Outdoor Pursuits

Durango Mountain Camp’s location in the magnificent San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, allows campers access to an exceptional array of world-class outdoor pursuits. Many campers find that the excitement, personal challenge, and satisfaction experienced through these activities are a perfect complement to the morning’s academic emphasis.

Each afternoon, campers participate in three hour programs which include:

Campers are introduced to outdoor top-rope, lead, and bouldering techniques.
Durango is one of the world’s premier mountain bike areas with a wealth of trails ranging from gentle forest paths, to scenic cross-country single tracks, and pounding downhill courses. DMC mountain bikers learn basic and advanced skills from the outdoor pursuits biking staff.
The Animas River provides an excellent water playground where campers get to test their skills at rafting, kayaking, and paddle boarding. The campers begin in flat water and progress to challenging Class 2 and 3 rapids.
Interested campers learn basic riding skills in an outdoor riding arena, and then enjoy trail rides through the surrounding San Juan National Forest.
A nice introduction to a variety of outdoor mountain skills including orienteering, short hikes, natural history, survival skills, shelter building, edible and medicinal plant identification, and river and lake activities.
After exploring the basic skills of SCUBA diving in the pool, divers travel to a lake for their open water dives and completion of their PADI SCUBA diver certification.

Boarding Camper Adventures

In addition to our afternoon outdoor pursuits programming, boarding campers enjoy the opportunity to participate in full-day and overnight adventures on weekends, including Moab trips, backpacking expeditions, climbing excursions, and more—experiences designed to inspire confidence, friendship, teamwork, and a lasting love of the wilderness.