Arctic Scandinavia Backpacking Expedition - 16 and 17 only

Spend 23 days backpacking above the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. Travel through open tundra, boulder fields, river crossings, and mountain passes. With up to 24 hours of daylight, you’ll experience the Arctic summer at its fullest, hiking beneath the midnight sun.

Your route will cover over 80 miles, moving mostly above tree line through valleys and passes, crossing between Norway and Sweden as conditions and terrain allow. You’ll share the landscape with herds of reindeer and learn about Sámi and Scandinavian culture and their ways of seeing the wilderness, starting from your doorstep rather than at a park.

You’ll start with the fundamentals of Arctic backpacking — camp setup, cooking, navigation, and Leave No Trace principles — before moving into wilderness first aid, snow travel, route finding and the NOLS leadership curriculum. Fast-changing Arctic weather means you may camp in everything from sunshine to rain to freezing temperatures, sometimes all in the same day.

Food resupplies arrive approximately every eight days by road or helicopter. As competence builds, instructors hand more responsibility to the group, and your course may culminate in a multi-day independent student expedition.

You’ll build a strong foundation of outdoor and leadership skills, and leave with the confidence to travel in the wilderness with your family and friends in any environment.