Best Backpacking Trips for Teens: Wilderness Adventures That Build Character

January 15, 2026

Something happens when a teenager shoulders a pack, leaves cell service behind, and walks into the wilderness. Something that organized sports, academic programs, and traditional summer camps—though these experiences have their benefits—simply cannot replicate.

Backpacking trips for teens offer more than adventure. They offer transformation. And for parents searching for experiences that genuinely change their teenager’s trajectory, teen wilderness expeditions with NOLS consistently deliver results that other programs promise but rarely achieve.

Why Backpacking Creates Change That Sticks

Anyone can claim to build character. But the wilderness has a way of cutting through the noise and getting to what matters.

No Shortcuts

In the backcountry, there’s no avoiding difficulty. The mountain doesn’t get smaller because you’re tired. The weather doesn’t improve because you’re uncomfortable. The miles don’t shrink because your pack feels heavy.

This inescapable reality teaches something profound: you’re more capable than you think. And that lesson, learned through direct experience rather than words, becomes part of how teens see themselves.

Natural Consequences

If your teen packs too much clothing, they carry unnecessary weight. If they sleep in, the tent gets taken down around them and their stuff gets wet. If they rush through navigation, they add miles to the route.

These consequences feel fair in a way that adult-imposed penalties never quite achieve. Teens accept the feedback and adjust their behavior because the wilderness isn’t punishing them—it’s simply responding to their choices.

Genuine Interdependence

In a backpacking group, every person matters. The slowest hiker sets the pace. The person who forgot to check their gear affects everyone’s comfort. The team member who notices someone struggling and offers help makes the whole group stronger.

This interdependence creates community in ways that competitive environments cannot. Teens learn that their individual success depends on how well they support others—and vice versa.

What Makes a NOLS Backpacking Trip More Than Just a Hike

Not all backpacking trips for teens are equal. Some are guided tours, while others are genuine expeditions that challenge students to grow. Understanding the difference helps you find programs that deliver real transformation.

Expedition vs. Guided Hike

On a guided hike, adults handle all of the hard parts. They navigate, set up camp, cook meals, and make decisions. Participants follow instructions and enjoy the scenery.

On a NOLS teen course, teens take progressively more responsibility with the support and guidance of our experienced instructors. By the end, the teens are navigating, leading the group, and making decisions that affect everyone based on what they’ve learned from their instructors. The instructors step back into advisory roles as students step up.

The hands-on expedition model produces important life skills like communication, judgment, and decision-making under pressure, while the guided model produces nice memories.

Duration Matters

Weekend trips offer a taste of wilderness. Week-long trips provide a meaningful challenge. But trips of two weeks or longer create conditions for genuine transformation.

Here’s why: The first few days of any challenging experience involve adjustment—physical, emotional, and mental. Teens are processing newness, dealing with discomfort, and finding their footing. Real, long-lasting growth happens after they settle in and start pushing their edges.

Longer trips also allow for progressive skill development. Students move from learning basics to mastery to teaching others. This progression cements learning in ways that shorter programs cannot achieve.

Experiential Curriculum Design

The difference between a backpacking trip and a backpacking trip rooted in experiential education lies in intentional curriculum. Effective programs don’t just take teens into the wilderness—they structure experiences that produce specific learning outcomes.

At NOLS, we focus on:

  • Clear skill progressions
  • Structured reflection and debriefing
  • Peer and instructor feedback
  • Opportunities to practice leadership
  • Connection between wilderness lessons and everyday life

Instructor Quality

The adults leading the expedition determine whether challenge becomes growth or overwhelm.

Experienced instructors at NOLS know how to:

  • Calibrate challenge to individual capability
  • Create psychological safety while maintaining physical challenge
  • Debrief experiences for maximum learning
  • Model the behaviors they’re teaching
  • Know when to push and when to support

Instructor quality is the single biggest differentiator between programs that transform and programs that disappoint.

Best Destinations for Teen Backpacking

Different landscapes offer different experiences. The best destination for your teen depends on what kind of challenge and beauty speaks to them.

The Rocky Mountains (Wyoming, Montana, Colorado)

The classic American wilderness experience. High peaks, alpine lakes, and vast distances create an unmistakable sense of wild country.

The Rockies offer dramatic scenery that inspires, memorable wildlife encounters (at safe distances), clear technical skill development in mountain travel, weather challenges that build adaptability, and more.

Check out the following NOLS teen backpacking expeditions in the Rocky Mountains:

The Alaskan Wilderness

For teens ready for a bigger challenge, Alaska’s wilderness is unmatched. Fewer trails mean more opportunities to practice navigation. Larger wildlife requires more awareness. Greater remoteness demands more self-reliance.

Alaska programs tend to be more challenging—and more transformative. The scale and wildness of the landscape make ordinary concerns feel small, giving teens a perspective they carry home.

Check out the following NOLS teen backpacking expeditions in Alaska:

Canyon Country

Not all backpacking involves mountain peaks. The canyon country of Utah and Arizona offers a different kind of challenge: heat management, water planning, and navigation in terrain where trails are suggestions rather than certainties.

Canyon and desert trips appeal to teens who want something different from the typical mountain experience—and the landscape creates unique learning opportunities around resource management and planning.

Check out the following NOLS teen expeditions in canyon country:

Finding the Right Adventure Camp for Your Teen

When searching for adventure camps for teens and backpacking programs, evaluate options against these criteria:

Attention to Risk Management

Wilderness inherently involves risk. The question isn’t whether a program has ever had incidents—it’s how they think about and manage risk.

At NOLS, we deliver:

  • Clear safety protocols and emergency plans
  • Staff wilderness medicine certifications
  • Appropriate participant-to-instructor ratios
  • Transparent communication about risks and how they’re managed
  • Accreditation from organizations like the Association for Experiential Education

Program Philosophy

Is this program about checking boxes, or genuinely developing young leaders? Read mission statements, review curriculum descriptions, and ask about educational philosophy.

Programs focused on transformation talk about specific skills, progressive challenge, and long-term outcomes. Programs focused on marketing talk about activities and destinations.

Alumni Outcomes

What do past participants say, years after their trips? How has the experience affected their lives?

Strong programs can point to specific ways their alumni have grown and changed. They maintain relationships with graduates and track long-term outcomes.

Logistics and Support

Great programs make it easy for families to participate:

  • Clear communication about what’s included and what’s not
  • Detailed packing lists and preparation guidance
  • Support for families new to wilderness programs
  • Flexibility around travel and logistics

What Your Teen Gains from Wilderness Adventure

The outcomes of an effective backpacking trip extend far beyond wilderness skills. Teens return with capabilities, from important leadership skills to a better understanding of themselves, that serve them in every domain of life.

  • Confidence Grounded in Competence: Not the fragile confidence that comes from praise, but the solid confidence that comes from having done hard things. Your teen knows what they’re capable of because they’ve proven it to themselves.
  • Resilience Under Pressure: The ability to maintain function when things get difficult. To keep moving when tired, keep problem-solving when frustrated, keep working with others when interpersonal tension rises.
  • Practical Self-Reliance: NOLS teaches teens skills that translate directly to everyday life, such as cooking, navigation, organization, equipment maintenance, and personal health and hygiene. Teens return more capable of taking care of themselves.
  • Social and Leadership Skills: Working effectively with diverse groups. Communicating clearly. Giving and receiving feedback. Taking responsibility for group outcomes. Leading when appropriate, following when appropriate.
  • Perspective: Time in wilderness, away from ordinary life, creates space for perspective. Teens return with a clearer sense of what matters, what they value, and who they want to become.

Preparing Your Teen for Backpacking

Before any program begins, you can help your teen prepare for success:

  • Physical Preparation: Backpacking is physically demanding. Teens should be active before their trip—hiking, running, or other cardiovascular exercise. Some walking with a weighted pack helps prepare legs and feet for trail life. Some programs provide specific fitness recommendations. Follow them.
  • Mental Preparation: Be honest with your teen about what’s ahead: long days, physical challenge, and none of the comforts of home. These elements aren’t obstacles to overcome—they’re what make the experience transformative. Also discuss homesickness, which affects most teens regardless of age or apparent toughness. Knowing it’s normal and temporary helps.
  • Gear and Packing: Follow program packing lists exactly. Instructors create these lists based on experience—they know what’s necessary and what’s unnecessary weight. Breaking in boots before the trip prevents blisters. Testing gear ensures everything works.
  • Mindset: The teens who get the most from wilderness programs arrive with open minds. They’re ready to try new things, accept challenge, and learn from everyone around them. Parents can encourage this mindset by expressing confidence in their teen’s ability to handle whatever comes—and by sharing excitement for what they’ll discover about themselves.

Summer Trips for Teens: A Unique Opportunity

Summer offers the perfect window for extended wilderness experiences. School’s out, schedules are flexible, and teens have the time and energy for immersive challenges.

The best summer camps for teens combine adventure with intention. They’re not just keeping teens busy—they’re actively developing capable young adults.

When evaluating summer camp options, look for programs that:

  • Offer two weeks or longer duration
  • Have explicit educational objectives beyond activity completion
  • Employ professional educators, not seasonal staff
  • Maintain small group sizes for personalized development
  • Connect wilderness learning to life beyond the trip

Ready to find a backpacking trip that will challenge and change your teen? Explore NOLS teen expedition courses ranging from two weeks to full semesters, designed to develop capable, confident young leaders in the world’s most inspiring wild places. Connect with an advisor to discuss which adventure is right for your family.

Topics: