Kuratli Outdoor School Site
24751 Clackamas Hwy 224
Boring, OR 97009
(503) 637-5706
FAX (503) 257-1592
Outdoor School site phones are only in operation during the Outdoor School session (mid-September to early November in fall; mid-March to early June in spring).
Letters to students should include the student’s name and school.
From I-205:
Take exit 12A, Hwy 212/224, East. Proceed towards Estacada. Continue right on Hwy 224 at the "Y" towards Carver. Travel 5.3 miles past Carver. Camp Kuratli at Trestle Glen is located on the left hand side across the street from Barton Store
From Hwy 26:
Heading East on Hwy 26 turn Right on Kelso Dr. (just before Sandy). Follow Kelso Dr. until it turns into Amisigger and follow Amisigger around to the left. Turn Right onto Hwy 224. Camp Kuratli entrance will be on your right, ½ mile
DINING HALL
The dining hall at Kuratli is centrally located, with the cabin buildings close by. Trails and unpaved roads access most field study areas.
Students, high school Student Leaders, Staff, and Teachers eat family style in the spacious dining hall. Hot, varied, and nutritious meals are prepared by our professional kitchen staff, and students are assigned to help set the tables, deliver and serve the food during the meal, and clean up after the meal on a rotating basis.
The dining hall serves as a central hub of activity throughout the day. Students participate in a ceremonial raising and lowering of the flag each morning and evening, and evening campfire programs are held inside the dining hall facing the grand fireplace in case of inclement weather.
CABINS AND RESTROOMS
Cabin buildings at Kuratli feature two stories, with one cabin housed on the ground floor and one cabin upstairs. Each cabin level has its own private single-stall restroom, and also has a small "counselor room" which can be used as a private changing space.
All participants and Student Leaders sleep on bunk beds with mattresses. Students and Student Leaders should bring a sleeping bag (or blankets) and pillow for their stay.
In addition to the restrooms inside the cabins, a main restroom facility with multiple stalls is centrally located near the dining hall. The site also features additional single stall restrooms in Upper Columbia Dining Hall, Lower Columbia Meeting Room, and in the Nature Center, as well as designated single-occupant restrooms at the Craft House.
OUTDOOR SCHOOL NURSE
There is a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day while your student is at Outdoor School. The nurse takes care of injuries and illnesses as they arise, and also has commonly-forgotten items (like sleeping bags, jackets, and toothbrushes) available to lend. The nurse is available to discreetly clean soiled sleeping bags as needed throughout the week. If you have specific health care or dietary concerns, please contact the Outdoor School Program Nurse, Tom Eby: teby@mesd.k12.or.us
OTHER FEATURES
Rain or shine, the entire Kuratli community gathers in the evening for a campfire program at the outdoor campfire facility. Class groups, cabin groups, Student Leaders, and staff perform skits and enjoy songs, and it is many students' favorite part of Outdoor School. Though rain can fall in between, both the performance space and the audience space are located under cover, so rain won't stop the fun.
Field study at Outdoor School—when students learn science and natural history—occurs throughout the site. The Kuratli site is located along Deep Creek near the North Fork confluence, and features lush forests and and a quiet pond.
The Kuratli site occupies the land of the Chinook and the Clackamas
From the Chinook Nation's Website: "The modern Chinook Indian Nation consists of the Clatsop and Kathlamet of what is now Oregon and the Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa of Washington State. Our five historically important Tribes have existed since time immemorial in our aboriginal territory at the mouth of the Columbia River. It is here that our Chinook families welcomed Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean and helped them survive the winter of 1805 and 1806."
From the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Website: "The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon includes over 30 tribes and bands from western Oregon, northern California, and southwest Washington. Since time immemorial tribal people have relied on these traditional landscapes for their livelihood. The fish and game were plentiful and what the lands didn’t provide, they acquired by trade.
"This way of life changed with western expansion. Ratified and unratified treaties between the Tribes and the United States Government from 1853 through 1855 resulted in the forced removal of tribal members from their ancestral homelands. Despite this removal, tribal members maintained their connection to their homelands and areas such as Willamette Falls and Table Rocks."
The MESD Outdoor School program rents Camp Kuratli at Trestle Glen in the Spring and Fall of each school year. Camp Kuratli at Trestle Glen offers summer camp programs and rental facilities for private events. The Outdoor School program began using the Camp Kuratli at Trestle Glen property in 1979.
