Paddle, Backpack, Camp and sleep outside, cook over an open fire or stove, and see all the Wonders of Wilderness!  Trips range from local Adirondack adventures and Northern Forest Canoe trips to world class expeditions in Montana and Canada!  Scholarships are available through Adirondack Treks.  For additional information use the links below or contact Kelly Nessle. 

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Contact Kelly Nessle for additional information at 518-251-3739 or [email protected]
Participants must be Town of Johnsburg or Minerva residents

2022 Treks Summer Trips Flyer CLICK HERE!

Northern Forest Explorers Trips in the Adirondacks

Overnight adventures for kids ages 9-15 on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Spend four-to-six days exploring the Northern Forest, paddling, camping, learning outdoor and leadership skills. Meet new friends, discover new talents and fall in love with the natural wonders of the Adirondack Park in New York, northern Vermont, New Hampshire’s North Country or Maine’s North Woods.  Total cost $575. Four scholarships for $350 offered by Treks. For program information and other scholarship possibilities see website link below.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail Website CLICK HERE!

Adirondack Mt. Club (ADK) Teen Trips in the Adirondacks

Several possibilities throughout late June to early August. Trail maintenance projects: $385 total; five Treks scholarships $150. Teen adventures: Advanced backpacking; Women in Wilderness; Paddling $599 total each; four Treks scholarships $325. ADK offers scholarships as well. More info follow the link below.

ADK Website, Teen Adventures CLICK HERE!

Montana Wilderness School
2-week backpacking/canoe rafting trips Bob Marshall Wilderness

Important to see trip descriptions and criteria at website, link below.
The Montana Wilderness School is a 501(c)3 nonprofit outdoor education organization based in Bozeman, Montana, providing multi-week wilderness expeditions for youth.

Longer 15-day expeditions open to boys and girls ages 16-18; prior wilderness experience advisable; prices range $3000-$6000
Shorter 10-day expeditions for ages 14-16; prices between $3000-$4000. Two separate $1000 Treks scholarships available; perhaps MWS can offer help as well.

Montana Wilderness School Website CLICK HERE!

Temagami Wilderness Paddle:

Burke Trip possibility (not scheduled yet).  10-day paddling July trip in Ontario. Ages 14-16. Parent transport to Toronto
Participant must show leadership experience or qualities

Deep Water Project Website CLICK HERE!

Contact Kelly Nessle for additional information about any trips at 518-251-3739 or [email protected]
Participants must be Town of Johnsburg or Minerva residents

2022 Treks Summer Trips Flyer CLICK HERE!

Trekers in the News!

The Annual Whitewater Rafting Trip was held on the Upper Hudson River and everyone had a great time.  Marnie and Marko guided 2 rafts from Beaver Brook Outfitters down the river with 8 kids and one adult enjoying the trip (pictured above, photo from Jim Swedberg).

This Summer

Clayton and Gabe

Molly Smith

Lily San Antonio

Summer Wilderness Treks
Four young people from Johnsburg will have exciting wilderness opportunities this summer sponsored by Adirondack Treks, Inc., a local non-profit, and other similar organizations.

Molly Smith, 14, will be “on the trail” in the Tegami Wilderness in Ontario from July 6-20, with the Northwaters Burke Trip. She will be part of a group of young people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds who paddles for ten days traveling by canoe through a system of lakes and rivers. Youth who participate are identified as potential leaders in their communities and who want to have a challenging experience. Last summer (2018) another Adirondack Treks youth, Kate Wimberly, Minerva, participated on this same trip and declared it “a great experience” where she learned to “survive on very little.”

Lily San Antonio, 12, will spend July 22-26 with Raquette River Outfitters of Saranac Lake as a Northern Explorer, a Northern Forest Canoe Trail wilderness trip in the Adirondacks.  Lily says, “I want to enjoy the peace and serenity of nature and yet still laugh and have fun with others” on this trip where she hopes she will learn to paddle well enough to take her younger siblings on a paddle once she gets home. 
Clayton Schmale, 16, and Gabe Smith, 17, will be flying to Bozeman, Montana for a 15-day expedition in the Rocky Mts. with the Montana Wilderness School. The young men will join six others from Montana to backpack and fly fish in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area learning leadership, survival skills, conservation ethics, and swift water rescue techniques.   Both participants have been actively involved with Adirondack Treks since they were in 4th grade.  This opportunity was offered to Adirondack Trekkers through former North Creek resident Andrew Morehouse who is working for the school as the Paddling Program manager.  

Adirondack Treks, Inc. was formed in 2009 to offer local youth from ages 9-18 wilderness activities to learn to whitewater kayak, rock climb, X-C ski, paddle, along with basic outdoor living and survival skills.  An annual rafting trip celebrates the end of school. Based on the success of these first summer wilderness camps, the Treks Board will consider making this a permanent part of their program in the future.