Cloud Ridge Naturalists is one of the oldest and most respected nonprofit field schools in the West. Over the past twenty-nine years, several thousand people have experienced the special blend of education and exploration that Cloud Ridge offers. Our commitment to providing the finest in natural history education and environmentally responsible travel remains the cornerstone of our program. Just a glance through the biographies of our leaders should convey the excellence of our faculty— their knowledge, enthusiasm, and talent for teaching are unsurpassed. Field seminar groups are small and congenial, creating the best possible atmosphere for learning. Our days are spent in some of the world’s most beautiful wilderness areas. We take your comfort, safety, and enjoyment seriously—even in the most remote field settings. Wherever we travel, and by whatever means—expedition ship, boat, raft, sea kayak, or on foot—we work only with outfitters whose environmental ethics and operating principals parallel ours. We select fine lodgings or picturesque campsites that have a strong sense of place, and we make every effort to live up to our legendary reputation for excellent food. Not surprisingly, more than 80% of our participants each year have traveled with us before. That matters to us! We strive to be the best—at whatever we do.  

Today, more than ever before, the places Cloud Ridge travels to are chosen because they are at greatest risk—the Arctic regions, the marine and island ecosystems of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic, the Antarctic and the Southern Polar Ocean, the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and their counterparts in the Patagonian Andes, and the West’s wilderness rivers. The Earth is in crisis—the far-reaching impacts of human-caused global warming, overpopulation, pollution, habitat loss and fragmentation, and our profound failure to protect the diversity of life are transforming even the most remote corners of our planet. From its inception, in 1979, Cloud Ridge Naturalists has focused its efforts on natural history education and on providing opportunities for enriching our understanding of the complex interrelationships that govern the natural world. The future depends on informed, passionate citizen advocates for wilderness conservation and biological diversity. Wherever we travel, our itineraries always reflect a holistic, multidisciplinary perspective. Because we also recognize the powerful role that conservation writers, photographers, and other artists play in environmental education and advocacy, we offer seminars that enable participants to hone these skills as well. Whatever your interests, each of our trips opens a magical window on the natural world!