National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Semester in the Yukon

Our campus in Whitehorse, Canada is your gateway to the Yukon Territory’s vast wilderness. Here, you’ll rarely set foot on a trail: instead, you’ll make your own way through the backcountry and become adept at off-trail navigation. With few established campsites, you’ll choose your own spot to camp each night. While you might go 30 days without encountering any other people, you will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of wildlife, ranging from grizzly bears, black bears, and moose to Dall sheep, mountain goats, and marmots. You might even spot a wolf, Arctic fox, or musk ox. You’ll explore unnamed peaks and rivers that are rarely traveled by anyone outside NOLS, tracing routes followed by gold seekers who swarmed this wild land at the turn of the century. Whether you’re backpacking off-trail in the mountains, paddling a canoe through a challenging section of whitewater, or mountaineering on craggy backcountry peaks, you’ll get to enjoy the unique experience of living outdoors in nearly 24 hours of daylight during the summer. And when you return to campus, you’re in for a special end-of-course treat: relaxing in the nearby hot springs. The Yukon is wild and rugged and free—a dynamic environment that will teach you to expect the unexpected.