Summit the San Juans with us

Open to all first-year and transfer students, start your college career with an exhilarating backpacking trip through the rugged and beautiful San Juan Mountains. Your new backyard is full of alpine meadows, trout-filled lakes, deep forests, and jagged high peaks. Come explore it with a group of your new peers.

Summit the San Juans is led by student leaders trained in wilderness medicine, low-impact backcountry ethics, and group facilitation skills. This experience is for all levels; prior experience is optional. Participants must be able to hike three miles a day over uneven terrain with a 40– to 50-pound pack.

When: August 18 - 23, 2024
Where: Weminuche Wilderness Area, San Juan Mountains
Number of students: 60
Student cost: $350; full and partial financial assistance is available

Registration opens on April 1.

Arrival
Cost
Details
FAQ
Summit packing list
Trip leaders

All PEAK Experience programs

two students wearing backpacking backpacks hold hands and kick feet together.

"My peak experience was such a memorable one! Not only did it build a sense of community and trust between peers as an incoming freshman, but it was also absolutely beautiful!! Peak was so much more than a '5-day hike.' So cool to get to explore your new backyard in a very personal and constructive way while making connections and overcoming personal mountains. Plus, the food was amazing the whole way through. I am still friends with people I met through this awesome experience!"

Contact us

Summit the San Juans Contact

Kate Macklin
Operations coordinator, Outdoor Pursuits
Email: kmacklin@fortlewis.edu
Phone: 970-247-6394

 

Orientation Office

171 Student Union
Phone: 970-247-7090
Fax: 970-247-7487
Email: orientation@fortlewis.edu