The Fall Trip is a 6 day backpacking adventure in Kings Canyon National Park, one of the premier mountain wilderness areas of the continent. In late September, after three weeks of rigorous preparations, safety orientation, training hikes and gear outfitting at the BHS campus, the entire school makes the six hour drive up to the Park and then splits up into small teams of eight to ten students, each led by two faculty members. The teams are carefully assembled to match a student’s abilities to an appropriate level of challenge. These teams backpack separately in different remote parts of the Park, usually traveling to new campsites each night.

The students sleep in sleeping bags in lightweight tents and cook their food on backpacking stoves. During the trips, the students learn a variety of wilderness skills and enjoy the park and each other by swimming, painting & sketching, fishing, singing and making music around campfires, star gazing, climbing to the top of major peaks, watching wildlife, snoozing in the sun, etc. On the final night, all of the groups converge on the Cedar Grove group site and unite as a whole school community once again. That evening’s campfire council is a superb moment to reflect on the experience shared by all. Students who are medically unable to take part in any of the backpacking trips remain in Base Camp for the week, where they do a variety of short hikes and activities designed to expose them to the edge of the wilderness. The Fall Trip is a required activity for ALL students and each student receives a credit toward graduation for their participation.

Preparing for Fall Trips

Equipment List

Shopping for Gear Guide

Information about Kings Canyon National Park