Turquoise Trail

Join a group of adventurous young women who enjoy being outdoors to explore the Southwest. This supportive and motivated group of girls will wander desert canyons, summit mountain peaks, learn about local culture and ecology, and work together to overcome challenges. Even for someone who has never been camping before, this trek is a great fit to learn about the outdoors, leadership skills, the Southwest, and oneself. 

The itinerary varies from year to year (see below for a sample itinerary), but you can rest assured that each year it will be packed with opportunities for hands on learning in the amazing backdrop of the American Southwest. Some years, the TT has summited Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico, while other years they have hiked 15 miles in a day to get to Keet Seel, a spectacular cliff dwelling in Arizona. They may learn to read a topographic map, cook on a single burner backpacking stove, tie knots, work through conflict, select a campsite, and more. These experiences lead the teens on TT to reflect on their increased resilience, self love, and self confidence after completing their five week trek. By the end, they come away with new friends, outdoor and leadership skills, great memories, and new perspectives after five weeks of independence and exploration. 

The TT spends the majority of their time exploring the wild places of the Four Corners states, though they will have about a week to get to know Basecamp. While at Basecamp, trekkers will have the opportunity to learn new skills from our specialists like metalsmithing, animal tracking, plant identification, mountain biking, farming, cooking, music, and rock climbing. The exact specialties of our staff vary from year to year, but we always have an incredibly talented and knowledgeable team that is excited to introduce trekkers to new skills as well as offer deeper exploration for those already familiar with a topic. The TT will also have the opportunity to get to know trekkers on other treks and serve as role models for our younger trekkers. 

The TT could serve as a prelude to our longer Mountain Desert Trek or be a great foundation to other outdoor adventures for years to come. Regardless of what a TT alum chooses to do in the future, she will have skills and confidence that she can rely on at school, work, and home. In today’s world, communication, conflict resolution, empathy, and other interpersonal skills are more important than ever and the TT is a perfect opportunity to build them. TT alumni have gone on to become Gulch interns and staff, scientists, photographers, artists, professors and other educators, guides, directors of nonprofits, business owners, and many other careers influenced by their time on the TT. 

While on trek with us, participants will complete a project in a field they are interested in. These are meant to be opportunities to take advantage of the vast knowledge sets of our staff, dive deeper into a topic of interest, and to walk away from the summer having a tangible example of all that was accomplished. Examples of past projects include: building a latrine at basecamp, creating maps, conducting a stream study, creating a field guide, compiling an art portfolio, writing an original song, planning and leading activities for other trekkers, and many more. To help us prepare to facilitate these projects, we will send a survey for your trekker to complete. If they aren’t sure, that’s okay! Our staff are ready and excited to talk with them about their interests and figure out what makes sense. 

Day 1

Arrive and get to know everyone

Day 2

Prepare for backpacking

Day 3-6

Backpacking in the Blue Range Wilderness

Day 7

Eat pie in Pie Town, NM on the Continental Divide

Day 8

Caving in El Malpais National Monument

Day 9-15

Basecamp Loop (Cottonwood, Solo)

Day 16

Stay with community member on the Navajo Nation

Day 17

Day hike to Keet Seel

Day 18

Valley of the Gods

Day 19-20

Explore Canyonlands National Park

Day 21-25

Backpacking trip in Manti La Sal National Forest