Seattle Explorers and Junior MAC Ages 10–13 (REGISTRATION OPEN)

Explorers and Jr. MAC are year-round outdoor adventure programs for youth ages 10-13. One parent is required to attend as a chaperone to any activity or event your child is attending. Programming occurs from October 2025 to September 2026.

FAMILY-DRIVEN, STAFF-SUPPORTED

Our Explorers (ages 10-11) and Jr. MAC (ages 12-13) programs provide youth and a parent or guardian with the opportunity to get outside monthly. This club is designed to introduce your family to a variety of outdoor activities and connect you with a supportive community of likeminded families.

Participating families will have monthly opportunities to climb, hike, paddle, explore, and learn how to safely travel in the mountains and beyond. While most trips are supported by our expert Mountaineers staff, parents are an active part of the planning and leading process. Whether you’re new to playing in the outdoors or a seasoned outdoorsperson, we’ll help you advance your own outdoor skills and learn how to confidently lead your family into the outdoors.

This program will focus on skill-building for the student and their parent/guardian, and on building an outdoor community with an emphasis on climbing skills and climbing trips. We supplement the program calendar with other activities sponsored by the Mountaineers.

Program Eligibility & Commitment

Explorers and Jr. MAC are year-round programs that are not only based on learning new skills but also rely on the community formed among the members to be successful. To get the most out of this program, participants and parents should plan accordingly for Explorers and Jr. MAC trips and meetings, which are listed on the Explorers and Jr. MAC calendar months in advance. Staff, Volunteers, and trip leaders put significant effort into organizing fun and safe events. To ensure the greatest opportunity for success, participants must make a serious commitment to the program. If that commitment is not fulfilled, a participant's continued membership with Explorers or Jr. MAC may be terminated or suspended for the remainder of the year.

Program Eligibility – Explorers and Jr. MAC are designed for families with children ages 10-13. This program is for families who are new and experienced in the outdoors; for whom active participation is essential. Members are expected to attend all meetings and should communicate any anticipated absences to the leadership and the coordinator. Consistent engagement in skill development is also vital, including attendance at workshops and skill nights. Families considering the Explorers or Jr. MAC programs should assess their ability to meet these participation expectations alongside other commitments.

General Meeting Attendance – Explorers and Jr. MAC members are expected to attend 70% of general meetings (10 meetings/year). This entails being able to punctually arrive at the Program Center in Magnuson Park once a month on a weeknight at 6pm. Meetings are critical to the program as they are community building opportunities, not focused on technical skill building.

Communication – Club members are expected to take responsibility for communicating with the rest of the group, Staff and Volunteer Leaders. Whether by email, text, group messaging app (we use WhatsApp) or website postings, Club members are responsible for checking the website frequently and communicating what activities and trips they plan on attending through managing their registration on the site.

Trip Attendance & One Trip Rule - While trip attendance is not mandatory, participants must sign up in advance by the registration deadline specified on the activity page for any trip they wish to join. At certain times throughout the year, we may ask students to sign up for only one overnight trip to ensure fair access for everyone. For example, if two overnight climbing trips are scheduled and both have waitlists, the coordinator will reach out to students who have signed up for both and ask them to choose one. This helps give more students the opportunity to participate. However, if there are still open spots in the week leading up to the trip, anyone may sign up, regardless of previous registrations.

Cancelations – MAKE SURE YOU ARE CERTAIN ABOUT COMMITTING TO THIS PROGRAM. Our team carefully plans staffing, transportation, gear, and itineraries based on sign-ups, so last-minute cancellations can create challenges for the program and are generally unacceptable. Canceling after sign-up has closed on more than 2 trips will put a participant's membership at risk. We completely understand that unexpected conflicts arise, and it's not always possible to plan perfectly. However, we truly appreciate your effort to identify any scheduling conflicts as early as possible. Students and Parents must review their schedule ahead of time to help us ensure the best experience for all participants.

Skill Workshop Attendance - Skill workshops are a key component of the Explorers and Jr. MAC programs, and regular attendance is expected. Most trips require attendance of the relevant workshop, e.g. Sea Kayak Fundamentals (or Sea Kayaking 101) is a workshop required to attend any kayaking trips. Although most sessions occur annually, make-up opportunities may exist but are not guaranteed. To support the program and reinforce their learning, returning Explorer and Jr. MAC Parents/Guardians are expected to help coteach at least one skill session per year. Teaching one session per skill for a personal refresher is encouraged.

Attendance Continued - If you miss more than three meetings, consistently skip workshops or skill nights, and do not attend trips, Mountaineers staff will contact you to schedule a phone call to discuss your family’s Explorers or Jr. MAC registration status. Since there is a waitlist to join the Club, we want to ensure that everyone in the program is actively engaged and wants to participate. This conversation will help determine whether you would like to continue in the program.

Responsibility Maturity & Preparedness- The Explorers and Jr. MAC Clubs rely on their participating parents and volunteers to manage and support the entire group. By working together, we ensure everyone can travel and enjoy the outdoors safely. If a student’s behavior becomes a distraction and/or impacts the whole group, that student’s parent is expected to step in and parent their child. This looks like corrective or restorative action, or temporary restrictions/participation.

Community - Above all, The Explorers and Jr. Mac Clubs are a community of young people who love the outdoors and who can learn life-long leadership skills. Many members of Explorers and Jr. MAC refer to it as their "second family." With up to 18 members in each club, each person inherently finds peers they connect with more than others, and there is plenty of down time on our trips and before/after meetings to catch up with those people. We also expect all our members to contribute to and be a part of our whole community. This means getting to know members you may not know as well, being a part of the group during campfires, meetings, offering to help others if needed, etc.

Parent/Guardian Commitment

Chaperoning = Volunteering. There is a lot of logistics, and we need people who can drive, support group flow, help build the fire for s’mores and remember the sunscreen. All Parents interested in chaperoning trips must take our Qualified Youth Leader e-course to earn their QYL badge, which is a requirement for each adult involved in the program.

What if I don’t climb? That is OK! These climbing areas are in beautiful parks - you can hike, hang out in a hammock and cheer people on, or try out climbing and see if you like it! Stay within your scope, e.g. don’t give climbing advice if you’re not a climber.

Explorers and Jr. MAC Handbook - Families are expected to read and understand the program Handbook, and support and encourage your participants' commitment and participation. A Handbook Acknowledgement form is expected to be completed before the first general meeting of the program year.

Communications - We need parents to be involved and know what's going on with the program. Parents are expected to make sure frequent communication with advisors happens on behalf of their youth participants. Parents are encouraged to check the website frequently and share email communications. Parents will be the main point of contact on all email communications.

Chaperone/Driver - We understand that every family has different commitments and abilities to help with the program; we encourage parents to review the schedule and sign up to help with driving and chaperoning as much as possible.

What do we do and how does it work?

TRIPS

Our goal is to get each student out on one trip per month. Trips are planned and led by Mountaineers Staff, Volunteer Leaders, and club chaperones. Some trips have prerequisites in order to safely ensure students are prepared for their outing. Hence, workshops and skill night attendance are crucial. Adult staff, volunteers, and chaperones accompany youth on each trip. Students are able to sign up for trips once they have registered on the Explorers or Jr. MAC 2026 Course page and meet certain activity requirements (climbing workshop for climbing trips).

General MEETINGS

Students meet monthly at the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center to build community, learn about various outdoor topics ranging from conservation & advocacy to navigation to native lands, guest speakers and more. Meetings are critical to the program as they are community building opportunities, not focused on technical skill building.

SKILLS

We strongly encourage all Explorer and Jr. MAC students and parents to attend our Climbing 101 workshops in the fall and winter. These workshops are a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page with safety and technique protocols. They also help families get to know each other and feel more comfortable with the program.

For parents who want to advance their own skills, we offer a dedicated Parent Skills Series. This workshop series currently includes a climbing skills series and a trip leadership series. All workshops are held at the Seattle Program Center.

View CalendarExplorer/Jr. mac adventure photos

GEAR

Lack of personal outdoor gear should not deter anyone from applying to the program. All climbing gear can be loaned out through our Youth Climbing gear cage (e.g. harnesses, helmets, shoes). The program gives students access to the Mountaineer’s Gear Library. Outside of Youth Club trips, The Gear Library is an accessible, low-barrier option to access backpacking gear such as tents, sleeping bags, and snowshoes for personal or family trips. Gear lists for each trip are noted on the activity page under the "Program Materials" tab for each trip.

Click here for more information on the Gear Library.

MEMBERSHIP FEE & Course Fee

Membership Fee - A Family Membership with the Mountaineers is required to join the Youth Clubs program. Family membership is a $150 yearly fee. You won't need to purchase the family membership until you know you've been awarded a spot in the program.

Explorers and Jr. MAC Course Fee - In addition to a Family membership, the Course Fee is $1,800 total for the year. Families pay this fee up-front upon registration. For families that would prefer to pay the annual program fee over the course of the year, an installment plan is available upon request. Please contact alvaroj@mountaineers.org for details regarding the installment schedule. The Mountaineers also offer scholarships to help bring down the cost of the program. Installment plans and scholarships cannot be combined. Families must choose one option.

The course fee covers staff time, transportation costs, group gear, camping fees and permits, group meals on overnight trips, and volunteer recognition.

Some trips and activities have associated fees such as Wilderness First Aid courses (for parents), The annual Stevens Lodge trip, Kayak rental fees. These additional courses are not mandatory but certainly create unique opportunities and wonderful experiences for students.

Your family gains access to a vibrant community of outdoor enthusiasts, expert instruction in valuable skills, and countless opportunities for adventure. As families grow through our programs, lifelong friendships are built. When graduates of our program come home from college, they connect with their Mountaineers network for ongoing outdoor pursuits. This program is just the beginning.

We offer scholarships! To apply for assistance from our scholarship funds, click here.

BECOME INVOLVED

SIGN UP FOR A FAMILY MEMBERSHIP

To get involved, you'll need to sign up for a Family Membership with us. Once you have created your new account, add your kids to your account by clicking on the "Membership" tab and adding a family member. Here is an FAQ on that process.

ENTER THE Explorers & Jr. mAC ENROLLMENT LOTTERY

To ease the stress of enrollment for Explorers & Jr. MAC, and make the process as equitable as possible, clubs will be using a lottery system to manage registration. The lottery application period is open through September 17th at 11:59pm. During that time, interested families, both new and returning, will have the chance to apply for a spot in the Explorers & Jr. MAC program.

Submit your lottery application using this form by September 17th at 11:59pm.

On September 18th, the lottery will be conducted and families receiving a spot will be notified of the opportunity to join Explorers & Jr. MAC. Enrollments will be confirmed, and families will be invited to register and pay for the program beginning on October 1st. Any spots not confirmed by invited families will be awarded to the runners-up in the lottery per the results throughout October or as soon as possible.

Attend our Summer Open House for Prospective Members on sept 17th, 6-8pm

We host our info session so you can learn in more depth what the Explorers & Jr. MAC program is and what we offer as well as ask all of your questions. Sign up below for our info meeting.

Questions?

Contact the program coordinator, Alvaro Juarez, or the member services team with questions or for more information.