The Grand Valley is quite literally a bowl, with the edges being various types of mountains. Those who live here are desert-dwellers, nestled in between sandstone mountains that contain access to many outdoor recreational activities. So, it is not surprising that there is an immense demand in the Valley for education in outdoor activities. Thankfully, Colorado Mesa University has provided just that through the CMU Outdoor Program. 

According to CMU’s Outdoor Program website, “The outdoor program is Colorado Mesa University’s headquarters for outdoor adventure and education. We are a student-fee funded organization, whose purpose is to offer and promote affordable, safe, and environmentally conscious outdoor trips. We also offer training and equipment rentals.” 

If you are looking to do a fun outdoor adventure but lack the proper equipment, CMU’s outdoor program has everything you need. They provide gear for backpacking, camping, boating, climbing, winter activities, and more. Additionally, if you are interested in attempting a new skill such as rafting or climbing, but are unsure if you could do it safely alone, CMU’s outdoor program offers students the opportunity to go on student guided trips. 

“With such exciting and varied activities near at hand, the Outdoor Program and students at Colorado Mesa University have a lot of choices for outdoor excursions. The Outdoor Program outings are based on the common adventure concept, which is two or more individuals working cooperatively for common goals, and sharing expenses, decision making and responsibilities as equitably as possible. In other words all participants contribute to the cost, preparation and responsibilities of the trip. The responsibilities and expenses of the trip are shared among all members (no trip expenses go to pay anyone’s salary). Any instruction or advice provided by any member of the group is given gratuitously in the spirit of cooperation. Since there are no guides, everyone on the trip has a lot more work to do such as: helping plan the trip, buying food, loading and unloading equipment, and cleaning up after it’s over.”

The program states that “If you are wanting to plan an adventure but not sure yet what you want to do or don’t have the gear that you need, check out our local trip plan ideas!” The local trip plan ideas provide you with trip ideas, gear lists, meal plans, and can connect you with websites to obtain proper permits and other information. 

For any outdoor enthusiast who hopes to expand their knowledge and experience of outdoor recreation, CMU’s Outdoor Program is the best way to either get started, meet with people who share similar interests as you, or learn more about nature and all the adventures that can come with it.