Expedition Backpacking California - Expedition Camp
Menlo College, 1000 El Camino Real, Atherton, CA 94027
About
Expedition Backpacking – California Expedition Camp focuses on backpacking, hiking, and camping, with campers cooking meals on backcountry stoves and managing their own gear. Participants practice backcountry cooking, using water treatment systems to filter water from natural sources, and following bear protocols. The program also includes learning and practicing Leave No Trace principles, using a map and compass, team-building activities, games during downtime, stories around the campfire, a brief structured solo experience that varies by trip, and daily morning and evening circles.
• Ages: 10–12 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions with Sunday check-in at 10:00 AM and Friday check-out at 3:00 PM
• Price: One Week Price $1,425. Airport Shuttle $50 one-way, $100 round-trip. Backpack Rental $40. Avid4 Merch - Delivery at Camp Prices Vary (Tax Incl.). Multi-Session/Sibling: Mix and Match For $75 Off Per Session after the 1st. Referral Program: Give friends $50 off their first camp, and you’ll get a $50 coupon for a future 2026 camp when they make a purchase. Service Discount: $100 Off for qualifying professions.
In this one-week session, a sample daily schedule includes a 7:00 AM wake-up, Morning Circle at 7:15 AM, breakfast at 7:30 AM, packing up camp at 8:00 AM, hiking blocks starting around 9:00 AM with an on-trail lunch at noon, more hiking in the afternoon, setting up camp around 5:45 PM, dinner at 6:00 PM, Evening Circle at 7:00 PM, and tent time or bedtime at 8:00 PM. Campers sleep in backpacking tents with no access to showers, toilets, or running water, and all water is filtered from area sources for drinking, hand washing, and food preparation. Campers carry group equipment, food, and personal gear on their backs and should expect to carry an additional 10–25 pounds of food or group gear in addition to their personal equipment weight, while learning how to set up, break down, and efficiently pack compact cooking, cleaning, and sleeping gear.
The program runs with a tight-knit group of up to 13 campers and 2 skilled, supportive instructors who are all 18 and older with safety and skills training. Avid4 Instructors are described as outdoors experts who enjoy adventuring and working with kids, and they are noted by parents as the top point of positive feedback. At the helm of Avid4 Adventure is David Secunda, former president of the Outdoor Industry Association and a 25-year veteran of the outdoor education industry.
Expedition Backpacking – California Expedition Camp is described as ideal for beginning backpackers and expedition enthusiasts, with campers spending up to six hours hiking and exploring terrain, including longer hike days and layover days with light day packs. Campers pitch tents and cook meals together on backcountry stoves, learn to adapt to a range of weather conditions and environments, and learn Leave No Trace principles for disposing of human waste by burying it or carrying it out. The camp has a Difficulty Rating of 2 – Single Sport Specialty and a Wilderness Rating of 3 – Backcountry Wilderness Camping, and it is backed by the Avid4 Adventure Guarantee, which promises an authentic outdoor adventure, well-trained and professional staff, increased confidence, and a customer experience that exceeds expectations, with a free future camp if those promises are not met.
Avid4 Adventure provides transportation to and from recreation areas and access to top-of-the-line gear specifically sized for kids. Its summer camps, overnight camps, school programs, and events are accredited by the American Camp Association, and Avid4 Adventure is a Certified B Corp committed to public transparency and accountability. Avid 4 Adventure operates under a Special Use authorization from the National Forest Service and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
According to the stated mission, Avid4 Adventure believes in the transformative power of the outdoors, with kids building confidence, making new friends, and mastering skills in activities such as paddling, biking, rock climbing, and hiking, and the organization was started to give kids a love of outdoor activity and to support future caretaking of the planet. Parent testimonials describe Avid4 Adventure as a camp where children learned activities like stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, biking without training wheels, and new outdoor skills, and note that staff are mature, responsible, and excited to share their passion with children.
Last updated April 17, 2026.
• Ages: 10–12 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions with Sunday check-in at 10:00 AM and Friday check-out at 3:00 PM
• Price: One Week Price $1,425. Airport Shuttle $50 one-way, $100 round-trip. Backpack Rental $40. Avid4 Merch - Delivery at Camp Prices Vary (Tax Incl.). Multi-Session/Sibling: Mix and Match For $75 Off Per Session after the 1st. Referral Program: Give friends $50 off their first camp, and you’ll get a $50 coupon for a future 2026 camp when they make a purchase. Service Discount: $100 Off for qualifying professions.
In this one-week session, a sample daily schedule includes a 7:00 AM wake-up, Morning Circle at 7:15 AM, breakfast at 7:30 AM, packing up camp at 8:00 AM, hiking blocks starting around 9:00 AM with an on-trail lunch at noon, more hiking in the afternoon, setting up camp around 5:45 PM, dinner at 6:00 PM, Evening Circle at 7:00 PM, and tent time or bedtime at 8:00 PM. Campers sleep in backpacking tents with no access to showers, toilets, or running water, and all water is filtered from area sources for drinking, hand washing, and food preparation. Campers carry group equipment, food, and personal gear on their backs and should expect to carry an additional 10–25 pounds of food or group gear in addition to their personal equipment weight, while learning how to set up, break down, and efficiently pack compact cooking, cleaning, and sleeping gear.
The program runs with a tight-knit group of up to 13 campers and 2 skilled, supportive instructors who are all 18 and older with safety and skills training. Avid4 Instructors are described as outdoors experts who enjoy adventuring and working with kids, and they are noted by parents as the top point of positive feedback. At the helm of Avid4 Adventure is David Secunda, former president of the Outdoor Industry Association and a 25-year veteran of the outdoor education industry.
Expedition Backpacking – California Expedition Camp is described as ideal for beginning backpackers and expedition enthusiasts, with campers spending up to six hours hiking and exploring terrain, including longer hike days and layover days with light day packs. Campers pitch tents and cook meals together on backcountry stoves, learn to adapt to a range of weather conditions and environments, and learn Leave No Trace principles for disposing of human waste by burying it or carrying it out. The camp has a Difficulty Rating of 2 – Single Sport Specialty and a Wilderness Rating of 3 – Backcountry Wilderness Camping, and it is backed by the Avid4 Adventure Guarantee, which promises an authentic outdoor adventure, well-trained and professional staff, increased confidence, and a customer experience that exceeds expectations, with a free future camp if those promises are not met.
Avid4 Adventure provides transportation to and from recreation areas and access to top-of-the-line gear specifically sized for kids. Its summer camps, overnight camps, school programs, and events are accredited by the American Camp Association, and Avid4 Adventure is a Certified B Corp committed to public transparency and accountability. Avid 4 Adventure operates under a Special Use authorization from the National Forest Service and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
According to the stated mission, Avid4 Adventure believes in the transformative power of the outdoors, with kids building confidence, making new friends, and mastering skills in activities such as paddling, biking, rock climbing, and hiking, and the organization was started to give kids a love of outdoor activity and to support future caretaking of the planet. Parent testimonials describe Avid4 Adventure as a camp where children learned activities like stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, biking without training wheels, and new outdoor skills, and note that staff are mature, responsible, and excited to share their passion with children.
Last updated April 17, 2026.
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