A powerful learning experience out of the classroom, the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation field trips are designed for 4th and 5th grade students. CCF Certified Interpretative Guides have tailored the content of these field trips to reinforce what students are learning in their classrooms. Over the past ten years, CCF has led nearly 17,000 students on these learning expeditions in the Cottonwood Canyons.
Led by both experienced staff and fantastic volunteers, these programs seek to connect participants with the basic science of their watershed and the natural history of the Wasatch Mountains.
During fall field trips at the Silver Lake Visitor Center, staff and volunteer naturalists engage students in a series of interactive activities that explore the importance of a healthy watershed and its connection to the greater canyon environment and their own lives. Students participate in a hands-on investigation of the variety of aquatic macroinvertebrates that live in the lake and discover what they can reveal about water quality. Students also get to experience the beauty of Silver Lake on an interpretive walk that highlights local wildlife, plants, geology, and history. To inquire about Fall 2025 field trips, please email the Director using the button below.
Wintertime field trips take place on snowshoes at Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The focus of these field trips is winter ecology, geology, wildlife, trees and plants, watershed, and human impact. The snowshoes for the field trips are free of charge. These field trips are tailored for 5th grade classes. The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation also has a bus scholarship program, where schools in need can apply for support in covering transportation expenses.
All education programs have an emphasis on safety, stewardship, and learning.
