5-Day Backpacking, Rockies, AB

Once you register, we’ll send full travel details, including meeting locations, timing, and what to expect on arrival day. Most participants travel independently to our designated meeting points, and those flying in can request airport pickup within our scheduled arrival windows.

OBC staff are present at the meeting points to welcome you, answer questions, and help coordinate the start and end of your course.

Have questions? Our Admissions Team is here to help: admissions@outwardbound.ca

At OBC, every course is packed with adventure, friendship, and hands-on skill-building in the great outdoors. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to grow, but a typical schedule might look like this:

Day 1 – Arrival & Welcome

• Getting Here: OBC staff will meet participants at Calgary International Airport (YYC) at a designated meeting point during set arrival windows.
• Meet the Crew: Once at base, participants meet their instructors and fellow adventurers
• Duffle Shuffle: Instructors guide participants in organizing their clothing and equipment
• First Night Together: Enjoy a welcome dinner and spend the night at the OBC base

Day 2 – Packing & Hitting the Trail

• Morning Routine: Breakfast at base
• Transportation: Group departs OBC base to the launching area for the expedition
• The Adventure Begins: Set out on the trail, hiking through the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains

Days 2–4 – Backpacking Adventure

Each day brings a mix of exploration, skill-building, and teamwork. As students gain confidence and independence, instructors gradually transfer responsibility for the planning and execution of daily tasks to them, leading to a final expedition experience. Exact routes and activities vary depending on weather, tides, and group dynamics—but a typical day might look like this:

Morning

• Wake up, breakfast and morning routine
• Group meeting on the day’s route and safety briefing
• Set out on the trail, practicing navigation, pacing, and hiking skills along the way

Daytime

• Lunch break and rest
• Continue hiking or focus on skills like navigation and route planning
• Arrive at new campsite; scout the area and set up camp
• Campcraft session (e.g., cooking, shelter-building, or environmental stewardship)

Evening

• Cook and enjoy a communal dinner 
• Evening reflection and leadership development activities
• Free time for journaling, stories, or group games
• Quiet time and lights out under the night sky

Day 4 – Back to Base

As the journey comes to a close, the group returns to the OBC base, carrying with them new skills, lasting confidence, and lifelong friendships.

• Unload Gear: Hike back to base and unload outdoor equipment
• Refresh: A chance to clean up and prepare for the journey home
• Repack: Organize personal belongings for departure
• Celebration: Closing dinner with the group and instructors

Day 5 – Departure

• Farewell Breakfast: Share a final meal together and closing activity
• Goodbyes: Exchange contact info with new friends 
• Pick-Up or Drop-Off:  Whether you fly or get a ride, OBC staff will help you get to  the airport or at the designated meeting point on time

We provide the essential group gear and technical equipment including tents, sleeping bags and pads, activity specific (i.e. canoeing, backpacking, kayaking, etc.), and safety equipment, so participants only need to bring personal items and clothing.

• Packing Checklist: A detailed packing checklist is provided once you register, making it easy to prepare for your adventure.
• Duffle Shuffle: At the start of the course, instructors will guide participants on organizing their belongings, confirming necessary items, and preparing them for the expedition.
• Recommended Clothing & Footwear: Weather-appropriate layers, waterproofs, activity-appropriate footwear, and quick-drying clothes.
• Personal Essentials: Toiletries, medications, sun safety, insect prevention, etc.
• Health & Safety: Clearly label all personal items and bring any medication-related necessities (i.e. prescription, allergy, over-the-counter)

Our instructors are seasoned outdoor professionals with extensive experience in wilderness travel. They bring a calm, confident presence to the group and know how to create a supportive space where participants can learn new skills, take meaningful risks, and grow in ways that feel both challenging and rewarding.

• Highly Skilled Professionals: Certified in advanced wilderness and backcountry first aid, technical paddling, and coastal navigation, with years of hands-on experience in demanding environments.
• Trusted Expedition Leaders: Many have guided expeditions across Canada and internationally, bringing deep knowledge of safety, group dynamics, and decision making in remote settings.
• Fully Vetted: Every instructor undergoes a rigorous screening process with full reference checks, credential verification, and vulnerable sector clearance to ensure professionalism and care.
• Continual Training: Instructors stay sharp through ongoing professional development in facilitation, inclusion, leadership, and risk management so participants receive high-quality instruction on every course.
• Supportive and Respectful Approach: They teach in a way that respects your lived experience. You set the pace. They provide coaching, tools, and encouragement without pressure or judgment.
• Small Group Advantage: Low instructor-to-participant ratios mean more attention, more guidance, and a more personalized experience throughout the journey.

“A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” – William Shedd.

Challenge is central to the Outward Bound experience, and it works best when risk is approached with intention and professionalism. Our risk management practices are grounded in decades of field experience, clear protocols, and instructors who know how to support participants through real decisions and real moments of learning.

• Expert Instructors: Certified and trained in wilderness medicine, risk management, and technical outdoor skills.
• Small Groups: Low participant-to-instructor ratios allow for close communication, timely guidance, and strong group awareness.
• Reliable Systems: All equipment meets industry standards, is maintained regularly, and is reviewed before each course. Routes and travel plans are designed with weather, tides, terrain, and group experience in mind.
• 24/7 Preparedness: Groups carry communication and tracking devices, and instructors are equipped to respond to changing conditions, incidents, or evacuations when required.
• Medical and Dietary Considerations: Health forms are reviewed before the course to plan for individual needs. Dietary restrictions and allergies are accommodated with advance notice.

Learn More: See our Risk Management page for details on our practices.

Participants gain renewed clarity, confidence, and perspective through challenge, reflection, and time in the outdoors. These courses are designed for adults who want space to reset, reconnect with their values, and return home with a clearer sense of direction.

• Connection and Collaboration: Strengthen communication skills, build trust, and work collaboratively with a group that shares the goal of stepping outside routine and trying something new.
• Outdoor Skills: Develop or strengthen your experience in paddling, navigation, coastal camping, Leave No Trace practices, and the core elements of backcountry travel. These are skills you will carry into future trips, whether you are reconnecting with the outdoors or exploring it from a fresh perspective.
• Environmental Stewardship: Develop a deeper connection to the environment and understand how to move through outdoor spaces with intention and respect.
• Self Directed Skills: Practice decision making, adaptive thinking, and problem solving through challenges that ask you to focus, commit, and step beyond self-imposed limitations.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing: Build confidence, deepen your self-awareness, and strengthen practical coping tools through personal reflection and shared challenges with a supportive group.
• Digital Detox: Step away from screens, expectations, and pressure. Rediscover how restorative it feels to be fully present in nature, with room to breathe and think clearly.

One of the defining moments of an Outward Bound course is the solo. Participants spend intentional time alone in nature, resting, reflecting, and settling into the quiet that’s hard to find in everyday life.

• Duration: Several hours up to 48 hours, depending on the course and conditions
• Instructor-Supported: Instructors stay nearby and check in regularly while giving you the space to make this time your own.
• Fully Equipped: You are provided with all necessary gear, food, and hydration for the entire solo period.
• Personal Growth: The solo encourages stillness, clarity, and a deeper sense of independence in a focused and calming outdoor setting.
• Not a Survival Challenge: This is not about endurance or isolation. It is a guided, supported opportunity to disconnect from external noise and reconnect with yourself.