Set Foot on the Appalachian Trail
Youth Blast: Appalachian Trail Adventure is built for teens who want their week to mean something. It combines a full Gretna Glen youth experience with a signature day hike at Shaffer's Rock in Michaux State Forest, one of the most iconic stretches of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. Campers hike it together, practice Leave No Trace ethics, and stand on ground that connects Georgia to Maine.
The rest of the week is the Youth Blast experience that keeps teens coming back year after year. Night games, skill-building workshops, worship, Bible Discovery, and the kind of late-night conversations that only happen when you have been hiking all day with the same crew. It is a week built for friendship, faith, and the stories campers tell for years.
Trail Day. Camp Days. Teen Community.
One signature hike. Four days of the classic Youth Blast experience. One cabin crew that does it together.
Shaffer's Rock Day Hike
A full day hike on the Appalachian Trail in Michaux State Forest. Campers hike with trained staff, pack in their lunch, and spend the day on one of PA's most scenic stretches of the AT.
Leave No Trace Ethics
Every hiker learns the seven Leave No Trace principles. Respect the trail, pack out what you pack in, and understand what it takes to keep the AT wild for the next hiker.
Night Games & Workshops
Flashlight tag, capture the flag, and skill-building workshops after dinner. Evenings are where the cabin crew stops being strangers and starts being friends.
Worship Built for Teens
Worship and Bible Discovery designed for where teens actually are. Honest questions, honest answers, and the kind of faith conversations that happen under open sky after a long hike.
Why the Trail Day Matters
Shaffer's Rock is not just a scenic overlook. It is the kind of place where a teenager stands at the edge, takes in the view, and realizes the trail under their boots runs all the way to Maine in one direction and all the way to Georgia in the other.
That perspective changes things. It is why the AT day is the day the rest of the week builds toward, and why campers talk about it long after they have gone home.
Built for the Teen Who Wants More
Youth Blast is a flagship Gretna Glen program because teens who attend tell us what they needed was a week that respected them. Not a program that talked down to them. Not a week that ran on the same rhythm as the 8 year olds. Something older, something harder, something that mattered.
The AT day is the core of that. It is real hiking on real trail, done with real teammates. The skills and faith conversations fit around it. The friendships are the thing campers take home. And the AT is the story they tell.
WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Campers stay in cabins on Gretna Glen's main campus. Cabins feature bunk beds, a changing area, and a modern shower house built in 2018. Youth Blast is a mainsite program. Meals are in the Dining Hall, and the cabin crew becomes the hiking crew for the week.
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW
This session runs over the July 4th holiday weekend. Campers can arrive Sunday evening (5-7 PM) or Monday morning (7:30-9:00 AM). Pick-up is Friday, 5-6 PM.
Gretna Glen is ACA-accredited, meeting over 300 health, safety, and quality standards. Hike leaders are trained in wilderness first aid, and staff are certified in Ministry Safe and UMC Risk Management. No prior hiking experience is required, though campers should be prepared for a full day on the trail.
Off-Site Transportation
Gretna Glen staff transport campers to and from the Michaux State Forest trailhead on the AT day. All transportation is included in the program cost.
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
- Teens 13 to 17 who want a program that respects their age
- First-time hikers ready for a guided, challenging day on the trail
- Returning Gretna Glen campers ready to graduate into the Youth Blast experience
- Youth group members looking for a week that builds real community