True North Wilderness Program Competitors

The leader in wilderness education since 1965. NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that will help you step forward boldly as a leader. We believe that anyone can be a leader; it's our role to provide the environment and training to help you discover your full potential. We do that in classrooms close to home and in remote wilderness areas around the world. We're an organization with heart, expertise, and wildness, and these qualities help us support powerful, authentic experiences. Our mission is to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Our community—staff, students, trustees, and alumni—shares a commitment to wilderness, education, leadership, safety, community, and excellence.

Outward Bound, founded in 1941 by educator Kurt Hahn, is a non-profit educational organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through challenging learning expeditions that focus on character development, leadership and service. As the pioneer and leading provider of experiential and outdoor education in the U.S., Outward Bound offers over 1,000 courses throughout the year, across the U.S. and internationally. Outward Bound helps individuals and teams discover strength of character and an aptitude for leadership needed to serve others in their community and care for the world around them. Outward Bound serves 70,000 students annually, many of whom receive scholarship support, and has a nationwide community of more than 1 million people.

Located in the beautiful White Mountains region of Maine, Summit Achievement is a licensed residential treatment center, serving adolescent boys and girls, ages 13 to 20, from around the world. Our innovative, outcome-focused program combines the best features of a wilderness therapy program with the best features of a special-needs boarding school. As an intentionally small, owner-operated program, we are guided by positive reinforcement and the power of choice. Through the process of engaging client-centered therapy with family inclusion, along with classroom academics and exciting wilderness expeditions, students experience the therapeutic benefit of outdoor adventure-based activities while learning to manage the demands of a more traditional environment.