Experiential Education Program

Fall Trips

During late August or early September of each year, students of the Jackson Hole Community School take part in a Fall Trip as part of their graduation requirements. Most trips are 4-5 days in the Jackson Hole area backcountry. Fall Trips are led by staff and outdoor professionals over one week at the start of the school year. Fall Trips aim to build collaborative relationships, teamwork, trust, and mental and physical resilience. Additionally, the trips are designed to foster decision making skills, embrace uncertainty, develop a sense of responsibility toward each other and the environment, unplug from daily life, and have fun.

This year, the school embarked on trips led by guides from Wilderness Adventures into the following areas:

Wind River Range North

Wind River Range South

Washakie

Idaho Teton Crest

Gros Ventre North

Gros Ventre South

Camp Open Door (frontcountry trip)

Bechler

Jedediah Smith Wilderness 

Minimester

Minimester occurs over 4 school days in February and provides curricular enrichment through skill acquisition via community opportunities and access to local experts. Courses are designed so that students can take interdisciplinary approaches to Like Fall Trips, participation in Minimester is a graduation requirement and a valued piece of the whole education of a JHCS student.

Recent offerings have included

Sustainable Food

Creative Writing
Rock Climbing
Glass Blowing
Scrubs: Surgery in Action
Radio Production