Location & Pricing
2026 Course List
LocationS:
Most classes are held at our private training facility in Northern Virginia. This site is private property in the forests west of Garrisonville, south of Warrenton, north of Hartwood. Detailed directions are provided upon enrollment. We also run foraging classes at Sky Meadows State Park near Delaplane, Virginia.
2026 class PRICINg
One-Day Regular Classes - $149
Two-Day Classes - $299
Three-Day Classes - $449
Check out our option for Survival Class Bundles - new 4-Day option just added!
good to know
30 Years of Teaching Experience
For school owner and head instructor Tim MacWelch, September 2025 marked the 30th consecutive year of providing survival training to the general public and private groups. That’s three decades of showing people how to stay alive in the woods!
The Lost Book
The “lost book” is coming out in 2026. Your instructor Tim MacWelch had a two-book-deal with Skyhorse Publishing in 2019, but only one book was published. COVID hit, and that second manuscript just fell through the cracks. We are all pleased to announce that this lost book on water procurement and fire building is scheduled for a September 2026 release.
The Water and Fire Survival Handbook will be the 14th published book from the school’s head instructor. Check your bookshelf - do you already have a MacWelch Bestseller?
summer Spotlight
NEW CLASS!
We just launched a new class - the Ultimate Emergency Preparedness Crash Course. This one-day class will teach you the top skills in six different topics. If you’re looking for a concise way to gain new skills - we’ll show you the most important things to know in the most important subjects.
Check out the class description for the Ultimate Emergency Preparedness Crash Course to see all the details. If you’re looking for the easiest (and most cost effective) way to level up your skills - this is it!
Hope to see you in a class soon - Tim MacWelch
Welcome to the Course List page (updated on 5/29/2026).
This page gives you a month-by-month listing of our upcoming events.
2026 Sky Meadows State Park Classes - Deleplane, Va
Sky Meadows classes run from 10 am until 5 pm.
June 14 - Summer Wild Edible Plants - $149 - This foraging class involves a 4 mile hike through beautiful Sky Meadows State Park. We’ll focus on wild berries and summer vegetables, but also look at many woody and herbaceous plants.
November 8 - Fall Wild Edible Plants - $149 - Here’s our final foraging class of the year at Sky Meadows. This 4 mile hike will focus on tree nuts, fall berries and roots, along with herbaceous plants and shrubs.
2026 Home Location Classes - Hartwood, Va
Home location classes typically run from 9 am until 4 pm (Crash Courses usually run from 9 am to 5 pm).
June 13 - Blacksmithing - $149 - This one day blacksmithing class will show you how to set up your own backyard forge and make functional items from different types of steel.
July 18 - Summer Wild Edible Plants - $149 - Want a foraging class without all the hiking? This class will consist of short walks to explore the edible flora that is common in the Mid-Atlantic.
July 19 - Advanced Herbalism - $149 - Learn how to integrate wild plant medicine into your daily life. This class will teach you about the local plants that can be part of your daily routine for general heath as well as the treatment of ailments.
July 18-19 - Foraging Intensive Weekend - $299 - Take both classes and make a weekend out of it!
August 1-2 - Wilderness Survival - $299 - Don’t die in the woods! This hands-on wilderness survival class will teach you skills in shelter building, fire starting, water procurement, foraging and much more.
August 1 - Modern Survival Crash Course - $149 - Can’t spend the weekend? Take the crash course and get the basics of modern wilderness survival.
September 12 - Ultimate Emergency Preparedness Crash Course - $149 (new class!) - This is a “best of” class, featuring the top tips and techniques across six different areas of survival. Learn the best practices of foraging, food storage, wilderness survival, disaster preparedness and more - in concise one day format.
November 21-23 - Primitive Skills (full 3-day version) - $449 - This is the 29th year we’ve offered this popular class on primitive survival skills. Come learn shelter, water, fire, food and many other skills using the resources that nature provides. The three day format includes the crash course; traps and weapons; and a third day on foraging, primitive cooking, food preservation and camp skills.
November 21-22 - Primitive Skills (2-day version) - $299 - This shortened version contains the crash course and the traps & weapons class.
November 21 - Primitive Survival Crash Course - $149 - Get the basics of building shelter, making fire, finding water, making tools and signaling for help with primitive technology.
November 22 - Primitive Traps and Weapons - $149 - Learn to make simple hunting tools, snares and deadfalls for food procurement.