Earth Native Wilderness School

Earth Native Wilderness School offers courses that include Wilderness Survival, Bushcraft Skills, Wildlife Tracking, Native Plant Identification and Use, Natural Clay Pottery, Natural Basketry, Traditional Bow and Arrow Making, and Flintknapping. Classes also cover topics such as Bird Language, Backcountry Navigation, Campfire Skills, Knife Carving & Safety, Natural Paints & Pigments, Primitive Projectiles, Basket Making, Natural Building, and Sustainable Living. Additional activities include Barnyard Adventure, Butchering & Animal Processing, Arrow Making, Navigation Awareness, and ethnobotany, which is described as the study of edible, medicinal, and useful plants.

• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm; classes and courses range from one day to nine months in length

Earth Native Wilderness School was founded in 2011 in Austin, Texas. Its stated mission is to work to help students build lifelong connections to the outdoors through unique, fun, and informative courses that enliven and lead students down a path of discovery and greater self-reliance. The school describes itself as an outdoor school for all, with courses for adults and kids of all ages, including kids and adult courses in Bastrop and Austin, and notes that topics range from Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft Skills to Wildlife Tracking and Native Plant Identification and Use, along with ancestral skills like flint knapping, basket making, and natural clay pottery. The school states that it strives to be a bridge helping people and communities learn life-enhancing skills and to provide a space for people interested in nature to develop their skill and connection in a community setting.

Earth Native Wilderness School notes that it is not a licensed child care facility and is not required to be licensed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission due to the type and scope of its educational programming. The school also states that its campus is only open when a class is happening, that tours and visits are not available, and that it has two campus entrances that are not connected by road. It instructs families to arrive at the correct entrance for their class as indicated on the class webpage and confirmation email, and to drive slowly, with a maximum speed of 10 mph, on the privately maintained dirt roads leading to the campus.

Last updated January 25, 2026.