Jacks Valley - July 16 | USAFA Webguy

Jacks Valley - July 16

16 Jul. 2026
USAFA
Web Guy

The Basics at Jacks today are COBRAS, GUTS, AGGRESSORS, DEMONS.

First some general admin notes.

1. All pictures from Jacks Valley will now appear either in just the BCT 2 gallery or the individual squadron gallery under BCT 2.

2. We will cover each squadron at each course unless there are weather safety issues. There are 3 courses: Obstacle Course, Confidence Course and Assault Course and we will also cover CBRN daily.

3.*** There will be a day or two where you may not see your basic's squadron.

4. There are many events that take place in Jacks Valley that we are not allowed to cover, but there is a lot of action that happens on the courses!

History of Jacks Valley

The Air Force Academy occupies 18,500 acres. For perspective, it is roughly the size and shape of Manhattan (the island in New York, not the city in Kansas). The Academy site consists of five main valleys that run west-to-east, from the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains to the plains below. The northernmost of the valleys is Jacks Valley. The area is named after Cleo and Zelda Jack, who had owned a 480-acre ranch in the valley beginning in 1942.

Every summer, Jacks plays host to a key part of Basic Cadet Training, the field encampment portion that takes place during the second half of BCT, typically in late July. The use of Jacks Valley for BCT began on 25 July 1966, when members of the Class of ’70 marched to the training site. Since that day, every USAFA class has ventured into the valley to sleep in tents and experience a wide range of activities, to include land navigation, weapons training, and a variety of courses (obstacle, assault, confidence, and leadership reaction).

The Assault Course: Cobras