Camping & Foraging Training Awaits At A Unique Wilderness College In The Pacific Northwest

If you've ever dreamed about channelling your inner Bear Grylls, the wilderness survival courses available at Alderleaf Wilderness College in Snohomish County may just fulfil them. Situated just outside the town of Monroe in Washington and a 41-mile drive northeast of Seattle, the college is perfectly placed in the lower slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Surrounded by forests, lakes, and rivers, it's the ideal place to practise the skills needed for wilderness camping. The 15-acre site contains classrooms, pastures, gardens, staff and student housing, and a working farmstead where you'll find the co-founders, survival specialists, and one of the expert lecturers, Jason Knight, and his wife Kerry, who is the campus manager.

For anyone keen on sharpening their survival skills or looking to embrace a sustainable lifestyle, Alderleaf offers a range of weekend and week-long courses and workshops, and there's even a 9-month residential immersion program if you're planning on making a career of it. Most courses are taught on-site, but there's also the flexibility to learn from home with a selection of online courses. You'll learn from a team of experienced and knowledgeable educators and guest instructors who will bring their expertise in a variety of crafts and skills. The teaching style is a mix of classroom learning and hands-on fieldwork. There are also teen camps, but most classes are generally open to all ages and skill levels. If you're attending a shorter course and want to go full nature, camping is available on-site. And if you're not quite ready to sleep under the stars, there are hotels available in nearby Monroe.

Alderleaf's 2025 curriculum is based around five main topics, which fall under Wilderness Survival, Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, Permaculture, Wildlife Tracking, and Outdoor Education. The Wilderness Survival courses teach you the essential skills every backcountry explorer should master before setting off on a remote camping expedition. You'll cover the six foundations of outdoor survival – attitude, shelter, water, fire, food, and naturalist knowledge — all skills you'll want to master before getting lost in the woods. There are also more specialized courses, such as bow making, flint napping, and blacksmithing, where you'll learn how to make your own tools.

The Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants courses teach plant identification, where you'll learn which plants and fungi to forage and how to prepare them, and just as importantly, which ones to avoid. The Permaculture courses focus on sustainable living and self-sufficiency. Useful if you're looking to explore techniques on homesteading, food production, and water management, all skills you can put to good use back home. The Wildlife Tracking courses teach you how to recognize animal tracks and other signs, perfect for the next time you head out hiking – and useful for tracking or avoiding bears. 

The Outdoor Education courses are ideal for those who want to prepare for a career in wilderness teaching. The nine-month certification programs will cover all of the above subjects, as well as provide you with the skills to teach others. Completing the curriculum are day camps and survival courses for teens, as well as family nature weekends if you want to take the kids along. Prices start from $97 for online courses, which are open to anyone. All other courses are open to U.S. citizens.

Now that you're prepared for the unexpected, it's time to put your wilderness survival skills to good use. And what better place than in one of the nearby forests or parks? Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is only a 37-mile drive from Alderleaf and runs along the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. With more than 1,500 miles of hiking trails with incredible views, and eight designated wilderness areas, it's the ideal place to practise wild camping and foraging. One of those wilderness areas is the Wild Sky Wilderness, accessed via the Skykomish River Corridor. This remote and rugged terrain includes steep forested slopes and many mountain lakes. It provides the perfect conditions for total immersion in the wilderness, where you can practise your navigation skills and search for signs of cougar, lynx, or grizzly.

For a more family accessible day out, Wallace Falls State Park is only 11 miles from campus and has 12 miles of easier trails through dense forest with lakes and waterfalls along the way. It's a great place for wildlife viewing and bird watching, and it encourages kids to try the best outdoor activities and build confidence in a family-friendly environment. If you want to find out more about Alderleaf, visit the home page and take the free mini quiz to find out which course would suit you best. Or get a deeper sense of the college's philosophy by reading The Essential Skills of Wilderness Survival, written by the co-founder, Jason Knight.