Thanks to the generosity of our partners, volunteers, and supporters, Military Outdoors has lined up an incredible summer and fall with six different national trips designed to support our military and veteran community and their families. Learn more about each of the trips and apply below. We will contact you as soon as possible if you are selected for the trip. All trips are free to attend, although participants are responsible for travel costs and trip-specific gear such as boots, sleeping bags, etc. If you have any questions about any of the following trips, please contact our Senior Campaign Representative, Rob Vessels, at military.outdoors@sierraclub.org.
This calendar and the "Featured Trips" section of our website will be updated regularly throughout the year to reflect newly planned outings and open registrations.
Military Outdoors will now be requiring a $50 refundable-deposit* upon registration in order to hold a participant's spot on the roster. This new policy is to ensure the maximum number of service members and veterans have an opportunity to participate in one of our outings. No-shows and late cancellations lead to empty roster slots; a problem we hope the deposit will mitigate. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
*Cancellation Policy: Deposits will be refunded if you cancel by contacting military.outdoors@sierraclub.org two weeks prior to the outing departure date. Cancellations within two weeks of the trip start date and no-shows will forfeit their deposit.
February 5-8: Climate Recon: Grizzly Habitat and Powder Skiing Workshop: Cooke City, MT
In partnership with Beartooth Powder Guides, powder skiing in the rugged and remote mountains that surround Cooke City will be our primary focus during the course. Traveling to the top of mountains under one's own physical power takes time and provides the perfect scenario for sharing and teaching our guests about avalanche safety, decision making, wildlife tracking, and high mountain ecology. Over the course of four days, participants will gain knowledge and experience for backcountry powder skiing including avalanche safety and rescue skills, uphill and downhill terrain management, decision making and trip planning.
For more details, including experience and equipment requirements, please click here.
March 5-8: Hyalite Canyon Ice Climb: Bozeman, MT
(Photo Credit: Thomas Lee)
Spend four days ice climbing with other veterans in Hyalite Canyon, near Bozeman, MT. With world-class ice climbing cliffs less than a fifteen-minute walk from the parking area, this climbing course will maximize your time amidst the vertical. Climbing will take place on the flanks of the glacially carved Hyalite Canyon walls, situated on the northern fringe of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Montana Alpine Guides' experienced ice climbing guides customize all ice climbing instruction to each individual's climbing abilities and experience levels. Ice climbing technique is our focal point and you will learn from the pros before putting the climbing lessons into action. Each day will be filled with continual feedback, instruction, and ice climbing. Participants will walk away from this outing with a solid ice climbing foundation; including the safety, knowledge, skills, and techniques needed to enjoy the wild and wonderful sport of ice climbing.
You can read about the 2013 trip here.
April 8-11: Advanced Backcountry Skiing: Cooke City, MT
(Photo credit: Rick Meade)
In 2018 we are excited to deepen our partnership with Beartooth Powder Guides and offer an advanced backcountry ski clinic. Building off of the Backcountry Ski Clinic and Grizzly Bear Ecology workshop, participants will learn how to navigate larger peaks and more challenging terrain later in the season when the snowpack has further stabilized.
You will learn more about how to read snowpack, move safely up and down narrow and more exciting skiing terrain.
This is an exciting course but is NOT for beginners. You need to be at least an intermediate, preferably advanced back country skier with at least an Avy 1 course under your belt and your own equipment. If you took the Backcountry Ski Clinic and Grizzly Bear Ecology workshop and have been back country skiing regularly since that course, or if you have at least two years of progressive back country ski experience and are comfortable in challenging terrain and route finding in the back country, this is your course.
Outing Leadership Training: multiple opportunities with dates and locations to be announced
This training is for service members or veterans interested in leading others on outdoor adventures and is required training to become a Military Outdoors Outings Leader. Over the course of the weekend, participants will learn trip planning, risk and emergency management, recruitment and pre-trip screening, leadership and decision-making skills, and group development. Sessions are conducted in a large group inside and in smaller groups hiking on the local trails.
Participants will receive training for both OLT 101 and 201 Sierra Club certifications:
- OLT 101 - Basic training that all leaders need to complete every 4 years to remain current.
- OLT 201 - Advanced training that all leaders who lead overnight outings away from cars need to complete once (unless they haven't led in the last 4 years).
No prior outdoor or outings leadership experience necessary. Lodging and meals included.
Applications coming soon.
April 1-6: River Leaders: Military & Veteran Raft Guide School: Bryson City, NC
TBD Wilderness First Aid (optional)
April 8-13: River Leaders: Military & Veteran Raft Guide School
Military Outdoors provides scholarships for veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve who are interested in pursuing seasonal employment as a raft guide. This fast-paced program will provide you with the skills necessary to work as a professional river rafting guide for commercial outfitters, summer camps, whitewater clubs, outdoor schools, and more. Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) pioneered river guide school as a place to get training from top raft guides in the nation. In this whitewater guide class, you can learn to become a professional river guide at NOC's Nantahala River headquarters in western North Carolina.
Both guide school courses will have an optional two-day Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR certification component on April 1-2. This 16-hour course provides basic first-aid training for outdoor enthusiasts and those working in the outdoor industry who want to be better prepared for trips in the backcountry. The WFA course covers topics ranging from preparation and prevention to assessment and treatment. WFA certification is valid for two years and is a requirement for Military Outdoors Outing Leaders and for many other jobs in the outdoor industry. American Safety Health Institute CPR and AED certification is valid for two years.
April 1-6: Apply here
April 8-11: Apply here
Prior skills or outdoor experience are not a requirement.
May 4-9: Owyhee River Rafting: Boise, ID (CANCELLED due to drought conditions)
This trip has been cancelled due to drought conditions.
May 7-13: Military and Veteran Whitewater Guide School: Dinosaur National Monument, CO and UT
Military Outdoors provides scholarships for veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve who are interested in pursuing seasonal employment as a raft guide. O.A.R.S.' Dinosaur Whitewater Guide School is taught by professional river rafting guides.
If you do well in Dinosaur Whitewater Rafting Guide School, O.A.R.S. may consider asking you to stay on as a guide. (They give preferential consideration to their guide school graduates.) This course also has the potential to create employment opportunities for graduates elsewhere in the Outdoor Industry and leadership positions within the Sierra Club.
May 17-21: Memorial Day Chattooga River Run: Mountain Rest, SC
This three day outing will include one day of kayak/canoe instruction and two days whitewater rafting sections III and IV of the wild and scenic Chattooga River.
We acknowledge that the Chattooga River is the traditional territory of the Cherokee and Chickasaw peoples.
June 2-8: California Whitewater Guide School: Lotus, CA
Military Outdoors provides scholarships for veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve who are interested in pursuing seasonal employment as a raft guide. O.A.R.S.' California Whitewater Guide School is taught by professional river rafting guides.
If you do well in California Whitewater Rafting Guide School, O.A.R.S. may consider asking you to stay on as a guide. (They give preferential consideration to their guide school graduates.) This course also has the potential to create employment opportunities for graduates elsewhere in the Outdoor Industry and leadership positions within the Sierra Club.
July 6-9: Gorges of the Lower Salmon River Rafting: Lewiston, ID
The Lower Salmon River is home to some of Idaho’s most famous whitewater rapids, gorges and viewscapes. This stretch of river is perfect for first-time rafters as well as seasoned thrill-seekers.
July 26-31: Veteran Outdoor Leaders Summit: Main Salmon River Rafting: Missoula, MT
The Wild and Scenic Main Salmon River in Idaho, AKA 'The River of No Return': carves through the heart of Idaho Wilderness and forms the second deepest canyon in the US. The Main Salmon River Rafting Trips boasts broad sandy beaches, Class II-IV whitewater, wildlife, canyon walls, hot springs, and history all come together to make this an outstanding river trip experience. The full wilderness run encompasses 80+ miles of river and drops 1200' in elevation.
Application coming soon.
July 20-24: Land We Defend: Yellowstone Ecosystem and Fly Fishing Workshop: Yellowstone National Park
(© Aaron Schmidt | Black-Schmidt Photography)
This seminar will provide a balance between classroom, dry-land instruction, and time spent on Yellowstone water. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem provides access to some of the most spectacular wild trout waters in America. Our goal is that by the end of this seminar you will have the skills and confidence to pursue wild trout in these wild places on your own.
Summer 2018: Land We Defend: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, AK
(Photo credit: Julia Marshall)
In 2016, in partnership with Vet Voice Foundation and Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Military Outdoors traveled with a group of eight veterans to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Over the course of two weeks, they canoed 100+ river miles from the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea. Look out for another Arctic adventure in 2018! For more information on the campaign to save this last truly wild frontier, check out We Are the Arctic.
September 6-9 & 13-16: Green River Rafting through the Gates of Lodore: Vernal, UT
For the sixth consecutive year, we are excited to partner with O.A.R.S. and Don Hatch Expeditions to raft through the incredible Gates of Lodore section of the Green River. We recognize that this is the traditional territory of the Ute and Eastern Shoshone peoples. Participants will need to arrive in Vernal, UT one day before the trip is scheduled to begin and should plan on departing one day after the scheduled end-date. Each outing can accommodate 16 participants total. Participants are welcome to register a partner (a spouse, friend, or relative over the age of 18 who does not need to be a veteran).9/11 First Responders are also welcome to register for these outings.
For more information on the rafting trip and logistics, click here.
Fall 2018: Navajo Sweat Lodge Ceremony: Bears Ears National Monument and the Navajo Nation, UT
(Photo credit: Donna McAleer)
This is Military Outdoors' most unique event. On Saturday, a spiritual leader from the Navajo Nation will lead veteran participants through a traditional warrior welcoming home ceremony in the beautiful Cedar Mesa region of southern Utah. Saturday evening and Sunday will be spent camping alongside the north bank of the San Juan River, exploring the surrounding redrocks and petroglyphs, all while bonding with fellow veterans. In 2015-16, we had the honor of being invited to participate in this cultural exchange on the Navajo Nation with First Nations-veterans.
Application coming soon.