MTS Outdoors
“It’s taught me skills I don’t think I’d have learned if I never went.” ~MTS Student
MTS Outdoors students are invited to participate in a camping trip in all four seasons! Fall, Winter, and Summer are up north in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Spring is an overnight at Lake Maria State park and serves as a warm-up to our summer Expedition. These trips are great ways for students to unplug, make friends, learn outdoor skills, and make lasting memories.
Alumni have gone on to travel to Washington DC with Kids for the Boundary Waters, completed a month long NOLS course in the Wind River Mountain Range and applied for a summer internship, through BOLD/GOLD to learn how to lead their own canoeing and camping trips.
Fall Camp
Partner: YMCA Camp Menogyn
Fall Camp is a four day Boundary Waters canoeing and camping experience. We drive north to Camp Menogyn, on the east side of the Boundary Waters with a stop at Artist’s Point in Grand Marais to see Lake Superior. In groups of 7 students, one teacher and one Menogyn guide, students will embark on an overnight in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. This is a great time to learn how to canoe, camp, cook over and fire, and navigate using a map and compass. It’s also a great time to unplug (there’s no cell service) and make deep friendships with other MTS students that will last all school year long.
Winter Camp
Partner: YMCA Camp Menogyn
Winter Camp is a four day, three night trip to Camp Menogyn, where we sleep in cabins, eat in the dining hall and spend the days dog sledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, sledding, playing board games, and even participating in the polar plunge and sauna. Students looking for a challenge can even hike to Rose Falls, a waterfall near the border of Minnesota and Canada.
Spring Overnight/ Summer Camp
Partner: Big City Mountaineers
Our summer Expedition through Big City Mountaineers, takes place on the West side of the Boundary Waters. We spend one night at the base camp in Tower, Minnesota and four nights in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in small groups of six students and three adult leaders. The Boundary Waters is full of wildlife sightings, spectacular sunsets, games and adventure!
Since the Summer trip is our most remote and challenging opportunity, it’s paired with a one night “Spring Overnight” at Lake Maria State Park to prepare. We learn how to set up a tent, cook on a camping stove, go for a hike, and practice canoeing. It’s a fun way to get to know the group and celebrate the end of the school year!
