We Take You Outside of Yourself

We lead week-long excursions on foot and by canoe into the backcountry, visiting some of the most exquisite and vulnerable landscapes. Trips are open to participants with all levels of experience, even first-time campers.  Our Retreats introduce skills for safe, comfortable backcountry travel with a curriculum designed to push participants to continue their creative process while traveling. Each participant is given a reader tailored to illuminate regionally specific ecology and cultural history, issues of indigeneity and land sovereignty, access to natural resources, and a range of perspectives on human connection to the natural world.

Aside from registered service animals, no pets are permitted. Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from the chosen rendezvous city. We provide travel to the trailhead and back. Signal Fire can assist in support of grant applications or visas, and we encourage international applications. Due to the generosity of our funders, we are pleased to once again offer this year’s Retreats with no residency fee.

“Signal Fire connected me with diverse, inspiring artists in a range of disciplines. I found myself reflecting on why I use the mediums and tools I do, and left eager to explore new forms of storytelling. I want more than ever to not just write about ecological complexity, but let my work contain as much of that complexity as possible. The work of my fellow backpackers opened many new questions and possibilities for me. I am still amazed that I got to journey on the trail with them for one unforgettable week.”

-Alisha Adams, Umatilla Backpacking, 2015