What Trackers Earth does

Trackers Earth is a privately-held outdoor and folk school education company founded in 2004 by Molly Deis and Tony Deis and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It teaches traditional outdoor and craft skills — wilderness survival, archery, blacksmithing, foraging, tracking, fishing, homesteading, and storytelling — to youth ages 4-17 and adults, organized around a proprietary Four Guilds curriculum framework (Rangers, Wilders, Mariners, Artisans). Programs are delivered across multiple formats including Basecamp (on-site), Adventure (transported off-site), Residential Overnight at the 103-acre Camp Roslyn in Sandy, OR, and Expedition programs to the Oregon Coast and Kauai, Hawaii.

The company's product surface includes summer day camps, overnight camps, school-year programs (Forest Preschool, transported after-school, weekend apprenticeships, homeschool courses), break camps, teen leadership tracks, adult single-day classes and 9-month immersives, community events, and original graphic novels and songbooks. Operations span five Portland-metro locations plus the Camp Roslyn overnight site and affiliated Trackers branded locations in the Bay Area, Seattle, and Denver, alongside sister organizations Realms Adventures and Portland Forest School.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, monetized primarily through one-time program fees for camps and classes with a subscription-style recurring component in after-school and homeschool programs. There is no proprietary software platform; operations use standard e-commerce registration, email marketing via MailChimp, and paid social (Google AdWords, Facebook, Twitter). The company has 51-100 employees, manages over 450 acres of forest and farmland, and is family-owned with no disclosed outside investors or M&A activity.

Name

Trackers Earth

Legal name

Trackers Earth

Website

https://trackerspdx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Trackers Earth is a Portland, Oregon-based outdoor and folk school founded in 2004 that teaches wilderness survival, archery, blacksmithing, foraging, and traditional crafts to youth ages 4-17 and adults across multiple Pacific Northwest locations and affiliated Bay Area, Seattle, and Denver sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Education & Youth Camps

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG), Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD), Outdoor & Survival Skills Lessons (Bushcraft, Navigation, Foraging) (THAJAKAM), Outdoor / Nature-Based Before/After Care Programs (EDACAHAJ), Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI)

Keywords

• Outdoor education programs
• Youth summer camps
• Wilderness survival classes
• Folk school training
• Adult craft workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Gresham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Day Camp Registration: Week-long and multi-session summer day camps for grades PK-12 across multiple Portland locations and Sandy, OR. Core programs include Basecamp (onsite), Adventure (transported), and Leadership tracks. Fees vary by program type and session length.
2. Overnight/Residential Camp Registration: Multi-day residential camps at Camp Roslyn in Sandy, OR (103-acre forest and farm site) plus expedition camps to Oregon Coast and Kauai, Hawaii. Includes archery, blacksmithing, wilderness survival, ranching, and role-playing programs.
3. School Year Programs: Ongoing after-school programs, weekend apprenticeships, homeschool courses, and Forest Preschool for ages 4-17. Programs include skills studios, transported after-school, outdoor homeschool, and Friday Outdoor School.
4. Break Camps: Winter, Spring, and November Break camps plus No-School Day camps during school closures.
5. Adult Classes and Immersives: Single-day classes and 9-month intensive programs in wilderness survival, blacksmithing, archery, mushroom foraging, and wild plants. Includes Open Forge and Open Archery Range sessions.
6. Community Events: Family community events including Open Goblin Market, Trackers Skills Night, Holiday Faire, and Tracktoberfest.
7. Merchandise and Publications: Trackers Store selling merchandise, graphic novels, comics, and books. Campfire songbooks and educational materials.
8. Extended Care Services: Pre-Camp and After-Camp extended hour programs for working families requiring additional childcare coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Trackers Earth operates an outdoor and folk school delivering wilderness survival, archery, homesteading, blacksmithing, foraging, fishing, and role-playing programs for youth (ages 4-17) and adults. Instruction is delivered via summer day camps, overnight residential camps at Camp Roslyn, ongoing school-year programs (forest preschool, after-school, homeschool, apprenticeships), single-day adult workshops, and 9-month immersive intensives. Programs are organized around a proprietary Four Guilds curriculum (Rangers, Wilders, Mariners, Artisans) and supported by in-house published graphic novels, comics, and songbooks.

Product overview

Trackers Earth is an outdoor and folk school education provider offering a diverse portfolio of programs organized around four core Guilds: Rangers (wilderness survival, tracking, awareness), Wilders (homesteading, farming, folk crafts), Mariners (fishing, boating, water skills), and Artisans (storytelling, role-playing, creative crafts). The company operates a unified platform of youth camps and adult classes spanning multiple delivery formats: Basecamp (onsite classes), Adventure/Transport (offsite expeditions), Residential Overnight (at Camp Roslyn in Sandy, OR), and Expedition programs (travel to Oregon Coast, Kauai). Youth programming includes Summer Camps (day and overnight), School Year programs (After School, Homeschool, Apprenticeships, Forest Preschool), and Leadership tracks. Adult offerings encompass Wilderness Survival, Blacksmithing, Archery, and Foraging classes ranging from single-day workshops to 9-month immersive programs. The company also produces graphic novels and comics set in the Trackers universe, and hosts community events including Goblin Markets and Trackers Skills Nights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Day Camps Award-winning day camps for grades PK-12 offering hands-on crafts and outdoor adventure including archery, wilderness survival, fishing, boating, rock climbing, role-playing games, blacksmithing, and leadership skills. Delivered in Basecamp (onsite) and Adventure (transported) formats across five Portland-metro locations.
• Overnight Summer Camps Residential and expedition overnight camps for grades 5-12 at Camp Roslyn, a 103-acre forest and farm in the foothills of Mt. Hood near Sandy, OR. Includes archery, wilderness survival, cattle ranching, blacksmithing, live-action role-playing, teen leadership, and expedition options to Oregon Coast and Kauai, Hawaii.
• School Year Programs Ongoing youth programming during the academic year including Forest Preschool (ages 4-5), Transported After School with school pickup, After School Skills Studio (1-4 days), Weekend Apprenticeships, Friday Outdoor School for charter schools, and Outdoor Homeschool courses across Portland and Sandy.
• Teen Leadership Programs Leadership development tracks including Leader-in-Training (LIT) programs for grades 8-12 offered during summer camps, winter break, spring break, and no-school days, emphasizing teamwork, mentorship, and skill development for future camp leadership roles.
• Adult Wilderness Survival Classes Adult education in outdoor safety and wilderness survival including single-day basics classes and a 9-month immersion covering advanced wilderness living skills led by Trackers Guides.
• Adult Blacksmithing Classes Adult blacksmithing education covering tool use, shop safety, craftsmanship, and metalworking design, including single-day basics, a 9-month immersive intensive, and recurring Friday-evening Open Forge practice sessions.
• Adult Archery Classes Adult archery instruction and weekly Open Archery Range access priced at $5 per session, open to all ages, for archery enthusiasts to practice skills and meet other enthusiasts.
• Adult Foraging Classes Adult foraging education including 1-day Mushroom Foraging and 1-day Wild Plants identification classes, teaching sustainable harvesting of edible and usable wild plants.
• Extended Care Services Pre-Camp and After-Camp extended-hour programs providing earlier drop-off (from 7:30 AM) and later pickup (until 5:30 PM) in 1-3 hour increments, serving working families needing additional childcare coverage.
• Community Events Family and community gatherings including Open Goblin Markets (seasonal trading events), Trackers Skills Nights (hands-on skill sharing with potluck and music), Holiday Faire, and informational events like the Kauai Adventure Info Night.
• Trackers Comics, Graphic Novels and Books Original comic books and graphic novels set in the Trackers universe created by in-house comic artist Yuki Saeki, plus fiction novels for kids, how-to outdoor skills books for families, Campfire songbooks, and seasonal coloring pages sold through the Trackers Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Best Camp with parents through PDX Parent Magazine for 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Realms AdventuresminorOthersSister organization offering related outdoor adventure experiences. Listed under 'Sister Organizations' on the Trackers Earth website.
• Portland Forest SchoolminorOthersSister organization offering forest school programming. Listed under 'Sister Organizations' on the Trackers Earth website.
• Trackers Bay AreaminorOthersRegional location in Bay Area, California. Part of Trackers Earth multi-location network.
• Trackers Seattle AreaminorOthersRegional location in Seattle, Washington area. Part of Trackers Earth multi-location network.
• Trackers DenverminorOthersRegional location in Denver, Colorado. Part of Trackers Earth multi-location network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Mountain Kids: New Mexico-based outdoor education program for youth focused on wilderness skills, nature connection, and movement. Overlaps with Trackers' Forest Preschool and Rangers curriculum at smaller scale in a different geography.
• Earthwork Programs: Michigan-based nature connection and primitive skills school for kids and teens. Comparable to Trackers' Wilders and Rangers programming with shared mentoring-based, long-format outdoor education philosophy.

Direct peers

• Avid4 Adventure: Colorado-based outdoor adventure day camps for kids (grades K-12) offering mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking, and wilderness skills. Closest direct competitor to Trackers' Basecamp/Adventure summer camp model with similar age targeting and multi-location Portland-style rollout.
• Earth Native Wilderness School: Austin, TX-based nature school offering bushcraft, wilderness survival, tracking, and naturalist education for kids and adults. Directly mirrors Trackers' Wilderness Survival, Wild Plants, and Rangers curriculum with comparable weekly classes and immersion programs.
• Hidden Villa: Bay Area nonprofit operating farm-based summer camps, overnight programs, and wilderness education on a 1,600-acre property. Comparable to Trackers' Camp Roslyn overnight model and Sandy farm/forest programming, with similar social-mission orientation.
• Primitive Pursuits: Ithaca, NY-based nature education program offering primitive skills, tracking, foraging, and folk crafts to youth and adults. Closely aligned with Trackers' Wilders and Artisans Guilds through shared primitive-skills pedagogy.

Broad incumbents

• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Premier U.S. wilderness education provider offering multi-week expedition courses in backpacking, climbing, and wilderness survival. Comparable adult-side wilderness curriculum to Trackers' 9-month Wilderness Survival Immersion, at much larger scale.
• Outward Bound: Iconic outdoor education nonprofit offering wilderness expeditions for teens and adults across the U.S. Overlaps with Trackers' overnight/expedition camps (Oregon Coast, Kauai) and teen leadership tracks.
• REI Co-op Experiences: REI's national outdoor skills class and adventure trip program covering hiking, navigation, and outdoor fundamentals for adults and families. Directly competes with Trackers' adult single-day classes and foraging offerings at broader retail scale.
• YMCA of the Columbia-Willamette Camps: Regional YMCA operating summer day camps and outdoor education programs in the Portland metro area. Competes for the same working-family segment that uses Trackers' Pre-Camp/After-Camp extended care and scholarship-supported programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trackersearth
• Facebookfacebook.com/trackersearth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trackersearth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trackers Earth