Join us in discovering the adventure of backcountry bikepacking! After tuning up our bikes and practicing riding techniques on Kroka’s bike course, we will head into the forest for a week filled with spectacularly wild mountain bike adventures. The rich history of New Hampshire has left our forests full of wondrous dirt trails alongside abandoned root cellars, mines, and wilderness lakes. We will return to Kroka for campfire meals and cozy dwellings during the first half of the week. Our next adventure will be a two-day overnight expedition. Each day will include discovering and playing in wild swimming holes, games, and evening stories by the campfire. In addition to technical riding, students will learn how to take care of their bikes and participate in community service projects. This introductory program is excellent preparation for our Mountain Bike Expeditions!

This is an unforgettable week of becoming one with the river! The journey will take us down the beautiful winding Connecticut River flowing swiftly through the foothills of the Green and White Mountains. Skill building begins at Kroka’s pond, after which we will embark on a 4-day expedition to camp at the base of a great rapid. Our unique paddling progression is rooted in understanding the power of moving water and developing skills in raft, canoe, kayak, and stand up paddle board, as well as comfort swimming in fast-moving water. In addition, we will simply soak in the joys of river life in the summer. Our afternoons will include camp set-up in the woods and on sandbars, fishing, roasting bread-on-a-stick, and time for rope swings and river play. Days end with spoon carving and stories around the campfire.

Between the White Mountains and Canada lies a little-traveled trail through some of New Hampshire’s most remote and scenic wilderness. Spanning 162 miles of rugged mountainous terrain, the Cohos Trail connects the northern lakes that form the headwaters of the Connecticut River with the high peaks of the White Mountains. This trail and territory is known to be mysterious and home to New Hampshire’s largest population of moose! It is here we will master the art of self-sufficient wilderness travel. Beginning at the northern end of the trail, we hike across bog bridges, past 50-foot cascading waterfalls, and to the summits of little-known and less traveled peaks. Across the many lakes of the Great North Woods we will get views of the highest peaks of the White Mountains. These rocky summits are our destinations! As the mountains grow taller, we will grow more confident navigating with map and compass, cooking delicious food over the fire, and making decisions together as a group. Our backpacks will feel like an extension of our bodies,  and our group will become a tight-knit community, exploring and experiencing the feeling of accomplishment that comes with traveling on your own two feet.

Join us on an adventure in fishing, crafting, and exploring the hidden secrets of the streams, lakes, and rivers that surround us. We begin the week at Kroka Village where we will carve our own fishing poles, learn to tie flies, and rig our lines. In the afternoons we will try our luck from shore, testing our patience and our wit while exploring the magical forests that surround us. Then with barrels packed and lines reeled tight, we will head out on a three-day expedition by canoe through one of Vermont’s most famous fisheries. Each day we’ll paddle further downstream, learning about currents, eddies, and fish habitats. In the heat of the day we’ll stop to swim and to test the many rope swings and jumping rocks along the shore! We will camp in the forest and cook delicious dinners over the fire. We eat what we catch: eager fisherfolk should be excited to gut, clean, and cook their fish. If you’ve fallen hook line and sinker for the adventure of fishing, this expedition is not to be missed!

Steeped in history and culture, the blue-green waters of Lake Champlain offer perfect conditions for a long-distance sea kayak expedition. Stretching south-north from Vermont to Canada, the 125-mile-long lake has more than 500 miles of shoreline and 70 islands with protected coves for camping, high cliffs for jumping, and abundant fish to catch.  We begin the week at Kroka Village where we will practice kayaking in the pond and work on the farm to harvest and prepare food for the journey ahead. Once the hatches are full, we load our trailer and depart for Whitehall, NY - the southernmost point of the lake. Each day we make progress Northward in tune with currents and wind while stopping to swim, visit the Lake's many museums and historical sites, and take in the breathtaking views of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. At night we make camp on the lakeshore or on its islands, cook dinner over the open fire, and take in the starry night skies. We will revel in the joys of expedition life, tell stories of old times, and if the winds are with us - and we can summon the willpower to do so - complete the end-to-end sea kayak expedition all the way to Canada!

Young explorers, come join us at Pumpkin Hill Village for a week of cooperative play in nature. We will begin each day by visiting the animals on Kroka’s farm. Our cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens love the attention! Afterwards we set off for the forest where each day greets us with a new surprise: building fairy houses, exploring the Porcupine Cliffs, playing in the mud, or floating boats downstream. Our days are filled with games, songs, stories, and exploring the wonders and magic of nature. This is the perfect first step to begin a child's life-long connection to Kroka.

This program will offer the option to sleep over at Kroka on Thursday night.

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, and the indigenous who came first, and take in the pristine beauty and nature of Maine's farthest reaches. Along the way we will visit farms and communities, immersing ourselves in the Downeast culture of Maine. After a brave final crossing we enter the safe waters of the harbor and return to the shore. Come along on an adventurous paddle that is a feather in the cap of any sea kayaker!

Those who cast know that fishing is not only a sport, it’s a lifestyle: pursuing the clearest mountain streams and deepest pools; rising early to get the first catch and seeing the mist on the pond on a clear morning. This new fishing expedition was designed for those who are looking to take their fishing skills to the next level with patient practice and an adventure into the cold waters of Northern New England. Beginning at Kroka Village we will test our luck in the abundant ponds and streams of southwest New Hampshire, returning each night to cook our catch over the open fire. From here we embark on a journey to the Connecticut River headwaters where the swiftwater riffles are perfect for floating our canoes downstream. Carrying everything we need with us, we will practice whitewater canoeing in class I-II, camp on the wooded shores, and earn our keep by catching dinner as often as we can. If that doesn’t hook you, add to it tying your own flies, a visit to a fish hatchery, and the simple pleasure of sitting around the fire and stargazing at the end of the day.

Kroka Expeditions invites experienced and aspiring educators to join a six-day professional development course. Participants will immerse in simple nature-connected living while exploring, in a supportive group, ways to integrate nature with academic curriculum. During the first two days we will focus on the daily farm and adventure life at Kroka village. Projects will include map and compass navigation, rock climbing, preparing farm food for expedition, making leather-bound journals, and developing fire-by-friction skills. During the following three days we will embark on a river expedition. Education in Nature affords a rich opportunity to envision an experiential curriculum in the areas of humanities, earth sciences, sustainability, leadership, and the development of community and altruistic will. Participants will gain inspiration and practical skills to make transformational changes in themselves, their schools, colleges and communities. Letʻs not forget the opportunity to relax in nature and let go after a busy school year as well!

Tuition discount is available for group registrations and individual registrations from our partner schools.

Come Take to the Woods and become the wild children of the forest! Experience the pure fun and magic of living in and from the wilderness. The forest will fuel our projects, providing saplings for branch bows, dry wood for friction fire, pine for bowl carving, and wild plants for food. Camping on the banks of the Ashuelot River we will swim, fish, and learn stealth while observing the life of the woodland animals that abound. We will form new friendships with nature and each other. We will become a true community, relying on each other and celebrating the joys of summertime. Yes, let’s take to the woods: we are the wild ones, adventuring and learning the secrets of the earth!