Student practicing bushcraft in a primitive shelter during a wilderness course in Colorado, learning fire and weaving skills.

Find Your Own Path

Not sure where to start? Discover the course that matches your goals, experience, and curiosity.

 

Student smiling while practicing fire-starting skills during a survival training course in the Colorado mountains.

Learn at Your Own Pace

Whether you’re brand new to outdoor skills or ready to push limits, we’ll point you in the right direction.

 

SERE training participants walk in formation through a remote Colorado field with hoods over their heads, guided by an instructor during a realistic resistance exercise.

Challenge Yourself. Go Beyond Comfort.

Experience real-world resistance and evasion training led by professionals with authentic field backgrounds.

 

Student blowing on kindling to start a campfire during a wilderness survival course in Colorado pine forest.

Skills That Stay With You

Build real-world knowledge that doesn’t fade. What you learn here becomes part of who you are - ready for any challenge.

 

Women enjoying a natural mountain pool during The Survival University’s Wild Women’s River Retreat in Colorado.

Reconnect With What Matters

Step away from screens, rediscover your instincts, and experience what it means to be fully present in nature.

 

Not Sure Which Course to Take?

START HERE

Find Your Starting Point?

We offer a wide range of courses, and choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This page keeps it simple. Start by selecting what you want to learn or your experience level. From there you can explore beginner courses, medical programs, plant medicine, navigation, tactical training, immersion programs, and more.

Choose the path below that best describes you.

Beginner | Plants | Medical & Tactical | Immersion | Hunting | Nature Connection & Retreats | Adventure

 

What do you want to focus on today?

I’m new and want a solid starting point

I want outdoor medical skills

I want wilderness survival or bushcraft

I want land navigation

I want plant medicine or ethnobotany

I want tactical or SERE style training

I want immersion programs

I want adventure based trips

beginner courses

For people who want to build real outdoor skills, confidence, and comfort in nature. These courses help you learn the basics from firecraft and camping to navigation, first aid, and hands on field skills.

SURVIVAL FOR BEGINNERS

Learn the mindset and skills to handle real world emergencies on short outdoor trips. Practice firecraft, shelter building, water purification, signaling, and trip planning in the Colorado mountains.

 

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CAMPING FOR BEGINNERS

Learn how to set up camp, build a fire, cook simple meals outdoors, and enjoy the wilderness with confidence. A relaxing introduction to camping basics and spending time outside.

 

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WILDERNESS FIRST AID

Gain the confidence to handle medical emergencies outdoors. Learn patient assessment, wound care, splinting, environmental emergencies, and evacuation techniques through hands on training.

 

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NAVIGATION WORSHOP

Learn the basics of map and compass navigation in this one day workshop. Practice reading topographic maps, using a compass, and finding your way without GPS so you can navigate outdoors with confidence.

 

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INTRODUCTION TO SMALL GAME HUNTING

Learn the fundamentals of small game hunting through hands on field training. Cover scouting, tracking, ethical harvesting, weapon handling, and field dressing for new hunters.

 

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OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS BASICS

Learn core wilderness skills through five days of hands on training. Practice firecraft, shelter building, navigation, water purification, food procurement, and signaling while gaining confidence outdoors.

 

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Plants, Medicine & Ethnobotany

For people who want to explore plant medicine, wild foraging, and the deeper connection between humans and the natural world. Learn how to identify, harvest, and use plants for food, medicine, and practical tools while reconnecting with the wisdom of nature.

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ETHNOBOTANY 101

The Ethnobotany 101 course is our course on learning the uses of wild plants. We will teach you how to harvest plants for edible, medicinal and utilitarian uses and then what you need to do to prepare them for their appropriate use.

 

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ADVANCED HERBALIST

This advanced course takes herbalism beyond identification into hands-on medicine making. You’ll create tinctures, salves, and oils in the mountains using fire and natural materials while learning plant energetics, extraction, and practical herbal preparation.

 

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PLANT IDENTIFICATION WALK

We will identify plants that are edible, medicinal, poisonous, tool-craft, and smoke-able. We can easily identify over 100 different plants on this leisurely walk. Bring your camera and notepad to capture the knowledge and beauty of the wilderness.

 

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Rescue, Navigation, Medical, Tactical Training

For people who want realistic, hands-on training that builds leadership, confidence, and readiness in both wilderness and urban environments. Learn the skills needed to respond, move, and make decisions when conditions are unpredictable.

Looking for a custom training event for your team or company? Explore our Corporate and Team Building Programs.

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WILDERNESS FIRST AID

Learn to manage injuries and medical emergencies in the backcountry. Hands-on training prepares you to provide care when help is hours away. Gain the confidence and skills to respond effectively to real wilderness medical situations

 

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WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER

Train to handle severe injuries and medical emergencies in remote environments. WFR students work through realistic trauma simulations that build field confidence, problem-solving, and composure under pressure.

 

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URBAN SURVIVAL & PREPAREDNESS

Learn how to navigate and adapt when modern systems fail. This course teaches practical urban survival skills including situational awareness, self-reliance, and emergency readiness in real-world settings.

 

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LAND NAVIGATION

Learn to navigate confidently through wilderness terrain using map, compass, and terrain association. This hands-on course teaches practical navigation skills through real field exercises rather than classroom theory.

 

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ADVANCED LAND NAVIGATION

Students will train in remote and physically demanding terrain. Advanced Navigation Course takes our Land Navigation course to the next level. You will be taken to a more rugged environment and traverse over longer distances with obstacles in your path.

 

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CIVILIAN SERE

Students practice resistance and evasion techniques during Civilian SERE training at The Survival University. Realistic field scenarios build confidence, adaptability, and mental toughness under pressure.

 

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Wilderness Immersion Programs

For people who want to strip life back to its roots and live fully in the wild. These extended programs challenge you to rebuild strength, leadership, and resilience through advanced instruction, primitive living, and real backcountry experience in the Colorado mountains. Each immersion is designed to push limits, build community, and reconnect you with what it means to be capable and human in nature.

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50-Day Immersion Program

Live deep in the Colorado wilderness for 50 days, learning advanced survival and self-reliance skills. Students build primitive shelters, cook over open fires, and adapt fully to life in the wild.

 

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26-Day Immersion Program

Spend nearly a month living and training in the Colorado wilderness. This immersive course builds advanced outdoor skills, resilience, and community through real backcountry living.

 

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The Ancestral Code

Live raw, live real. Work on yourself from the inside out. The Ancestral Code challenges you to rebuild integrity, discipline, and purpose through raw experience in the Colorado wilderness.

 

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Hunting & Fieldcraft

For people who want to reconnect with nature through hunting, tracking, and practical outdoor fieldcraft. Build confidence in the mountains while learning ethical hunting skills, wildlife behavior, and real backcountry knowledge.

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INTRODUCTION TO SMALL GAME HUNTING

This course introduces beginners to the fundamentals of small game hunting, from scouting and tracking to field dressing and cooking your harvest. You’ll build confidence in both hunting and backcountry skills while learning to hunt ethically in the wild.

 

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INTRODUCTION TO BIG GAME HUNTING

This hands-on course takes new hunters from planning and scouting to field processing and cooking their harvest, blending modern and primitive techniques for a full backcountry experience. Students learn laws, ethics, tracking, and survival skills while gaining the confidence to hunt and process game.

 

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INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL TRACKING

This course will teach the basic skills of tracking in application to animal tracking. The skills covered in this course will cover finding signs that go missed by most people, as well as the difference between canine and feline tracks, a common mistake.

 

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Nature Connection & Retreats

For people seeking connection, balance, and time outdoors with purpose. These programs blend wilderness skills, nature immersion, and community to help you reset your nervous system and reconnect with yourself and the natural world.

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WILD WOMEN RIVER RETREAT

Join Wildkind Jess for a women’s river camping retreat focused on wilderness skills, sisterhood, and nervous system restoration. Experience connection, healing, and hands-on nature immersion through swimming, campfire cooking, and yoga.

 

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COSTA RICA ADVENTURE

Learn jungle survival and coastal living skills in the heart of Costa Rica. This expedition blends hands-on survival training with rainforest exploration, wild food sourcing, and tropical camp living along the coast.

 

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RIVER CAMPING RETREAT

Students practice resistance and evasion techniques during Civilian SERE training at The Survival University. Realistic field scenarios build confidence, adaptability, and mental toughness under pressure.

 

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ADVENTURE

Explore the wild through experiences that blend hiking, wilderness travel, and practical backcountry skills. These adventures help you build confidence by moving across real terrain, facing unpredictable conditions, and discovering what you’re capable of through challenge and exploration.

Beginner | Plants | Medical & Tactical | Immersion | Hunting | Nature Connection & Retreats | Adventure

Survival Training Expedition Program (S.T.E.P.)

Join instructor Jack Genega in the Survival Training Expedition Program (STEP), a five-day backcountry adventure in Colorado that blends hiking, primitive skills, and self-reliance in real wilderness conditions.

 

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PRIMITIVE SKILLS RUN

Experience the Primitive Skills Run with Ryan Maguire, a wilderness adventure that merges ancestral running, primitive survival, and deep nature connection. Learn to move through Colorado’s wild backcountry with awareness just as our ancestors once did.

 

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BACKCOUNTRY HIKE

Join us for a backcountry hiking adventure through Colorado’s wild terrain. Learn real navigation and fieldcraft skills while building confidence and awareness in remote mountain environments. This course blends exploration, resilience, and hands-on outdoor training.

 

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Want to learn more before signing up? Read stories, survival insights, and field tips on our Survival Blog.

THE COURSES ABOVE ARE JUST THE BEGINNING

At The Survival University, we focus on teaching people how to become human again. Our programs go beyond wilderness skills and introduce a way of learning that builds awareness, capability, and connection to the natural world. Whether you start with a beginner class or dive into long term immersion, every course is designed to help you understand the land, think clearly under pressure, and move through the world with confidence.

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Get Our Free Adventure Checklist

The Survival University wants you to experience wild places with confidence and being prepared and having the right gear is a priority. Our Adventure Checklist has foundational guidelines and a recommended gear list that you can build on for any adventure. Fill out the form to get yours today!

By downloading our Adventure Checklist, you'll not only prepare for your next journey, but you'll also join our community and receive course offerings, promotions, and pro-survival tips via email!