Our Sprouts trips are designed for our young Wanderers and their adults to enjoy a trip outdoors together! They’re full of fun activities and bonding for both kids and adults, and are a great way to dip toes into the world of outdoor adventure!
On this trip, Sprout/Adult pairs will explore the cool caves of Maquoketa State Park and spend two nights camping under the stars together at Eden Valley Refuge, just 10 minutes from the caves. Maquoketa Caves has been delighting kids and adults for generations (Kerri grew up going there and loves it to this day), with tons of caves to crawl into and miles of trails to explore! This three-day, two night adventure is the perfect way for kids and adults to get outside and in touch with the awesome natural areas near them!
Led by two fun-loving guides, sprouts and adults will enjoy a cave-filled day of exploring, going on a nature hike and scavenger hunt at Eden Valley Refuge, making camp-themed crafts, learning how to start small campfires for future adventures and cooking and playing games together. Sprouts will get lots of time to make friends and explore the outdoors, and adults will get to spend some time relaxing with each other as well. These are trips designed to deepen a love of nature in everyone!
This trip is designed for Sprouts who identify as boys or non-binary and their female-identifying or non-binary adult counterparts who are comfortable in spaces that center the experiences of girls/women. We welcome mothers and sons, aunts and nephews, grandmothers and grandchildren and other adult-child relationships!
Adventure Rating: Beginner
This trip is great for beginners and for folks who have never camped before! It’s designed as an introduction for both kids and adults, and has age and skill level appropriate programming and activities.
ACTIVITIES
Caving, duh! We’ll immerse ourselves in the caves of Maquoketa Cave State Park, crawling in and finding all the cool caverns we can! Prepare to have fun and get muddy.
Take a nature hike around Eden Valley Refuge with the Wander Women guides as we learn about the natural world around us! Kids will take part in a nature-themed scavenger hunt to learn how to use their senses and be observant of the world around them.
Let’s get crafty! We’ll have a whole box of crafts available for downtime and getting to know each other. Think friendship bracelets, coloring books, wood necklaces and more.
Learn some beginner camping skills in a supportive environment! Everyone will get the chance to learn more about safe campfire building, easy camp cooking, setting up tents and fun things to do on a camping trip.
ACCOMMODATIONS & LOCATION
We’ll be staying at tent camping sites at Eden Valley Refuge, a county park 15 minutes from Maquoketa Caves. The campsites have direct access to a pit toilet and a short walk to flush toilets and a 24/7 showerhouse. This is one of our favorite county parks in the state!
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your registration covers one child & one adult, and provides you:
Two professional Wander Women guides to help make the trip as seamless and fun as possible
Camping accommodations & parking
A Wanderer swag bag full of goodies x 2
All meals cooked for you by Wander Women guides
Camping accessories: Camp kitchen, camping chairs, fire kits, first aid kits, dining ware, fire wood, games, coolers
Downtime activities including games, crafts, books and more
A detailed pre-trip online guide with everything you need to know for your trip
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Participants will be responsible for providing/paying for:
Transportation to/from the trip (we always encourage carpooling and can connect you with other participants to ride with!) and to trip activity locations
Gear: Participants are able to rent camping gear from Wander Women
INVESTMENT
One registration covers one kid and one adult. You are able to purchase registration add-ons for additional children or adults on the registration page.
$535
PAYMENT PLAN
We offer payment plans for all our trips, so you can pay a deposit now and the rest over time! WeTravel (our booking platform) easily lets you make a downpayment (this is also your non-refundable trip deposit!) and set up automatic payments for the remainder. For the payment plan schedule, just check the WeTravel page for details. There is NO fee for choosing the payment plan option!
Deposit for this trip: $270