Excursions
What are OC Excursions?
Excursions offer a fun, accessible, and affordable way for WWU students to get outside and connect with themselves and others. Emphasis is placed on group involvement, developing and refining skills, responsible environmental practices, fostering diversity, enriching the academic experience, and promoting life-long learning.
Fall 2025 Excursions
Scroll to see the great variety of trips we're leading this quarter... we've got some new adventures AND some well-loved classics!
All excursions are created and led by student trip leaders who are certified and educated in safe + smart outdoor recreation practices. This also means that we love to provide a variety of trips based on what our trip leaders are passionate about passing on to students! No two quarters will be the same!
Want to see us lead a specific trip (or have another excursions-related question)? Email our Excursions Coordinators, Alex and Dieder, with your suggestion!
Second Half
Sign Ups open here on Oct. 20 at 5PM.
Due to our limited capacity, students are limited to one trip per quarter
Intro to Fire Craft @ Lakewood
- Wednesday, Oct. 29, 3-6PM
- This hands-on course will introduce you to the art of fire craft, from the three essentials for fire to thrive to more advanced skills like making bow drills and starting a primitive friction fire. We’ll also explore survival fire-making methods and how all-natural wild harvested tenders and fungus can take your fires to the next level. This beginner-friendly course will teach you everything you need to know to light your first coal and build a thriving fire! There will be some short hiking through the forested property surrounding the Lakewood Boathouse to identify trees and collect materials.
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to follow safety instructions, learn, and absorb information, and willingness to engage in fire craft techniques. To collect materials, participants will need the ability to be mobile on uneven surfaces and select materials from the ground.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Watermelon and Watercolors
- Wednesday, Nov. 5, 3-6PM
- Spend the evening eating watermelon and experimenting with nature-inspired art, including an optional watercolor mountain scene walk-through. Some art materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own supplies as well. No previous artistic experience is necessary and all forms of art are welcome! We will either relax outside or get cozy indoors depending on the weather.
- Essential Eligibility: Willingness to engage in watercolor crafts and share a positive space with others.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Racehorse Falls Hike
- Saturday, Nov. 8
- Required pre-trip meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 5-7PM in VU 567.
- Want an excuse to embrace the rainy late-fall weather? Come join us to hike around Racehorse Falls! We will also scramble down to the riverbed to explore the abundance of fossils in the area.
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to be mobile on an uneven and steep dirt trail. Willingness to engage in the environment and listen to the guidance of trip leaders.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Lummi Island Art and Nature Retreat
- Saturday, Nov. 15
- Required pre-trip meeting Monday, Nov. 10 from 5-7PM in VU 567.
- Come join us for a day on Lummi Island at WWU's Sculpture Woods. We will focus on connecting to nature through the medium of art, explore Lummi Island by bike, and build community with other Western students. We will use the cozy Sculpture Woods guest house. This trip is designed for the complete beginner — whether you are new to the outdoors or new to expressing yourself through art, all are welcome.
- Essential Eligibility: Must be able to travel in a car and ride a short ferry to Lummi Island. (Exploring the island by bike is optional, so you do not need to be able to ride a bike).
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Snowshoeing at Artist Point
- Saturday, Nov. 22
- Required pre-trip meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 5-7PM in VU 460
- Come up to Artist Point on the slopes of Mt. Baker and experience the early dustings of snow on our Cascade Mountains! No previous experience snowshoeing is required. This is a great opportunity to explore the Baker backcountry during the quieter shoulder season.
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to wear snowshoes and use them to be mobile over approximately four miles of hiking with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Willingness to learn and engage in the practice of snowshoeing.
- Difficulty level: Beginner
Fee Waivers and Trip Costs
The Outdoor Center recognizes that the cost of Trips will be a barrier to some students who are interested in participating in our trips and events. To try and reduce those barriers, 3 spots on each trip will be reserved for students who are experiencing financial insecurity.
Fee Waivers are intended for students who receive financial aid.
To request a spot please complete this form
Spots will be reserved the first 2 weeks of the quarter and then opened to the general student body if not filled.
Disability Accommodations
For disability accommodations, questions, or requests please email our Outdoor Center Excursions Coordinators, Alex and Dieder, or call 360-650-7677 at least two weeks before the trip.
Difficulty Ratings
Informed consent is critical, and we want you to be aware of the activity you are signing up for. Each trip has a difficulty level listed in the description: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Below you will find a detailed description of what that entails. Please reach out to your student Excursions Coordinators, Alex and Dieder with any questions.
Beginner Excursions cater to those individuals who are interested in trying something new! Generally, these introductory experiences are designed to be more laid back and not too strenuous. Most importantly they are created for those who do not have prior experience in the activity. Activities may range from educational experiences to artistic activities and anything in between. These excursions are great if you are looking to learn new skills, gain exposure to new activities, foster community, and have a great time outside!
Intermediate Excursions are a great option for those who would like to explore new challenges and build upon past skills. If you are looking to explore more difficult trails or embark on longer, more strenuous adventures, this activity category is for you! These excursions are designed to safely instruct participants on more technical skills, and to dive deeper into the activity at hand. Outings often include less introductory material, but still ensure that participants are fully informed on the activity at hand! These are a great option if you are looking to step outside of your comfort zone, continue to explore these awesome activities, and meet new people!
Advanced Excursions are designed to build upon prior experience and solidify technical skills in outdoor recreation. Participants must have experience in the associated activity and feel competent, but still open to growth in their individual skill sets. Designed to explore more challenging recreational activities, expect a higher level of potential difficulty on these Excursions. These are great if you are looking to build upon past experiences and use old skills in new ways. Come explore new aspects of your favorite activities, and of course have a great (and safe) time!
FAQs
1 full-day/weekend/3-day trip per quarter! We have limited number of spots available on each trip and hope to serve as many students as possible.
You may sign up for as many Adventure Break trips as you would like!
Once a trip is full you may register for our waitlist, which can be found at the bottom of the trip sign-up link. If a spot becomes available on a trip you will receive a text from the Outdoor Center.
You will receive a text from the Outdoor Center if a trip becomes available. You must respond to that text within 1 hour to confirm your spot. You will then need to come into the Outdoor Center to complete trip registration.
Nope! Please have your friend sign up individually.
Check our refund policies below.
If you have already been on an Excursion through the Outdoor Center, consider giving other folks the opportunity for the same experience that you had.
All excursions are created and led by our student trip leaders, so the trip list will change every quarter! Sometimes this will depend on the season (ex: more skiing and snowshoeing in the winter), and some of it depends on what our trip leaders are interested in leading. We tend to repeat trips that students are excited about and consistently attend, but we also try to mix things up and provide new activities/sports each quarter.
Refund Policy
Read the policies below to determine if you are eligible for a refund.
If you are, then you will need to come in person to the Outdoor Center (VU 150) during our open hours and process the refund.
To be eligible for a cancelation refund you must email both OC coordinators (oc.excursions1@wwu.edu AND oc.excursions2@wwu.edu) at least 72 business hours before your excursions pre trip meeting. We do not offer refunds for Adventure Breaks
Yes
No.
Outdoor recreation is a extremely dynamic and occasionally we need to change the location or format of a trip due to safety concerns, typically caused by weather or other environmental factors (avalanche hazard). We do not offer refund when this occurs.
No, we do not offer refunds for Adventure Breaks
Partnerships
Are you an organization or on-campus club/program/department interested in creating a trip for your community? Fill out this form to get in touch so that we can work together to create an event that is best suited for your community!
Past Partnerships
WWU
- Environmental Science Department
- International Students Program
- Black Affinity Housing
- Honors College
- Native American Student Union
- Black Student Coalition
- WWU Transportation
- Multi-Cultural Center
- Counseling and Wellness Center
- Outdoor Wellness Peer Mentoring
- LGBTQ+ Western
- Western Success Scholars
- Black and Brown Male Success Collective
- Arab Student Association
Non-WWU organizations
- Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC)
- Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation of Whatcom County (AIROW)
- Shifting Gears
- Transition Bikes
- National Park Trust
Photo Gallery
Click the link above to look through pictures of WWU students and trip leaders in action!
