Gateway Mountain Center

Gateway Mountain Center

“Nature frees me from the prison of my mind, washing away all the sadness and tension, filling me with beauty.” ~ Gateway Mountain Center Youth Participant

WHY SUPPORT GATEWAY MOUNTAIN CENTER DURING GIVE BACK TAHOE? 

For nearly two decades, Gateway Mountain Center has been a leader in the nature as medicine movement, bringing kids out of the clinic and into the outdoors and supporting the emotional, mental, physical, and social well-being of all young people — regardless of where they come from, their life experiences, and their physical abilities.

At Gateway Mountain Center, we work with some of the highest-need youth in the Truckee/Tahoe region and beyond, bringing together the transformative power of human connection and nature immersion to help young people learn, heal, and thrive. Our work would not be possible without the support of the community around us.

ROOTED IN NATURE. SUPPORTED BY SCIENCE.

We’re the only nature-based therapeutic program with Medi-Cal certification. As part of our commitment to equity, Gateway Mountain Center meets families where they are financially — especially in California, where over half of young people have Medi-Cal. Usually, Medi-Cal offers support only in clinical settings — we’re the exception. Every young person has the right to experience innovative mental health support through shared nature experiences.

Gateway Mountain Center brings together the transformative power of human connection and nature immersion to help young people learn, heal, and thrive. Our innovative, science-informed method, called 4Roots for Growing a Human, supports the emotional, mental, physical, and social well-being of all young people — regardless of where they come from, their life experiences, and their physical abilities. Our work happens in all the places where young people need this support. That includes working with schools, collaborating with community groups and youth organizations, offering services at our community wellness center, and delivering our clinically supervised, nature-based, therapeutic mentoring program.

Bridging Whole Hearts, Minds & Bodies: We’re expanding our Whole Hearts, Minds & Bodies (WHMB) program to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2025. This innovative program provides clinically supervised, nature-based, therapeutic mentoring for young people who have intensive behavioral health needs. We’re excited to expand the meaningful impact of this program to even more communities!

Creating a Lasting, Healing Sanctuary at High Mountain Lodge: Gateway Mountain Center has long used the power of nature to help young people to learn, heal, and thrive, and now it’s time to give our programs a lasting home. Our High Mountain Lodge will be a welcoming sanctuary where young people can grow community, belonging, well-being, and confidence through shared nature experiences. After over two years of leasing the space, Gateway is now purchasing the sprawling 23 acres of high-conservation-value land, which includes the lodge and a building to be used for staff housing.

At nearly a century old, High Mountain Lodge requires a series of renovations to bring it up to code. The California Department of Health Care Services has awarded Gateway Mountain Center $1.8 million toward the purchase and renovations, but we need additional support to help us meet the moment for these young people. Once renovated, the lodge will serve as a permanent home for our nature-based Sierra Experience adventure programming and a base camp for our Natural High Retreats. It will also be one of a handful of ADA-accessible lodges in the Northern Sierra Nevada. Go to gatewaymountaincenter.org to take a virtual tour of High Mountain Lodge and to learn more about our campaign.