Category: Information

2026 Beaverton, Oregon Stake Pioneer Trek Preparation Ward Activities

The 2026 Pioneer Trek will take place at Ensign Ranch in Washington. We will be walking 3-7 miles per day for 3 days, pulling hand carts on uneven terrain and steep hills. 

Activity 1: Bucket Preparation

Each youth participating in the trek will need a 5-gallon bucket with a lid to hold all their supplies, except their sleeping gear. They can also use the bucket as a seat in camp. We ask each ward to purchase 5-gallon buckets with lids for each youth. One suggested activity could be decorating the buckets with fun, inspiring artwork. You can also create a pad for the lid to make it a more comfortable seat. Here is an example of what another stake has done:

https://www.vineyardstaketrek.com/leader-info/mas-and-pas/trek-buckets

Activity 2: Build a hand-wash station

We will be camping in a primitive area without sinks for handwashing. We will have access to clean water. We need to build handwashing stations to use while in camp. We would like each ward to build a simple handwashing station using two buckets and low-cost supplies available at a hardware store. If your ward would like to build two handwash stations, that would also be great.

Here are instructions for building a handwash station:

Pro Tip: Homemade Hand Wash Station

Activity 3: Practice hike

Many of our youth are not used to walking significant distances and also may not be aware of what socks and shoes will work well for them. You could do a 5-7-mile hike as a youth activity so they can make sure they have appropriate shoes and socks. The Wildwood Trail in Forest Park or the Leif Erickson Trail/road are both good options that are close by. 

Coming July 8 – 11, 2026

The 2026 Pioneer Trek for the Beaverton, Oregon, Stake will take place at Ensign Ranch in Washington State. We depart the Beaverton Stake Center on buses on July 8th and return on the 11th. We will walk 3-8 miles per day, pulling handcarts. We will also have an afternoon at the beautiful Ensign Ranch lake, featuring swimming, canoeing, and a giant slip-and-slide. Here are some key details for the trek:

• Participants are not required to wear pioneer-type clothing.
• Each youth will pack their supplies in a 5-gallon bucket (except for sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and tent).
• We will camp in the same place each night.
• We will organize “families” of about 8 youth, with a couple as the “Ma and Pa” adult leaders.
• We will announce and organize the families on July 8th.