Pathfinders - Tacoma - 2025

Youth Program

Pathfinders

Year-round adventure for youth age 6-9 and their families!

Please read this description in its entirety before registering.

Note: Pathfinders membership is $450 in total for the year. Members may register here and pay in full, or you may contact sarahh@mountaineers.org to set up a quarterly payment plan.

We offer financial assistance! To apply for financial assistance click here.

Our Pathfinders  program provides youth ages 6-9 and their parents/guardians with the opportunity to get outside once a month. Pathfinders is designed to expose youth to a variety of outdoor activities and have fun! Participants will have the chance to climb, hike, snowshoe, paddle, explore, and learn how to be safe in the outdoors. The group will be supported by Mountaineers staff, but parents will be expected to play an active role in planning, supervising, and possibly even leading some trips. Staff will provide opportunities for parents to advance their own outdoor skills as well as learn key skills for leading kids safely in the outdoors. This program will focus on skill-building for both youth and adults, and on building an outdoor community.

*Note that while  parents/guardians are expected to be active participants in the club, there is plenty of flexibility so that youth can participate in a trip even if a parent/guardian can't make it.

Pathfinders is a club and requires a time commitment and program fee of $450 (which can be paid in quarterly installments). In return, members gain a community of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy spending time learning skills together. As families grow through our programs, lifelong friendships are built. When graduates of our teen program come home from college, they meet up with other Mountaineers friends to go hiking, backpacking and climbing. This program is just the beginning.

Note: Youth ages 6-9  register as participants, and therefore pay the registration and program fee. Parents should become a Qualified Youth Leader and then register for the Pathfinders program as a  Chaperone (there is no fee for this).

Program Requirements
Program Activity Date Availability Leader
TAC PAT - Activity (optional)
Paradise Area (winter)
Sat, Dec 13, 2025
Registration closes Dec 10
4 participants
High Lakes Loop (winter)
Sat, Jan 10, 2026
Registration closes Jan 8
7 participants
Cabin Creek
Sat, Feb 14, 2026
Registration closes Feb 12
14 participants
Grace Lakes
Sat, Mar 14, 2026
Registration closes Mar 12
6 participants
Rattlesnake Ledge
Sat, Apr 11, 2026
Registration closes Apr 8
7 participants
Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
Sat, May 9, 2026
Registration closes May 7
7 participants
Ingalls Creek
Sat, Jun 13, 2026 -
Sun, Jun 14, 2026
Registration closes Jun 11
6 participants
Hyas Lake
Sat, Jul 11, 2026
Registration closes Jul 9
7 participants
Dewey Lake
Sat, Aug 8, 2026 -
Sun, Aug 9, 2026
Registration closes Aug 6
6 participants
Tacoma Pathfinders & Explorers Joint Activity (optional)
Tacoma Program Center
Sat, Dec 20, 2025
Registration closes Dec 18
7 participants
Hyak Lake, Nordic Pass, Windy Pass & Mount Catherine
Sat, Jan 17, 2026
Registration closes Jan 15
6 participants
Meany Lodge
Sat, Feb 21, 2026 -
Sun, Feb 22, 2026
Registration closes Feb 19
6 participants
Paradise Area (winter)
Sat, Mar 21, 2026
Registration closes Mar 19
7 participants
Youth Trip
Sat, Apr 18, 2026
Registration closes Apr 16
6 participants
Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
Fri, May 15, 2026 -
Sun, May 17, 2026
Registration closes May 13
6 participants
Youth Trip
Fri, Jun 19, 2026 -
Sun, Jun 21, 2026
Registration closes Jun 17
6 participants
Fort Worden State Park
Fri, Jul 17, 2026 -
Sun, Jul 19, 2026
Registration closes Jul 15
7 participants
Youth Trip
Fri, Aug 14, 2026 -
Sun, Aug 16, 2026
Registration closes Aug 12
6 participants
Roster
Required Equipment

All required equipment, with a few exceptions, is available to be borrowed from the Mountaineers. Before each trip, an itinerary/packing list will be distributed to the group that details all necessary gear and information for the trip. 

If families want to bring their own gear, here are some items you may find useful for most trips:

Backpack

Hiking boots

Wool socks

Non-cotton active clothing and insulating layers

First Aid Kit

 

Program Materials

There are no materials for this program.