Pathfinders - Tacoma - 2024

Youth Program

Pathfinders

Year-round adventure for youth age 6-10 and their families!

Please read this description in its entirety before registering.

Note: Pathfinders membership is $450 in total for the year. Members may register here and pay in full, or you may contact ryannp@mountaineers.org to set up a quarterly payment plan.

We offer financial assistance! To apply for financial assistance click here.

Our Pathfinders  program provides youth ages 6-10 and their parents/guardians with the opportunity to get outside once a month. Pathfinders is designed to expose youth to a variety of outdoor activities and have fun! Participants will have the chance to climb, hike, snowshoe, paddle, explore, and learn how to be safe in the outdoors. The group will be supported by Mountaineers staff, but parents will be expected to play an active role in planning, supervising, and possibly even leading some trips. Staff will provide opportunities for parents to advance their own outdoor skills as well as learn key skills for leading kids safely in the outdoors. This program will focus on skill-building for both youth and adults, and on building an outdoor community.

*Note that while  parents/guardians are expected to be active participants in the club, there is plenty of flexibility so that youth can participate in a trip even if a parent/guardian can't make it.

Pathfinders is a club and requires a time commitment and program fee of $450 (which can be paid in quarterly installments). In return, members gain a community of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy spending time learning skills together. As families grow through our programs, lifelong friendships are built. When graduates of our teen program come home from college, they meet up with other Mountaineers friends to go hiking, backpacking and climbing. This program is just the beginning.

Note: Youth ages 6-10  register as participants, and therefore pay the registration and program fee. Parents should become a Qualified Youth Leader and then register for the Pathfinders program as a  Chaperone (there is no fee for this).

Program Requirements
Program Activity Date Availability Leader
TAC PAT - Activity (optional)
Paradise
Sat, Jan 11, 2025
Registration closes Jan 9
8 participants
Hyak Lake, Nordic Pass, Windy Pass & Mount Catherine
Sat, Feb 8, 2025
Registration closes Feb 6
10 participants
Little Si
Sat, Mar 8, 2025
Registration opens Feb 1
11 participants
Greenwater, Echo & Lost Lakes
Sat, Apr 12, 2025
Registration opens Mar 1
11 participants
Bridal Veil Falls
Sat, May 10, 2025
Registration opens Apr 1
11 participants
Lower Lena Lake
Sat, Jun 14, 2025
Registration opens May 1
11 participants
Sheep Lake (Chinook Pass)
Sat, Jul 12, 2025
Registration opens Jun 1
11 participants
Twin Sisters Lakes
Sat, Aug 9, 2025 -
Sun, Aug 10, 2025
Registration opens Jul 1
11 participants
Tacoma Pathfinders & Explorers Joint Activity (optional)
Paradise
Sat, Jan 18, 2025
Registration closes Jan 16
9 participants
Youth Trip
Sat, Feb 15, 2025 -
Mon, Feb 17, 2025
Registration opens Jan 1
11 participants
Cabin Creek
Sat, Mar 15, 2025
Registration opens Feb 1
11 participants
Tacoma Program Center
Sat, Apr 19, 2025
Registration opens Mar 1
11 participants
Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
Fri, May 16, 2025 -
Sun, May 18, 2025
Registration opens Apr 1
11 participants
Deception Pass State Park
Fri, Jun 20, 2025 -
Sun, Jun 22, 2025
Registration closes Jun 18
10 participants
Lake Crescent
Fri, Jul 18, 2025 -
Sun, Jul 20, 2025
Registration opens Jun 1
11 participants
Youth Trip
Fri, Aug 15, 2025 -
Sun, Aug 17, 2025
Registration opens Jul 1
11 participants
Roster
Required Equipment

All required equipment, with a few exceptions, is available to be borrowed from the Mountaineers. Before each trip, an itinerary/packing list will be distributed to the group that details all necessary gear and information for the trip. 

If families want to bring their own gear, here are some items you may find useful for most trips:

Backpack

Hiking boots

Wool socks

Non-cotton active clothing and insulating layers

First Aid Kit

 

Program Materials

There are no materials for this program.