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Program Overview

Location
Southwest
Start Location
Grand Junction, CO
End Location
Grand Junction, CO
Program
Adult
Length
8 Days
Expeditions
Canyoneering
Activities
Desert Backpacking, Canyon Backpacking, Canyoneering

Skills

Technical
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Navigation
  • Rappelling
  • Safety and Risk Management
  • Self Care
  • Travel Techniques
Interpersonal
  • Camaraderie
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Independence
  • Leadership
  • Positive Risk Taking
  • Problem Solving
  • Resilience
  • Self Awareness
  • Sense of Social Connection
  • Service

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Southwest Canyoneering for Adults

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Embark on an adventure deep into Utah’s natural red rock playground. Return home with advanced skills in canyon navigation.

Scramble over slick rock, wade through water in hidden slot canyons, rappel down towering canyon walls. This expedition will take you to places where few people travel in Moab’s iconic labyrinth of canyons. Begin your journey by learning to backpack and camp in the desert. Continue by learning fundamental navigation and canyoneering techniques to journey deeper into the canyons and ancient riverbeds. Along the way, you’ll see ancient dwellings and rock art and learn about the rich human history of the region. By the end of course, you and your crewmates will be leading the way, working together to find routes, assess risk, and navigate technical terrain. Return home with new skills in communication and the confidence to be a team leader in the outdoors and beyond.

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Program Overview

Location
Southwest
Start Location
Grand Junction, CO
End Location
Grand Junction, CO
Program
Adult
Length
8 Days
See More Details
Expeditions
Canyoneering
Activities
Desert Backpacking, Canyon Backpacking, Canyoneering

Skills

Technical
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Navigation
  • Rappelling
  • Safety and Risk Management
  • Self Care
  • Travel Techniques
Interpersonal
  • Camaraderie
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Independence
  • Leadership
  • Positive Risk Taking
  • Problem Solving
  • Resilience
  • Self Awareness
  • Sense of Social Connection
  • Service

UPCOMING COURSES

This course is closed for the season.

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
DAY1
Course Start: course area familiarization and issue gear. Introduction to camping and climbing safety.
DAY2-5
Canyoneering and Backpacking: learn to camp and hike in the desert. Learn canyoneering techniques which may include scrambling, stemming, sliding, rappelling and anchor building.
DAY6-7
Canyoneering Challenge Event: utilize new canyoneering and navigation skills to attempt a challenge event with your crew. Opportunity for Solo experience.
DAY8
Course End: course end ceremonies and departure home.

“I was surrounded by the best educators who have inspired me in so many ways and I want to follow in their footsteps in my own unique way. My group has taught me so much about myself and the world around me. I am excited for my future and to use the life skills Outward Bound has provided me.

— Claudia
Adult Courses

Take a break from your routine, radically change your surroundings, and test your tenacity with Outward Bound’s Classic expeditions for adults. Discover the exhilaration of reaching a mountain peak, hearing echoes in a canyon, or navigating whitewater. Put some “firsts” in front of you and find moments of unexpected discovery along the way. Experience Outward Bound as an adult and prepare for an injection of adventure, awareness and adaptability that sticks with you long after you unpack your backpack. 

  • Develop Connections: Adventure with like-minded peers and build relationships as you work through priorities and challenges together. 
  • Value Strengths and Strengthen Values: Rediscover your inner strength, renew your leadership skills, and tap into your trust and compassion as you tackle obstacles with a support crew standing beside you. 
  • Learn Outdoor Skills: Cook delicious meals outside, navigate with a map, and build a backcountry campsite.  
  • Gain Confidence and Clarity: Return home with an energized outlook, a rekindled allowance of empathy into situations and relationships, and an eye toward the future. 
Canyoneering
Two people wearing helmets brace themselves on either side of a slot canyon using their arms and legs.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
People wearing helmets brace themselves on either side of canyon walls while others look on.
A person braces themselves on opposite walls of a slot canyon
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
A person braces themselves on opposite walls of a slot canyon
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
A person wearing a backpack makes their way through a red slot canyon.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
Two people wearing helmets exit a slot canyon toward a group of people.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
A person wearing safety gear is attached to ropes as they rappel into a red canyon.
a person wearing a helmet maneuvers through a slot canyon
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
The sun shines through into a red slot canyon
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
Two people walk along a red mountainous landscape.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech

Canyoneering is like playing in the most exciting adventure course imaginable. Each obstacle occurs naturally – formed by thousands of years of wind and water eroding the vibrant layers of rock. A combination of hiking, scrambling, sliding, stemming, wading through water, and rappelling may be involved during course. As students travel deeper through narrow and winding canyons, sunlight bounces off the walls causing the rock to glow red and orange. Hidden waterfalls and pools can be found, offering an oasis for both students and wildlife. Instructors will teach students how to travel safely and efficiently over rocks and across desert ecosystems. Crews work together, problem-solving and supporting each other as they navigate this dynamic and continuously changing environment. 

Canyon Backpacking
A person wearing a backpack stands in a grassy valley surrounded by red canyon walls.
Photo courtesy of Chris Kemp
A group of people sit on a rocky overlook, looking out over red canyon walls.
Photo courtesy of Ellsworth Faris
Two people wearing backpacks smile for a photo in a water-filled canyon
A group of people sit in a row near the edge of a canyon and smile for the photo.
A group of people sit around a campfire.
Photo courtesy of Parker Jackson
A group of people wearing safety gear smile for a photo in a high desert landscape
Two people wearing safety gear and carrying backpacks smile for a photo in a high desert landscape.
A group of people carrying backpacks hike in a line across a vast desert landscape.

Backpackers carry everything they need - food, shelter, clothing and gear – allowing them to go deep into nature where few people go. Students enjoy freedom from the stress of modern life and technology. With the ability to be more present, students get to connect deeply with nature and each other. The course begins with lessons in packing and hiking. Along the way, students learn Leave No Trace techniques, map and compass navigation, and outdoor cooking. They set up camp among red rock canyons and may spot views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Each day, they get to sleep under the stars, smell wild sage blowing in the wind, and watch the sun travel across vibrant canyon walls.

Service

Service is a pillar of the Outward Bound experience. On each course, Students learn to practice intentional service to themselves and to others. Crews also learn Leave No Trace ethics, practicing service to the environment by preserving and respecting the fragile ecosystems they encounter. Students experience firsthand the social and emotional benefits of acts of service. They are encouraged to bring this ethic of care to their life back home.        

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Solo is that opportunity, and that time can range anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours or more, depending on the length of the course. Weather and time permitting, the Solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. Many students use this reflection time to make decisions about their future, journal and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings unencumbered by the constant external stimulation of modern life. The duration of Solo depends on the course length and type, as well as the competency and preparedness of the student group. With all the food, skills and supplies they need, participants are given a secluded spot to reflect alone and are monitored by staff throughout the experience to maintain safety. Students find that Solo provokes profound and powerful learning in a short period of time and often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their Outward Bound experience.

Outcomes

Our expeditions help students grow into the best version of themselves. We use challenge in the outdoors to allow students to discover their strengths and build authentic connections with their peers. Compassion for oneself and others is foundational to our educational approach. As students realize that they are stronger than they know, they develop confidence and resilience that will last a lifetime. Social and emotional learning outcomes include:

  • Belonging – students form deep connections founded upon respect, inclusion, and compassion
  • Reflection – students learn self-awareness and practice empathy towards others
  • Physical Engagement – students develop awareness and confidence in their bodies
  • Courage – students develop the confidence to speak up for themselves and persevere through challenges
Course Area
A person stands beside a tall canyon wall, looking up at ancient markings.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
The sun shines through into a red slot canyon
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
People rest atop a rocky overlook, with red canyon walls and a river below.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech
From above, a vast, high desert landscape stretches out below.
Photo courtesy of Steve Creech

Canyon Country, Utah

The most spectacular aspects of the Utah landscape are the hidden treasures found within its vast canyon networks, formed by millennia of wind and water. The canyons are composed of a spell-binding labyrinth of towering walls, arches, and slot canyons just waiting to be explored. On course, these vibrant formations are a geological playground for scrambling and teamwork. Canyoneering courses venture into narrower, deeper chasms sometimes as narrow as two feet wide with walls rising several hundred feet on each side. The desert ecosystem is characterized by aromatic plants like sagebrush and juniper and birds soaring high above canyon walls. The days can be hot in the summertime, but it always cools down in the evenings. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Sioux, Eastern Shoshone, Jicarilla Apache, and Pueblos Nations.

Course Stories

My group has taught me so much about myself and the world around me.

“I was surrounded by the best educators who have inspired me in so many ways and I want to follow in their footsteps in my own unique way. My group has taught me so much about myself and the world around me. I am excited for my future and to use the life skills Outward Bound has provided me.

— Claudia

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Getting Started

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. 

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