Canyonlands Field Institute

Canyonlands Field Institute cultivates connection to self, community, and nature by creating inclusive educational pathways to the outdoors.

For over 40 years CFI has facilitated immersive, screen-free, and awe-inspiring explorations of the Colorado Plateau to empower dedicated, successful learners through the Outdoor Adventure School.  We specialize in running multi-day camping and river-rafting programs for over 700 youth from Utah and beyond every year. Designed with the guidance of leading experts in experiential environmental education at UC Berkeley, CFI’s curriculum gives students the opportunity to forge deep connections with themselves, their peers, and the natural world through lessons about environmental stewardship, human history, and social/emotional wellbeing. Thanks to the support of our donors and community, 100% of CFI students receive some level of scholarship. 

Generations Z and Alpha are growing up in a turbulent social climate, having to navigate a nationwide rise in loneliness and social isolation, economic uncertainty, political division, and the lingering impacts of the pandemic in addition to the general stress of adolescence. One of the most daunting challenges they face is climate change, a stressor which a 2021 study in The Lancet found 59% of people aged 16-25 are very or extremely concerned about. At the same time, Grand County, home to CFI headquarters, received recognition in 2021 for being the second fastest heating county in the country. Many of our programs take place on the Colorado River, named American Rivers’ Most Endangered River in 2021. In a sense, we work with a struggling generation in one of the most at-risk ecosystems in the country.

Comprehensive outdoor education programs not only help youth find a love for the outdoors, but also empower them with the opportunities and tools to combat their growing generational anxieties. CFI’s transformative education program brings school groups from around the country on multi-day explorations of Professor Valley, UT, as well as the San Juan, Colorado, and Green Rivers. With the guidance of our Naturalist Educators, students explore the complex and ancient relationships between the people, flora, fauna, and landscapes of the Colorado Plateau. Kids develop a sense of their place within a much larger system while gaining critical thinking, leadership, and team building skills. By prioritizing their innate curiosity through hands-on lessons and place-based, student-centered learning, we inspire youth to become active community, environmental, and self advocates.