Montana & Yellowstone Highlights
Featuring all of the best activities in SW Montana and Yellowstone. A trip to please the heartiest of Alpengirls!
Dates
Jul 06 - Jul 17, 2024Ages
14-16 (rising 9th-11th)Tuition
$3545 (airfare not incl.)Destination
Status
Open- Camping in SW Montana
- Hiking and touring Yellowstone
- Backpacking the Spanish Peaks
- Rock Climbing Paradise Valley
- Raft the Yellowstone River
- Horse Ride Cinnabar Basin
- Kayak Yellowstone Lake
- Natural hot spring pool soaking
Jessy enjoyed the Washington Alpengirl trip very much, she returned with a smile and renewed energy. Mandy and Paige, Jessy's guides, both had a profoundly positive effect on her short term and long-term views on life. She believed them both to be great selections for guiding the...
Trip Description
A Summer Adventure Camp in Southwest Montana for Teens
Adventure with us in Montana’s Yellowstone Country – where wide blue skies are accented by beautiful, rugged mountain peaks surrounding vast, picturesque river valleys, filled with abundant wildlife. These pristine landscapes, paired with warm, dry days that become cool, summery nights, are what make this camp truly fantastic.
Alpengirls who attend this camp are ready to have fun! They are eager to try tons of new, adventurous activities, and are excited to explore one of the most beautiful locations in the world. This camp itinerary does not disappoint; in just under two weeks, we’ll go swimming, horseback riding, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, backpacking, and kayaking, while also getting the chance to tour the unforgettable Yellowstone National Park.
The Montana and Yellowstone Adventure will certainly enrich the life of any camper looking to expand their comfort zone and meet their inner adventuress!
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Alpengirl!
Arriving in Bozeman, MT, at the Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport, your Alpenguides are excited to greet you and introduce you to southwest Montana and your camp group. Icebreakers and name games abound as you get to know your fellow Alpengirls and guides. We’ll hop into the van and drive to our campsite, where we’ll learn how to set up our tents and cook a deliciously fresh camp meal. As the sun sinks below the horizon, you’ll feel calm as the sound of the flowing river nearby sings you to sleep.
Day 2: Climb on!
Waking up energized from a good night’s sleep, you’ll bring your sleeping pad out to our morning circle overlooking the river for the first of our daily yoga sessions. We’ll allow our bodies to settle into the new rhythm of being outside as our Alpenguides serve up a delicious breakfast – perhaps crunchy granola, fresh fruits and berries and strawberry yogurt (YUM!) – and teach us the basics of camping.
A full day of rock climbing is in store on a natural rock face overlooking the meandering Yellowstone River in the scenic Paradise Valley. The views only get better the higher you climb! We'll learn proper climbing and belaying techniques from our professional guides, and even girls who have never been on a wall before will get to call themselves climbers at the end of the day. Tonight we'll plan to soak in the natural hot spring pool near our campsite – what an absolutely amazing start to camp!
Day 3: Riding and rafting, oh my!
The adventure never stops as we head from harnesses and rocks to saddles and rivers – it’s an action packed day with a horseback riding and rafting combo!
Saddle up, ladies, it’s time to ride! We’ll get an introduction to horseback riding before donning our helmets and climbing aboard our trusty steeds. Our western trail ride will take us into the pristine Cinnabar Basin near Yellowstone Park. Beautiful scenery, blooming wildflowers and big mountain views are just a few of the many highlights of today’s ride.
Next up, we’ll meet our professional raft guides who will take us on a rip-roarin’ Class II-III rafting adventure down the Yellowstone River, complete with splashing, soaking, and tons of smiling! Watch out for the big splashes at “Wake up”, “Sleeping Giant”, and "Queen of the Waters" rapids!
Days 4-5: Time to explore the nation’s first national park!
A trip into Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park: during our 2 full days in the park, we'll be wildlife viewing, geyser watching, and exploring the natural wonders of this awesome, unique landscape. Campers will be fascinated with fossil forests, the Old Faithful geyser, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, bubbling mud cauldrons, waterfalls, bison and elk, and more!
The highlight of our time in the park is kayaking at sunset – we'll meet our kayak guides at Yellowstone Lake (one of North America’s largest alpine lakes), where we get to see the incredible thermal features of West Thumb Geyser Basin from the unique perspective of being in the water in our kayaks!
Day 6: Sleep-in and prep day!
It’s been non-stop fun so far and today we’ll slow it down a bit with re-organizing gear and enjoying showers and laundry before we start our backpacking trip tomorrow. Tonight we may enjoy a meal cooked over the campfire, including our favorite Alpentreat – s’mores! Pull out your costumes and warm up your singing voice, because the Alpenolympic Talent Show event may take place this evening around the campfire.
Days 7-10: Backpacking time!
Lace up your hiking boots and roll up your sleeping pad, because today is the day that we start our backpacking trip! Backpacking is the best part of camp – it's where you become closer to your group, get off the grid, feel good about yourself, take on physical challenges, and discover your inner power by being immersed in nature.
Before we leave, our Alpenguides will walk us through proper packing procedure and give us a lesson on how to adjust and carry our backpacks. Lightening our load and taking only the essentials, we’ll leave the van behind, grab our cameras and backpack for 4 days for a round-trip total of about 20 miles in the Spanish Peaks. We'll spend one of these days on a day-hike to swim in a high mountain lake. Backpacking affords us sweeping views of pointed peaks and glacier-cut valleys, close-ups of wildflowers and alpine meadows, and sights like we’ve never seen before.
Day 11: Bozeman exploration
After a well-deserved lie-in and leisurely breakfast, we’ll spend our final day visiting downtown Bozeman for shopping and maybe even a quick stop at the local ice cream stand! Tonight, we’ll have our traditional End of Session Awards ceremony and pizza party, and exchange contact information with the friends that we’ve made.
Day 12: It’s time to go home!
Exchanging hugs with your friends, you’ll depart from Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport knowing that you’ve had a ton of fun and accomplished great things as an Alpengirl and will be a part of our fantastic community for life. See you next summer!
PLEASE NOTE: Alpengirl reserves the right to cancel or alter any aspect of a program, before or during the session, including program itinerary, activities, or location for reasons including but not limited to weather, environment, logistics, or health hazards. If itinerary changes occur, we will substitute comparable alternatives, if possible. If there are significant itinerary changes, parents will be notified by email.
Trip Campsites & Amenities
Eight nights are spent in tents in public “front country” campgrounds where we have pre-assigned campsites with neighbors and campground hosts nearby, running potable water, and private outhouses or flushing toilets.
Three nights are spent in tents in wilderness “backcountry” areas where we will purify our water before drinking and learn to practice basic Leave No Trace camping skills such as how to select a campsite, how to go to the bathroom, and how to keep clean outdoors.
Why Choose This Trip
Yellowstone Country is where Alpengirl began, and on our home turf we really have the insider's perspective on all the best activities and locations! This trip is a perfect introduction to the outdoors for campers of all experience levels. We pack a ton of fun activities into a short period of time and are constantly on the move, allowing campers to get a real sense of what an adventurous outdoor lifestyle is like. Limited to 12 campers in the group.
