• Fresh Air Fridays registration now open! LEARN MORE

Youth Programs

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Fresh Air Fridays

Fresh Air Fridays is being offered as a month-long day program series and will rotate around KMTA communities. The program is a combination of afterschool, half day, and full days sessions based on the KPBSD calendar.

Booking Now for Winter/Spring 2026!

Pathfinders

Many of our region’s historic corridors are preserved and enjoyed today as multi-use trails. Pathfinders empowers kids to build skills, have adventures, and create lasting connections to the KMTA via these trails across time.

Scroll down for program details!

Coastal Connections

Back for 2025! During an exciting week-long day-based program, participants explore their local coastal ecosystem through a variety of adventure outings, science and art activities, and personal connections.

Scroll down for program details!

Fresh Air Fridays- Registration Open!

The team here at KMTA loves snow and ice, and we are excited to get local youth outside this winter and spring for Fresh Air Fridays (FAF) – a kid and staff favorite that is all about fresh air and FUN! This program is offered across the KMTA region to local families with kids in elementary school. FAF offers adventure, art, science, outdoor skill-building, and other activities with a goal to build community, foster pride of place, empower kids through skill-building, and support families with engaging and supervised fun for their kids.

New for 2025 – 26

Welcome Kindergarteners!

With the new year, KMTA is excited to welcome Kindergarteners to participate in Fresh Air Fridays, alongside kids in grades 1st-5th.

Tiered Pricing

One of our core values is providing accessible programs to our local communities. Disruptions to federal funding and the federal workforce have created unprecedented challenges for nonprofits like ours and the partners we work alongside. As we find our path forward, we need your help to ensure we can continue our work. Thank you in advance for supporting these programs at whatever level you are able.

FAF Schedule for January – May 2026 NOW OPEN!

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Pathfinders

Travel through and across the Kenai Mountains – Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area’s mountainous terrain has always required creativity, fortitude, and skill. Today, many of these historic transportation corridors are preserved and enjoyed as multi-use trails that provide access to the region’s incredible natural beauty and resources. Our Pathfinders programs empower kids from across Southcentral Alaska to build skills, have adventures, and create lasting connections to the Heritage Area via these trails across time. We are excited to be partnering with Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kenai Watershed Forum, and Trout Unlimited to connect kids to some of the incredible stewards, stories, and projects of the KMTA region.

These two-day camps are open to KMTA area youth ages 6-11. Pathfinders programs are open to youth from all KMTA communities (Seward, Moose Pass, Cooper Landing, Hope, Whittier, Girdwood) and to children visiting family members who live in these communities.

Each camp has a “Basecamp” where we will meet our partner staff and begin and end the day’s adventure- these could be visitor centers, trailheads, or other recreation areas/facilities. Many camp sessions also have 1-2 “Meeting Points” where we will offer pick up & drop off in our van.

Thanks for a great summer of Pathfinders- we will be back with more great programs in 2026!

Discover. Move. Learn. Play.

Explore our local coastal ecosystem through a variety of adventure outings, science and art activities, and personal connections. Throughout the week, we will build community and broaden our understanding of the surrounding environment. Youth participants will have the opportunity to learn and play outside along with some focused time to connect to the places we visit through hands-on activities. We will explore the coast and experience the lands and waters of the KMTA NHA while working on team building, leadership, and resilience.

Coastal Connections Camp is open to middle schoolers. Participants must be at least 11 and entering 6th, 7th or 8th grade this upcoming school year.

Wow, what a summer! Thanks for joining us this year. We will be back with more Coastal Connections Camps in 2026!

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Thank you to our Youth Program donors!

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