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Outdoor Adventures
Camp, hike, kayak, sail, surf...all within minutes of campus.
Cal Poly Humboldt sits in the middle of an adventurer’s paradise. The Outdoor Adventures program offers a great introduction to getting out and enjoying the beauty of Humboldt County. It's affordable, fun, and the perfect way to meeting outdoor enthusiasts like yourself. If you need a kayak, sleeping bag, or surfboard, our office can rent you all the gear you need. We also offer lessons and boating safety classes to get you started.
Outdoor Adventure Trips
Curious about backpacking, surfing, camping, day hikes, or instructional classes to build your outdoor skills? Join an Outdoor Adventures trip for a supportive, guided experience that makes trying something new feel doable. Trained guides and trip gear are provided, and transportation is included for many trips, so you can focus on the experience instead of the logistics. Click below to see everything we’re offering this season.
Types of Adventures Offered
Sea Kayaking Workshops
Join the sea kayaking community through our sea kayaking workshops. From rock hopping in Trinidad to sea kayak rescues and learning to navigate our ocean safely, these workshops build the skills and confidence you need for one of the best ways to explore the North Coast.
Day Trips
Explore our backyard with day trips, including themed outings like stargazing, wildlife sightseeing, snowshoeing, all women hikes, and painting the redwoods, all while discovering new places around Humboldt County. Transportation is provided for every trip, and some outings are free.
Backpacking
Build your backpacking foundation, from our free Forest for All introductory trips that welcome underrepresented communities to two-night, three-day trips in Redwood National and State Parks and the Trinity Alps. Learn the skills it takes to be a safe backpacker, share the trail with other outdoor enthusiasts, and leave ready to plan your own trips with confidence.
Equipment Rentals
From camping to a variety of aquatic recreation, we have an extensive list of gear available for rent.
Want to go camping but need a backpack, tent, or a hammock? Maybe you need a surfboard, a wetsuit or a kayak? Or perhaps you want to go sailing or go Paddleboarding? Whatever you need - We've got you covered!
Private Trips
Create your own adventure
Looking for a more personalized lesson or have a trip idea that isn’t currently listed? We offer private programs and custom trips across many of our activities. Personalized trips can be tailored based on group size, location, duration, food needs, and program goals.
Certifications & Trainings
Build the credentials employers look for and practice them in real outdoor conditions
Outdoor Adventures offers certification courses that support safer, more confident leadership in the outdoors. We offer wilderness medicine courses with NOLS and ACA kayak instructor courses, along with additional certifications offered through partner organizations and by our trained OA staff. With forests, rivers, and coastline close by, Humboldt is an ideal place to earn credentials through hands on field experience. If you are studying forestry, geology, recreation administration, or you see your career outside, get certified with us and be ready for the job.
Permit Information
Outdoor Adventures holds special use permits with the Shasta-Trinity, Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests, BLM, Humboldt County and California State Parks. We also work closely with Humboldt County Parks, and other agencies as needed. Cal Poly Humboldt is an equal opportunity provider.
This business operates under special use permit with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.
To file a complaint alleging discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provided in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov .
Mission, Vision & Values
To provide outdoor, recreational, fitness, educational and social experiences to Cal Poly Humboldt students and the surrounding community in order to promote personal development, discovery and foster involvement in the community.
Continue to be a leader in campus outing programs by offering a broad range of quality activities. Outdoor Adventures strives to provide unique, enriching recreational and physical programming that will serve as a catalyst for healthy, life-long pursuits and personal development. Through our diverse range of programming, we facilitate social and environmental connections that weave the student and surrounding community together to create a well-rounded Humboldt experience.
- Experiential Discovery: Outdoor Adventures provides accessible learning opportunities through programming that allows participants to apply theory to practice. Participants are mentored through the process so they become not only receivers of knowledge, but also discoverers of knowledge.
- Leadership Development: We develop our staff as leaders through training and real experiences that allow for a deeper realization of the value of what they are teaching, an opportunity to develop their own competencies in new situations, a strengthening of their intellectual abilities, and a discovery of the potential to gain greater self-confidence as future professionals.
- Retention: We aim to retain students through programming that enriches their lives by fostering interest and involvement in Humboldt County’s outstanding recreational opportunities, deepening their connection to the campus, and assisting in the realization of their own personal identity.
- Safety: Physical and mental safety is a top priority at all times. We demonstrate this by creating an environment of respect for individuals and always maintaining and instructing according to industry standards for safe operations.
- Healthy Living: Recreation and leisure programming provides a welcome respite from our daily lives and improves our physical and mental health. Outdoor Adventures strives to expose students to the benefits of adopting an active, well-rounded lifestyle.
- Campus & Community Collaboration: We continue to develop effective, relevant, and symbiotic relationships with the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and surrounding community members to benefit and enrich the overall Humboldt experience.
- Sustainability: Outdoor Adventures strives to provide participants a way to recreate that is environmentally responsible, promotes appreciation and engagement in the natural world, and develops the next generation of stewards in order to ensure the same opportunities for the future.