Since 1973, Wilderness Ventures has been conducting exciting expeditions for beginners and experienced young adults, ages 11 through 20. Expeditions visit a variety of wilderness environments in the Western United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Europe, Australia, Central & South America, and the South Pacific for extended periods. Students learn outdoor and group leadership skills as well as gain an appreciation for various wilderness environments. Activities include backpacking, whitewater rafting & kayaking, mountaineering, biking, sailing, SCUBA, canoeing, sea kayaking, and community service. Participants come from nearly every state and several countries. Enrollment is limited, and applicants must submit school references prior to admission. Previous wilderness experience is not necessary.

The Green River Preserve is for the bright, curious, and creative. Our home is a magnificent 3,400 acre private wildlife preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Brevard, North Carolina. Our unique natural science-oriented summer camp for rising 2nd through 12th grades. A co-ed program with one, two, and three week sessions, the Green River Preserve is small by design with a camper to staff ratio of 3 to 1. Through wilderness skills, creative arts and the exhilaration of outdoor fun and discovery, we inspire young minds. The mission of the Preserve is to provide a challenging and nurturing learning experience and to inspire a profound appreciation of interconnectedness, ecological respect and the joy of living.

Broadreach offers unsurpassed summer adventure learning program for middle school, high school and college students that span the globe. Our hands-on adventures include marine biology, scuba, sailing, language immersion, science and medicine, community service, outdoor skills and leadership programs. Since 1993, we’ve taken thousands of students to some of the world's most incredible destinations in over 30 countries including the islands of the Caribbean, Australia, Fiji, Egypt, Central and South America, China, India, South Africa, France, Canada and the Bahamas. Many Broadreach programs qualify for college credit and all offer a community service component ranging from 5-55 hours. Multiple certifications including PADI scuba certifications, IYT sailing certifications and Wilderness First Responder are offered, and programs are 14-31 days in length in June, July and August.

For teenagers and college students looking for a summer beyond camp, Broadreach will take you to a whole new latitude. Our adventures provide opportunities to master new skills and explore the world in an active, hands-on environment that fully immerses the participant in the experience. Beyond fun and friendship, our programs provide incredible opportunities for learning and personal growth. Each trip has its own blend of discoveries and challenges, designed to take advantage of the unique character and opportunities of the regions we visit. Combining the thrill of discovery, the pride of accomplishment and the excitement of exploration, Broadreach programs focus on individual initiative, group dynamics and genuine participation in the world.

Broadreach is unlike other adventure summer camps. At the end of a Broadreach trip, you leave not only with amazing memories, new life skills and great friends, but also with certifications, community service hours and often college credit. We are not a traditional summer camp or teen tour. We don't travel in buses, large groups or flotillas of sailboats. The cornerstone of our program design is our small group size of just 9-14 participants. Living in a small group promotes teamwork, leadership, compromise and consideration, teaching important lessons applicable to life that will last long after the program is over. Opportunities are created not only by our course design, but by the group itself. Staff and students come together as a team to make the adventure happen. Our staff gives participants individual attention and helps to shape the trip around the goals and abilities of the group. The supportive, non-competitive atmosphere created allows participants to appreciate others for who they are and make close friendships with people who have diverse interests and backgrounds.

Broadreachers do things they never thought they would do, see places they never thought they would see and explore our world on a level they never could with their family or on their own. We have programs for most abilities and interests and no experience is required for many of our trips. Just come with a desire to try new things and broaden your experiences!

Join Adventure Treks for two, three and four week Adventures for young adults ages 12 - 18 in the amazing scenery of the North American. How many teenagers get to Climb Mount Saint Helens, sea kayak with seals, rock climb famous cliffs, or raft big northwestern whitewater? Join students from all over the country and the world. Discover fun, friendships, adventure, community and growth. Program features a 1:4 instructor to student ratio. contact us today for a brochure and DVD.

“I tell parents they won’t believe their good fortune to have stumbled upon such a wholesome organization, with fabulous instructors, who use fun and adventure to tap into a facet of your child’s character, endurance, or personality that had never before found expression.”
F.D. Fields, parent from Pittsburg, PA

SOAR staff lead expeditions in North Carolina, Florida Keys, Wyoming, California, and Costa Rica.

Youth build self-confidence, develop social skills, work on leadership and communication skills, while enjoying the many challenges of our wilderness areas.

Adventure activities include wilderness backpacking, horsepacking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, wildlife studies, mountaineering, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking and wilderness medicine. Summer expeditions range from two to four weeks in length. Shorter adventures of three to seven days are planned for the spring, fall and winter. Semester-length courses are available in the spring and fall.

The student to staff ratio is low.

At North Carolina Outward Bound, you won't just run a class III whitewater rapid, summit a snow-covered peak or paddle a sea kayak. You'll learn how to read the river or to navigate the waters using a chart and compass.

You'll learn wilderness travel skills, participate in increasingly challenging activities and become part of a team committed to discovery and responsible risk-taking. As your group becomes competent in technical outdoor skills, instructors turn the responsibility over to you and your crew. You may captain a boat, lead an ascent or navigate your group through difficult terrain.

You'll replenish your body, mind and spirit, exploring remote wilderness landscapes. Out here, there are no cell phones, no computers, no television - no distractions from really getting to know yourself and your crewmates. Absorb every element of your experience %96 the feel of your muscles at the end of a long day, the satisfaction of overcoming an obstacle, the knowledge of new skills.

Imagine waking with the sunrise, bathing in the ocean or drinking from a cool mountain stream. Out here, nature becomes something other than what's outside your door. It's your home and your companion 24/7. You'll live a simple, low-impact lifestyle, learning the effects of human activities in the wilderness. Instruction in Leave No Trace, natural history and ecosystem preservation helps you make environmentally responsible choices on course and in your daily life as you care for and protect the earth's fragile resources.

You'll also gain an opportunity to reflect - alone and as a group - on accomplishments and setbacks. As part of a team of six to 12 students, you support each other in course activities, share moments of hilarity, inspiration and struggle, and develop friendships. Led by two Outward Bound instructors, you establish goals that call for leadership, group decision-making, organization and a unified effort.

Throughout the course, you cultivate compassion by growing through new experiences with others who often have different perspectives than yours. An ethic of service to each other, the local community and the environment is built through working as a team and shared participation in service projects.

Above all, with North Carolina Outward Bound, you'll explore a world of possibilities and live bigger.

At Gwynn Valley Camp we strive to create a sense of community for the younger child in a structured and safe environment away from the daily concerns of modern society. Children are free to develop at their own pace and are never without supervision. Competition is minimized so that individual, creative expression is maximized.

The camp property is 320 acres, mostly wooded, with a lake, swimming pool and several streams. Camp also leases an additional 75 acres which borders the French Broad River and is an excellent exploration site and used for a variety of activities. With a working farm and grist mill, the children are involved in the raising and preparing of their own food in addition to many other group and individual experiential activities that appropriately challenge children based on their ages. Gwynn Valley Camp is an educational experience of lasting value to your child.

We have a large, diverse staff which is chosen on the basis of individual maturity, experience, skill, and a desire to work with children. An international flavor is added by the presence of counselors from many parts of the world. Our overall camper/staff ratio is 4:1. We have a medical team on site which consists of a physician and two nurses.

We are accredited by The American Camping Association.