Most of the Utah schools!
Colorado State, UC Boulder, University of Denver. Like another poster said - most Colorado schools.
Univ of Denver, Colorado State, Univ of Colorado-Boulder, Univ of Vermont
Vassar is in Poughkeepsie, which in my opinion is an unatractive small city and not a suburb in the way most people think of suburbs. However, if you head north of there you will find hiking, skiing, etc, and of course south of there you will find NYC
University of Hawaii (Manoa) & University of Utah
Try Utah state university
Michigan. Ann Arbor is like a small city itself (and Detroit is 45 minutes away), and many parts of campus feel “outdoorsy” - especially North Campus and the Arb.
If you consider a half hour drive proximity close enough then you should definitely consider Bowdoin. It has many outdoor recreational opportunities and is not far from Portland, Maine a really fun city.
I think you need to give a little more definition to your expectations. By “outdoorsy feel” do you mean being in a nature accessible environment where you can take walks in the woods, climb mountains, ski/snowboard within walking distance or a short drive? Or do you mean a large, beautiful campus, with lots of trees and gardens?
What is that attracts you to being near a large city? Shopping, restaurants, night life, or just the busy buzz? Or do you just want to be able to get away from campus now and then?
If you’re willing to compromise on one end of the other, you’ll have lots of choices. For example, schools like Williams, Middlebury and others in New England aren’t close to large cities, but students do manage to get to New York or Boston once or twice a semester. On the other hand they are right in the middle of nature which students take full advantage of.
Conversely at schools that are in or just outside of large cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia you may not be able to hike or ski unless you drive several hours, but you will have plenty of opportunities to join outdoorsy groups that plan excursions. And the cities are easily accessible.
I certainly wouldn’t characterize Cornell as “boring and homogenous.” It is rural for sure, set among some spectacular scenery, but between Cornell University, Ithaca College and the town of Ithaca the area has a sizeable population with a lot going on.
Students should take a look at colleges’ activity calendars. My son’s college offers bus trips to ski areas and the hiking area of a state park. You don’t have to join a club to participate; they’re open to everyone. The college also offers a shuttle around town and there’s a county bus system that goes to the train station. From there students can take the Metro to Manhattan.
Burlington, VT is only 90 miles from Montreal.
I don’t know why Sarah Lawrence is on this list. Yes, the campus has some lawns and trees on it, but otherwise, i don’t see what is outdoorsy about it at all! The campus is also bisected by a major road, so it isn’t even a self-contained bucolic campus, as say Vassar is. Yes, Williams is also divided by Route 2, but when youre in the purple valley, it’s quite difficult to lose the outdoor feel…
I wouldn’t put the vibe at SLC or its student body in that category either. However, it is a half hour train to NYC, so it does check that box. Don’t go looking to Bronxville / Yonkers as a great student setting otherwise. You need a car to access bars or whatever you’d be going to off-campus anyway…
UC Santa Cruz is like the Ewok village in Star Wars. About 30 minutes from San Jose and Silicon Valley, and a little under 90 minutes from San Francisco.
I agree with @citymama9 about Poughkeepsie - its not much of a city compared to Denver.
Reed College is in Portland and has a outdoors-y vibe from what I can tell. I’d also add Lewis & Clark, which is in Portland as well.