Kroka’s new Trailheads program is an entry-level expedition for teenagers seeking adventure and community. During this adventurous week we will travel by foot and by canoe, experiencing the wonders of nature in a supportive community of peers. We begin by hiking through the Piedmont of the White Mountains toward the freely-flowing waters of the upper Connecticut River. After two days on foot, we descend from the mountains to the river where canoes await. Here we experience the joys and challenges of expedition life, paddling by day and setting a wilderness camp by night to cook delicious meals over the fire. You will come away with the skills to thrive on your next Kroka adventure.

Note: Trailheads may be used as an admissions prerequisite for new students entering our two and three-week expeditions.

Come and play at Kroka Village! Roast bread-on-a-stick over a fire, pick berries, wade in the brook, and float boats downstream! During this exciting week, young campers will join in the life of the farm and garden at Kroka while staying at our base camp in earthen dwellings (also known as “Hobbit Holes”). This is an introductory program aimed at cultivating imagination and wonder. The long summer days will be filled with canoeing, fort building, working on traditional crafts, splashing in the pond, singing and storytelling. Each day we will immerse ourselves in a simple life, spending plenty of time exploring the woods and visiting the animals on the farm. Children of Kroka Village is the perfect experience for young adventurers for whom this is their first time at sleep-away camp.

The White Mountains are famous for their dramatic rocky summits and steep valleys, and boast the highest peaks in the northeast. This exciting multi-sport adventure connects many hidden gems of the Whites and introduces students to all of Kroka’s core adventure sports. We begin at Kroka Village preparing food and equipment for our extended expedition. Setting off on foot, we follow the Appalachian Trail up and over Mount Moosilauke (elevation 4,802) and down to a network of old logging roads perfect for practicing map and compass navigation. Switching from backpacks to mountain bikes, we travel for three days along stunning singletrack bike trails to the headwaters of the Pemigewasset River. Here we find canoes awaiting ready for a paddle down the swiftly-flowing river that takes us to the foot of one of the most famous rock climbing crags in New England. Along the way we will be rewarded with breathtaking views, practice low impact camping, and study geography, geology and ecology of the Eastern Alpine.

Experience the thrill of adventure and wilderness while creating a close circle of new friends. This program is designed as an introduction to Kroka and will cover the basics of our curriculum: navigation, backpacking, canoeing, camp craft, and rock climbing. After two days of "Kroka 101" training at our base camp, we will depart for our journey by foot and paddle, experiencing the beauty of the wilderness as we swim, craft, and spend evenings by the campfire. This program is designed as a bridge for students who are new to Kroka's expedition lifestyle, and participants will be able to enter any intermediate Kroka program with competence and confidence.

Come and play at Kroka Village! Roast bread-on-a-stick over a fire, pick berries, wade in the brook, and float boats downstream! During this exciting week, young campers will join in the life of the farm and garden at Kroka while staying at our base camp in earthen dwellings (also known as “Hobbit Holes”). This is an introductory program aimed at cultivating imagination and wonder. The long summer days will be filled with canoeing, fort building, working on traditional crafts, splashing in the pond, singing and storytelling. Each day we will immerse ourselves in a simple life, spending plenty of time exploring the woods and visiting the animals on the farm. Children of Kroka Village is the perfect experience for young adventurers for whom this is their first time at sleep-away camp.

Do you love taking care of animals, helping others and digging in the dirt? Do you love exploring and playing in the natural world? Kroka’s farm program may be just the program for you! Farm Magic is filled with extraordinary adventures both on the farm and in the forest! Together we will uncover the mystery of how, from tiny seeds, we grow amazing things to eat. The magic of the living earth will present itself in front of our eyes as we sow seeds, water, weed, and harvest the gifts from our organic gardens. We will visit the animals, collect eggs, observe the bees at work, make yogurt or cheese, and cook delicious wood-fired pizzas! Afternoons will be filled with swimming, paddling, rock scrambling, games and searching for hidden treasures in the forest. There will be time for crafting, singing, telling stories and, of course, making new friends!

Join world-class climbers and mountaineers David Silva Alvarez and Marga Cardoso in an exploration of classic Appalachian rock. West Virginia’s New River Gorge is the east coast’s largest, most diverse and highest quality climbing area with over 3000 established routes in durable sandstone. Traveling to Appalachia means enjoying traditional folk music, working on farms tucked into the folds of the mountains and experiencing the rich and tragic history of the region with the exploitation of its indigenous people and natural resources. Two weeks is just enough time to build a tight-knit community of friends and tire our muscles from long days of climbing, but it will be a fast-paced trip! Designed for returning Kroka climbing students, this program is the next step in skill-building for students who are passionate about the sport and ready to become climbing leaders in their future.

For students with interest in self-propelled exploration off the beaten track. This mountain bike expedition will follow a maze of hidden trails to epic adventures known by few and discovered by Kroka guides over years of exploration. We will begin by a series of training rides and bike mechanics classes, tuning our bodies and our equipment. We will work on the farm preparing food for the expedition. When ready we will leave Kroka village by way of bike, riding trails down to the Connecticut River Valley and up through the Green Mountains. Along the way we will pick berries, jump in refreshing swimming holes, take showers in spectacular waterfalls, taste local ice cream and climb cliff faces set deep in the mountains. Sometimes we will camp in the wilderness and other times we will be hosted by friends of Kroka at the farms and homesteads scattered along the trail. Navigating with map and compass we will thread the way to our final destination; a mysterious cave on the other side of the mountains!

You cup it gently in your palm, the most powerful force on Earth, the source of life. This miniature sun spun to life with wood gathered from the forest has been enlivened from your gentle breath to become fire. During this adventure we will learn to make fire as was done in ancient ways with friction and flint and steel. As we travel the forest, we will learn to carry the fire with us, and to bring it to life in the wet and rain. Coals from the fire will burn the branches that become our spoons. As we deepen our relationship to this sacred element, we will learn to make, tend, use, celebrate, and care for it. We will come to know Fire as a sacred part of our lives. More than this, traveling through the wilderness will teach us to connect with the living Earth, be it gathering wild edibles or building an overnight shelter. We must all come prepared to carry an overnight backpack through the mountains, leaving modern conveniences behind, and proudly carry our inner flame of community.