail work on these trails, followed by an Adult Volunteer Stewardship trip to tag-team maintenance necessary after fires devastated this area of the wilderness in 2021.
July 6-10 - Teen Field Science Klamath Mountains (5 Days): 12 Teens will get hands-on field research experience with three different environmental scientists. Justin Garwood, Aquatic Species Coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), will work with teens while implementing rapid, science-based recovery actions for Cascades Frogs and Long-toed Salamanders. Actions will include removing non-native fish and reintroducing and establishing populations of native amphibian species to restore fishless habitats at a landscape scale. Biologist Eric Peterson will be connecting the CDFW research to aquatic hexapodals and cryptogams in their various riparian habitats, and Entomologist Jared Dunham will spend a day studying local terrestrial arthropods and their place in the forest's riparian ecosystem. In addition, there will also be botany education and exercises.
July 27-31 - Klamath Mountains Teen Trail Crew (5 Days): 12 Teen stewards will target post-fire trail repair and drainage improvement to protect thin soils, support natural regeneration, and maintain safe access to wilderness. This trip is directed by USFS leadership and facilitated by BFTA and Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC) Youth Environmental Summer Stewardship (YESS) interns. These trips aim to connect peers within the Klamath Mountains for meaningful, place-based learning, thereby bridging the gaps between our rural communities.
August 3-9 - Stockmanship & Stewardship Trip (7 Days): This packer trip will allow teen interns to gain hands-on experience working with pack animals, learning animal care, packing techniques, trail etiquette, and safe travel in wilderness settings. Participants will also complete trail maintenance and campsite restoration projects while building teamwork, stewardship skills, and an understanding of the role pack animals play in caring for remote public lands. This trip will be coordinated in part with Backcountry Horsemen of America (BCHA).
Adult Backcountry Stewardship Trips
May 31-June 6 - Marble Mountains Stewardship Trip (7 Days): Haypress and/or nearby trails. Adult Backcountry Stewardship Ascend’s 7-day Adult Stewardship Trip in the Marble Mountain Wilderness offers 12 participants the opportunity to give back while fully immersing themselves in one of Northern California’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes. Working along the Haypress Trail, volunteers will engage in hands-on trail stewardship activities such as logouts, brush clearing, tread repair, and corridor restoration to improve access and trail sustainability in this remote wilderness area.
Sept 5-11 - Poison Canyon, Trinity Alps Wilderness Stewardship Trip (7 Days): Poison Canyon Ascend’s Adult Stewardship Trip offers a unique opportunity to give back while experiencing the heart of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. With pack support provided, participants will basecamp at Lily Pad Lake and spend the week working in the Poison Canyon trail system and the surrounding cirque. Stewardship work will focus on trail maintenance in a stunning, fire-impacted landscape, balanced with time to enjoy crystal-clear alpine lakes, expansive views, and quiet moments of reflection. This week-long experience combines meaningful hands-on work with deep immersion in wild places, fostering a strong connection to nature and the landscapes we care for.
Join us!
