Program Directed by
Devon Swinburne
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Alaska
Climate & Conservation
Travel to Alaska this summer, where North America’s tallest peaks rise above massive glaciers and untamed rivers wind through spruce forests. On this high school climate program, explore Alaska’s landscapes and wildlife—from moose and caribou to puffins, seals, and grizzlies. From the Kenai Peninsula to Denali National Park, partner with local experts, scientists, and communities as you investigate the effects of climate change on fragile ecosystems, glaciers, and traditional lifeways. Embrace adventure as you kayak coastal waters, hike with naturalists, and raft glacier-fed rivers. Along the way, meet Alaskans whose lives and work are shaped by a changing climate—from Native leaders preserving traditions to dog mushers adapting their sport. Return home with a deeper understanding of Alaskan ecology and how local knowledge, science, and storytelling can spark just and lasting solutions.
- Highlights
• Go tidepooling by the pristine waters of Kachemak Bay
• Discuss the effects of climate change on Alaska’s glaciers
• Scout for moose, caribou, and grizzlies in Denali National Park
• Meet with representatives of Alaska’s indigenous groups
• Discuss the effects of climate change on Alaska’s glaciers
• Scout for moose, caribou, and grizzlies in Denali National Park
• Meet with representatives of Alaska’s indigenous groups
“I left with a greater understanding of the mechanisms of climate change as well as its causes and impacts.”
—Otto E., Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ
Featured
Expert
An Expert joins each Career program for a portion of the itinerary, lending their insights and perspectives to the experience. Our program Expert for 2026 is coming soon!
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Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Departure — Travel Day
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your program leaders in Seattle, and fly together to Anchorage. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Anchorage — 2 days
Begin your adventure in the city of Anchorage, which serves as the gateway to both interior Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula. Get to know your group during a program orientation to Alaska’s varied geography, ecology, history, and culture. Head out for day hikes as you explore the nearby parks and the Chugach Mountain range while learning to identify local flora and fauna. Interview locals about the very visible effects of climate change and how it is affecting the present and future. Visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center to learn about Alaska’s 11 indigenous groups. Listen to storytellers, see demonstrations of Alaska Native games, and explore traditional homes typical of cultures from across the state.
Homer — 3 days
Head southwest to the Kenai Peninsula to explore the small coastal town of Homer, situated on Kachemak bay and bordered by dramatic mountains. Spend three days at the Peterson Bay Field Station run by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, and engage with local naturalists and scientists through hands-on experiences studying the effects of climate change. Travel by boat to a remote tidewater glacier to learn about glacier recession first hand while you navigate icebergs. Go tidepooling along rocky shorelines in search of octopus dens, starfish, and sea urchins, and scan the coast for bald eagles perched amid the treetops. Explore the bay, scouting for sea lions and otters in the calm, icy waters and head back to the Field Station to discuss the effects of climate change on Alaska’s precious coastal ecosystems.
Talkeetna — 1 day
Depart Homer and head back through Anchorage by way of Chugach State Park. Enjoy an afternoon in Talkeetna with a visit to the Walter Harper Ranger Station, the jumping-off point for mountaineers attempting to summit Denali and other peaks. Get your first glimpse of the “Great One,” and spend the night in Talkeetna before continuing on to Denali National Park.
Denali National Park — 4 days
Travel north to the massive and wild Denali National Park and Preserve—at more than six million acres, roughly the size of the entire state of Vermont. Join naturalist guides from the Denali Education Center on a guided hike up one of the National Park trails, taking in the views and experiencing this remote and unspoiled wilderness. Keep an eye out for a glimpse of the icy summit of Denali, North America’s tallest mountain at 20,308 feet, and scout for some of the park’s astounding range of wildlife, from caribou and grizzlies to Dall sheep and golden eagles. Learn the differences between the glacier-fed rivers rich with minerals and the clear mountain waters from the Alaska Range in which Arctic grayling thrive. Go fly fishing for grayling, try white water rafting on the glacial Nenana River, and experience the braided river systems of Denali firsthand.
Anchorage — 1 day
Return to Anchorage, stopping along the way for a guided walk at Eagle River Nature Center. The nature center’s mission is to explore our relationship with the natural world and pay homage to the beautiful nature and wildlife in the surrounding Chugach mountains. Settle back in Anchorage for the day, share your final project with your group, and enjoy a final celebration dinner together before returning home.
Return — Travel Day
Fly from Anchorage to Seattle with your group and a leader, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Departure — Travel Day
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your program leaders in Seattle, and fly together to Anchorage. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Anchorage — 2 days
Begin your adventure in the city of Anchorage, which serves as the gateway to both interior Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula. Get to know your group during a program orientation to Alaska’s varied geography, ecology, history, and culture. Head out for day hikes as you explore the nearby parks and the Chugach Mountain range while learning to identify local flora and fauna. Interview locals about the very visible effects of climate change and how it is affecting the present and future. Visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center to learn about Alaska’s 11 indigenous groups. Listen to storytellers, see demonstrations of Alaska Native games, and explore traditional homes typical of cultures from across the state.
Homer — 3 days
Head southwest to the Kenai Peninsula to explore the small coastal town of Homer, situated on Kachemak bay and bordered by dramatic mountains. Spend three days at the Peterson Bay Field Station run by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, and engage with local naturalists and scientists through hands-on experiences studying the effects of climate change. Travel by boat to a remote tidewater glacier to learn about glacier recession first hand while you navigate icebergs. Go tidepooling along rocky shorelines in search of octopus dens, starfish, and sea urchins, and scan the coast for bald eagles perched amid the treetops. Explore the bay, scouting for sea lions and otters in the calm, icy waters and head back to the Field Station to discuss the effects of climate change on Alaska’s precious coastal ecosystems.
Talkeetna — 1 day
Depart Homer and head back through Anchorage by way of Chugach State Park. Enjoy an afternoon in Talkeetna with a visit to the Walter Harper Ranger Station, the jumping-off point for mountaineers attempting to summit Denali and other peaks. Get your first glimpse of the “Great One,” and spend the night in Talkeetna before continuing on to Denali National Park.
Denali National Park — 4 days
Travel north to the massive and wild Denali National Park and Preserve—at more than six million acres, roughly the size of the entire state of Vermont. Join naturalist guides from the Denali Education Center on a guided hike up one of the National Park trails, taking in the views and experiencing this remote and unspoiled wilderness. Keep an eye out for a glimpse of the icy summit of Denali, North America’s tallest mountain at 20,308 feet, and scout for some of the park’s astounding range of wildlife, from caribou and grizzlies to Dall sheep and golden eagles. Learn the differences between the glacier-fed rivers rich with minerals and the clear mountain waters from the Alaska Range in which Arctic grayling thrive. Go fly fishing for grayling, try white water rafting on the glacial Nenana River, and experience the braided river systems of Denali firsthand.
Anchorage — 1 day
Return to Anchorage, stopping along the way for a guided walk at Eagle River Nature Center. The nature center’s mission is to explore our relationship with the natural world and pay homage to the beautiful nature and wildlife in the surrounding Chugach mountains. Settle back in Anchorage for the day, share your final project with your group, and enjoy a final celebration dinner together before returning home.
Return — Travel Day
Fly from Anchorage to Seattle with your group and a leader, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Program Theme
Climate & Conservation: Whether your goal is to pursue a career in climate science, climate ecology, conservation, or science journalism, this high school summer program provides opportunities to dive deep into issues of climate change and conservation in Alaska. Learn about how changes are impacting Alaska’s varied ecosystems, from the coast to the interior taiga and tundra; meet with Alaska Natives to learn how indigenous knowledge and local community experience can shape responses and solutions; and work with scientists and naturalists at a coastal field station. Students will engage with real-world knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and discover how narratives informed by realities on the ground can lead to action and more effective solutions.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you—become an expert on native flora or fauna, put together a slideshow with your nature and landscape photography, create a recipe book with Alaska Native cuisine, explore Alaska’s approach to dealing with climate change, become an expert on Alaska’s great mountain Denali, or interview a local guide to learn about the famous glaciers.
Technology
To encourage full engagement and immersion in the Putney travel experience, we limit the use of cell phones and other devices on our High School programs. Students are allowed to use their phones in transit to the program, and keep their devices throughout. During in-country orientation, leaders will lock phones with a code, unlocking them for the second half of the program. During the tech-free portion of the program, students have the opportunity for a weekly call home according to a pre-arranged schedule. For more details, please see our FAQ.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active summer travel program. You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are excited about trying all activities. You can expect to go hiking, whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, glacier trekking, and exploring towns on foot.
Altitude
Most of the program is near sea level in Anchorage and Homer, but in Denali we could hike up to 5,000 feet above sea level.
Accommodations
We stay in comfortable guesthouses, hostels, and small hotels throughout our time in Alaska. In Homer we stay at a field station in yurts within walking distance to the ocean. Leaders reside together with the students throughout the program.
Meals
We cook and eat breakfast and some dinners at our accommodations. For lunches we head to the market to buy supplies for a picnic lunch or get take-away meals. Often dinners will be at restaurants.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Program Theme
Climate & Conservation: Whether your goal is to pursue a career in climate science, climate ecology, conservation, or science journalism, this high school summer program provides opportunities to dive deep into issues of climate change and conservation in Alaska. Learn about how changes are impacting Alaska’s varied ecosystems, from the coast to the interior taiga and tundra; meet with Alaska Natives to learn how indigenous knowledge and local community experience can shape responses and solutions; and work with scientists and naturalists at a coastal field station. Students will engage with real-world knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and discover how narratives informed by realities on the ground can lead to action and more effective solutions.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you—become an expert on native flora or fauna, put together a slideshow with your nature and landscape photography, create a recipe book with Alaska Native cuisine, explore Alaska’s approach to dealing with climate change, become an expert on Alaska’s great mountain Denali, or interview a local guide to learn about the famous glaciers.
Technology
To encourage full engagement and immersion in the Putney travel experience, we limit the use of cell phones and other devices on our High School programs. Students are allowed to use their phones in transit to the program, and keep their devices throughout. During in-country orientation, leaders will lock phones with a code, unlocking them for the second half of the program. During the tech-free portion of the program, students have the opportunity for a weekly call home according to a pre-arranged schedule. For more details, please see our FAQ.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active summer travel program. You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are excited about trying all activities. You can expect to go hiking, whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, glacier trekking, and exploring towns on foot.
Altitude
Most of the program is near sea level in Anchorage and Homer, but in Denali we could hike up to 5,000 feet above sea level.
Accommodations
We stay in comfortable guesthouses, hostels, and small hotels throughout our time in Alaska. In Homer we stay at a field station in yurts within walking distance to the ocean. Leaders reside together with the students throughout the program.
Meals
We cook and eat breakfast and some dinners at our accommodations. For lunches we head to the market to buy supplies for a picnic lunch or get take-away meals. Often dinners will be at restaurants.
A Day in the Life: Denali National Park
Due to the dynamic nature of this summer travel program, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of what a day in Denali might look like.
- Morning
7:00am
Rise early for a morning walk to scout for wildlife
9:00am
Eat a hearty breakfast with your group
10:00am
Learn about climate impacts on the subarctic environment with expert naturalists
11:00am
Embark on a hike up Triple Lakes Trail or Mckinley Station Trail with naturalist guides
- Afternoon
3:00pm
Return to the cabins to rest and relax by the creek
5:00pm
Begin dinner preparation and prepare a meal in small teams
- Evening
7:00pm
Attend a workshop led by your program expert
9:00pm
Play cards around the campfire and host the nightly meeting to recap the day
10:00pm
Group meeting to recap the day and prepare for the next
A Day in the Life:
Denali National Park
Due to the dynamic nature of this summer travel program, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of what a day in Denali might look like.
- Morning
7:00am
Rise early for a morning walk to scout for wildlife
9:00am
Eat a hearty breakfast with your group
10:00am
Learn about climate impacts on the subarctic environment with expert naturalists
11:00am
Embark on a hike up Triple Lakes Trail or Mckinley Station Trail with naturalist guides
- Afternoon
3:00pm
Return to the cabins to rest and relax by the creek
5:00pm
Begin dinner preparation and prepare a meal in small teams
- Evening
7:00pm
Attend a workshop led by your program expert
9:00pm
Play cards around the campfire and host the nightly meeting to recap the day
10:00pm
Group meeting to recap the day and prepare for the next
“I gained a better understanding of what actions are being taken to combat climate change, how to talk about climate change, and how to get people to care about climate change.”
—Querida A., Millbrook School, Plainfield, NJ
Program Directed by
Devon Swinburne
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
