For families ready to take the next step in outdoor adventuring
There’s exploring the trails near your house. Then there’s exploring the great outdoors in a setting you can’t find anywhere else. From the Boundary Waters to the Apostle Islands, our Wilderness Trips provide adventure for families who love to be outdoors together.
This trip combines the adventure of exploring the world’s largest freshwater lake by kayak with the remarkable natural and cultural history of the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. Your Wolf Ridge naturalist guide will meet your group at Little Sand Bay in the National Lakeshore. From there you will learn the kayak skills needed to explore the Mawikwe Bay sea caves and the lighthouses and beaches of Raspberry, York, Oak, and Sand Islands. Your group will spend one night on the mainland before heading out for 3 nights on the islands.
Grab a paddle and start your adventure. Your professional naturalist guide will teach you all the skills needed to meet the challenges of a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. While on trail, your guide will also offer additional opportunities that are designed to be active, hands-on learning adventures for all ages.
Families going on an Apostle Islands trip will meet their wilderness guide/naturalist at the Little Sand Bay Campground near Bayfield, Wisconsin. Groups will camp there for the first night of the trip and will depart and camp on the islands themselves on the following day.
Families going to the Boundary Waters will meet their trip leader at a campground near their put-in, camp there the first night, then head out into BWCAW lakes the next day.
While on the trail, families sleep in tents. Wolf Ridge uses sturdy and spacious 2, 4, and 6 person backcountry tents.
On the trail, families eat delicious, high-energy foods to fuel their wilderness exploration. Backcountry meals include burritos, alpine pasta, hearty soups, fry bread, pancakes, oatmeal, with many other possibilities. Special dietary considerations can usually be accommodated on the trail. Canoe trip participants will eat on-campus meals in our dining hall when not on trail.
Private trips are available each week, Sundays through Fridays (6 days and 5 nights,) June through August.
Custom schedules may be available upon request.
The costs listed are the costs for your entire family, everything included. There are no extra costs.
Boundary Waters
$650 per person (4-6 people)
$600 per person for additional 1 or 2 people
Apostle Islands
$675 per person (4 people)
$625 per person for each additional person
Click to fill out a short request form. Our staff will contact you at the next opportunity to arrange your trip or tour or answer your questions. Staff hours are generally Tuesdays through Sundays.