What Are The 10 Best U.S. Colleges For Outdoor Adventurers?

If you’re just beginning your tertiary education and it’s not just the quality of academia you’re after we’ve got a list of tertiary institutions that are fully engaged to help you qualify in the only degree worth getting: the B.A. (Bad *ss) in Adventure!

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Western Washington University

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From a vantage point over the San Juan Islands and close to (60 minute drive) Mount Baker and the wonderful Olympic National Park lies the Western Washington University. Nestled in the Pacific Northwest and surrounded by a smorgasbord of adventure opportunities, you will find treacherous coastline, iced over ridges (think snowboarding), lush forest and even wild rapid-packed rivers.

Western Washington University makes it to the top of our list for the ultra rad (is that still a word?) adrenaline pumping possibilities on offer. Into a mix of snowboarding, skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and whitewater rafting throw the highly acclaimed academic and legislative pursuits of Huxley College of the Environment and you have yourself a formidable competitor for the spot of all time most awesome Universities in the country.

Reed College

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The college’s inception was in 1908 and the campus itself is situated in Portland, Oregon. Classed as a co-ed, private liberal arts and sciences college, Reed offers a great outdoor adventure program.

The college has a really cool, comprehensive outdoor program aptly called the Reed Outdoor Program and Education (ROPE). It’s a cleverly designed outdoor enthusiast’s adventure program that aims to make hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, canoeing and so much more accessible to all students. Go Reedies!

University of North Carolina at Asheville

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If whitewater rafting and kayaking is important to your academic well-being, then the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville) could be the place to bring home your degree summa cum laude.

We can’t say enough about the University of North Carolina’s capacity to meet (and then some) the aspirations of all whitewater rafting junkies. (UNC Asheville) is situated in what Outside Magazine readers voted to be one of the ‘4 Best Towns in America’.

University of California, Berkeley

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In addition to its prestigious academic legacy, UC Berkeley is just four hours short of the magnificent, awe-inspiring valley of Yosemite National Park.

After immersing yourself (and going trigger happy with that smartphone) in the unfathomable beauty of the Sierra Nevada one can head down to the soothing sounds of the Pacific Ocean and enjoy snorkeling, water-skiing, sailing or jet-skiing in many of the idyllic spots along the Californian coastline.

University of California, Santa Barbara

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The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC, Santa Barbara) makes it to our top ten lists of universities geared for outdoor adventure because of the wonderful outdoor adventure program offered by their department of Recreation.

And because recreation really means fun, we suggest they rename it to the University of California, Santa Barbara’s House of Fun (no disrespect meant). This key program offers four adventures each lasting a week. The first adventure is called the ‘multi-sport classic adventure’ and comprises a week-long trip kayaking along the Santa Cruz Island through sea caves and the Santa Barbara coastline.

The second adventure is dubbed the ‘multi-sport too: mountains to the sea’ and this baby has students on a wild adventure in the Channel Islands National Park. The remaining adventures, i.e. the ‘Colorado canoe adventure’ and ‘backpacking adventure’ take students on a Colorado River canoe trip and hiking through the Sierra Nevada respectively. We could spend an entire blog on these alone so make sure you check out all the details.

University of Arkansas

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In the middle of the Boston Mountains, this research university is surrounded by the Ozark Mountain range. It’s an impressive all adventure all-rounder without any pretense.

If you want a general fun filled tertiary education experience encompassing wonderful (and so many) hikes, skiing, kayaking and swimming then the beautiful lake enriched, University of Arkansas is for you.

Black Hills State University

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‘Spearfish’, ‘Black Hills Forest’ and ‘Thunder Basin Grassland’ and our personal fav…’Badlands National Park’ all speak to the locales that encompass Black Hills State University. With such close proximity (less than 90 minutes) to high adrenaline-fueled adventure we’re wondering if students bother attending lectures.

It appears, so did the university, because at Black Hills State University, the faculty has met their adventure junkie students in the middle (so to speak) by offering a major in outdoor Education in zoos, aquaria, lodges and field stations.

Boise State University

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Outside magazine has classified Boise, Idaho as one of the ‘Best River Towns in America’ and we can see why. According to the government gazette, this quaint town is the healthiest and most active town in the US.

For prospective students, Boise State University offers 130 miles of hiking, many mountain bike trails, the wonderful twenty-five miles of Boise River Greenbelt and a staggering two thousand plus acres of skiiable surfaces.

University of Maine

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Located on the Penobscot River in Orono, Maine, this excellent school has been included on the Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll. The Acadia National Park is nearby and offers spectacular eco-tourist adventures and splendid fall color hikes.

Students can enroll in the Maine Bound curriculum and partake in many activities such as biking, rope climbing, backpacking and even sea kayaking in the Everglades!

Evergreen State College

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Located in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest, Evergreen State College is just 60 minutes from Olympic National Park. This experimental public liberal arts college has a comprehensive curriculum and large variety of outdoor activities to choose from.

The Puget Sound with its complex eco-system offers a variety of outdoor opportunities. Also nearby is the Pacific Ocean, mighty Mount Rainier for those inclined…well…towards an incline.

Should your college be on this list? Let us know, leave a comment below.

via All Things Waterproof.