OPEN ROADS is a creative outdoor community where nature and narrative meet.
OPEN ROADS has been delivering joyful and transformative programs that combine awe-inspiring wilderness adventuress, reflective journal writing, and the creative story arts of film, photography, and writing as tools for personal growth.
We design intentional programs in partnership with schools and organizations to reach high-character young adults who show leadership potential so they can return home to ignite change by bringing the mental health benefits of nature into communities that historically have not had easy access. We also believe this approach will have a more systemic impact by planting the seeds for a more inclusive network of individuals who will work to protect our natural world, while achieving their own Positive Life Outcomes at every level.
To date we have created a wonderfully diverse community by providing hundreds of full scholarships to participants from across the country -- most of whom are experiencing nature and travel for the first time. And we are just getting started! Learn more about our vision here.
For more than 20 years
"This trip did miracles for my mental health. I came back motivated, much more than I had been in a really long time. It was as if being in nature and doing the unimaginable had cleansed my soul. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Yazmin, OPEN ROADS GRADUATE
