EXPEDITIONS
PROGRAMS
WAYS TO GIVE
OUR DIFFERENCE
ABOUT US
← Back to Expedition Finder

Program Overview

Location
a North Carolina
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Start Location
Asheville, NC
End Location
Asheville, NC
Program
Affinity Groups, Families
Length
4 Days
Price
$1,580 - $1,650
We offer Financial Aid.
Expeditions
Backpacking
Rock Climbing
Activities
Ropes Course, Service, Base Camp

Skills

Technical
  • Basic First Aid
  • Belaying a Climber
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Navigation
  • Rappelling
  • Safety and Risk Management
  • Self Care
  • Sheltering Strategies
Interpersonal
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Empathy
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving
  • Responsibility
  • Self Awareness
  • Service

Want to Stay Updated?

Share this program

Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking & Rock Climbing for Families

Add to Favorites

This specially designed Outward Bound course helps youth navigate the path from adolescence to adulthood with the support of their families.

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we’ve designed this course to foster connection between a young person and a trusted adult in their life. Whether the pairing is parent-child, grandparent-grandchild, aunts, uncles, or otherwise, taking this four-day course together provides a unique opportunity for youth and an adult who cares for them to deepen their appreciation for one another and strengthen bonds. Through challenging backcountry activities like backpacking, orienteering, sleeping and eating in the backcountry and rock climbing in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the memories and metaphors of a shared adventure will carry on long into the future.

Please note, this course is built for youth-adult pairs to enroll together. Each participant must complete an application. We cannot accommodate individual enrollments or families of three or more. The cost is listed per participant.

Program Overview

Location
a North Carolina
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Start Location
Asheville, NC
End Location
Asheville, NC
Program
Affinity Groups, Families
Length
4 Days
Price
$1,580 - $1,650
We offer Financial Aid.
See More Details
Expeditions
Backpacking
Rock Climbing
Activities
Ropes Course, Service, Base Camp

Skills

Technical
  • Basic First Aid
  • Belaying a Climber
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Navigation
  • Rappelling
  • Safety and Risk Management
  • Self Care
  • Sheltering Strategies
Interpersonal
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Empathy
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving
  • Responsibility
  • Self Awareness
  • Service

UPCOMING COURSES

Course # NTFE-2411

Age 12 and up

Days 4

Cost $1,580

Dates 3/20/2024 - 3/23/2024

JOIN WAITLIST

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.

?

Course # NTFE-2412

Age 12 and up

Days 4

Cost $1,650

Dates 6/13/2024 - 6/16/2024

APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

?

Course # NCFE-2411

Age 12 and up

Days 4

Cost $1,650

Dates 8/4/2024 - 8/7/2024

APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

?

Course # NTFE-2511

Age 12 and up

Days 4

Cost $1,650

Dates 3/20/2025 - 3/23/2025

APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

?
View All Upcoming Courses Show Less

Thank you for your interest in Outward Bound! 

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
DAY1
Course start, learn backpacking and camping skills
DAY2
Backpacking expedition: practice navigation skills and summit a peak
DAY3
Rock climbing, belaying and rappelling. Family reflection activity (Duo)
DAY4
Personal challenge event, course end ceremonies, transportation to the airport

The aspect of Outward Bound, called duo, is one of the most important personal events on the trip. For 24 uninterrupted hours, my teenage son and I talked about life, relationships, sports, anything that came to our minds. The duo brought each parent closer to their child than ever before. Years later, both Ryan and I still think back on that time.

— Justice Parent Alum
Family Expeditions

Outward Bound family expeditions are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience the great outdoors with the people you love. These eye-opening adventures provide a new and exciting place to bond as a family, improve communication, and cultivate a shared sense of natural wonder as you explore some of the nation’s most pristine wilderness areas together.

  • Build skills, form connections: Learn, practice and refine expedition and personal skills. Faced with demanding natural challenges, discover the strength within each family member – but also the power of working together.
  • Value strengths and strengthen values: Learn to incorporate Outward Bound values into everyday life by pushing your own limits and seeking challenge as an opportunity for personal growth – as individuals and as a family unit.
  • Demonstrate mastery: As the course nears the end, Instructors transfer leadership responsibilities to crewmembers so they may apply skills, make group decisions and celebrate successes as a family.
  • What you’ll learn: Return home with wilderness skills, conflict resolution strategies, compassion for others, and the ability to work together as a highly-functioning, collaborative family unit.
Backpacking

During this course, parent-child pairs backpack up to three days in Pisgah National Forest of Western North Carolina where they will learn to travel in the backcountry, navigate varied terrain with a map and compass and how to do these activities responsibly using Leave No Trace principles. Equally important will be time spent learning conflict resolution skills, communication styles, how to lead and how to be a team player. After the crew has practiced these skills the Instructors will step back and let the group work together to navigate through the wilderness where they will be rewarded with stunning misty mountain vistas.

Rock Climbing

Students will spend a day climbing up a mountain, rappelling down it, or on a high ropes obstacle course. During these activities, parent-child duos will be pushed to step outside their comfort zones to communicate and trust one another. With a focus on safety, this course activity starts with the basics, such as working with ropes and learning to tie knots. These uniquely structured activities provide opportunities not only for self-reliance, but also for communication and collaboration as participants confront and work through their fears.

Duo

Near the end of every course, students will participate in an adapted version of the Outward Bound Solo experience. Parent and child duos will separate from their crew to be alone together for a period of time, generally overnight. During this time, instructors assign each duo with their own individual campsite within a designated area. These areas are both secluded and within hearing distance of other group members and instructors for safety. Students will be given all of the necessary gear, food, water and skills to complete this portion of the course. They will also know the location of their instructors’ campsite should they need to contact them for any reason. Instructors will be monitoring students closely during this time and the Duo will last no longer than 24 hours. This experience is a great opportunity for families to relax, recharge, connect and reflect on their course after long days of strenuous group activities. 

Outcomes

Acquire a taste for adventure on this condensed Outward Bound experience, which reminds students of their connection to nature and leaves them feeling inspired to take on real challenge in their everyday life. Through these compact 4-day 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. Participants also create a solid foundation of skills that they can build upon once they return home.

Course Area

Blue Ridge Mountains, NC

The Blue Ridge Mountains, or Southern Appalachians, is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. While the mountains themselves formed over 250 million years ago, some of the rocks that underlie the region are over a billion years old.

The long geologic and evolutionary history of the Southern Appalachians has created one of the most biologically diverse regions in the modern world; 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. The area’s 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 different kinds of trees, more than 50 types of mammals, 150 different types of birds and over 50 species of amphibians. The huge numbers of tree and plant life is actually what gives 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 between 50 and 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

Years later, both Ryan and I still think back on that time.

The aspect of Outward Bound, called duo, is one of the most important personal events on the trip. For 24 uninterrupted hours, my teenage son and I talked about life, relationships, sports, anything that came to our minds. The duo brought each parent closer to their child than ever before. Years later, both Ryan and I still think back on that time.

— Justice Parent Alum

OTHER COURSES YOU MAY LIKE

Oregon Rafting & Alpine Backpacking fo...

Courses: 1 date available Ages: 16-18 Length: 15 Days Cost: $6,060 Details & Dates

Ten Thousand Islands Canoeing for Fami...

Courses: 1 date available Ages: 12+ Length: 4 Days Cost: $1,580 - $1,650 Details & Dates

High Sierra Alpine Backpacking & Rock ...

Courses: 1 date available Ages: 14-17 Length: 14 Days Cost: $5,680 Details & Dates
View All Courses
decorative logo

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. 

ENROLL TODAY
OR