Connor Huggins is the outreach and communications manager for Teens to Trails, a nonprofit that connects Maine students to life-changing outdoor experiences.

On a rainy May weekend at Birch Point Beach State Park, dozens of middle school students from Bucksport and Wiscasset pitched tents, repaired a beach entrance and installed signage alongside a state park ranger. They pulled trash from the sand, explored tide pools and watched the sunrise together.

By Sunday morning, something had shifted within the group. These students weren’t just improving a park; they were discovering the power of their collective effort and what it means to be stewards of a place.

For many Maine teenagers, the most meaningful learning happens outside the classroom. What might seem like simple recreation — a day on a trail or a weekend at a park — is also where resilience and self-reflection take root.

Time outside teaches young people how to collaborate, solve problems and care for the places they live and that define Maine’s beauty. These experiences build confidence and create lasting connections to the natural world and to one another. Uninterrupted time outside, away from screens, is especially vital as teens navigate rising rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness.

Outdoor clubs in middle and high schools provide structured opportunities for students to immerse themselves in nature throughout the school year. Yet many face barriers. A student can’t join a hike because they don’t own boots, a school’s outdoor club can’t access transportation to get to the trailhead or an advisor wants to lead trips but lacks the training to do so safely. 

Teens to Trails works to remove these barriers. Schools that join become part of a statewide outdoor network, gaining access to programming and gear, grants for outdoor clubs, scholarships for students and leadership training. During the past school year, Teens to Trails enabled more than 7,000 Maine students to experience hands-on outdoor learning, experiences that go far beyond traditional sports or weekend activities.

Dedicated teachers and advisors make these experiences possible. Each year, more than 60 educators and outdoor leaders gather at the Teens to Trails Outdoor Leadership Conference to learn practical skills, risk management and trip planning. These sessions equip teachers to guide students competently and confidently and ensure clubs thrive year after year.

In March, dozens of students strapped on skis for the first time at Teens to Trails’ free ski day at Black Mountain of Maine, laughing through their falls as they learned to trust their balance. During the annual Adventure Bound weekend in The Forks, 130 students from 15 high schools hiked, canoed, fished and rafted whitewater together. “My brain and my body really needed to be outside,” one Belfast Area High School student reflected — a feeling echoed by research showing that time in nature reduces anxiety and stress while improving mood and well-being, according to the Journal of Happiness and Health.

Students also developed leadership skills, built confidence and unleashed their creativity during the much-anticipated s’mores competition. Students also had the opportunity to connect with Maine’s park rangers, outdoor educators and guides, which helped to spark curiosity about careers in the state’s $3.4 billion outdoor recreation economy.

Bethany Pratt, a 2021 graduate of Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, offers just one example of how a teen’s outdoor experiences can shape their career trajectory. In high school, Bethany joined her school’s outdoor club to meet new people and try out activities like canoeing, paddleboarding and campfire cooking, but found her passion for outdoor leadership through Teens to Trails.

After she graduated, she joined Teens to Trails as a volunteer to help other students experience the same love and connection to the outdoors she had. Today, Bethany is a certified Maine Recreational Guide, a licensed Wilderness First Responder, and is pursuing a degree in adventure education at Plymouth State University.

Through these hands-on outdoor experiences, students form bonds that build belonging, develop skills that strengthen their resilience and begin to imagine futures tied to Maine’s natural world. As one scholarship student reflected after a sea kayaking trip: “Being on the water made me see nature differently … I learned to pay attention to things like wind, currents and wildlife, and how everything is connected.”

Maine’s middle and high schools can join this movement. Through outdoor clubs and Teens to Trails’ statewide network, students gain access to transformative experiences year-round, and no one is left behind because of cost or access. Some of life’s most important lessons can’t be taught from a desk; they happen on a trail, by a river or on a rainy weekend at the beach.

“Nature Connects” is a monthly column showcasing conservation stories from people and organizations across Maine. To learn more or suggest story ideas, email [email protected].