Outward Bound USA Home
Expeditions
Outward Bound expeditions are multi-day wilderness experiences where students build leadership skills, confidence, and character through shared challenge and responsibility.
CB10 Secondary Banner
CB13 Repeatable Callout
Peer Leadership
At Philadelphia Outward Bound School, most of our expeditions are designed as Peer Leadership experiences, developed in close partnership with schools and youth-serving organizations. Living, traveling, and learning together in the outdoors, participants rely on one another to make decisions, solve problems, and support the group through challenge.
Guided by professionally trained Outward Bound instructors, students learn to communicate clearly, take initiative, and share responsibility for both themselves and their peers. These expeditions are especially well suited for school groups seeking meaningful leadership development, community building, and opportunities for students to practice independence in a supportive environment.
Learning Through Wilderness Experience
Peer Leadership Expeditions take place in wilderness areas throughout the region and may include:
- Backpacking, where crews travel on foot carrying everything they need and learning navigation, campcraft, and teamwork
- Canoeing, where students paddle together, manage shared gear, and build coordination and trust on the water
- Rock climbing, where participants learn technical skills while practicing focus, communication, and encouragement
Across all expedition types, students are actively involved in setting up camp, preparing meals, navigating by map and compass, and reflecting on their experiences each day.
What Students Gain
Through the challenges and rhythms of expedition life, students develop skills and perspectives that extend far beyond the course, including:
- Leadership and teamwork grounded in shared responsibility
- Confidence built through effort, persistence, and success
- Communication, problem solving, and sound judgment
- Compassion, self-awareness, and resilience
- A deeper connection to the natural world and to one another
Learning is reinforced through intentional reflection, helping students make clear connections between their experiences on expedition and their lives at school and at home.
A Continuum of Outward Bound Experiences
Peer Leadership Expeditions are part of a broader continuum of Outward Bound programming. For students seeking a longer or more immersive experience, Merit Scholarship Expeditions offer extended courses that deepen technical skills and personal growth. Outward Bound also offers open-enrollment courses, available to individual participants who enroll independently.
Each pathway builds on the same core philosophy: learning through experience, challenge, and reflection.
CB31 Media Gallery
See for Yourself
Backpacking Video
Hear from students on expedition as they travel on foot through wilderness terrain, carrying everything they need and learning essential skills like navigation, campcraft, and teamwork.
play
/
CB31 Media Gallery
Canoeing Video
Follow students on the water as they describe their canoeing expedition experience, including paddling as a team, making decisions together, and camping along the river.
/
CB31 Media Gallery
Rock Climbing Video
Students talk about what it’s like to climb on an Outward Bound expedition, sharing how they gear up, communicate, and support one another on the rock.
/
CB29 Single CTA
Start Your Students on the Journey of a Lifetime
Partner with Philadelphia Outward Bound
Contact Us Today 
