Expeditions
What to expect on a NOLS expedition
From the moment you arrive in the wilderness, the course is your own. Your group will learn to live and thrive together, with NOLS instructors as your mentors.
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Educators, not guides, meeting you at your level
At NOLS, we're here to be educators. That means our instructors are experts at meeting students at their own skill and comfort level, so first-time campers and experienced outdoorspeople alike find opportunities to grow, gain skills, and build community.
From the moment you arrive in the wilderness, the course is your own. The wilderness is a dynamic place. Every day will present new challenges and excitement. You and your group will learn to live and thrive together, with your instructors as your mentors.
A typical day
The rhythm of an expedition day
No two NOLS days are the same, but the rhythm of camp, travel, and learning shapes the experience.
1
Wake & breakfast
Sunrise above treeline or mist in a valley. Stoves fire up, hot oats and coffee, and the day's route gets planned together.
2
Pack up camp
Tents down, packs on, leave no trace. Efficient camp management is one of the first leadership skills you'll build.
3
Travel
Ridgelines, river canyons, or coastlines, you'll navigate, route-find, and travel as a team.
4
Make camp
Pick a site, pitch shelter, get water. Each day you turn an empty patch of ground into home faster and more thoughtfully.
5
Dinner together
Backcountry dinners are a community event. Cooking together is one of the simplest, most important parts of NOLS.
6
Lessons
Class around the camp kitchen on navigation, weather, leadership, or first aid, curriculum delivered in the field.
7
Evening meeting
A debrief: what worked, what didn't, what's next. Reflection is how the curriculum gets internalized.
8
Sleep under stars
Stars, silence, and a hard-earned night of sleep. You'll do it all again tomorrow.
Learn from the best
Wilderness experts and compassionate mentors
NOLS instructors are field-based educators who bring passion for the outdoors, training in leadership, risk management, and cultural competence to every course.
Expert Educators
NOLS instructors are intentional teachers who specialize in meeting students at their level and helping them grow.
Compassionate Mentors
Committed to your wellbeing and success. They create a safe space to try new things and learn from mistakes.
Risk Management
Trained in safety, decision-making, and risk management so the wilderness stays a place to learn, not a hazard to manage.
Cultural Competence
Abroad, NOLS instructors are often local citizens, facilitating a deeper connection to the area and its culture.
Community in the wild
Wild country across six continents
NOLS expeditions run in some of the most remote and stunning landscapes on earth, the Wind River Range, Patagonia, the Himalaya, East Africa, Baja, the high desert, and more. Each location is chosen for the educational experience it offers, not for comfort.
You won't find roads, cell service, or shortcuts. You will find the kind of focused learning that only comes when the wilderness sets the agenda.
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Browse 50+ courses across six continents, weekend introductions, semesters, year-long expeditions, and everything in between.
