Difficulty: Moderate | Client Agencies: All ⟫ This is the biggest, baddest trip we offer: a week-long backpacking, car camping extravaganza in wilderness areas near Yellowstone National Park. We'll pass through Yellowstone on our return, taking an afternoon to refresh at the hotsprings near Granite Creek. This outing is best for those with some prior… Read More »Beartooths Wilderness Backpacking

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ This is an end-of-summer backpack trip into the Mt Evans Wilderness near Bailey, CO. We will hike a couple of miles up a beautiful mountain canyon by an easy trail, where we will camp, fish, hike, play games and enjoy a campfire. No backpacking experience is required, there… Read More »Mount Evans Wilderness Beginner’s Backpacking & Fishing

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ A short, easy hike from the Walker Ranch trailhead will take us to a lovely spot for fishing and exploring (including mushroom hunting). This outing is suitable for beginner tenkara anglers. We will meet in the teachers' garage at Casey Middle School, test for COVID, and distribute tenkara rods before traveling… Read More »Walker Ranch Fly Fishing & Mushroom Hunting

Difficulty: Moderate| Client Agencies: Casey Middle School ⟫ An overnight car camping and mountain biking trip at the Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming, a 2-hour drive from Boulder. Those who don't want to mountain bike can fish at any of the three lakes and the connecting creeks. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting… Read More »Mountain Biking, Camping, & Fishing at Curt Gowdy State Park, WY

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ It's time to torture the innocents with this year's bevvy of terrifying stories told in a spooky, abandoned cabin in the dark, dark, dark of the (Indian Peaks) wilderness. More nightmares? Yes, please! We'll also have plenty of hot chocolate, hot cider, and snacks on hand to keep us warm. While… Read More »Spooky Night Hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness

This free, two-day training (9 a.m. to around 5 p.m. each day) includes all of the training, except first aid, that is required to become a certified outings leader with ICO. We will cover the process for developing and getting approval for an outing, running an outing successfully, and post-outing reporting. We'll also cover child… Read More »Volunteer Training (Outdoor Leadership 101, 201 & CARP)

Difficulty: Easy| Client Agencies: Casey Middle School ⟫ This short, after-school outing is intended for the participants in our after-school club at Casey Middle School. We'll fish on Boulder Creek near the public library and/or Eben G. Fine park. Significant rain or temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit cancel. Notice of cancelation would be send by… Read More »After-School Fishing on Boulder Creek

It has been a few years since we've been able to give our gear depot the TCL is requires, so, at long last, we'll spend a day doing just that. This is a great opportunity for newer volunteers to (1) get to know the other volunteers in the program and (2) learn where stuff is… Read More »Gear Depot Day

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ On an easy hike in local open space, we'll look for signs of bear, mountain lions, and other wildlife, learning how to track these animals using basic tools and more modern ones. There will be no pre-trip meeting for this outing. Participants should bring items they own from the list below.… Read More »The Art of Seeing: Animal Tracking Outing in Shadow Canyon & Skunk Canyon

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ Yes, this is very last-minute but it's a great opportunity to do some real citizen science right here in Boulder. The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running and largest annual bird census in the world. We'll hike into Eldorado Canyon, counting the different species of birds (and… Read More »Christmas Bird Count in Eldorado Canyon

Difficulty: Easy | Client Agencies: All ⟫ We'll snowshoe a short ways into the Indian Peaks Wilderness from the Moffat Tunnel trailhead, then whip up some hot chocolate, build some snow caves, and make snow ice cream. We might even do some belly sledding! Online participant registration available soon!

Time for the new guard to meet the old guard at a long-overdue volunteer party  at the Regan-Smith residence in North Boulder.  We will make a big pot of chili and some sides. Bring a drink or perhaps a dessert if you like, but this is totally optional. We are not judgy at ICO. The… Read More »Winter Volunteer Party