Where Questions Lead the Way
The most impactful part of any new experience is what you can't predict to happen. The people you meet, challenges you face, and fun you have are what make a trip worthwhile"
Lucas Stuart, Director and Founder
Our Story
Lucas took his first backpacking trip at age 15 — and it completely opened his world. What began as a 2-week trip in the mountains grew into a lifelong passion for the outdoors, leading him to work with youth in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.
He’s led backpacking trips for Overland Summers in the Sierra Nevada, Yellowstone, and Williamstown, MA, helping young people build confidence, resilience, and curiosity in wild places. In addition to leading in the backcountry, Lucas has worked in an elementary school afterschool program and is currently part of DownToEarth, a local program that connects homeschooled kids with the natural world through weekly adventures.
Lucas wanted to take things a step further. As a graphic designer and artist, he believes deeply in the connection between creativity and nature — and in the importance of letting kids explore both. That’s why he founded TrailBreak SLC: to create a space where kids can hike, play, imagine, make, and connect with the land and each other.
2 Trips
Per-Week
Group adventures every Saturday and Sunday.
5-10 Year Olds
We create for the age when curiosity is loud, hands are messy, and imagination runs wild.
4 Pillars of Learning
Nature. Creativity. Curiosity. Community.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create joyful, curiosity-driven outdoor experiences where children are encouraged to wonder, explore, and express themselves. We see nature as the ultimate classroom — one where messy hands, wild ideas, and spontaneous moments matter just as much as any plan.
Through a blend of outdoor education, creative expression, and child-led discovery, we nurture connection — to the earth, to each other, and to ourselves. Whether painting with pine needles or building shelters out of sticks, kids at TrailBreak are not just participants — they’re explorers, artists, and thinkers.
Our Approch
Our daily activities have a wide range: kids might hike through the trees, stop to examine animal tracks, then gather natural materials to paint what they saw. Some might build shelters, others sketch or write stories in the grass.
Our leaders don’t lecture — they explore alongside the kids, asking open-ended questions and offering tools to dig deeper. We keep groups small, take lots of snack breaks, and always make time to reflect — not through worksheets, but through storytelling, art, or quiet observation.
We encourage the idea that nature and art are not separate from us, rather, fundamentally apart of what makes us human.
Snapshots of Connection
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