Kroka’s new Trailheads program is an entry-level expedition for all teenagers seeking adventure and community. During this jam-packed week we will travel on foot and by canoe through the wilderness, 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 pre-requisite for new students entering our three and four-week expeditions.

From twenty-nine inch fat tires to frame and saddlebags, the sport of bikepacking has evolved from a technical adventure sport into a unique and sustainable way to travel through the landscape. This unique adventure links together several exciting trail networks in New Hampshire’s Piedmont and the Southern Green Mountains. Its route, running through the heart of Kroka’s adventure area, has a unique variety of terrain and rich cultural features. After two days of conditioning on local trails and preparing for expedition, we will begin a 10-day journey northwest. Along the way, we will pick berries, cliff-jump in refreshing swimming holes, scramble up rock faces, and share nourishing meals cooked over the fire. We will also face many challenges: ferrying our bikes across the river in a canoe, helping neighbors with a service project, and testing our navigation skills as we wind our way from one forest trail to the next. Finally, we will reach a spectacular underground cave, which will test our bravery, skills, and teamwork, inspiring a sense of wonder and awe for the world. On this expedition we will travel more than 100 miles self-sufficiently without getting into a vehicle!

A rough, wild line that few sail, and fewer kayak. Dramatic cliffs and prominent tides. Paddling towards Canada, sometimes with the water, and sometimes against it. The name of the coast speaks for itself. After honing our sea kayaking and expedition skills along tamer sections of the Maine coast, we will set off for the easternmost miles of the U.S. coastline, paddling by day and carefully searching for hidden coves to spend the night. We’ll dive into the history of the region, of colonial settlers, of lonely lobstermen and shipwrecked boats, of the indigenous who came first, and take in the pristine beauty and nature of Maine's farthest reaches. After a brave final crossing we enter the safe waters of the harbor and arrive at our destination. Come along on an adventurous paddle that is a feather in the cap of any sea kayaker!

Kroka’s annual Canadian Expedition is a capstone experience for students ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Each year we take a team of dedicated paddlers to one of the great rivers of the North: the Ashuapmushuan, Coulonge, Moisie, Broadback, and others. Pristine and breathtakingly beautiful, these rivers drain the vast northern forests of Quebec and Ontario, accessible only by remote logging routes seldom driven. Traveling self-sufficiently downriver, we experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the north country and some of the best whitewater paddling in the East. In the afternoons we make camp along the gravel bars and rocky beaches, gather mushrooms, fish and berries to eat, and sleep under an endless starry sky. Canadian Expedition takes us deep into remote wilderness where the joys and challenges of expedition life bring out our best selves. As we travel to and from the river we experience the cultural lifeways of northern people, visiting with local indigenous communities, post-industrial villages, and the old cities of Quebec and Montreal. Students are expected to dehydrate expedition food and take on advance preparation tasks before the start of the expedition.