Outdoor Programs

Camping

School founder Lowell Whiteman was first and foremost an outdoorsman; LWS was in fact first a boys’ summer camp.  True to our roots, our students still participate in a wealth of outdoor activities all year long, learning vital outdoor skills and creating unbeatable memories along the way.

Most prominent among our Outdoor Programs is our fall camping program.  Upon arriving to start the school year, students embark on the Orientation Camp Trip.  For three to four nights in late August, new and returning students practice the most essential outdoor and camping skills, in areas as pristine as the Zirkel Wilderness or the Flat Tops, both nearby wilderness areas.  Beyond camp and packing skills, students also rock climb and hike up to 10 miles in a day.  After a mid-September camping option, all students go on the famed Desert Week.

Desert Week is Western camping and adventure at its best.  Trips range from mountain biking in Fruita and Moab to kayaking the Colorado River; alpine hiking the Uintas in Utah to canoeing Utah’s Green River; rock climbing in Wyoming to an occasional horse-packing trip.  Desert Week allows students to put all that they’ve learned in their previous trips to work for a full week, and also gives them the opportunity to immerse in the natural world with great friends and experienced, dedicated teachers.

Outdoor Pursuits

The Lowell Whiteman School does not have a competitive sports program.  Instead, we take as much advantage as possible of our incredible surrounding and participate in a range of Outdoor Pursuits three times each week following the academic day.  OPs change from year to year; recent offerings have included mountain biking, rock climbing, outdoor fitness, and kayaking.  Often, the OPs happen right from school, as we have miles of trails just out our back door.