Part 1 - In-Person Outdoor Classroom
Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center
11/15/25
PREREQUISITE: Adult Leader Basic Backpacking Course taught in the Spring and Fall

Have you always wanted to take your Scouts snowshoe backpacking in winter but do not know where to go? Or how to do it? Exciting possibilities exist in the winter wonderland of the mountains of southern California.

This course adds winter weather and resources to the skills you learned in the Basic Backpacking Course. The course topics include: (1) snow travel and snowshoe technique; (2) backpacking with a full pack using snowshoes and poles; (3) winter clothing and footwear; (4) how to camp and sleep in the snow; (5) how to cook and eat in the snow; (6) winter environment and hazards; and (8) ideas on when and where to go with Scouts.
Part 2 - Overnight Snowshoe Backpack
Little Lakes Valley - Rock Creek (conditions permitting)
1/17/26 - 1/19/26
On the overnighter snowshoe backpack with instructors, students and instructors will snowshoe backpack into a backcountry camp somewhere in the local So Cal mountains (possibly the Eastern Sierra if local So Cal snow levels are inadequate). The date and location will be voted on by the students. The trek will be low mileage and low angle snow. Typically, will drive up on a Saturday morning, hike in Saturday afternoon, camp Saturday and Sunday evening, hike out and drive home on Monday.

The overnight part of the trip will be held on the weekend of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday during January 17-19, 2026 if there is adequate snow or on the weekend of the President’s Day holiday during February 14-16, 2026 if there is not good snow in January. Valentine’s Day falls on the President’s Day weekend in 2026.