Difficulty Rating: 🥾 (Easy)

Step into a week-long exploration of Southern Arizona’s extraordinary plant life! From shady mountain forests to lush desert canyons, this immersive camp session invites campers to uncover the ecological diversity, cultural history, and edible treasures of the Sonoran Desert. Through hikes, hands-on activities, and exciting excursions, campers will learn how plants grow, survive, and sustain life in the Sonoran Desert.

Weekly Highlights

• Mt. Lemmon & Madera Canyon: Discover how plants change from desert to forest on short hikes though the sky islands.
• Sabino Canyon: We will take the canyon tram tour and learn about unique, water-dependent habitats within the desert.
• Mission Garden: Explore fruit trees, crops, and edible native plants and discover how people have grown food in the desert for thousands of years.
• Sonoran Desert Museum: See desert plants from all over the region and learn their amazing survival tricks.

Campers will unearth:

• Botanical Blueprints: Unlock the secrets of Sonoran flora and learn to identify the unique "personalities" and survival traits of our local desert greenery.
• The Living Pantry: Trace the fascinating history of desert plants as ancient and modern sources of food, medicine, and craftsmanship.
• The Invisible Harvester: Master the art of ethical foraging and learn how to gather desert bounty while keeping the ecosystem thriving.
• Nature’s Blueprint: Connect the dots between water, heat, and height to see how the landscape dictates exactly where plants choose to grow.

Physical Demands & Requirements

This trip is designed for beginner level hikers, with participants interested in plant life.

• Hiking/Walking: Must be able to carry a small backpack with a water bottle. Experience on short hikes is not required. 
• Footwear: Closed toed shoes are required for hiking.
• Heat: Because summer programs are subject to seasonal heat, all campers are required to have a water bottle. If a student does not have one, we can provide it upon request.

What’s Included

We provide transportation, entrance fees and snacks. Backpacks for daily use may be available upon request. Prior to departure, a comprehensive itinerary and packing list will be emailed to ensure your camper is fully prepared for daily experiences.