Explore. Learn. Connect.
Outdoor Adventures (OA) offers day-long recreational trips and various outdoor classes and clinics every semester. From the leisurely and relaxed all the way to the adventurous and thrill seeking, OA has the right trip for you! If you're planning a trip on your own, but don't have the gear you need, check out our Gear Rentals.
OA was designed to get students to explore beyond the BC campus and experience all that New England has to offer. All trips are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Trips & Clinics
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a fun way to build confidence, leadership, and become part of a team. It is also one of the most exciting and best full-body exercises you can do. Get your feet off the ground and get into the vertical world! No experience needed.
Ice Climbing
Description coming soon!
Hiking
Take a day to get away from the city and into the fresh air only found in the mountains. Hiking is a great way to learn new things about the wilderness, experience beautiful views, and feel a strong sense of accomplishment when you look back at what you did. Get on those hiking boots and come stretch your legs for a day.
Trail Running
Tired of the same old streets? Want something more than another lap around the Res? Then come on a trail run! This group run will take you out into the woods to experience a whole new way to get your run in. Make running an adventure!
Caving
Join us for a day of caving! We will drive to Vermont and meet up with our guides, get geared up, and spend the day exploring the subterranean world. Caves are unique ecosystems and wild caves are places few people ever get to go.
Backpacking
Join us on an overnight backpacking trip! No experience necessary.
Sea Kayaking
Skimming over the surface of the water, experiencing the aquatic environment in a way that remained largely unchanged for the last 8,000 years, all while getting an incredible workout. Whether you’ve never been in a boat before or you’ve grown up with a paddle in your hand, get out of the library and join us for a day of fun kayaking.
OA Ski Shuttle
Outdoor Adventures is running a ski shuttle on the following dates:
Cross Country Skiing
The shuttle leaves Boston College at 5 am and returns at 7 pm. The price is $10 for BC Rec Members and only covers the ride to and from the mountain (you must pay for lift ticket and gear separately). Stop by the Member Services Office or call 617-552-0797 to sign up. Come with OA for a day of winter fun! Rentals are available if needed. Enjoy the well-maintained trails amidst forests and snow-covered meadows. After some trail time take a break in the warming hut or a hot chocolate!
Snowshoeing
Just because there is snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t have fun outside! Put on a pair of OA’s modern snowshoes and get out of your dorm and into the mountains. Our snowshoes are lightweight, have great traction, and are provided free on every snowshoe trip.
Want to learn a new outdoor skill or brush up on something before a big trip? We offer a wide variety of classes and clinics to teach you what you need to know to be safe and have fun outside. Taught by our highly skilled and experienced student leaders and staff, this is a fun way to learn new things!
Outdoor Adventure Leaders Course
Become part of the OA team through an engaging, semester-long outdoor leadership course which includes in-class instruction, hands-on learning, training trips, and a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification. The primary goal of the course is to learn how to effectively lead a group in the outdoors through a combination of hard and soft skills including map and compass, tent construction, knots, bear hang, packing a backpack properly, water purification, emergency shelter construction, Leave No Trace, Weather preparation, Trip Planning, teamwork, effective communication, how to teach a skill, etc.
Wilderness First Aid Class
Accidents happen. People get hurt, sick, or lost. The temperature drops, the wind picks up, and it starts to rain. Would you know, what to do? Many backcountry emergencies are preventable, and even when bad things happen, sometimes the wrong care can make things worse. By learning a few basic skills, you can make the difference between a good outcome and a bad one--and maybe even save a life.
Wilderness First Responder
The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) is the perfect course for anyone working in a position of leadership in an outdoor setting or for individuals who want a high level of wilderness medical training for extended personal backcountry trips or expeditions. The WFR course is 72-80 hours long (7 to 10 days), and is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with: Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Environmental Emergencies and Survival Skills, Soft Tissue Injuries, and Medical Emergencies. Although these appear to be the same basic topics covered in our two-day WFA course, they are covered far more extensively, with much more hands-on practice. Additional topics, such as CPR, are also included.
Anchor Building 101
Looking to climb outside but don’t know how to set up your own anchors for top roping? Already know how to build anchors but need to refine your skills and add onto them? Come to the first half of this two part anchor building clinic. We will teach you basics of the knots, rope skills, and logistics you need to know to start building your own anchors.
Belay Class
When looking to rock climb on rope, whether inside or outside, if your partner wants to climb, you need to know how to belay! Come to OA’s clinic and we can teach you this simple but imperative skill so that you can keep your partner safe.
Anchor Building 201
The second half of our anchor building clinics! Build on what we learned in the first clinic and perfect your skills.
Kayak Rescue and Roll Class
One of the most important but often overlooked skills on casual kayaking trips: rescuing and rolling. Come get hands on experience with these vital safety skills to be more prepared next time you go kayaking.
Rappelling Clinic
Seen people zipping down ropes before like it was no big deal? Come face the thrill of rappelling through this hands-on clinic where you will get to rappel as you go. Learn the do and do-nots as well as actual knots that are all needed to safely rappel.
Hypothermia Class
One of the biggest dangers in winter sports, and in all outdoor sports in general, is getting hypothermia. When it happens to you or someone else in your group, don’t depend on folklore of how to handle it. Come to this clinic and learn how to correctly handle, and prevent, hypothermia.
Backpacking Class
“Backpacking is the art of knowing what not to take.” Come learn this art of how to pack only the essentials and how to properly pack them in different sized packs so you can make your next backpacking trip light and properly prepared.
Wilderness Cooking 101
A day can be made or broken with what you eat. This is especially true in the wilderness, where you have to start your day off right with a good meal and end long days well with a delicious dinner. Come to the first of our two Wilderness Cooking classes to learn the basics of cooking exciting meals in the backcountry.
Wilderness Cooking 201
The second half of our wilderness cooking courses will teach you even better and more advance recipes for your days in the field. Impress friends in your group when it’s your turn to cook, with even the simplest of ingredients. After this class you’ll be the finest chef in all of the woods.
Navigation Clinic
Google maps aren’t likely to work in the backcountry, so you have to resort to a map and compass. OA will guide you through the steps you need to master to successfully navigate in the backcountry the way it was done before smartphones were in everyone’s pockets.
Wilderness Cooking Cook-Off Competition
Think you’ve got what it takes to make the best meal when you’re in the wild? Come prove it and compete against your friends to make the best backcountry meals, with prizes for the winners and fun for all.
Water Treatment Class
Having clean water to drink can make or break a trip, and without it everyone’s safety is at risk. OA will teach you how to treat your water so that you can remain healthy and hydrated on your adventures.
Knot Clinic
Going sailing, rock climbing, kayaking, camping, or even just tying things to your car? Stop by our clinic to learn basic and more advance knots, and new ways to use these handy tools!
Winter Camping Clinic
Winter is one of the hardest but most beautiful times of year to camp. Stop by this clinic and learn what to bring and what to do during these cold months. By the end, you will be able to safely and properly prepare for a camping trip during the winter months.
Stand Up Paddleboarding
Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is the fastest growing paddle sport in the world. It combines the thrill of exploring with a great total body workout. With our new SUP boards, OA offers a variety of classes, trips, lessons, and tours. No experience is needed and everyone is welcome to this exciting new sport!
Sea Kayaking
Skimming over the surface of the water, experiencing the aquatic environment in a way that remained largely unchanged for the last 8,000 years, all while getting an incredible workout. Whether you’ve never been in a boat before or you’ve grown up with a paddle in your hand, get out of the library and join us for a day of fun kayaking.
Outdoor Adventures is happy to announce that we are now offering custom trips. If you or your group has a trip that you would like to do, be it backpacking in the White Mountains, rock climbing in Maine, or any kind of outdoor adventure type trip, contact us. If you don't know exactly what kind of adventure you would like to go on, let us know. We will put together a customized trip plan, provide the necessary equipment, and staff the trip with leaders to help take you safely into the back country and back out again. This is a great way to have an adventure that will perfectly fit your needs!
To arrange a trip, contact Eli Crispell at crispell@bc.edu. Price will vary depending on trip.
FAQs & Forms
Costs for Outdoor Adventures trips vary depending on the activity. Prices for each trip can be found within each of the trip descriptions on our registration page.
Please call Member Services at 617-552-0797 or stop in at Margot's.
You pay in the Member Services Office at Margot's once you've turned in the necessary paperwork. We accept cash, check, credit card and Eagle Bucks! If you've already submitted the paperwork, you are free to call and pay over the phone.
These forms must be filled out, signed and submitted to the Member Services Office when registering for any Outdoor Adventurs trip, clinic, training or certification.
BC Outdoor Adventures Code of Conduct
Yes! Our trips are made to accommodate all experience levels.
You will be e-mailed the week of your trip with a full packing list and relevant information. Also check out our Packing Lists for ideas of what to bring along on various trips.
You should receive an email the week of the trip with all pertinent information, including pickup times, estimated times of return, packing lists, and more!
Send us an e-mail: outdooradventures@bc.edu.
At OA we take pride in having the best trained and most qualified student trip leaders. To become a trip leader you need to take our Outdoor Leaders Class that is offered in the fall. You also need to obtain a valid wilderness medical certification, which are offered through the OA program, and lead some training trips under experienced leaders. Becoming a student trip leader is a lot of work, but leading trips is a great way to build your leadership skills and have fun! For more information please contact OA at outdooradventures@bc.edu.
We’ve got you covered! Here at Outdoor Adventures we have a new Gear Rental program, letting you rent out exceptional gear at affordable prices. If you are going on a trip with OA, we typically provide all necessary equipment for no additional charge. To see a full list of available items, prices, and rental hours, visit our Gear Rental Page.
We’d love to hear it! Please feel free to leave a note on our Facebook page or send us an e-mail at outdooradventures@bc.edu. You can also leave a comment or suggestion on our BC Rec Comments Page and it will be forwarded on to us.
Sign up for our email listerv for all of the latest information on OA trips, clinics, workshops, gear rental specials and more!
These forms must be filled out, signed and submitted to the Member Services Office when registering for any Outdoor Adventurs trip, clinic, training or certification.
BC Outdoor Adventures Code of Conduct
For off campus activities, transportation is provided. Participants will be picked up on campus at the start time listed for the program. Departure times may need to be adjusted based on conditions. All trip locations are subject to group ability level and weather conditions. Trips return to campus at approximately 5 pm.
Wild Eagles
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2019 Trips
Wild Eagles is an adventure program for incoming freshmen. The goals of the program are to foster community, connectedness, and personal growth in a fun wilderness environment. Students will be part of a group and will have the chance to form friendships and join a community before starting classes.
Scroll through for more information.
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Schedule
August 16: Wild Eagles participants move into their dorms and meet at the Margot Connell Recreation Center at 2 pm. You will have dinner with your group and then head to bed for an early departure the next day.
August 17 – August 21: You will be out on your adventure! While each adventure is different, they are all designed to help you explore New England, stretch your boundaries, and make you a part of a great community of people.
August 21: All Wild Eagles trips will return to campus. -
Types of Trips
This year, our trips include:
Backpacking
Multi-Sport
Canoeing
Whitewater Kayaking
Rock Climbing
Yoga, Meditation, and Nature -
Hear from Former Wild Eagles
"Wild Eagles helped me feel integrated into the BC community like nothing else."
"I wanted real conversations. I wanted to cry laughing with people. Sometimes these aren't the people you room with, or the people in your hall. Sometimes you just have to put on a 70L pack, sit around a campfire, summit a peak, eat brownie batter, jam out on car rides, travel to Vermont and Maine, and just get out in nature to make real connections."