Remote and mysterious, the canyonlands of the desert southwest offer a unique lens through which to view the cultural and natural history of North America. Our Legends of the Southwest Semester is a 15-week immersion in place-based experiential learning, backcountry wilderness travel, and climate-resilient living. As we travel through the desert landscape on foot, by mountain bike and by paddle, we will transect the region’s deep history and the complex present-day cultural crossroads. Our classrooms are the vast mountains, deep canyons and endless deserts of Arizona, and our teachers are the plants, animals, and people who inhabit them. Alive with natural beauty and transcending cultures and borders, Kroka’s Legends of the Southwest Semester offers endless possibilities for exploration, discovery, and adventure.

This program is for 16-21 year olds. High School and/or college credit is available. Kroka requires Semester students to contribute a minimum of $500 of earned income (e.g. from informal employment such as babysitting or lawn care, or from formal employment such as retail or restaurant work, or from selling handicrafts or artwork) towards their tuition.

Join us on a journey from the heart of the winter wilderness to the waterways and coastlines of the North East as we intimately follow the seasons from January to June. For 5-months we will traverse northern New England under our own power on a climate forward journey. Kroka’s Full Circle Winter Semester combines two months of backcountry skiing expeditions with homesteading, hand craft, a traditional wilderness canoe journey, and a final bike ride home to Kroka. 

On the heels of the hottest summers on record and unprecedented natural disasters impacting our local communities, Kroka is committing to a Winter Semester that traverses the mysterious and beautiful wildernesses of the Northeast without the use of private vehicles. We will weave together deep observation with action, the past with the present and future, and academic studies with active hope. You will develop sound judgment for healthy risk-taking and competency in technical adventure sports of backcountry skiing, whitewater canoeing, mountain bikepacking, and marine navigation. You will engage in a rigorous experiential curriculum encompassing the humanities and natural sciences. You will emerge from the program empowered and inspired to transform what you have learned in nature and community into altruistic action. Join our expedition team!

Early Decision Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Acceptances offered no later than May 29, 2025). We will offer 6 spots on our program to applicants this May. If you are not accepted, your application will be added to the regular decision pool.

Remote and mysterious, the canyonlands of the desert southwest offer a unique lens through which to view the cultural and natural history of North America. Our Legends of the Southwest Semester is a 15-week immersion in place-based experiential learning, backcountry wilderness travel, and climate-resilient living. As we travel through the desert landscape on foot, by mountain bike and by paddle, we will transect the region’s deep history and the complex present-day cultural crossroads. Our classrooms are the vast mountains, deep canyons and endless deserts of Arizona, and our teachers are the plants, animals, and people who inhabit them. Alive with natural beauty and transcending cultures and borders, Kroka’s Legends of the Southwest Semester offers endless possibilities for exploration, discovery, and adventure.

This program is for 16-21 year olds. High School and/or college credit is available. Kroka requires Semester students to contribute a minimum of $500 of earned income (e.g. from informal employment such as babysitting or lawn care, or from formal employment such as retail or restaurant work, or from selling handicrafts or artwork) towards their tuition.