Part 1 - In-Person Outdoor Classroom
Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center
9/27/25 (8am - noon)
PREREQUISITE: Adult Leader Basic Backpacking Course taught in the Spring and Fall

Have you always wanted to take your Scouts hiking/backpacking in late winter and early spring but do not know where to go? Exciting possibilities exist in the deserts of California, Arizona, and Utah. Try the Boy Scout Trail or California Riding and Hiking Trail in Joshua Tree National Park, Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve, Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park, to name a few. The slot canyons of northern Arizona and southern Utah beckon adventurous Scouts and Scouters over Easter/Spring Break.

This course will get you thinking and started and builds upon the principles and skills taught in the Basic Backpacking Course which is a prerequisite to this course. Covered in the 4 hours of classroom are seasonal considerations, how to choose your desert trails considering Scouts, what to wear trekking the desert, water availability and management, packing lightly but safely, and hazards specific to the desert such as daytime radiation and nighttime cold, flash floods and sharp organisms like scorpions, cacti, and rattlers.
Part 2 - Weekend Overnight with Instructors
Typically Joshua Tree National Park
March 28-29, 2026
The overnighter is a 6-mile round trip out of the Covington Flats Trailhead in Joshua Tree National Park, or an alternate trailhead depending on wilderness permit availability. An easy one to get you started. Pre-trek planning at the course.