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Recreation & Wellness | Outdoor Adventures

OA Traditions

Students exploring the arches in Moab

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Flagship Events

Recurring Programming

Skill Development

Coming Soon

Below are the regular events that we look forward to every year. Most programs require pre-registration. Specific details for each program will be available on the OA Events Calendar, once each event is posted. Check back regularly or join the OA Group Chat for updates.

Is there a program you think would be awesome but isn't listed here? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to share your suggestion.

Flagship Events

The bigger traditions we look forward to each year. 

two students standing at the edge of a rocky overlook with arms raised in the air with a mountain range in the distance

Fall Break Trip

Fall

August

  • Laker Welcome night hike
  • Dehydrated meal social sampler

September

  • Whitewater Rafting

October

  • Fall Break hiking/ backpacking trip

November

  • Bring Your Own Beta (BYOB) bouldering competition
student climbing 50 foot ice pillar at pictured rocks national lakeshore

Michigan Ice Fest

Winter

January

  • Intramural Bouldering League

February

  • Michigan Ice Fest trip (ice climbing at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore)

March

  • Spring Break hiking/ backpacking trip
six students smiling & giving thumbs ups while they show off their work securing a mock patient on a spine board.

Summer

May

  • 5-Day Wilderness First Responder Certification

Recurring Programs

Programming that we offer on a regular basis each semester.

a dozen attendees of the monthly women on the wall program posing for a photo in front of the wall

Women on the Wall

Monthly

  • Overnight Hiking/ Camping Trips
  • Women on the Wall

Bi-Weekly

  • Hikes (on & nearby campus)

Skill Development

Workshops for leveling-up your skills and tackling your next adventure with greater confidence.

students sitting behind a tarp in the woods, listening to an instructor give a lesson

Backpacking/ Camping

2 students fixing bikes on the patio

Biking

  • Basic Bike Maintenance Series
    • Brakes, Shifters, Fix a Flat
two students practicing a mini-multipitch climb on our indoor wall

Climbing

  • Intro to Indoor Climbing
  • Indoor Sport Climbing (aka. Lead climbing)
  • Outdoor Climbing Series (sessions build on one another)
    • Gym to Crag, Knots, Anchors, Top managed systems, Self-rescue

Coming Soon

Wilderness First Aid

  • A 16-hour certification through the Red Cross that offers a more accessible yet practical introduction to illness and injuries in a delayed help setting.

Freshman Outdoor Orientation Programs (OOPS)

  • Adventure trips designed specifically for incoming freshman to build connections and learn about their new life as a laker.
Page last modified July 1, 2026