Backcountry Expedition
9-DAY HIGHSCHOOL
9 DAYS, 8 NIGHTS
DURATION
AGES
11th grade - graduating seniors
$1,689*
TUITION
For rising 11th through 12th graders, or newly graduated high school seniors following their Camp session.
Must be at least 16 years old by October 1 of that year to participate. If your child is younger or older than average for their grade level, just contact us!
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Your Camp Wojtyla program fee covers:
All meals and snacks during your camper’s stay
All scheduled activities, as outlined below
Ground transportation to and from off-site adventures. An airport shuttle is available for an additional fee.
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Camp Wojtyla tuition is a subsidized rate—over 50% of our actual costs are covered by generous donors who believe in our mission. Thanks to this support, we’re able to make camp more accessible to families.
Payment plans are available
Partial refunds are offered through April 15 (see FAQs for details)
Need-based scholarships are available. A Scholarship Application may be requested during camper registration (once a camp spot is offered)
On average, over 30% of campers receive financial aid through our scholarship fund
Our goal is to make this life-changing adventure available to as many families as possible.
Welcome to Backcountry Expedition
During this expedition, campers learn the basics of outdoor living, from tent setup and cooking to navigation and packing a backpack. As the group travels and becomes accustomed to life in the mountains, campers have opportunities to form friendships, while learning faith-based, outdoor, and leadership skills from their instructors. This trip is designed for a range of physically fit campers: from individuals who have never gone camping before to individuals who have backpacking experience. By the end of this excursion, campers will gain a greater love and understanding of God, themselves, and others and be more excited to spend time outside in creation!
BACKCOUNTRY EXPEDITION FEATURES
Epic Adventure
Push your limits and encounter God's creation like never before.
9-day experience: 6 days in the backcountry + 3 days in the frontcountry
Approx. 25–30 miles of hiking in the Indian Peaks or Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Elevation range: 7,500 to 14,500 ft
Whitewater rafting day on the Arkansas River + 2 nights in beautiful Buena Vista, CO
All trail and shuttle transportation included
Skills, Challenge & Exploration
Go further, dig deeper, and learn what you're capable of.
Learn to pack a hiking backpack, pitch a tent, cook on a camping stove, filter water, and more!
Hike remote trails and reach incredible places on foot
Grow in resilience, leadership, and self-reliance through real adventure in the wilderness
Single-sex groups for rising juniors through graduating seniors
Faith & Community in the Backcountry
Experience an authentic Catholic community on the trail.
9–12 campers per group, led by 3 joy-filled instructors
Instructors are trained in evangelization, outdoor leadership, child development, and wilderness safety
Most instructors hold Wilderness First Responder certification
Encounter Christ through Mass, Confession, and personal prayer in the beauty of the wilderness
Backpacking Challenges
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Backpacking is an adventure—and like any adventure, it comes with challenges. Campers should be in good physical shape and ready to carry a pack (up to 50 lbs or 40% of their body weight) for several miles over uneven mountain trails. No need to be a star athlete—just come prepared, with a strong mindset and willingness to push through the tough moments. They should also have the fortitude of mind and emotional health to be able to continue when challenging circumstances arise. Please note that there are fewer resources for support on our backpacking trips than at our basecamp.
*Participants and parents must review the Backcountry Requirements to ensure the participant meets the standards. A suggested training plan will be provided along with the packing list.
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Groups travel deep into Colorado’s wilderness, far from roads or medical facilities. Each group is staffed with experienced instructors who are Wilderness First Responders, trained in wilderness first aid and emergency response, the areas the groups visit are remote, and may be many miles and hours from medical facilities.
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While wildlife is an amazing sight to see, groups may encounter animals which are dangerous. Groups travel through black bear, moose, mountain lion, and rattlesnake habitat. The instructors will implement proper risk management practices and teach campers how to properly travel and camp to avoid encounters with such species. Groups travel with bear-deterrent pepper spray as a precaution, and always store food in bear-resistant canisters.
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Weather can change quickly in the Rockies and these trips encounter a wide range of weather and temperatures—sunny mornings often turn into afternoon thunderstorms. Lightning, rain, hail, and even snow are possible. Wind conditions vary as groups travel throughout the day at various elevations. Temperatures may reach 80°F during the day and dip below 40°F at night. Snow may still cover some areas at higher elevations.
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The trail might be smooth one day and rocky or steep the next. Campers may hike off-trail, cross rivers, or climb over boulders—all with their packs on. Instructors will guide and support campers every step of the way.
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Click here for Backcountry Expedition FAQ.
GIRLS’ FORMATION
Session one: JuLY 9 - 17
Session two: JuLY 21 - 29
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While each day is subject to change due to weather and group needs, in a “typical” Outpost week campers can expect the following elements:
Day 1: Check-in, group introductions & icebreakers, team identity formation, dinner & staff skits, sunset hike, campfire
Day 2: Camp activities (fishing, crafts, archery, highline, etc.)
Day 3: Rock climbing excursion (off-site)
Day 4: Solo Experience near water (off-site), opportunity for Confession and Adoration
Day 5: Early start for an Alpine Summit Attempt in Rocky Mountain National Park (off-site)
Day 6: Final activities, pack up & clean up, closing ceremony, departure
Daily elements include Mass, group discussions, time for prayer, delicious camp meals meals (some cooked by staff, some cooked by the campers), campfires, and increased time for rest, leisure, and reflection (compared to the regular Basecamp program)
*Campers are highly supervised.
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At Camp Wojtyla, we want our female campers to see themselves as the crown jewel of creation! Our society promotes so many lies about what it means to be a woman. Adolescent girls often fall into habits of comparison, placing their value in things like appearance, schoolwork, and social acceptance. At Camp, we encourage these girls to embrace the beautiful truth that their value actually lies in their identity as daughters of the King of the Universe! Women have the unique capacity to both dispel the lies of the world and recognize and speak the truth. Our female campers are invited to an adventurous sisterhood, embracing their “feminine genius,” as Pope Saint John Paul II called it, by using their unique sensitivity, generosity and receptivity to care for those around them.
Our all-girl programs are designed to help each camper grow in confidence, authentic sisterhood, and living out her true identity as a daughter of God! We carefully select a counselor staff of incredible college aged women to serve as role models and mentors for the week. While every camp program is single sex, and the activities vary depending on the age of the camper, the girls will have adventures where, as a sisterhood, they conquer self doubt as they climb great heights–tackling new challenges like our highline course through the trees or summiting a 13,000 foot mountain. They learn teamwork as they compete in the all-camp Quest competition and paddle together down class 3 rapids on the Arkansas River. They will explore what it truly means to bring God into all things and live a life of prayer as they connect each adventure to the Christian life!
GUYS’ FORMATION
Session one: JuLY 9 - 17
Session two: JuLY 21 - 29
-
While each day is subject to change due to weather and group needs, in a “typical” Outpost week campers can expect the following elements:
Day 1: Check-in, group introductions & icebreakers, team identity formation, dinner & staff skits, sunset hike, campfire
Day 2: Camp activities (fishing, crafts, archery, highline, etc.)
Day 3: Rock climbing excursion (off-site)
Day 4: Solo Experience near water (off-site), opportunity for Confession and Adoration
Day 5: Early start for an Alpine Summit Attempt in Rocky Mountain National Park (off-site)
Day 6: Final activities, pack up & clean up, closing ceremony, departure
Daily elements include Mass, group discussions, time for prayer, delicious camp meals meals (some cooked by staff, some cooked by the campers), campfires, and increased time for rest, leisure, and reflection (compared to the regular Basecamp program)
*Campers are highly supervised.
-
At Camp Wojtyla, we want to help our male campers understand the gift of their masculinity, and their unique calling to be men after God’s own heart. We have found that young men need and desire agency, to actively work to better the world. We focus on the call of men throughout the Bible—like Adam, who was called to be a gardener and a protector, like David, who was a great warrior, but also had to reckon with his own sins and shortcomings, and ultimately Jesus, who gives us the perfect example of both self-gift and sonship. Likewise, in a time where it can be difficult for young men to form deep and virtuous friendships, Camp Wojtyla offers an opportunity for young men to build brotherhood based on the pursuit of an adventurous life and the love of Jesus Christ.
Our all-guys program is designed to help our young men grow in confidence, agency, brotherhood, and of course, a greater understanding of their sonship! We carefully select incredible college aged men to be role models and mentors throughout the week. While every camp program is single sex, and the activities vary depending on the age of the camper, the guys will have adventures where, as a brotherhood they have to push their personal limits as well as spur each other on, as brothers, to greatness–greatness on a hike up a 13,000 foot mountain and greatness in virtue and self sacrifice. They learn teamwork as they compete in the all-camp Quest competition and paddle together down class 3 rapids on the Arkansas River. They will explore what it truly means to trust God and live a life of prayer as they connect each adventure in the mountains to the Christian life.
GIRLS’ sessions
Session one: JuLY 8 - 16
Session two: JuLY 20 - 28
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At Camp Wojtyla, we want our female campers to see themselves as the crown jewel of creation! Our society promotes so many lies about what it means to be a woman. Adolescent girls often fall into habits of comparison, placing their value in things like appearance, schoolwork, and social acceptance. At Camp, we encourage these girls to embrace the beautiful truth that their value actually lies in their identity as daughters of the King of the Universe! Women have the unique capacity to both dispel the lies of the world and recognize and speak the truth. Our female campers are invited to an adventurous sisterhood, embracing their “feminine genius,” as Pope Saint John Paul II called it, by using their unique sensitivity, generosity and receptivity to care for those around them.
Our all-girl programs are designed to help each camper grow in confidence, authentic sisterhood, and living out her true identity as a daughter of God! We carefully select a counselor staff of incredible college aged women to serve as role models and mentors for the week. While every camp program is single sex, and the activities vary depending on the age of the camper, the girls will have adventures where, as a sisterhood, they conquer self doubt as they climb great heights–tackling new challenges like our highline course through the trees or summiting a 13,000 foot mountain. They learn teamwork as they compete in the all-camp Quest competition and paddle together down class 3 rapids on the Arkansas River. They will explore what it truly means to bring God into all things and live a life of prayer as they connect each adventure to the Christian life!
-
At Camp Wojtyla, we want to help our male campers understand the gift of their masculinity, and their unique calling to be men after God’s own heart. We have found that young men need and desire agency, to actively work to better the world. We focus on the call of men throughout the Bible—like Adam, who was called to be a gardener and a protector, like David, who was a great warrior, but also had to reckon with his own sins and shortcomings, and ultimately Jesus, who gives us the perfect example of both self-gift and sonship. Likewise, in a time where it can be difficult for young men to form deep and virtuous friendships, Camp Wojtyla offers an opportunity for young men to build brotherhood based on the pursuit of an adventurous life and the love of Jesus Christ.
Our all-guys program is designed to help our young men grow in confidence, agency, brotherhood, and of course, a greater understanding of their sonship! We carefully select incredible college aged men to be role models and mentors throughout the week. While every camp program is single sex, and the activities vary depending on the age of the camper, the guys will have adventures where, as a brotherhood they have to push their personal limits as well as spur each other on, as brothers, to greatness–greatness on a hike up a 13,000 foot mountain and greatness in virtue and self sacrifice. They learn teamwork as they compete in the all-camp Quest competition and paddle together down class 3 rapids on the Arkansas River. They will explore what it truly means to trust God and live a life of prayer as they connect each adventure in the mountains to the Christian life.
“God worked in my life most simply through my counselors + the staff + my sisters, and the silence. With all of these factors, I was able to truly feel the overwhelming love of Christ. Through that love and silence, I was able to hear Christ’s voice, feel His presence, and figure out how to be a true witness of Christ. I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be at Camp. It will have lasting effects on my life.” -High School Camper
GUYS’ sessions
Session one: JuLY 8 - 16
Session two: JuLY 20 - 28
