Traverse whitewater rapids amidst some of the oldest mountains in the world.
The Blue Ridge Mountains offer a stunning backdrop for your adventure. Each year, millions of visitors travel to explore the over one million acres of national forest. This area is home to stunning waterfalls, diverse flora and fauna, unique rock formations, and the highest peaks in the Eastern United States.
Immerse yourself in nature as you spend your days backpacking, mastering campcraft, and forming deep connections with your crew. Experience the thrill of paddling through Class I-Class III whitewater rapids in canoes, testing your skills and teamwork. By the end of this course, you'll acquire technical and leadership skills, gain newfound confidence, and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.
River Navigation, Ropes Course, Service, Whitewater Canoeing, Base Camp
Skills
Technical
Basic First Aid
Basic Paddle Strokes
Campcraft
Food Preparation and Cooking
Knots
Map and Compass
Natural History
Navigation
River Reading
Safety and Risk Management
Self Care
Sheltering Strategies
Water Safety and Rescue
Interpersonal
Character
Communication
Empathy
Independence
Leadership
Positive Risk Taking
Problem Solving
Resilience
Responsibility
Self Awareness
Self Confidence
Service
UPCOMING COURSES
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Course # NTTF-2521
Age
16 - 18
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 6/6/2025 - 6/14/2025
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Course # NTYF-2521
Age
14 - 16
Days
9
Cost
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Dates 6/6/2025 - 6/14/2025
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Course # NCTF-2542
Age
16 - 18
Days
14
Cost
$5,105
Dates 6/9/2025 - 6/22/2025
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Course # NCTF-2521
Age
16 - 18
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 6/16/2025 - 6/24/2025
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Course # NTYF-2541
Age
14 - 16
Days
14
Cost
$5,105
Dates 6/23/2025 - 7/6/2025
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Course # NTTF-2522
Age
16 - 18
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 6/25/2025 - 7/3/2025
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Course # NCTF-2522
Age
16 - 18
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 7/1/2025 - 7/9/2025
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Course # NCYF-2521
Age
14 - 16
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 7/1/2025 - 7/9/2025
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Course # NTYF-2522
Age
14 - 16
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 7/14/2025 - 7/22/2025
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Course # NTYF-2542
Age
14 - 16
Days
14
Cost
$5,105
Dates 7/15/2025 - 7/28/2025
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Course # NCTF-2543
Age
16 - 18
Days
14
Cost
$5,105
Dates 7/22/2025 - 8/4/2025
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Course # NCYF-2541
Age
14 - 16
Days
14
Cost
$5,105
Dates 7/22/2025 - 8/4/2025
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Course # NCYF-2522
Age
14 - 16
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 7/29/2025 - 8/6/2025
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Course # NTTF-2523
Age
16 - 18
Days
9
Cost
$3,660
Dates 7/30/2025 - 8/7/2025
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This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!
APPLY NOW This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
Sample Itinerary
14-Day Course
DAY1
Course start
DAY2-3
Backpacking training expedition: navigation and safety management skills
DAY4
Service project: trail building or work with community service organization
Backpacking final expedition: practicing leadership and independence
DAY8
Personal challenge event, clean and de-issue gear, graduation ceremony
DAY9
Course end. Transportation to the airport.
My 14-year-old son went on the whitewater canoeing and hiking trip in the Pisgah National Forest. Wow! I cannot say enough great things about his experience. He had an incredible time and returned home with more confidence in his abilities and a stronger sense of who he is. He will be starting high school this fall and I firmly believe this was the best investment we could have made in his education. We have discussed his experience a lot in the weeks since he has been home and he says this was, by far, the most difficult challenge he has ever faced, but also the most rewarding. If you are looking for a program to teach your children independence and perseverance, while also instilling in them the importance of team work, Outward Bound has an excellent program.
It’s time to make your own adventure. Outward Bound’s Classic expeditions for middle and high school students are built with you in mind. Make new friends, sleep under the stars, and learn skills like backcountry navigation and how to cook a delicious meal no matter where you are. You’ve got this! Whether you’re in a raft or on a mountainside, you’ll learn what you’re made of – and you’ll see first-hand how far teamwork can take you. Join us for an unforgettable challenge and discover a whole new way to get outside.
Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork and leadership skills. Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.
Value strengths and strengthen values: Uncover your unique character strengths, develop your leadership abilities and learn how to let compassion into everyday life by pushing your own limits and working alongside your peers.
Demonstrate mastery: As you gain confidence in new skills, take on more decision-making responsibilities. Work together to achieve team goals, solve problems and succeed both as individuals and as a group.
What you’ll learn: Your connections matter – working together to navigate challenges will quickly turn your crewmates into friends. Together, you’ll find opportunities to carry more weight (literally and figuratively) and make impactful decisions with accompanying consequences. It’s all about confidence, communication, and independence.
After you come home, many of the character, leadership and service traits you uncovered on your expedition stay with you, helping you navigate your daily life with more resilience and success.
We welcome students of all skill levels, whether they are an avid backpacker or trying something new. During backpacking days, students learn the different parts of camp craft, how to navigate with a map and compass, and Leave No Trace principles that minimize their impact on the land. Students feel a sense of freedom in carrying everything they need in their packs - food, shelter, clothing, and gear.
In addition to technical skills, students learn conflict resolution, communication styles, leadership techniques, and teamwork. After the crew has practiced these skills, Instructors will take a step back and allow the group to lead themselves. They are rewarded with plenty of laughter and stunning misty mountain vistas.
After a few days of exploring and building crew camaraderie, students will learn to maneuver Class I-Class III level whitewater rapids. Paddling through sculpted rock channels in tandem (two-person) canoes offers the perfect opportunity to foster further collaboration and communication skills between crewmates. Students will execute synchronized strokes, dynamic eddy turns, peel-outs, and ferries on either the French Broad, Tuckaseegee, Chattooga, New, or Nantahala Rivers. Some of the topics crews cover during this portion of the course include identification and use of equipment, paddling strokes, basic water safety and rescue techniques, and how to work with paddling partners to successfully negotiate Class l-Class III rapids.
Service is an integral part of every Outward Bound course, allowing students to experience a deeper relationship with the environment and local communities. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as service to the environment and do acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. During longer courses, students can engage in meaningful service projects such as maintaining trails, partnering with nonprofits, or assisting local farms and gardens. These projects enable students to experience the profound impact of giving back to their community and leading with compassion. As students develop a value of service, they transfer this desire to serve their communities back home.
A little more than halfway through course, students will participate in a reflection period called Solo. During this time, Instructors assign students their individual spaces within a designated area. These sites are secluded and within hearing distance of other group members and Instructors for safety. Students are given all the necessary gear, food, water, and skills to enjoy this time alone. Solo is an excellent opportunity for students to relax, recharge, and reflect on their course after having long days of strenuous group activities. They also know the location of their Instructors should they need to contact them for any reason. Instructors will be monitoring students closely during this experience.
Acquire a taste for adventure. Courses up to 14 days in length provide a perfect introduction to the Outward Bound experience, reminding students of their connection to nature and leaving them feeling inspired to take on new challenges. Through these condensed experiences, students become comfortable living and working together in the wilderness while practicing the Four Pillars of Outward Bound: craftsmanship, self-reliance, physical fitness, and compassion. They also create a solid foundation of skill sets that they can further build upon once they return home.
The Blue Ridge Mountains, or Southern Appalachians, is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. While the mountains formed over 250 million years ago, some rocks underlying the region are over a billion years old. The Southern Appalachians' long geologic and evolutionary history has created one of North America's most biologically diverse regions. Some even say it is “rainforest-like.”
This region is home to beautiful rushing rivers, hundreds of waterfalls, and some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States—including Mt. Mitchell (elevation 6,684 feet), the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Its diverse landscapes have been featured in many motion pictures, including The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans.
Outward Bound students can expect to share the wilderness with over 700 kinds of trees, more than 50 types of mammals, 150 different types of birds, and over 50 species of amphibians. The huge numbers of trees and plants give these mountains their namesake. Trees put the ‘blue’ in the Blue Ridge Mountains from the organic chemicals they release into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the distinctive color of these mountains. Temperatures in this area range from 50 to 85 degrees in the summer, 30 to 65 degrees in the spring and fall, and 10 to 50 degrees in the winter. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Cherokee.
Course Stories
I cannot say enough great things about his experience.
My 14-year-old son went on the whitewater canoeing and hiking trip in the Pisgah National Forest. Wow! I cannot say enough great things about his experience. He had an incredible time and returned home with more confidence in his abilities and a stronger sense of who he is. He will be starting high school this fall and I firmly believe this was the best investment we could have made in his education. We have discussed his experience a lot in the weeks since he has been home and he says this was, by far, the most difficult challenge he has ever faced, but also the most rewarding. If you are looking for a program to teach your children independence and perseverance, while also instilling in them the importance of team work, Outward Bound has an excellent program.
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.