Ropes CHallenge course

Outward Bound California’s Challenge Course in McLaren Park was built in partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Through the Challenge Course, we are increasing equitable access to meaningful outdoor experiences and programming. Students from across the Bay Area have the opportunity to challenge themselves, take positive risks, develop teamwork and leadership skills, and become stewards of nature.

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Who Can Attend the Challenge Course

Schools and Non-Profit Groups

Corporate Groups

Community Days

Support Our Work

Native Land Acknowledgment

About the Ropes Course:

A Typical Day

We offer different activities with varying levels of challenge to meet the needs of our participants. A typical day begins with a welcome circle and a few icebreakers before jumping right into low elements and ground-based initiatives, in which teams tackle challenges to develop confidence, group cohesion, and leadership and communication skills.

The high ropes feature eleven high elements, each presenting a different challenge several feet off the ground. If a participant attempts one of the high elements, they conduct pre-climb safety checks with their belay team, comprised of a group of their peers under the supervision of an OBCA Instructor, manage the rope and prevent the climber from falling. The student sets their goal and then steps off the ground, ready to embrace the physical and emotional challenges and trust themselves and their teammates to support them. After being slowly lowered back to the ground, the climber is often filled with pride, having climbed farther and accomplished more than they had imagined.

Each program is highly customized to meet the goals of the group. Each course includes an intentional progression of skills, elements, and reflections designed to achieve the group's learning outcomes throughout a fun and balanced sequence of activities, and therefore doesn't include every element on the course.

Who Can Attend the Challenge Course

We host all types of organizations: schools, from 7th grade through university, non-profits, government organizations and corporate groups.

For more information about booking a ropes course program for your group, fill out a Contact Us, and choose "School and Group Ropes Course and Expeditions (corporate, non-profit)" or contact us at info@obca.org.

The Nuts and Bolts

• 6 - 40 Participants
• Minimum age requirement is 12
• Covid-19 Practices

Check out our calendar for availability

Schools and non-profit groups: 

Please contact us for 2025 prices! Scholarships are available for qualifying organizations. Please reach out directly for information regarding these programs.

If traveling to the course is a barrier, we recommend checking out Yoots.org.

Contact Us for Information about Group Programs 

Corporate Groups:

Companies come to OBCA to shake up the traditional team building model and provide their employees with real, experiential learning opportunities in one of the many beautiful parks around the Bay Area including John McLaren Park where our Ropes Course is located. Our programs range from half day on-site or remote programs to multi-day team building workshops which can include a day on the Ropes Course.

The core of our corporate courses is to work with teams to overcome the challenges they face - now and in the future. We use activities including the Ropes Course and the inherent challenges it presents as our teaching tool. Our experienced professionals will work with you to design a custom program addressing your specific goals and driving the results you seek for your team.

This combination of experienced, highly skilled facilitators and our high impact program model provides our clients with a powerful ongoing resource for developing exceptional leaders and high performance teams.

Download our Corporate Programming Flyer 

Community Days:

One Saturday each month from February through October, Outward Bound California offers a free day at the ropes course for community members. Participants are chosen through a lottery held in the two weeks prior to each Community Day.

1. Sign Up for Notifications: Join our Community Day Email List by filling out the Contact Us form and choose Sign Up For Community Day Ropes Course Registration Notification Emails.
2. Enter the Lottery: All email subscribers will be notified when the lottery opens. The entry period lasts 48 hours, starting on the Monday 12 days before each Community Day. Each application can include 1–4 people (for example, you and up to three guests). If chosen, your entire group secures a spot.
3. Acceptance & Registration: After the lottery closes, entrants are notified whether they have been chosen, waitlisted, or should try again next time. Groups chosen in the first round or from the waitlist have 48 hours to complete registration for all group members. Unregistered spots are re-assigned.

What to Expect at Community Day

Who: Youth 12+ and adults of all ages. Participants are chosen in advance via lottery and must complete online registration if chosen.

Activities: Community-building games and high ropes challenges, facilitated by Outward Bound California instructors.

When: One Saturday per month, February–October, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Full attendance is required.

Where: John McLaren Park, San Francisco

Priority for Residents of SF Supervisorial Districts 9, 10 & 11

This course was built to serve the community near McLaren Park. Residents of Districts 9, 10 & 11 receive priority in the lottery. Use this tool to check if you live in one of these districts, and then check the box indicating that during the lottery registration process.

Our final Community Day of 2025 is October 25. Community Days will resume with the 2026 season in February.

Projected 2026 Community Days (subject to change):

• Saturday, February 21
• Saturday, March 21
• Saturday, April 18
• Saturday, May 16
• Saturday, June 27
• Saturday, July 25
• Saturday, August 29
• Saturday, September 26
• Saturday, October 24

Support students on the Ropes Challenge Course 

Native Land Acknowledgment

At Outward Bound California, we work with thousands of students in John McLaren Park. When we share, protect, and learn from a space, it’s important to understand and acknowledge the place’s past, present, and future, and to understand our place within that history. The Ropes Course lies on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples who have cared for this land since before California was a part of Spain, Mexico, or the United States. We pay our respects to the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples for their commitment to Mother Earth and its peoples, and for their work restoring their land and revitalizing their culture. At https://www.ramaytush.org/, you can learn more about Ramaytush Ohlone and support their efforts with donations.