Gap Year

HMI Gap: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in the Natural World

Name: HMI Gap: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in the Natural World
Brand: High Mountain Institute
SKU: 66434
Rating: 4.85 (117 reviews)

Hosted by

High Mountain Institute

4.85 (117 reviews)

Good for

Adventure travelers

Students

HMI Gap: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in the Natural World

High Mountain Institute

4.85 · 117 reviews

Community Choice Award Winner

Location

Multiple Locations +2

Chile
- Patagonia
United States of America

Length

4 - 26 weeks

Program Tags

Adventure Travel College Credit Conservation Cultural Immersion Hands-On Learning Language Immersion Learning Differences Post-High School Study Abroad Volunteer Abroad Wilderness +1

Need-based funding, Payment plans, 529 Plan eligibility

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Program Details

Activities

Backpacking Camping Canyoning Mountain Climbing Rafting Remote Exploring Rock Climbing Sightseeing Trekking

Timeframe

Fall Spring Winter

Housing

Host Family Hostel Lodge Tent

Primary Language

English

Age Min.

Age Max

Pricing

$19,200

Price Details

We seek to meet the full demonstrated need of every student we accept into an HMI program. If you are accepted and qualify for financial aid, we will strive to offer a financial aid package that makes HMI affordable for your family. Applications are processed through a third-party platform.

The price of tuition includes room and board as well as all domestic travel throughout the program. Tuition does not include travel to and from Denver and to Patagonia or the price of gear.

Need-based financial aid is available on a rolling basis. Our highest awards include full tuition, free gear rentals, and travel to and from the program.

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Park Fees Transportation

What's Not Included

Airfare Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Mar 03, 2026

Last Reviewed: Dec 07, 2025

Wish List

69 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

HMI Gap Semesters unite outdoor adventure, environmental service, and leadership development on an unforgettable journey in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring places. On each HMI Gap Semester, you’ll travel for up to 80 days through the wilderness in a tight-knit community of 8 to 12 peers and 2 to 3 instructors. You’ll learn technical outdoor adventure skills, engage in environmental studies and conservation projects, and grow as a leader. Our courses travel within the American West (Colorado, Utah) and Chilean Patagonia.

Central to all HMI Gap Semesters is extended experience and practice in outdoor exploration. Whether climbing iconic sandstone towers in Utah, hiking through a breathtaking glacial valley in Patagonia, or rafting down the pristine blue waters of the Futaleufú River, our outdoor and leadership curriculum moves students towards excellence and independence. Choose your adventure on our Trek (backpacking) or Rock (rock climbing) course today.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers a challenging mix of backpacking, climbing, and environmental studies in stunning locations, fostering strong community bonds and personal growth.

AI-generated summary from verified community reviews Read reviews →

Program Highlights

Experience and explore Patagonia, Colorado, and Utah
Backpacking and rock climbing skills
Hands-on leadership, ecology, and conservation curriculum
Earn college credit through Western Colorado University
Start dates in September and February

Financial Aid for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027!

If you're thinking about applying for need-based financial aid, now is the time. Hit the link to learn more about affording HMI Gap.

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Financial Aid for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027!

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Video and Photos

Fall Gap 2025 Rifle climbing instruction

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Diversity & Inclusion 💙

BIPOC Support

The High Mountain Institute believes that both diversity and inclusion are essential to growth and learning. We all achieve our potential when each person in the community feels a true sense of belonging, and has the confidence to express their full self.

At HMI, inclusiveness starts with an intentional and affirming community. Creating such a community is our priority. We connect deeply to each other through classes, wilderness expeditions, and shared responsibilities. We prioritize open communication and honest conflict resolution. These efforts inspire us to build trust, to value diverging perspectives, and to build communities greater than ourselves.

Historically, however, outdoor programs like HMI have attracted largely white and privileged populations. At times, this has made it challenging for all at our school to feel fully part of our community. We seek to address these challenges at HMI by increasing the diversity of our students, faculty, staff, trustees, and advisers; by creating classes and activities that explore and reflect students’ identities; by expanding the cultural competence of faculty and staff; and by continually challenging the assumptions we hold.

We engage with this challenging work because we are committed to building an exceptional learning environment rooted in community—not just for some, but for all who seek to be inspired by the natural world.

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Popular Programs

Rock Semester

Spend a semester rock climbing and traveling through the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Greater Canyonlands of Utah, and breathtaking Patagonia. You’ll advance your rock climbing and wilderness skills while studying pressing environmental issues and participating in hands-on conservation projects.

Trek Semesters

On HMI Trek, you'll hone your technical backpacking and backcountry travel skills, participate in hands-on conservation work, and engage in our environmental studies curriculum. In the fall, you'll travel through the American West and Chilean Patagonia. In the spring, you'll explore Chilean Patagonia.

Program Reviews

4.85 Rating

based on 117 reviews

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Rating Spread Gap Year

5 rating 85.47%
4 rating 14.53%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Housing 4.7
Support 4.9
Fun 4.75
Value 4.9
Safety 4.85

Good for Adventure travelers, Students

Showing 73 - 80 of 117 reviews

I was hesitant to enter HMI and take a gap semester. I didn’t realize how much one can learn from being out backpacking in the wilderness. Had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I met some amazing people that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life. As someone who hasn't ever gone backpacking before this semester I felt comfortable because of the expertise of the instructors. They taught many important technical and non technical skills that took a complete rookie to being very comfortable in the backcountry. Definitely recommend.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?

How much I learned, technical and non technical skills.

Choosing to spend my gap semester with HMI was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I learned so much more about backpacking and life in the backcountry than I ever thought I would and went to the most amazing places! One of my favorite parts of the semester was our 5 day backpacking trip in the Paria slot canyon in Arizona. It was unlike anywhere I have ever been and so cool to walk through and camp in the same canyon for 40 miles. I would do the entire semester all over again if I could.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?

A baby coyote ran right in front of me during my 24 hour solo in Arizona!

Went in with no wilderness experience and was completely satisfied. Allowed for in depth exploration of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Great amount of support from staff and administration, incredibly motivated group of students. The environmental studies curriculum helps maintain an academic component to the experience while also allowing for an added layer to the places we visit. This is a great experience for experienced backpackers and newbies alike. Staff does a great job of catering to the needs of students! 10/10!

My time at HMI was absolutely wonderful. I had the opportunity to both sport climb and spend time backpacking in beautiful locations in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Every trip we did encompassed so many essential aspects of the outdoor and gap year experience. Included in our gaining of outdoor skills was an environmental studies curriculum that allowed us to gain perspective on the land on which we recreated. Adding this curriculum made me feel much more responsible about how I used the land. The instructors throughout the course always provided support and guidance in every expedition.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?

We dry camped on an unscheduled travel day while also celebrating a birthday.

The HMI gap program is a must if you’re an outdoorsy young adult who wants to explore the American west in a hands on way that goes hand in hand with an environmental studies curriculum. It’s an experience of a lifetime that I’ll always keep dear to my heart and has helped me develop a plan for my future. The inclusive community of HMI allows you to truly be yourself which fosters a positive community of students and instructors alike. If you’re seeking an adventure that gets your body and mind moving, this is the place to be.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Come into this program with an open mindset. Being able to step out of your comfort zone and try new things was something I frequently did on this trip and has made me enjoy life much more.

This program is just an absolute blast. You meet some amazing people in an all rock climbing group and you can have zero experience coming into the he program. I had only climbed a few days in a gym before the program. I learned so many skills and feel comfortable leading climbs and multi pitching. Another amazing thing is this program teaches you trad placement and on the last day of the program I got to lead a trad climb. We get to do some backpacking and canyoneering. Also the leadership class is pretty good, I definitely learned a lot. I am super happy I choose this program.

What was your funniest moment?

Every night we have a community circle. It is suppose to be pretty serious, but that just makes dying laughing with your friends mid circle even funnier.

I participated in the rock climbing and conservation in the American west gap semester and had a fantastic experience. We spent our time rock climbing, backpacking, and canyoneering throughout Colorado, Utah, and Arizona all while learning about environmental ethics and leadership. I learned more new climbing skills than I can count. I have climbed for a long time but mostly in a gym and now I feel like I have the skills that will let me explore so many different areas of the climbing world. I had an wonderful time and made some amazing friends.

What was your funniest moment?

We had a snowball fight at the base of the Bridger Jacks in Indian creek

I had a lot of fun on HMI gap. As a part of the climbing and conservation semester I got to do all the rock climbing I could ever want in one semester, as well as learning about environmentalism and lightweight backpacking. It was amazing to be in a small group of other driven gap year students and visit some of the best climbing locations in the world. As someone with very little previous climbing experience, I also found the program very welcoming and accepting. Finally, I felt very safe, as the program took all the Covid precautions I could think of, and provided excellent support to injured classmates.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Feel free to communicate with program staff before the trip about what to expect and pack. They’re very friendly and have extremely helpful advice on what gear to get.

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I'd always wanted to do some kind of wilderness expedition or trip - but it just never ended up happening when I was younger. When I realized I could take a gap year to go do something awesome in the backcountry I was pretty much hooked - HMI particularly appealed to me because of the environmental studies/conservation curriculum which appealed to my curious, academic side as well as my desire to go adventuring!

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I had to figure out travel to and from the program myself, and get gear. HMI was incredibly supportive before and during this semester, though: There was a comprehensive gear list to work off of, there were lots of staff who were incredibly receptive to the (many) questions I had going in, and during the semester the instructors of my semester were always open to questions and provided support when I needed it.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

First: bring a wildlife book or guide of some kind! And generally bring your curious spirit. There's SO MUCH you can learn just by asking questions out there and looking for the answers, and it's totally worth making the extra effort to understand the landscapes around you.
Second: you're going to spend a lot of time with a small group of people. Be open to them all during the whole semester. It feels great to be given a clean slate during the semester, and even better when you can reciprocate that for everyone.
Last, and perhaps most important: This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. Approach it every day with gratitude and wonder and an open heart.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

The wilderness and conservation semester (HMI's heaviest backpacking semester) is essentially a series of 2-week-long expeditions. In the backcountry, most days mean waking up, cooking breakfast on the WhisperLite and packing a lunch, and then packing up camp to leave for a hike to the next campsite. When you get there, you set up camp, hang out and explore depending on the length of the hiking day, cook dinner, and then turn in for a night under the stars, usually exhausted and incredibly glad for the warmth of your sleeping bag. There are usually some layover days where we do day hikes or play group games sprinkled into the expeditions. Then, between expeditions, we stay in a hostel, clean our gear and get it ready for the next expedition, reconnect with family and friends, and rest up.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I was quite nervous about spending so much time with so small a group, and also about the climbing portion of our semester.
I shouldn't have worried about the group - the community is facilitated well by instructors, and I think HMI attracts interesting, kind people so we really got along. There were obviously some moments of conflict, but we worked through them, and if I needed time alone I could usually take a moment when we got into camp to journal or nap or whatever I needed.
In terms of the climbing, I felt like I was incredibly good hands - the HMI staff are really qualified and competent and great teachers, so the climbing portion ended up being for me a real chance to conquer some fears.

What should I bring with me?

You should bring small games and things like that. Playing cards was a huge icebreaker for us, and playing party games like Salad Bowl and others was a lot of fun.
Bring plenty of bandanas - you'd be amazed at the multitude of uses they have!
Bring books related to the places you'll be in - I thought it was totally worth the extra weight to be able to read about the landscapes we trekked through.
Bring a packable daypack - the bigger the better! We use them for all kinds of things, and being able to fit more stuff in them is very helpful...

Maya Shyevitch

2019 Alum

Caitlin Durcan

2015 Alum

About High Mountain Institute

The High Mountain Institute's (HMI) Gap programs explore what happens when nature and minds meet. With courses traveling through Patagonia and the American West, students embark on an incredible 60 to 80-day journey to some of the world's wildest places. Whether they're focused on rock climbing (Rock Semester) or wilderness travel (Trek Semester)...

HMI Gap: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in the Natural World

HMI Gap: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in the Natural World