Registration for the Advanced Leadership Trip is open

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation is offering an extraordinary opportunity for local students to hone their leadership skills and deepen their connection to nature through our 2025 Advanced Leadership Trip, a key component of the Youth on the Allagash program.

This five-day, fully outfitted canoe camping adventure is tailored for students from Fort Kent, Madawaska, Wisdom, and Ashland school districts who possess prior paddling experience or have participated in previous Youth on the Allagash trips. This year’s trip is scheduled for May 27-31.

Led by experienced wilderness guide Dave Conley of Canoe the Wild, the trip provides a comprehensive immersion into the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Participants will engage in a range of activities designed to foster environmental stewardship and leadership, including navigating over 40 miles of the waterway, mastering canoe poling and whitewater canoeing, and practicing essential camping skills. They’ll also gain insights into the region’s history and ecology through visits to the Churchill Dam logging museum and interactions with park rangers.

“This trip is about more than just paddling,” Conley noted about the 2024 trip. “Students learn to be responsible stewards of the environment, develop leadership roles, and collaborate on meal preparation over open fires. They also explore potential career paths as Maine guides and participate in fun activities like moose calling contests.”