A life-changing year of adventure, community & faith
For Christian young adults- invest one year of your life and alter your trajectory forever.
A partnership of Frontier Lodge & Prairie College
We help young adults have a life-changing year where they experience rich community, deeper faith, and transformative adventures.
Explore isn't a shortcut. It's a year set apart — to be known, to be formed, to learn what you're capable of. The program is designed to foster life long friendships, real character formation, and a deeper faith in God.
What you'll experience
A year that forms you — in skill, in faith, in character.
Professional outdoor instruction
Learn from certified guides who teach to your level — not beyond it. Real skills, taught well.
Recognized certifications
Earn OCC (Field Leader, Winter and Overnight) and WAFA (Wilderness Advanced First Aid) certifications that travel with you into any future.
A classroom in the mountains
Your campus is the backcountry. Learning happens on trails, rivers, and ridgelines.
Bible & theology classes
Engage scripture and theology seriously — taught by committed evangelical faculty.
Leadership, taught and practiced
You don't just hear about leadership. You lead — with feedback, reflection, and real responsibility.
Discipleship & formation
One-on-one and cohort mentoring that shapes who you're becoming, not just what you can do.
Christ-centered community, the small-program way
Explore is intentionally small and cohort-based. You're not a number — you're known. You eat, travel, study, and pray with the same people for a year, and that shared life is where most of the formation actually happens.
Meet you where you're at
"I'm not fit or skilled enough for the outdoors."
You don't need to be. There are no required abilities beyond basic health and fitness. Our instruction is built to meet you exactly where you are — and grow you from there, safely and steadily. Most students arrive as beginners. They leave capable.
- No prior outdoor experience required
- Progressive, skills-based instruction
- Guides who pace the group to the learner, not the other way around
Who you'll become
More than skills. A different kind of person.
The deepest outcomes of Explore aren't measured in certifications. They show up in how you carry yourself — in growth of capacity, resilience, and nonanxiety, and in character that lasts.
Peace
A steadiness that isn't shaken by circumstance.
Presence
The capacity to be fully here — with God and people.
Courage
The willingness to step into the unknown.
Responsibility
Ownership of your life and your impact on others.
Discernment
The wisdom to see clearly and choose well.
A partnership
Two institutions, one formation.
Explore brings together the wilderness expertise of Frontier Lodge and the academic depth of Prairie College. You get the mountains and the classroom — adventure and accreditation, formation and credentials, in one integrated year.
Frontier Lodge
Decades of professional outdoor instruction in the mountains. Certified guides, real wilderness, and a culture of safety and growth that meets every student where they are.
Prairie College
Accredited, broadly evangelical higher education with a long heritage of formation. Theology, practicums, and professors who care about who you're becoming — not just what you know.
Honest questions
The things you're wondering.
These are the questions we hear most. If yours isn't here, ask us on a one-on-one call — we'd rather give you a straight answer than a sales pitch.
Stories
A small program, a lasting mark.
"I came in unsure of who I was. I left with a faith that's actually mine, friends who still know me, and the courage to lead when it's hard."
"The mountains taught me I'm more capable than I thought. The community taught me I don't have to do it alone. Both changed everything."
"I worried I wasn't outdoorsy enough. The guides met me exactly where I was. By the end I was leading, not just following."
Take the next step
Three ways to explore Explore.
No pressure, no commitment. Pick whichever feels right — you can always do more later.
Lowest commitment
Join an info webinar
A live online session walking through the year, the cost, and what to expect — with time for your questions.
Personal
Book a one-on-one call
A private conversation to talk through your situation, your questions, and whether Explore is a fit for you.
Ready when you are
Start your application
Begin the formal application. It's straightforward, and we'll help you through every step.