Youth Backcountry Camps

Check out the 2026 YBCC trip dates and details below.

Join an intimate group of 12 youth, ages 12-14 or 14-17, on an exciting and challenging adventure to discover and experience firsthand the beauty of the Lake Tahoe region. Make new friends while backpacking between 2 and 6 miles per day. Learn new backcountry skills and support your fellow adventurers in the wild. Sleep under the stars after cooking your own dinner over a backpacking stove. Each day is jam-packed with new experiences, character-building trials, and outdoor fun. Topics include:
Local Ecology and Geology
Backcountry Living Skills
Wilderness Survival Skills
Leadership and Team Building
Map and Compass Navigation
Leave No Trace Ethics

Participants can expect to practice working together and leading their peers, be involved in making group decisions, and learn to care for themselves and others in the backcountry. Each day brings something new and no two experiences are the same. These trips help kids to make lifelong friends, gain confidence and skills, and discover their place in the natural world while exploring the world-famous Tahoe backcountry! Instructors for YBCC will be provided by TINS and TRTA.

Learn more about YBCC requirements and details by visiting TRTA’s website.