Pack, Pedal, Paddle and More Interwoven with the academic program is a full four-season complement of challenging and enjoyable outdoor activities, designed to increase students' comfort in the outdoors, introduce students to life-long outdoor pursuits, and provide opportunities for students to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Conserve School encourages human-powered activities, following
Leave No Trace principles.
Conserve's Lowenwood campus provides an ideal setting to enjoy a wide selection of outdoor activities. You can kayak or canoe on one of our eight lakes, hike or run on nearly 20 miles of wooded trails, mountain bike on our scenic single-track trails, or swim in Big Donahue Lake. The ample snows of winter create new opportunities for outdoor fun, such as skiing on our 15 kilometers of cross-country ski trails, snowshoeing to a new corner of campus, ice skating on a lake, building and sleeping in a quinzee (snow shelter), and sledding. Students will often enjoy these activities as part of their coursework, with the outdoors as the classroom.
Conserve's curriculum includes opportunities to explore the world outside our campus, as well. Students and staff participate in multi-day backcountry camping excursions each semester, with trips to places such as the Sylvania Wilderness, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, or Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Many activities include a stewardship component. For example, students may hike into the Sylvania Wilderness, adjacent to Conserve's campus, in order to pull invasive plants, or paddle onto a lake to study water quality.
Students receive Physical Education credit for their participation in outdoor activities.