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Outdoor Activities

Saint George’s stunning campus is the perfect setting for teaching students life skills through our Outdoor Program. They learn to cooperate while paddling canoes down the Little Spokane River, hiking through the state park land that surrounds the school, or helping each other descend the 30-foot Dragon Crag in the woods above campus. Through it all they learn to cope with adversity, practice teamwork, and develop their leadership skills as they grow into responsible young adults.

But it’s not all serious business. Students can practice on the school’s indoor climbing wall or take the Friday Night Ski Bus to Mt. Spokane. Beyond the campus they can pursue school-sponsored expeditions into all kinds of environments. Summiting glaciated Cascade volcanoes, rock climbing in rugged Eastern Oregon, backpacking into Idaho’s mountain wilderness – Saint George’s Outdoor Program offers some great adventures.

Hover over each photo to learn more about some of outdoor activities.

5th Grade Canoe Float
Imagine heading out of the classroom to the great outdoors and spending time with your friends navigating the Little Spokane River. As 5th graders, you and your teachers, along with some Upper School guides will take advantage of the beautiful Little Spokane River for an annual canoe float. The adventure involves paddling down stream to Painted Rocks, then a beautiful hike back to campus. Students are challenged to learn to work together in an outdoor activity that is new to many of them.
Middle School Nordic Day
Ready to hit the mountain? As a middle school student, you’ll get the opportunity to head to Mount Spokane and experience some wintertime fun! Our middle schoolers strap on their boots and enjoy the snow with their friends on this annual field trip. 7th and 8th graders hit the trails for a day of cross country skiing each year for Nordic Day, while the 6th graders explore the mountain on snowshoes. The day offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn valuable skills for self-care in the outdoors, and be pushed out of their comfort zone, and dig deep to discover grit and resilience they may not have known they had!
Summer Trips
The Outdoor Adventure Program offers a summer trip that is yet to be repeated! It is a time for instructors and students to take their skills to a new location and challenge themselves with a longer experience. We have climbed Mount Baker, canoed 75 miles of the Green River in Utah, packed-rafted, and backpacked in the Bob Marshall Wilderness - the opportunities each year are endless. Do you love the outdoors? We can’t wait for you to join us!
Harrison Lake
Join us on the outdoor adventure program’s introduction to backpacking. You will hike a 10-mile loop with part of that being off-trail. We camp at two different lakes and hike past one other. It is a time to learn the basics of living outdoors with cooking, camping, and taking care of business, all while following the basics of Leave No Trace. You and your fellow hikers will help support each other while navigating the terrain. For many, it will be their first time climbing a peak!
3rd Grade Spokane House Hike
It’s easy to follow the footsteps of history when they are right outside your door! The Spokane House location was originally a fishing, hunting, and meeting place for Native Americans. Canadian, British, and American fur trappers and traders arrived in the early 1800s. Our campus was part of their trapping territory. You will relive Spokane history by hiking through the same woods used by people long before us who were all drawn to the abundant resources of this area. We literally head out the back door of the Lower School to catch the trails! As we hike almost 4 miles to the Spokane House Interpretive Center, you will observe the same rock formations, bird species, and riparian corridor that early explorers and Native Americans saw. You will get a true sense of why this region was treasured by so many when we leave campus and go back in time.
6th Grade Cardboard Boat Races
As a 6th grade student, you get the opportunity to show off your engineering and building skills (and have a whole lot of fun!). Each spring, after a year of studying rivers as part of their River Connections theme, 6th graders break into teams and build their own boats out of cardboard and duct tape. The budding engineers then climb into their boats and set sail on the Little Spokane River to race other teams. The team whose boat holds up the longest wins!
K-2 Pumpkin Patch
Students in grades K - 2 head to a nearby farm on Greenbluff for this annual outdoor adventure. You will get to talk with Penelope Pumpkin, learn about bee pollination, and pick apples! Picking out a pumpkin for yourself straight from the field is serious business--so many shapes and sizes to choose from!
8th Grade Coast Trip
Do you love the ocean? Exploring and hiking? As an 8th grader, you’ll head to the West Side for the annual Coast Trip. Students and teachers camp on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula for four nights and spend time exploring the tide pools, chasing waterfalls, and hiking through the rain forest. For many students, this is the highlight of their middle school program.
Freshman Outback
Imagine starting off your school year with a trip to the lake and having fun in the outdoors with your friends! The Outback Trip is the kickoff event for classes and a great way to start Freshman year! Our group of students and teachers backpack and canoe to the north end of Priest Lake for two days of exploration, team building, and fun. Students spend the trip swimming, eating, camping, and preparing for a great year.