I wonder who chooses their college based on what the area has to offer outdoor adventure wise.
Saw this today in my fb news feed: http://allthingswaterproof.com/top-10-universities-for-outdoor-adventurers/
Pretty awesome pictures. Makes me wanna change college.
We have UMAINE Orno on my son’s list for these very reasons. He is a huge outdoorsman! They have many programs he is interested in too.
That’s cool. Good choice!
What? No UC-Boulder? That list was obviously not put together by a skier.
Also, St.Lawrence in the middle of the Adirondacks.
No UVM?
Lots of other great choices left off this mediocre list.
Pomona College has an orientation program that includes Yosemite, Big Bear Lake, and surfing in Santa Monica. Outdoor adventures are not only woodsy, but beachy! 
How about Dartmouth? I can’t believe that didn’t get on the list.
There are many great schools that could be on this list, but I’ll just mention my D’s outdoorsy option: UBC in Vancouver. It’s on a peninsula, so beach on three sides, thick forest on the fourth. 30 minute drive to skiing and two hours to Whistler.
Does she like it there? Seems like a cool place to go to school. Vancouver is really nice and I love the drive up to Whistler.
@RightCoaster my D is a junior in HS. She has a pretty short college list, and UBC is near the top. We are making our second visit in November. The physical setting is exactly what she wants but we have lots of questions about the academic fit. It’s a fantastic school, there’s just not a lot of flexibility with her proposed major.
Dartmouth for sure.
UCSC!
I’d add Colorado College and other Colorado schools, Bowdoin, UVM, Middlebury to the list.
St. Lawrence missing? Next list please.
Here’s another list: http://www.backpacker.com/skills/nature/the-20-best-colleges-for-hikers/
Berkeley does not belong on those lists, that’s just not the culture of the school. 4 hours from Yosemite is a feature? For California schools, Cal Poly would belong on that list long before Cal. UCSB is a good choice because adventures are accessible right from campus and it is a part of the culture.
Hamilton has an extremely active outing club, and the school’s location is hard to beat for a variety of outdoor activities regardless of the season:
Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA offers outstanding mountain biking, surfing, hiking, and other activities all within fifteen minutes of the campus.
Fort Lewis College in Colorado
I thought of Ft Lewis too, great MTBing there.