Turquoise Trail Trek 2026
Turquoise Trail Trek 2026 Details
Age Range: 14-16 year olds
Min Group Size: 8 / Max 18
Gender: Female
Instructors: 2-3
32 days on trek
Cost: Pick Your Price (scholarships available)
$500–$8,000 (depending on your family's financial situation)
2026 Dates: June 27 – July 29
Focus: Adventure, Independence & Community Living
Turquoise Trail Trek 2026 Itinerary
Our itineraries are carefully planned and thoughtfully flexible. Routes may shift depending on weather, permits, or other circumstances — your Gulch leader will keep you informed of any changes along the way.
Days 1–6: Cottonwood Gulch Basecamp Turquoise Trail - Opens at Basecamp, settling into rustic cabins, swimming in the pool, and beginning the work of becoming a community. Trekkers spend the first week with Gulch specialists diving into science, art, and stewardship projects, and beginning to develop the legacy project they'll carry through the summer. The stretch culminates in Rendezvous, the Gulch's beloved all-community celebration where all summer programs converge for connection and shared stories.
Days 7–9: Rodeo, Northern New Mexico & the Taos Area - After Rendezvous, TT hits the road. A local rodeo for the Fourth of July kicks things off before trekkers head north, exploring the vibrant culture and dramatic landscape of northern New Mexico — canyon hikes, riverside stops, and the small towns in between.
Days 10–13: Backpacking in Valle Vidal - The first real backcountry challenge. Trekkers head into Valle Vidal, a sweeping, remote mountain wilderness in northern New Mexico, for a multi-day backpacking trip along the Beatty Loop. Elk meadows, high ridgelines, and genuine solitude. For many trekkers, this is where the summer turns.
Days 14–16: Farms, Ruins & River Country - Coming off the backpack, TT slows down and opens up. A collaboration with Homegrown Farm offers a hands-on look at sustainable agriculture and land stewardship, while ancient ruins and dramatic canyon country round out a stretch that moves between the human and geological history of the Southwest.
Days 17–19: Cottonwood Gulch Basecamp - A return to Basecamp to recover, work with specialists, and push the legacy project forward before heading out on the second road loop.
Days 20–27: Southern New Mexico — Science, Adventure & Culture - The second road loop is TT's most varied stretch. A visit to the Very Large Array, one of the world's premier radio astronomy observatories, opens a loop that also includes rock climbing at Socorro Box, a service project at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, and the haunting lava fields of El Malpais National Monument. Cultural stops at Zuni Pueblo and the legendary Pie Town let trekkers experience more of New Mexico's character than almost anywhere else on the map.
Days 28–30: Cottonwood Gulch Basecamp & Rendezvous - TT returns to Basecamp for a second Rendezvous, sharing discoveries from the road with the wider Gulch community. Final days are spent completing and presenting legacy projects, tangible gifts to the Gulch that will outlast the summer.
Days 31–32: Final Night & Departure - One last night at Basecamp, a closing campfire, and the airport. Thirty-two days in the Southwest has a way of staying with you.
Praise for Cottonwood Gulch Summer Treks
What Makes Turquoise Trail Different
Adventure + Science + Culture + Legacy + Community. Not one. All. Turquoise Trail doesn't separate wilderness challenge from intellectual curiosity, or outdoor adventure from meaningful contribution. For a full month, everything connects: the ecosystem you study becomes the wilderness you backpack through; the communities you visit teach lessons no classroom could; the legacy project you build becomes a gift to the land that gave you so much. This is what it looks like when smart, curious young women take the Southwest seriously.
- Serious Backcountry Challenge: Multi-day backpacking, rock climbing, and hikes that will challenge you physically and intellectually.
- Science in the Field: From the radio telescopes of the Very Large Array to the lava fields of El Malpais, every stop is chosen for what it reveals about the natural and human history of the Southwest.
- Environmental Stewardship: Contribute to active restoration projects and leave landscapes healthier than you found them. At the Gulch, stewardship is woven into everything — how we camp, how we move through the land, and how we interact with each other.
Legacy Projects: Every TT trekker designs and completes a meaningful project that outlasts the summer. Working alongside Gulch specialists, trekkers channel what they've learned in the field into something tangible — trail infrastructure, ecological monitoring systems, plant species inventories, and more. Decades of legacy projects have left a permanent mark on the Gulch and the wider Southwest community.
- Cultural Immersion: TT moves through some of the most historically layered landscapes in North America — ancient ruins, living pueblos, and communities whose relationship with this land stretches back centuries.
- Full-Day Adventures: Rock climbing, rappelling, backpacking, and more — push your limits with expert instruction.
- Single-Gender Environment: Young women thrive when they're challenged together — free to lead, fail, and grow in a community of girls who get what this kind of adventure is all about.
A group of smart & adventurous young women who learn exactly what they're capable of.
Turquoise Trail Trek 2026 Pricing Structure
- Your chosen price (formerly known as tuition cost) does not influence acceptance into our programs. Trekkers are accepted into all programs based solely on their application and ability to participate fully in the Trek.
- Pricing range is $500-$8,000 (depending on your family's financial situation)
- No discount or scholarship applicable.
For Prairie Trek, Turquoise Trail Trek, and Mountain Desert Trek there is the option of a trekker to apply to be a Cook’s Assistant or Quarter Master (CA and QM). Click here to apply.
