Friendships. Adventure. Challenge.
Kick off your Calvin education with a Wilderness Trip! You'll be part of a small group of other new students to explore your limits, forge new friendships, and develop a new awareness of your Creator.
We welcome students of all experience, fitness, and skill levels! Choose from backpacking the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore or the Coastal Trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park, or kayak the North Channel of Lake Huron.
Wilderness Trips 2026: August 19–26
Space is limited! Once you're admitted and have paid your enrollment deposit, you can sign up in step 5 of the checklist in your New Student Portal.
Why Sign Up for a Wilderness Trip?
Build new friendships
Seek adventure in the outdoors
Experience personal growth
Receive a credit exemption
Choose Your Adventure
For more than 20 years, over 1,700 new Calvin students have begun their college journey by exploring these unforgettable places together. Now it’s your turn. Join the tradition!
Dates: August 19–26, 2026
Cost: $725
Pictured Rocks Backpacking Expedition
Backpack the entire Pictured Rocks coastline from Munising Falls to the AuSable Light Station.
Backpack along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore's iconic staggering cliffs, take in constant views of Lake Superior, and camp on scenic overlooks. You'll experience some of the best beaches, waterfalls, ancestral dunes, and diverse wildlife of Michigan's upper peninsula.
Adventure activities: Backpacking, beach and cliff exploration, and Great Lakes swimming
Adventure difficulty level: Moderate (Backpacks will be light—around 25 pounds—and the reserved backcountry campsites are set at manageable hiking distances.)
Canadian Backpacking Expedition
Backpack the “Coastal Trail,” one of the most scenic and challenging stretches of backpacking east of the Rockies.
Experience Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada: a backpacker's paradise. You'll master backcountry living as you traverse through the boreal forest and rocky coastline, swim at secluded sandy beaches, explore granite cliffs and overlooks, and take in the views of rivers and waterfalls.
Adventure activities: Backpacking, beach exploration, and Great Lakes swimming
Adventure difficulty level: Challenging (i.e. diverse hiking terrain, navigating rocks, short steep climbs)
Passport or enhanced driver’s license required.
Canadian Sea Kayaking Expedition
Embark together on a self-supported sea kayak paddle expedition.
Journey through Lake Huron's historic North Channel with 17-foot kayaks, camp on granite islands and peninsulas, and rappel a rock face 60 feet above the water.
Adventure activities: Sea kayaking, rock climbing, and rappelling
Adventure difficulty level: Moderate to challenging (difficulty depends on wind conditions; paddling distances are manageable between islands.)
Passport or enhanced driver’s license required.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wilderness Trips
If the trip you want is full, please sign up for another trip and contact Jessica Stehouwer to ask about a waitlist.
It is a great idea to start moving your body regularly before your trip as you will be active throughout the week. We also encourage you to look at the packing list early and start gathering the gear you will need.
Packing lists linked above.
It’s true. We’ve found that without phones, students have better capacity to connect with nature and enjoy what we are doing together. Students have told us they enjoyed not having their phones for a week and were grateful being able to disconnect!
Note: Trip leaders will have phones and contact information in cases of emergency.
Yes, we can accommodate special diets. For us to be able to properly accommodate your dietary restrictions, we need to know what they are. It is important to indicate any food preferences/allergies/intolerances on the health form you will receive. If you have any other dietary concerns, please contact Jessica Stehouwer.
For your safety, any food allergies MUST be listed on your health form. Leaders and staff leave for training with all food packed up and ready to go one- to two-weeks before participants arrive. We need to know about any food allergies before this time so we can plan accordingly.
However, please do not let a food allergy alter your decision to participate in a trip. Cooking in the backcountry and adjusting for food allergies is quite easy. Every year, trip leaders accommodate participants with peanut allergies, tree nut allergies, gluten allergies, dairy allergies, lactose intolerance, etc.
Contact Us
Reach out to us at orientation@calvin.edu with any questions.