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!