Our wilderness courses provide people of all ages and skill levels with valuable nature skills. Classes are led by faculty with a wealth of experience and are held year-round in the Pacific Northwest.

Alderleaf offers a variety of skills-focused wilderness courses, presentations, and programs of varying lengths. Fields of study include wilderness survival, wild edible & medicinal plants, wildlife tracking, outdoor leadership, and sustainable living skills.

Essential Wilderness Survival Skills - Learn the core skills of survival in a format that allows you to participate at home and at your own pace.

Online Course (at your own pace):



Weekend Courses (1 to 3 day classes):

Wilderness Survival Course - Learn the most important skills for survival: shelter, water, fire, and food. Gain practical, hands-on experience!

Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants Course - Learn how to utilize wild plants for food and medicine in the wilderness or at home.

Blacksmithing Course - Forge your own knife while learning about steel selection, basic metallurgy, profiling, heat‐treating, grinding, and more.

Wooden Bow Making Course - Learn how to make a wooden long bow. Build and take home a bow and the skills to make more!

Leatherworking Course - Make your own moccasin-style leather shoes, felted boots, or a leather backpack in this leatherworking skills class.

Wild Plant Walk Classes - Learn how to identify wild plants and recognize their edible, medicinal, & craft uses at these seasonal outings.

Survival Knots, Cordage, & Lashings Class - Learn how to make cordage and tie the most useful knots for survival skills projects.

Survival Stone Tools Class - Learn how to turn common rocks into a stone knife and other tools for wilderness skills projects.

Wildlife Tracking Walks - Discover the hidden world of animal signs that surround us all the time, while exploring local forests and riverbanks.

Home-Scale Permaculture Course - Learn to apply sustainable living strategies to your home at this weekend Permaculture Course.

Wildlife Trailing Class - Learn how to locate fresh animal sign, follow the tracks and subtle clues, and find animals without alerting them.

Bird Language Course - Learn how bird sounds can help you discover more wildlife and reduce your own disturbance in the forest.

Wild Mushroom Identification Class - Learn the skills needed to utilize wild mushrooms! Spend a day learning about these magnificent fungi.

Human Tracking Course - Skills for Search & Rescue - Learn how to detect, interpret, and follow signs of humans.

Survival Fire Making Skills Class - Learn how to create fire with natural materials! Hands-on experience with bow drill, hand drill, and flint & steel.



