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Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are requiredHeadwaters Wilderness Program
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Focus
Wilderness Out-tripping -
Cost
$840 to $1,640/program -
Main language
English -
Ages (Gender)
11 to 18 (Coed) -
Capacity
Varies -
e-Brochure
View e-brochure
Specialists at working with schools to develop and facilitate exemplary outdoor education curriculum throughout the province, we bring that expertise to our summer canoe trips.
Developed through extensive research and program design, all of our trips are unique while maintaining an ethos of traditional wilderness travel. Coming from a range of backgrounds, our campers are tied together by their enthusiastic, inquisitive, and adventurous spirit. They are young people with a love of nature, a willingness to learn and try new things, and a desire for experiences that are meaningful. We believe our campers are as intentional as we are – seeking experiences that they will remember and that empower them to have a positive impact on the world.- Special needs: Not available
- LGBTQ+ friendly community
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Focus
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Programs, Rates & Dates
Programs and Sessions Calendar
Do something extraordinary this summer! We believe a canoe trip is an ideal place for learning: about oneself, others, and the natural world. We take pride in teaching today's youth to love our wild places – to live well in the out-of-doors and to form a relationship with the landscape and its creatures. During our trips, we engage in citizen science to discover new species and protect old growth forests; we learn how to cook meals over fires we made ourselves; catch and prepare our own fish for dinner; forage for edible berries; build shelters; and identify animals by their tracks. With an intentionally slow pace, our trips are designed to set young people up for a lifetime of backcountry camping and caring for the natural world.
Headwaters Wilderness Program currently has 2 programs available; 1 TBD.
Filter by activities .
Filter Activities
Ages: 11 - 18Overnight Camp
(Coed)Wilderness Out-tripping, Nature/Environment
$840Algonquin Park, ON
Algonquin Provincial ParkJul 18-21 Cost TBD Algonquin Park, ON
Algonquin Provincial ParkAug 08-11 $840 Algonquin Park, ON
Algonquin Provincial ParkAug 22-25 $840 Ages: 12 - 18Overnight Camp
(Coed)Nature/Environment, Wilderness Out-tripping
$1,640Temagami, ON
Temagami RegionAug 09-16 $1,640 Ages: 12 - 18Overnight Camp
(Coed)Nature/Environment, Wilderness Out-tripping
$1,640Algonquin Park, ON
Algonquin Provincial ParkDate TBD Cost TBD
Registration Details
We begin accepting registrations in February. With five unique canoe trip programs on offer and only 12 campers per trip, spots are limited.
Enrolling in one of our trips is easy and can be completed via our website. With registration happening on a rolling basis, a non-refundable $200 deposit paid upon registration guarantees your spot. Following your initial registration, we will be in-touch with an online in-take form to gather important details regarding program logistics (such as allergy and dietary information). The balance of the trip cost is due two months before the program start date, unless registration is made less than two months prior to the start date, in which case the balance is due within five days. -
Gallery
Photo Gallery
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Meet the Staff
Director's Message
Our canoe trips are unique, and intentionally so. At their core, all of our programs strive to open a world of unimagined possibilities for today's youth, to enrich their lives through meaningful experiences among a community of peers in a wilderness setting, and to set-up a future where tomorrow's leaders care equally for each other, our planet, and themselves.
We take pride in teaching young people to love our natural world – to live well in the out-of-doors and to form a relationship with the landscape and its wild creatures. Providing kids today the intentional opportunity to learn new things, challenge themselves, and contribute meaningfully to the world builds a powerful foundation, setting them on a path for a life fully lived.
Staff and Counsellors
Our staff team is what we're most proud of: expert guides, master naturalists, certified teachers, and teachers of teachers, our staff are second to none. All professional educators, their work is to facilitate experiences that connect us to the wilderness and that teach confidence, compassion, teamwork, care, and joy. Most importantly, they are deeply thoughtful and caring people, masters beyond all else in embodying the values Headwaters seeks to teach.
All of our trips have staff with Wilderness First Responder and water rescue certification, police background checks, and years of experience in wilderness trip leading. With between 4-12 participants and 2-4 staff on every trip, our staff to participant ratio is always 6:1 or better. -
Location & Operations
Address
Algonquin Park, ONAlgonquin Provincial Park, South Nipissing District, Ontario, P0A 1E0Temagami, ONTemagami Region, Temagami, Ontario, P0J 1N0Property Details
Landscape
- Beach
- Forested Area
- Lake/Pond/River
- Nature Trails
- Open Field
More details about property: Our programs all take place at established backcountry campsites in Ontario Provincial Parks and surrounding areas. These world-class wilderness areas are a network of lakes, rivers, and forests, providing an opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful wild places in the province.
Accommodations
Sleeping Accommodations
- Tents
Washrooms Facilities
- Outhouses
More details about accommodations: Our programs all take place at established backcountry campsites in Ontario Provincial Parks and surrounding areas. We provide expedition quality tents, cooking supplies, and all the other gear our group will need to be safe and comfortable in a wilderness setting.
Are meals provided? Yes. We cook over an open fire that we make ourselves, preparing each meal communally. Our food consists of nourishing and delicious recipes long perfected for the canoe voyage, with fresh baking savoured for dessert. We eat well, ensuring no one will ever be hungry during our trips.
Is Headwaters Wilderness Program technology free? Yes. With no cell phones or other electronic devices permitted on our trips, it is a gloriously rare opportunity to unplug and re-connect.
Rentals & Services
Offers outdoor education program for schools or corporate groups: Yes
The Headwaters Wilderness Program is an educational organization founded on the belief that a meaningful relationship with the natural world is necessary for both the future of the planet and for a fully lived human life.
We believe that our educational system is failing in a major way by producing a model of education separated from the natural world. Headwaters seeks to be different. We integrate academic and nature-based education, rejecting the idea that "outdoor education" is a marginal activity to be engaged in outside of the regular school schedule. Instead, we view education with a transdisciplinary approach, integrating the lessons and values of academic education into wilderness experiences and, crucially, bringing the lessons and values of the wilderness into the academic curriculum. Guided by our mission to weave our core values through everything we do, all of our programs centre around Care, Respect, Wonder, Awe, and Joy. For not only should the head know, but the heart should be right.
Human well-being cannot be separated from that of our living planet. To provide today's students the knowledge and sense of belonging necessary to lead good lives, enabling a deeply felt relationship with our natural world is a necessary and core responsibility of educators. And of education.
It starts with meaningful, joyful experiences with wild places. It ends in an empathetic understanding of one's place, and potential, in our world.
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