<p>I really enjoy going on pretty intense mountain runs/hikes/glissades. It's not too easy to describe the specific geology, but something like this:</p>
<p>I know there a lot of places with the mountains, but are there any schools with ivy-caliber academics in similar environs?</p>
<p>UBC! If you dont mind going up (down) to canada.</p>
<p>Williams in the Berkshires</p>
<p>University of Colorado-Boulder and University of Denver. They may not be Ivy caliber, but they are still very good top 100 schools with great mountains very near to campus. U of Denver is private and good with merit aid which is always a plus and University of Colorado is considered one of the top public schools, both great options.</p>
<p>Middlebury’s located in/near the White Mountains. Not as good of mountains as Colorado, but there’s lots of opportunities for climbing, skiing, hiking, etc.</p>
<p>You might also want to consider Colorado College.</p>
<p>Byu .</p>
<p>Agree with pizzagirl! CC.</p>
<p>Yes, if you want that kind of terrain (see photo), nearby, then the closest you’re going to get to Ivy-caliber academics probably is Colorado College. Other than the Air Force Academy, it’s about the most selective school in the Rocky Mountain West. But it’s a small LAC, not a research university like the Ivies. </p>
<p>There are relatively few research universities approaching "“Ivy caliber” in the Western states (where you’d find that kind of terrain). There’s Stanford, and several excellent state universities in California. Some of these schools would put you within a couple hours drive of nice recreational areas.</p>
<p>[The</a> Best Colleges For Outdoor Recreation | California | OutsideOnline.com](<a href=“http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/north-america/united-states/california/Outside-University--The-Top-40.html]The”>http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/north-america/united-states/california/Outside-University--The-Top-40.html)</p>
<p>Dartmouth College is close to the White Mountains/ Green Mountains… Mountains not as large as Rockies, but lots of opportunities for hiking, camping, climbing, skiing.</p>
<p>Stanford has mountains near it, with the larger Santa Cruz Mountains a little farther away.</p>
<p><a href=“http://math.stanford.edu/inc/img/PalmDrive.png[/url]”>http://math.stanford.edu/inc/img/PalmDrive.png</a></p>
<p>You can see the mountains in the distance.</p>
<p>The foothills though are the most popular for hiking (you can see these as well in the pic); Stanford’s famous for its hiking trails, which it spends a lot of money on (there was controversy recently as Stanford had to fight the county/local towns to expand them; it’s spending a few million on a few new trails). Definitely something to check out, though a more intense hiking experience can be found at the nearby mountains. Fun fact: the next city over (right next to campus) is home to Google and other tech companies and is named Mountain View.</p>
<p>For specific info, you can search “Stanford hiking” or “Stanford mountains.”</p>
<p>[Santa</a> Cruz Mountains - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_Mountains]Santa”>Santa Cruz Mountains - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>They’re especially beautiful for their amazing biodiversity and the huge number of redwoods/sequoias. By far the most beautiful hike I’ve gone on, and I’ve gone hiking all over California and a bit on the East Coast.</p>
<p>The traditional New England “Mountain Schools” are Dartmouth, Williams, and Middlebury. Dartmouth is actually in the Ivy League; Williams and Middlebury are small LACs which attract many of the same applicants as Dartmouth. Of the three, Williams is the closest to the mountains (within walking distance of campus), but they are all attractive to hikers, skiers, etc</p>
<p>I would recommend Dartmouth. My friend attends Dartmouth and told me that Dartmouth actually owns a few skiing mountains. Apparently you can ski and hike for free. We’re going to go hiking later this summer. Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League, so academics and prestige are definitely of the quality that you want.</p>
<p>Whitman College is not Ivy but a highly selective LAC in Washington state with a tremendously active outdoor program, in the neighborhood of the Cascades with Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, Mt Hood all about 3 hours away.</p>
<p>Mt Hood is much closer to Reed actually. I plan to go hiking there in the fall.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s question, I have an ex-classmate at Dartmouth who told me Dartmouth has adopted a 75-mile hiking trail somewhere up in the mountains and is responsible for its maintenance. Which sounds pretty cool.</p>
<p>
Dartmouth and Middlebury own their own ski areas. Williams once did, but now has an arrangement with a nearby commercial ski area instead.</p>
<p>
The Appalachian Trail passes through Hanover, NH (home of Dartmouth) and Williamstown, MA (home of Williams). The respective Outing Clubs of both institutions were historically responsible for trail maintenance over parts of the AT, and that may still be the case.</p>
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<p>I asked him about it and that’s exactly it.</p>
<p>BYU is perfect, as long as you don’t mind the other stuff.</p>
<p>Middlebury is on a low ridge; from campus you can see the Green Mountains just a few miles to the east, and the Adirondacks to the west, a slightly greater distance but easily reachable in a day trip. The Middebury Mountain Club organizes group hiking/mountaineering outings, and the school lends out equipment. Agreed, not as rugged as the Rockies, but I think better mountains than the Berkshires (Williams) which are just gentle hills. If you’re into mountains, they’re in constant view and easily accessible from Middlebury.</p>
![http://math.stanford.edu/inc/img/PalmDrive.png[/url]](http://math.stanford.edu/inc/img/PalmDrive.png%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
