Outdoor Adventures
Getting out of day-to-day comfort zones open students’ worldviews and ways to thrive, and gives students opportunities to practice skills learned in PS In-Class Workshops. Middle school students are invited to participate in our outdoor adventures including field trips coordinated with our partner schools, family days, and multi-day overnight summer trips.
2024-2025 Outdoor Adventures
Date & Time: Saturday, February 22, 2025 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: The Trailhead at Theodore Wirth Park – 1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55422
Project Success partners with The Loppet Foundation at Theodore Wirth Regional Park to host Winter Adventure Day for middle school students, families and staff at Anwatin, Franklin, Northeast, Olson and MPS online middle schools!
This is a day dedicated to enjoying all that the beautiful winters here in Minnesota have to offer! Activities include:
- Snow Tubing
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowshoe Orienteering
- Outdoor Games
- S’mores by the fire
- Hot Chocolate & Snacks
- Prizes
Parking & Transportation
- Free parking is available in the lot across from the Trailhead building.
- A shuttle bus is provided to and from the park. The shuttle picks up at Northeast, Olson and Franklin Middle Schools and returns to those schools after the event. Please see the schedule below for the pick up times and locations.
SHUTTLE TO THE PARK- Option 1:
9:30am Pick Up at Northeast Middle (Hayes Street Side)
9:45am Pick Up at Olson Middle (Front of School)
10:00am Pick Up at Franklin Middle (Front of School)
10:15am Drop off at Theodore Wirth Trailhead
SHUTTLE TO THE PARK- Option 2:
10:45am Pick Up at Northeast Middle (Hayes Street Side)
11:00am Pick Up at Olson Middle (Front of School)
11:15am Pick Up at Franklin Middle (Front of School)
11:30am Drop off at Theodore Wirth Trailhead
SHUTTLE RETURN TO SCHOOLS- Option 1:
12:30 Pick Up at Theodore Wirth Trailhead
12:45pm Drop Off at Franklin
1:00pm Drop Off at Northeast
1:15pm Drop Off at Olson
SHUTTLE RETURN TO SCHOOLS- Option 2:
2:15pm Pick Up at Theodore Wirth Trailhead
2:30pm Drop Off at Franklin
2:45pm Drop Off at Northeast
3:00pm Drop Off at Olson
What to Wear & Bring
- Wear warm layers!
- Gloves/Mittens, Hat, Scarf, Coat, Warm Socks, Boots, etc.
- If you have your own sled, snowshoes or ski equipment, feel free to bring them! Otherwise you may borrow from us and the Loppet.
- Water bottle – there is a fountain to refill your bottle in the Trailhead
- Hot Chocolate, S’mores, Snacks and an All-Beef Hotdog Lunch is provided. If you have specific dietary needs, please feel free to bring your own food/snacks or money to purchase food in the Trailhead.
Photos from previous Winter Adventure Days
Our BWCA Canoe Adventure will be back next summer and open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from Andersen, Anne Sullivan, Anthony, Anwatin, Franklin, Ella Baker, Justice Page, MPS Online, Northeast, Olson and Sanford Middle Schools to join us!
This week-long experience supports our programming by inspiring students to set goals, practice support and experience success in the most beautiful setting in Minnesota. Students will be spending every day paddling canoes on beautiful lakes, hiking wooded trails and moving through the wilderness each day to get to a new campsite. There will also be plenty of time for making new friends, swimming, looking for animals, laughing, exploring, singing and bonding with fellow campers!
SAVE THE DATE! Registration for our 2025 BWCA trips will open February 1 and trips fill up fast!
TRIP DATES
Trip 1: June 13 – 19, 2025
Trip 2: June 21 – 27, 2025
Trip 3: July 22-28, 2025
Trip 4: July 8-14, 2025
TRIP COST & SCHOLARSHIPS
The trip cost is $700. If a family can afford to pay the entire amount, we appreciate that they do so, allowing us to continue to take more students on this valuable trip. However, Project Success wants to ensure we include all students who really want to go, regardless of cost. Need-based scholarships are available and easy to obtain for up to $650 of the trip fee. Scholarship applications are included in the online registration.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Senior Program Manager, Jenny Batten at jennyb@projectsuccess.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can go on the BWCA Trip? Our BWCA program is open for MPS current 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to apply. Students will actually attend the trip in the summer after their 6th, 7th or 8th grade year.
How many spots for students are available? We have 4 trip weeks available with 48 spots for students in each week. Those 48 will include students from all 11 of our middle schools. We will bring up to 192 students total over the summer.
Do the trips fill up? Our BWCA trips do fill up and typically fill before the application deadline. We recommend that if you can only attend a certain week, that you apply right away in order to get the trip week you want.
Only 9 people can travel together in the BWCA at a time. How do you split up the groups? Each week will have 7 groups of 9 people: 7 students and 2 adults. The adults are a Project Success Staff Leader and a Wilderness Guide from Wilderness Canoe Base. The students in each group will be a random mix from varying schools and grades. Whenever possible, there will be at least 2 students from the same school in a group.
Can students choose which group they are in? We don’t take any personal requests for friends to be together in a group. Part of the magic of a canoe trip is getting to know people who you may not necessarily know beforehand. After years of experiencing these trips, we know how much more successful a trip is when students are not burdened by roles and expectations that friends put on other friends. Our staff facilitates community building activities at the beginning of the trip and throughout so that students get to know one another, and each student knows how they can contribute to the success of the group, physically and emotionally. There have been so many examples of students ending the trip having made long-lasting friendships with students they had never met before! Students can definitely choose to apply for the same trip week so they can at least ride the bus up and back together. If you have any questions or concerns about trip groups, please email jennyb@projectsuccess.org.
Do students need to know how to swim? Students do not need to know how to swim, but they will need to get in the water with a life jacket on. Everyone is required to wear a life jacket when in, on and near the water. Life jackets are fitted to you and will make you float in the water!
What do I need to bring? Here is a BWCA Packing List in English and Liste Empaque en español. Most everything on the packing list will be clothes you have at home. But Project Success has extras of many things that you can borrow (including sleeping bags). Please don’t let the packing list scare you! Contact Jenny if you have any questions about packing.
Is there a more accessible outdoor trip for students with physical, health, developmental, social and cognitive needs? Yes! Project Success partners with Wilderness Inquiry to provide an outdoor adventure that is designed to help students who require extra support to access and enjoy outdoor recreational activities. Check out the Apostle Island Kayak Adventure for a more accessible outdoor program.
Photos from Previous BWCA Adventures
Project Success partners with Wilderness Inquiry to provide an outdoor adventure that is accessible for current MPS 6th, 7th and 8th grade students with physical, health, developmental, social and cognitive needs. This trip is designed to help students who might require extra support to access and enjoy outdoor recreational activities.
This 4-day adventure takes us to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the South Shore of Lake Superior. Students will experience a series of sea kayaking and land-based day trips from Wilderness Inquiry’s Little Sand Bay Base Camp. These trips could include the beautiful Mawikwe Sea Caves, Bark Bay Slough, or the shipwrecks of Red Cliff Bay.
SAVE THE DATE! Registration for our 2025 Apostle Island Kayak Adventure will open February 1.
TRIP DATES – Check back in December for the 2025 trip dates.
Trip Details
Trip Cost
The cost of the trip is $500. Need-based discounts are available for up to $450 of the trip cost. We ask that if you do have the funds to cover your trip, that you pay the full amount. However, Project Success wants to ensure that we include all students who really want to go, regardless of cost. If you are not able to pay the full $500, we appreciate that you pay what you can toward your trip fee. Your contribution will help us to continue bringing young people on outdoor adventures each year and to serve a larger community of students.
Trip Meeting
There will be a meeting in June for all students who have a confirmed spot on the trip and their parent/guardian(s). At the meeting we will go over important trip details and the packing list. You will receive and email to inform you of the date, time and location of the meeting.
About Wilderness Inquiry
Since 1978, Wilderness Inquiry has created inclusive outdoor experiences providing an opportunity for participants to explore the natural world while making outdoor spaces accessible to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Through the medium of outdoor adventure travel, they inspire personal growth, enhanced awareness of the environment and community integration. Their trained and skilled staff will provide support for students so they can learn and practice outdoor skills and social skills needed to have safe, enjoyable outdoor experiences.
What are the sleeping accommodations at base camp?
Our group will sleep in tents that are set up on platforms and are accessible by steps and ramps. Tents are separated by gender. If you have any questions regarding tent/sleeping arrangements, please call us at (612) 874-1277.
What if my student needs a PCA or one-on-one assistance?
In the online registration, there is a space to tell us how much personal assistance your student will need. Please be as detailed as possible in describing the support your student requires.
What do we bring?
Click here for the packing list! We will talk about packing at the meeting in June. Call Project Success with any questions. Wilderness Inquiry and Project Success have extras of many things that you can borrow!
Photos from Previous Apostle Island Kayak Trips
Upcoming Outdoor Adventures
Check out our upcoming Outdoor Adventures! Be sure to double check what is available to you based on your grade and school.
Boundary Waters Registration Opens
We are here to help
If you have questions about Outdoor Adventures, reach out to Jenny!
Jenny Batten
Senior Program Manager – Expeditions
jennyb@projectsuccess.org612.874.1277 More about Jenny BattenMore Outdoor Resources to Explore
The following are links to virtual exploration as well as a few ideas to maximize your joy in the outdoors!
- Makoce Stories: Makoce Stories takes you around iconic Twin Cities’ locations and gives you a Native American perspective of the land that was before colonization. Hover over certain locations on their map and listen in on info that educates about the history and cultural significance of that respected site.
- Wilderness Inquiry: Our partners at Wilderness Inquiry have created some great online resources and opportunities for youth! Check out resources on Outdoor History and Culture, Environmental Science and Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation and Stewardship.
- Article by Nadia Mercado: I Said I Wasn’t Outdoorsy … But I Lied
- The Hidden World of the National Parks (from Google Arts & Culture): Follow rangers on a journey most people never go!
- The Science Museum of Minnesota: The Science Museum of Minnesota is open for visits, but they are also keeping up their digital content including articles, videos, activities and other learning tools.
- Science Museum Eagle Cam
- 7 Ways to Rekindle Your Sense of Awe Outside—and Why (from REI’s blog)
- Virtual Tours: Famous Landmarks and National Parks of Wyoming: Explore some of the most beautiful places in the state of Wyoming virtually!
Where students connect to their purpose
Project Success Outdoor Adventures have been helping students explore the outdoors for more than 20 years! These experiences build upon students’ skills and confidence gained in Project Success’ Workshops and allow them to apply these skills in a real-life setting.