This research assessed effects of brief wilderness programs on adolescents' self-concepts, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and environmental attitudes and contrasted effects for adolescents in five racial groups. A pretest-posttest design compared adolescents who participated in wilderness outings (n = 67) with adolescents on a waiting list to participate in wilderness outings (n = 76). Questionnaires were completed by adolescents, their primary caregivers, and outing leaders. Contrary to expectation, no differential improvement was found for program participants. Among African-American outing participants, reported self-concept decreased between pretest and posttest. Findings suggest that brief wilderness programs may not beneficially affect adolescents' self-concept, behaviors, or environmental attitude, perhaps because participants do not experience the presumed effective ingredients of wilderness programs in these outings.