How a 20-acre former basecamp became Bush’s second campus for field research and wilderness learning
Quick Answer for Busy Parents
In 2016, The Bush School acquired a 20-acre educational facility in Mazama, Washington, formerly known as the North Cascades Basecamp, and renamed it the Bush Methow Campus. The site integrates wilderness, cultural, and academic experiential learning, supporting Methow Valley field research and Cascades design projects that connect directly to what Middle and Upper School students study in their regular Seattle classrooms.
From Basecamp to Bush Campus
The Methow Campus wasn’t purpose-built by Bush; it began as the North Cascades Basecamp, an existing wilderness education facility Bush acquired in 2016. Rather than developing a wilderness site from scratch, Bush built on infrastructure and expertise already established in the region, giving students access to a genuine, tested wilderness education program rather than a newly improvised one.
Why Acquire an Existing Facility?
Acquiring an established basecamp, rather than building new, lets Bush add a genuine wilderness education program to its offerings without the years of trial and error that typically come with starting a remote educational site from nothing.
Curious How Bush’s Experiential Programs Fit Your Child?
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What Happens at Methow
Bush describes its Engaged Learning philosophy as extending “from Methow Valley field research and Cascades design projects” directly into students’ broader education, treating the wilderness campus as a genuine extension of the classroom rather than a separate retreat experience. Students conduct real field research, work on design projects tied to the surrounding Cascades landscape, and take part in wilderness trips designed to push them outside familiar routines.
| Element | Detail |
| Location | Mazama, Washington (Methow Valley, North Cascades) |
| Size | 20 acres |
| Acquired | 2016 (formerly North Cascades Basecamp) |
| Focus Areas | Wilderness education, field research, cultural and academic experiential learning |
Why a Second Campus, Three Hours From Seattle?
Committing to a wilderness campus roughly three hours from Bush’s main Seattle location is a genuine logistical investment, not a token gesture toward outdoor education. That distance is part of the point: Methow gives students a real change of environment, away from the city, where wilderness trips, field research, and place-based learning can happen in a landscape Seattle itself doesn’t offer.
A Program That Requires Real Commitment
Maintaining a second campus this far from the main school signals that wilderness and place-based education isn’t an occasional add-on at Bush; it’s substantial enough to justify the ongoing logistics of transporting students and running programming at a remote site.
Maximizing Your Student’s Experience at the Methow Campus
The Bush Methow Campus reflects a genuine, sustained institutional investment in wilderness and field-based education, built on an established facility and integrated directly into Bush’s broader experiential learning philosophy.
Cardinal Education helps families navigate these opportunities, ensuring they understand how these programs align with a student’s academic goals and interests. Families should ask directly which grades and programs currently use the Methow Campus, since specific trip schedules and curricular connections can vary by year.
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