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About Us

The Outdoor Program is Colorado Mesa University’s headquarters for outdoor adventure and education. We are a student-fee funded organization, whose purpose is to offer and promote affordable, safe and environmentally conscious outdoor trips. Our mission is to inspire growth and foster connections through a shared passion for the outdoors. We aim to accomplish this mission by offering trips, outings, expeditions, courses, and equipment rentals. Trips happen most weekends in the semester, and are offered at a subsided cost for students. Our outings are offered weekday afternoon/evenings and are completely FREE to students. Just show up at the meeting time and find your new connection to the Grand Junction area. Expeditions happen over school breaks and are longer in length, and travel further than we can in a short weekend. We currently offer Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness First Responder recertification courses through Desert Mountain Medicine that are available to anyone, in or outside of the campus community. Then finally our rental shop offers affordable prices for gear to enable your the adventures you want to take on your own time. Anyone is able to rent equipment from us whether you're enrolled full time in classes, or have never stepped foot on campus.

So when we go outside what does that look like you may ask... A variety of things! A current list of the sports we offer are listed below, and we are always seeking to grow and expand to meet everyone where they are at.

  • Climbing
  • Whitewater rafting
  • Paddleboarding
  • Slacklining
  • Fishing
  • Hiking
  • Backpacking
  • Camping
  • Canyoneering
  • Cross country skiing
  • Backcountry skiing & splitboarding
  • Snowshoeing
  • Ice climbing

Whether you’re a student, alumni or a member of the local community, the Outdoor Program is available to anyone seeking adventure on Colorado’s Western Slope. No experience is necessary!

Wilderness Medicine courses available!

With the Outdoor Program pushing to provide more certifications and trainings to benefit the community, you will be able to find and sign up for trainings here in Grand Junction, available for everyone! For people who play outside, knowing what to do when accidents happen is an essential skill that keeps our community safe. A 16 hour wilderness first aid course takes just a weekend and is the perfect intro to wilderness medicine. The course focuses on prevention, assessment, and treatment of environmental illnesses, recognizing and stabilizing life threats caused by trauma, and calling for a rescue in the event of a wilderness emergency. Looking to get a little deeper? The 80 wilderness first responder meets the professional standard for those who push their boundaries in remote areas with limited resources, unreliable communication, and the potential for delayed or self rescue. Please email [email protected] with any questions, and we hope to see you on a course this winter!

https://op.coloradomesa.edu/profess
Local trips
View our online guide for outdoor recreation hot spots in western Colorado.
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Equipment Rentals
Missing something? We have a large selection of gear you can rent for numerous outdoor activities.
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Instructional resources
Prepare for your next adventure with our instructional videos and training clinics.
View Resources