Outdoor Adventures

We offer many trips, classes, and clinics each semester to provide you with the opportunity to learn new skills or enhance your knowledge of the great outdoors. Come take an adventure with us, bring your friends, and make some new ones. 

There are so many ways to take your fun, your exercise routine and your sense of adventure outside. Here are some of our typical programs. Take a look in the Events calendar to plan your next adventure (remember to select "Outdoor Adventures" to filter)!

View the events calendar and register for an outdoor adventure.

• Hike and Climb
  

  Hiking Trips and Clinics

  • Day Hikes: If you find yourself saying, “I miss trees,” don’t worry – we’ve got you. We offer day hikes all year (yes, even when it snows!) to nearby locations like Kamiak Butte, Moscow Mountain, and Elk Creek Falls.
  • Hike and Camp: Have you ever gone camping before? If the answer is no, you’re missing out! Camping is a great way to get away from work or school and unwind, and when combined with an activity like hiking, get some physical activity to improve your overall well-being. These trips typically take participants to a campsite within 1-2 hours of Pullman and span Saturday – Sunday, where the days are spent hiking and the evening is spent in camp.
  • Intro to Backpacking Clinic: If the skills involved in backpacking are daunting to you, come learn from our trained Adventure Facilitators. These clinics cover everything from how to pack a backpack to water purification and cooking on a camp stove so you can feel confident setting off on your own adventure!
  • Weekend Backpacking: So you’ve gone hiking or camping… but what about doing both, carrying everything you need to be self-sufficient on your back? If that prospect intrigues you but you don’t know where to start, Outdoor Adventures is here! We will introduce all the necessary skills while exploring some of the backpacking trails the Inland Northwest has to offer.
  • School Break Destination Backpacking: During fall or spring breaks, we can sometimes get a permit to backpack in a really cool place. These trips are 5-7 days long, so you still have time to study up or get some rest during your break and will go to places like Glacier National Park or Olympic National Park. Keep your eyes peeled for these once-in-a-lifetime trips!
    • Since these trips are longer, they tend to be more physically demanding and sometimes more technically demanding than our average weekend trip, so please prepare accordingly.

  

  Climbing Trips and Classes

  The Student Recreation Center hosts a Climbing Wall where we offer a variety of indoor climbing programs. If you're interested in leveling up your game and climbing outside on real rock, that's where Outdoor Adventures come in. We currently offer three types of outdoor climbing trips:

  • Day trips: These trips are focused on beginners who want to try top-roped climbing outside. They are often offered in the shoulder seasons when the crag isn't too hot or in the mornings to beat the heat of the day.
  • Gym to Rock I Series: Typically offered once per semester, Gym to Rock I aims to teach you how to climb single-pitch sport routes outside, which involves building and setting your own anchoring system. It has four on-campus classroom sessions (typically 4-6 p.m. on Mondays) that prepare you for an overnight trip where you can test your skills off-campus on both days.
  • Gym to Rock II Series: Our student staff sometimes go above and beyond to gain knowledge and skills that result in specific certifications that allow us to run this program. Gym to Rock II is a follow-up 4x classroom session + 1 trip series to Gym to Rock I, where the goal is to prepare you to trad climb single-pitch routes. This offering is rare due to the nature of the staffing certification requirements, and it is unknown when we will next run this program. Stay tuned!

  

  Mountaineering Trips and Clinics

  What happens when you combine a backpacking trip with rock climbing skills and some snow? Mountaineering! 

  • Crevasse Rescue Clinic: Whether you are hoping to tackle a glaciated mountain this summer or add to your repertoire of mountain skills, this local day trip provides an educational opportunity to gain exposure to many of the components and skills involved in crevasse rescue. In this introductory one-day course, participants will learn basic snow anchors, rope ascension, haul systems, and belay techniques.
  • Mountaineering 101 Series: This series is comprised of four 2-hour classroom sessions on campus where we’ll cover gear, physical preparation, winter camping, knots, roped travel, and (if snow allows) snow school. With that in place, the series will culminate in an outdoor trip where the objective is to summit a local mountain to put it all together. 
  • Intermediate Mountaineering: Believe it or not, the ideal time to summit mountains in the Cascades is during the summer. By this point, the snow has settled into a stable snowpack that is less likely to avalanche, and the weather windows are more reliable. When permits and staffing allow, we can send out a multi-day expedition to summit a Cascade volcano in June or July, so keep your eyes peeled for this rare event!
• Paddling
  

  Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Trips

  Stand-up paddleboarding is exploding on social media as a way to leisurely explore bodies of water. These trips are typically offered in the Summer and Fall when the air and water are warmer.

  • Sunset Paddle (SUP): If you find yourself saying, “I miss water", sunset paddles are a great way to get outside. The drive to the Snake River is about 30 minutes, where you'll learn general boating safety and the basics of maneuvering a Stand-Up Paddleboard, like how to paddle forward without switching sides every 5 strokes. Then we’ll explore the river for a few hours as the sun sets.
  • SUP Yoga: This relaxing trip has the best of both worlds: you get to tour around on a paddleboard for a few hours and do 1-1.5 hours of yoga on the paddleboards in the calm pond at Wawawai County Park. Our yoga instructors will offer a variety of pose options that suit any skill and comfort level – so you get to choose how much you challenge yourself. These trips are sometimes, but not always, listed as a Sunset Paddle variation for that extra aesthetic.

  

  Flatwater Kayak Trips and Clinics

  • Sunset Paddle (Kayak): If you find yourself saying, “I miss water", sunset paddles are a great way to get outside. The drive to the Snake River is about 30 minutes, where you'll learn general boating safety and the basics of maneuvering a sit-on-top kayak, which is a great introductory kayak with lots of stability, so the risk of falling in the water is minimal. Like a SUP Sunset Paddle, we'll explore the river as the sun sets before heading back to campus.
  • Day Trip: In this all-day trip, we'll drive to the body of water described and kayak! We’ll cover general boating safety and the basics of maneuvering a kayak while exploring different bodies of water. Due to its relative closeness, the Snake River is a common destination for these trips, but another location to watch for is Palouse Falls (typically scheduled in late April). On that trip, we paddle up towards the falls until the current pushes us back down, then we drive up to the lookout and get to view the full effect of the waterfall.
  • Kayak Rescue and Skills Clinic: Ever wondered what you would do if you or a paddling partner capsized? How do you get them back in their boat? What do you do with all the water? Come learn the answers to those questions and more in this on-campus clinic that takes place in the controlled environment of a pool.
  • Intro to Kayak Camping: Featuring a kayak rescue and skills clinic integrated into the pre-trip meeting, two days of paddling, and one night of camping, this trip is the perfect introduction to kayak camping. It’s like backpacking, where you carry everything you need with you, except you’re paddling with it all neatly stored in your boat! No prior experience is needed, and this trip usually runs towards the end of the Spring semester to prepare for any multi-day kayak tours that may go out over the summer.
  • Multi-day Flatwater Kayak Tours: Some bodies of water are just too big to explore in a day. That's where these trips come in. Come spend multiple days and nights paddling on some of the large lakes or reservoirs in the Inland and Pacific Northwest, like Priest Lake (ID), Ross Lake (WA), or Slocan Lake (CA). With a kayak rescue and skills clinic integrated into the pre-trip meeting, these trips require little paddling experience, but since we'll be moving a lot, good physical conditioning is highly encouraged. These trips tend to run over long weekends in the Fall semester or over the summer.

  

  Coastal Kayak and Whitewater Trips and Clinics

  • Kayak Rolling Clinic: The best self-rescue method in either a whitewater or a coastal environment is a bomb-proof roll. Come learn from our ACA-certified kayak instructors about a basic C-to-C or sweep roll in the controlled environment of a pool on campus. The pool is open at this time for folks who already have a roll to practice and refine it, and once a basic roll is mastered our instructors can help you develop other types of rolls.
  • Multi-day Coastal Kayak Tours: The San Juan Islands and greater Puget Sound on the west side of Washington State are home to some of the best coastal kayaking around. Typically scheduled in June when the weather is good but it's not too crowded, the perks of this trip include seeing an abundance of marine wildlife and an idyllic and dynamic paddling environment. This amazing experience is a longer trip in a coastal environment, which means that prior experience with kayak camping and good conditioning is a must. The Intro to Kayak Camping trip or any experience with a multi-day kayak tour are great ways to prepare for this trip. 
  • Whitewater Raft and Camp: For this trip, we partner with Salmon River Experience to bring you a thrilling whitewater rafting experience! We typically leave Friday night to drive to Riggins, ID, where we camp. When we wake up the next day, we meet with SRE to go whitewater rafting—they even provide lunch! No prior experience is necessary for this exciting trip.
  • Whitewater Kayaking 101 Series: Our student staff sometimes go above and beyond to gain knowledge and skills that result in specific certifications that allow us to run this program. If you crave a little extra adventure in your life, whitewater kayaking might be for you! In this series, consisting of 2 pool sessions and 2 days out on the river, you’ll learn about river hazards and how to manage them, along with the ins and outs of paddling in a whitewater environment. This offering is rare due to the nature of the staffing certification requirements, and it is unknown when we will next run this program, but due to river flows, it is most likely to be scheduled in April. Stay tuned!
• Snow Sports

  Snowshoeing

  • Snowshoe Hikes: Come enjoy the crisp air and find out why some people like their winter hikes better than their summer hikes. 
  • Intro to Winter Camping: Camping and backpacking aren't just three-season activities—with a little bit of extra planning, snow travel, and camping can be every bit as enjoyable. Join us on an overnight winter adventure that's all about learning to backpack and camp in the snow!

  

  Cross Country Ski (XC)

  • Thursday Lunchtime Ski: During January and February, we do a 1-hour jaunt in the Palouse Ridge Winter Park right here on campus - if it snows, it goes! The facilitators can instruct you on the basic techniques of cross-country skiing before heading out, so if you haven’t tried it before and want to, this is a perfect opportunity. This program is free; however, you will need to provide your own cross-country ski equipment. If you need gear, just rent from the Rental Shop at the Outdoor Recreation Center!
  • Day Trip: Whether you're brand new to Nordic skiing or just a little rusty and want to brush up on your skills, this trip is for you! Our most common location is Palouse Divide, which is maintained by the local community. However, if there isn't enough snow, we also detour up to Mt. Spokane when needed, so you'll get some tracks regardless.

  Ski Shuttles

  No car? No problem! You get your lift ticket and your gear; we’ll take care of the drive to the mountain. Ski shuttles are offered in the Spring semester. Resorts designated with an asterisk(*) also have cross-country skiing available.

  • Lookout Pass 
    • Did you know we are a vendor for Lookout Pass tickets? Updated pricing for lift tickets for the 2024-2025 season to come.
  • Silver Mountain 
  • Schweitzer*
  • Mt. Spokane*
  • 49 degrees North*

  Need skis or snowboard tuned? The ORC offers ski tuning services for both the WSU and local community. If you're looking to get your skis in tip-top shape for the season or if you sent it a little too hard and need repairs, come and pay us a visit. The only thing we can't help you with is mounting or adjusting your bindings. See the Rental Shop for updated pricing and turn-around times.

  Backcountry Ski and Avalanche Education

  Are you ready to earn your turn? If someone asks you if you're an uphill or a downhill person, and you say, "Why not both?" -- this might be the sport for you.

  • Intro to Backcountry Ski: If you self-describe as a person who can ski or snowboard black diamond runs in the resort and you’re comfortable navigating the trees, you have all the pre-requisite skills to get into backcountry skiing. On this day trip, we’ll grab our gear and head to Moscow Mountain, where we’ll do a trailhead check, tour up, and do some laps before skiing back down.
  • Dawn / Sunset Patrol: If you, like us, enjoy a brisk tour and a quick couple of turns to start or round out your day, come meet some like-minded folks who just might turn into touring partners.
  • Avalanche Rescue Course: During this day trip, we’ll drive to Moscow Mountain and practice how to rescue a companion in the event of an avalanche. This includes a crash course in using your avalanche safety kit (beacon, probe, and shovel) to locate and excavate a buried person – or, in this case, a dry bag. This is a full day of hands-on practice so if you're interested in getting out on your own, consider also attending the Avalanche Awareness Clinic to find out why avalanches happen and how to avoid them in the first place.
  • Avalanche Awareness Clinic: This clinic, which takes place during the pre-trip meeting of the Wallowas Backcountry Ski and Avy Aware course, is a fantastic way to learn about avalanche education.
  • Wallowas Backcountry Ski and Avalanche Awareness Course: Time to put it all together in one of the hidden gems of the Inland Northwest: the Wallowa Mountains. Once you have taken an Avalanche Rescue Course and Intro to Backcountry Ski (or have similar experience), you’re ready to embark on this multi-day course where we’ll hone some of those skills and hope to get lucky with some powder turns.
• Eco-Adventures, Clinics, and Special Events
  

  Eco-Adventures

  Eco-Adventures are at the intersection between outdoor activity and civic engagement. Part outdoor adventure, part community service, these discounted trips offer multiple ways to fill your cup by getting active and giving back to the community. Activities include paddling, climbing, or hiking at locations in need of help, where service could include trail-building, trash clean-up, or even removing graffiti in affected locations. The following are recurring dates for Eco-Adventures each year, one each semester.

  • Spring: April 22 - Earth Day
  • Summer: June 1 - National Trails Day
  • Fall: September 28 - National Public Lands Day

  

  Clinics

  In addition to trips, we also offer experiential clinics —minimal lectures, hands-on practice—to help individuals learn individual skills.

  • Leave No Trace: Come learn how to recreate responsibly and Leave No Trace so our outdoor spaces remain for years to come. This course is offered year-round, and the subject matter changes with the seasons.
  • Slackline: A fun and challenging pastime. Clinics take place at the Chinook Lawn or in the SRC Backyard when the weather allows. Typically offered in the Fall semester.
  • Hammocking: Learn how to rig a hammock safely and ethically for leisure or sleep. Typically offered in the Fall semester.
  • Shelters: Primitive shelters, tarps, mega-mids, and tents. Typically offered in the Fall semester.
  • Primitive Fire: Learn how to start a fire without matches or a lighter. This course is typically offered in the Fall semester after the fire season is over.
  • Outdoor Photography: To prepare for the Outdoor Photo Contest, come learn the ins and outs of outdoor photography. Offered every Fall semester.

  Do you have an idea for a clinic? Feel free to drop by the Outdoor Recreation Center during open hours and let us know your thoughts or email urec@wsu.edu.

  

  Recurring Special Events

  Certain events occur every year, and we are so excited about them that they deserve their own spotlight.

  • Outdoor Photography Contest: This event occurs each Fall semester. The 2024 submission window is September 15 - November 15. Winners are displayed in the CUB, and prints are available to collect once the display is finished. More information to come.
  • Family Weekend Trips: Day trips typically occur on the Saturday of each Family Weekend and rotate through hiking, paddling, and climbing options. See the trip list for information on the next Family Weekend trip.
  • Banff Mountain Film Festival: Each Spring semester, in January, we host a screening of outdoor films that tour the world in the CUB. Join us for popcorn, prizes, and a shared passion for the outdoors. Keep an eye out for upcoming show dates.

Things you may be interested in:

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