What’s New for 2025: Shuttle Service, 4-Day Adventures, and Weekday Dropoffs

We’re thrilled to share some big updates for the upcoming 2025 season! Our adventure offerings are expanding, and we’ve made some adjustments based on your valuable feedback to ensure an even better experience for everyone.

New Trip Formats:
We’re sticking with our popular 7-day/6-night expeditions, but for those looking for a shorter adventure, we’re introducing a brand-new 4-day/3-night format! This option is perfect for adventurers with tighter schedules who still want to immerse themselves in Oregon’s backcountry.

Shuttle Service:
We heard your concerns about traffic during pickup and drop-off times, and we’re excited to announce that we’ll now offer a shuttle service from Salem and Portland! This new service aims to reduce stress and make transportation to and from our trips more convenient. 

Revised Schedule:
This year, all youth trips will begin on Tuesdays, a change from previous seasons aimed at simplifying logistics and making planning easier. The new schedule, paired with our morning shuttle drop-offs before the workday starts, will make for a more convenient and accessible start to your adventure.

We’re looking forward to another incredible season of adventures and can’t wait to have you join us. Stay tuned for more details and registration information soon!

2025 Adult Backpacking Expeditions Launch November 22nd!

For 3 days/2 nights, adults can join us in the Oregon backcountry for a unique and rewarding outdoor adventure experience. Our one-of-a-kind model teaches: backcountry skills, confidence, learning from nature, Leave No Trace, dedication to safety, and fun! With two guides leading a group of up to 10 adults, we offer a 1:5 guide to participant ratio. We provide all food and group gear (e.g., tents, camp stoves, water filters), and each participant brings a backpack, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad as key personal gear you'll need. We have a full gear closet available to you for any items you do not already own.

Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center operates under a special-use permit for the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests, the Malheur National Forest, the Umpqua National Forest, and the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest from the US Forest Service and an Oregon outfitter guide permit from the Oregon State Marine Board. We are an equal opportunity outdoor recreation service provider.