Joshua Tree Backpacking & Rock Climbing
Backpack through the rolling expanses of the Mojave Desert and rock climb the boulders and tangled granite that rise from the earth.
The ruggedly beautiful Joshua Tree National Park receives more than a million visitors each year, but only a handful of those venture more than a mile from the parking lot. With this immersive experience you’ll make deep connections with other teens and enjoy starry skies at night. Beyond the parks’ namesake Joshua Tree, the park is home to many birds, animals, cholla cactus and palms. The demanding and beautiful desert offers the opportunity to challenge your personal limits, form connections with your group, and develop leadership skills in a very unique environment.
UPCOMING COURSES
Course # XJTE-2521
Age 16 - 18
Days 7
Cost $2,540
Dates 12/27/2025 - 1/2/2026
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
Course # XJYE-2521
Age 14 - 16
Days 7
Cost $2,540
Dates 12/27/2025 - 1/2/2026
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
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.
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This course and Outward Bound courses as a whole are challenging, test your strength, and sometimes show you things you weren’t prepared to see in yourself. But as you cross the ridge overlooking your final campsite, you begin to see how your presence has affected the way you see the world. You will gain an appreciation for simplicity. You lose the uptight worries of school, friends, relationships and realize you are your own person outside of these things.
I appreciate the clarity that this course brought me. Because spending a week in the desert with people I don’t normally spend time with showed me that I’m human. My feet are on the ground, and as long as I know that I can hold myself up in challenging times. I have nothing to fear. Thank you to all the people in my life who made this trip possible for me. Without you, I’m afraid I would have lost myself. I am found now.
This course is appropriate for those new to backpacking as well as students with some experience who are interested in exploring new terrain. Each day presents opportunities to learn new skills and work closely with teammates to travel efficiently and accomplish tasks.
The course will begin by learning foundational skills such as camp setup, cooking and navigation. As students learn these crafts and develop trust with their group, Instructors will transfer ownership of the course to the students who will manage routes, the daily schedule, navigation, and other necessary skills for expeditionary travel.
The rocks section of this course is designed for all levels and will teach students the skills necessary to be effective top-rope climbers. The first lessons will set the foundation for belaying and movement on rock and progress toward more advanced skills, including rappelling. Students build trust and motivational leadership as they belay and are belayed by their crew in this base camping section of the course.
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. It is a chance to experience solitude in the wilderness without distraction while also taking a break from the physical rigors of activities. Students experience short periods of time away from their group throughout the course for reflection. These “mini-solos” are at solo sites chosen by Instructors to provide as much solitude as possible (within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Participants have all necessary equipment, food and water during their Solo time, and safety is always the top priority.
Outward Bound expeditions encourage students to grow into the best version of themselves. Compassion for self and others is foundational to our educational approach. Students work collaboratively with their peers and as individuals to navigate challenging circumstances and the everyday harshness of the natural environment. The physical and mental challenges students experience on course allow them to discover their strengths and build authentic connections. Through intentionally tiered technical skill instruction, students also gain self-efficacy in outdoor competencies related to their course. Consistent and cultivated space for introspection or interactive reflective processes supports students making connections between their experiences and their life back home Whether the expedition is a few days or a few months, students realize that they are stronger than they know, and develop confidence and perseverance that will last a lifetime.
Some of the social and emotional learning outcomes students can expect include:
- Belonging – a sense of connection in the group founded upon respect, inclusion, empathy and compassion
- Courage – catalyzing strengths in order to persevere and take on challenge and risks
- Physical Engagement – develop body awareness and confidence through sensate and bodily experiences
- Self-Regulation – the ability to counter distraction and strong emotions by calming, refocusing, and turn-taking
- Reflection – examination and questioning of actions, roles, relationships and assumptions
Joshua Tree National Park
Welcome to the high desert moonscape, where rugged mountains and desert plateaus were sculpted by wind and rain. Three distinct ecosystems come together to form this land of extremes: the dark, cold, star-filled nights against warm sand and boulder-filled days. Students will travel through granite monoliths and through narrow canyons that have attracted travelers from around the world long before the park became a national park in 1936.
The Mojave Desert’s sunny fall, winter and spring weather is perfect for a week on the trail or basecamping below the next climb. Weather in the park is generally dry and rainfall is sparse, though unpredictable, irregular, and sometimes persistent thunderstorms do occur. Rare winter snow storms are possible and it is a unique experience to see this commonly dry environment blanketed in white. Temperatures can vary, averaging 50-70 degrees during the day to a cool 30 or lower at night. The wind can often make you grateful for your cozy sleeping bag and hot drinks each night.
Travel in the desert takes careful planning to ensure an ample water supply. Logistics staff place water and food caches around the park to enable extended backcountry travel in this unique wilderness.
These regions are the ancestral lands of the Yuhaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano), Cahuilla, Newe (Western Shoshone), Chemehuevi, Southern Paiute and Cocopah (Xawiƚƚ kwñchawaay) nations. We acknowledge them as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land, and also pay respect to their elders, both past and present. We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations of this territory and beyond. By offering this land acknowledgment we affirm tribal sovereignty, commit to working to support these tribes, and commit to holding Outward Bound California accountable to this work.
Course Stories
This course and Outward Bound courses as a whole are challenging, test your strength, and sometimes show you things you weren’t prepared to see in yourself. But as you cross the ridge overlooking your final campsite, you begin to see how your presence has affected the way you see the world. You will gain an appreciation for simplicity. You lose the uptight worries of school, friends, relationships and realize you are your own person outside of these things.
I appreciate the clarity that this course brought me. Because spending a week in the desert with people I don’t normally spend time with showed me that I’m human. My feet are on the ground, and as long as I know that I can hold myself up in challenging times. I have nothing to fear. Thank you to all the people in my life who made this trip possible for me. Without you, I’m afraid I would have lost myself. I am found now.
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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 Customer Success Specialists (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.