Register for our Fall 2024 trips here!
Reach out to outdoor@gmu.edu with any questions!
*Eligibility for participation is open to all active George Mason University students, faculty, and staff.
- Outdoor Adventures programs will begin and end at Skyline Fitness Center on the Fairfax Campus.
- All trips will have a mandatory pre-trip meeting that will be scheduled by the trip leaders prior to the trip’s departure. Uncommunicated absences from the pre-trip meeting will result in forfeiture of one’s spot on the Adventure Trip
- More information on our Wilderness Medicine courses can be found here as it becomes available.
A full list of our trip policies and expectations can be found here.
Refund Policy: Refunds will be given for any withdrawal made from a trip two weeks before the trip date. No refunds will be given for withdrawals within the two-week timeframe of a trip unless for cancelled events/programs or extenuating circumstances approved by the department.
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Fall 2024 Outdoor Adventures Trips |
Price | |
| Day Hike |
Sunday 8/25: Preamble Day Hike to Great Falls (VA side) Start your college year off with a bang and join Outdoor Adventures and your fellow new Mason students on a day hike to Great Falls, one of our local national parks. This beginner-friendly hike will be approx. 4 miles. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 8/22/2024 |
$10 |
| Day Paddle |
Saturday 9/7: Day SUP to Royal Lake Join us for a day of paddleboarding in one of the neighborhood lakes surrounding campus! No prior paddling experience is required, but participants should be prepared for 2-3 hours of flat-water paddling. Trip registration includes equipment, instruction, and transportation. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 8/30/2024 |
$25 |
| Day Hike |
Sunday 9/8: Day Hike to Billy Goat Trail Join us for a day hike as we scramble on the rocks along the Billy Goat Trail in MD! This 5-mile hike features a 1-2 mile rock scramble that requires hands and feet to traverse the rocky terrain along the Potomac River Gorge. Please consider your capabilities before signing up. While The Billy Goat trail is a generally beginner-friendly hike, the rock scrambling portions of the hike can be physically demanding. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 8/30/2024 |
$25 |
| Day Paddle |
Saturday 9/21: Day Canoe to Bull Run Join OA for a day of canoeing on Bull Run! No prior paddling experience is required, but participants should be prepared for 2-3 hours of paddling. Trip registration includes equipment, instruction, and transportation. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 9/11/2024 |
$30 |
| Overnight |
Saturday 9/21 – Sunday 9/22: Intro to Backpacking to Sky Meadows SP Come learn the basics of wilderness backpacking as Outdoor Adventures goes on a beginner-friendly backpacking trip to Sky Meadows State Park. The trip will feature a short 3-4 mile hike in and out of the campsite, and registration includes equipment rentals, food, transportation, and trip leadership from our student trip leaders! While this trip requires no prior backpacking experience, participants should be able to carry a 30-pound backpack over uneven terrain and be prepared to sleep in a tent overnight. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 9/11/2024 |
$80 |
| Day Bike |
Saturday 10/5: Intro to Mountain Biking to Wakefield Come learn the basics of mountain biking with OA as we take our bikes to one of our local mountain biking trail systems! The trip registration will include a 30-minute mountain biking skills clinic to teach you a few fundamentals of mountain biking, bike rental, transportation, and staffing. While this trip is designed to be a beginner-friendly exposure to mountain biking, participants should be prepared to ride their bike on relatively narrow trails, over uneven terrain with some roots and rocks, and moderate ascents and descents. And of course, participants need to know how to ride a bike. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/28/2024 Registration closes on: 9/25/2024 |
$30 |
| Day Hike |
Sunday 10/6: Beginner Day Hike to Turkey Run Want to get out for a hike but don’t know where to begin? We have you covered. This beginner-friendly day hike will explore the Turkey Run trail system along the banks of the Potomac River and the George Washington Memorial Parkway in a 4.5-mile loop featuring the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. While this trip is designed to be beginner-friendly, participants should be prepared for very moderate ascents/descents and rocky, uneven trail. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/28/2024 Registration closes on: 9/25/2024 |
$20 |
| Fall Break |
10/12 – 10/14: Fall Break Canoeing on the Shenandoah River Come spend Fall Break paddling the South Fork of the Shenandoah River with Outdoor Adventures! This Saturday morning to Monday evening adventure will feature 15 miles of river canoeing and two nights of tent camping on the banks of the river. Trip registration includes all food, transportation, equipment, and staffing. All participants will be required to wear PFDs (aka “life jackets”) while in the water or paddling their canoes. While no prior paddling or canoeing experience is required, participants should be prepared to paddle a canoe and swim if their canoe flips. Additionally, because this is a wilderness canoeing/camping trip, the campsites have no amenities other than a fire ring and spaces to set up tents. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/1/2024 Registration closes on: 10/2/2024 |
$150 |
| Day Climb |
Sunday 10/20: Outdoor Bouldering at NW Branch (Silver Spring, MD) Come join us for a day of bouldering. Whether you’ve never climbed before or are a pro, you’re welcome to join us for a nice day climbing outside. We provide all the necessary equipment, transportation, and instruction. Bouldering is a form of rock-climbing without ropes or harnesses and involves climbing short vertical distances. Though there are pads and fellow participants spotting climbers in case of a fall, there is inherent risk in participating. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/28/2024 Registration closes on: 10/9/2024 |
$30 |
| Day Hike |
Saturday 10/26: Day Hike to Duncan Knob Come savor the fall colors and join Outdoor Adventures on a Day Hike to Duncan Knob, a prominent rock outcrop offering panoramic views of the Shenandoah Valley. This hike is approx. 4 miles total and features significant elevation gain, including rock-scrambling that requires hands and feet to climb Duncan Knob’s boulders. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 8/28/2024 Registration closes on: 10/16/2024 |
$30 |
| Overnight |
Saturday 11/2 – Sunday 11/3: Overnight Camping and Hike to Big Schloss As the nights get longer and the fall chill is in the air, come squeeze one last camping trip in with OA. We’ll head to the Virginia/West Virginia border to set up camp beneath Big Schloss (a prominent rock outcropping with sweeping vistas of the Shenandoah Valley below) before going for a 4-mile day hike up to the summit of Big Schloss. After the hike, the trip will return to camp for an evening in tents outside before returning to campus on Sunday. Participants should be prepared for a prolonged ascent on the hike and rocky, uneven trail. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 9/2/2024 Registration closes on: 10/23/2024 |
$80 |
| Day Hike |
Saturday 11/9: Advanced Day Hike to Loudoun Heights Join Outdoor Adventures for their last day hike of the semester! This hike will take us to Loudoun Heights, a challenging hike from Harpers Ferry, WV along the Appalachian Trail to an overlook of the river valley below. This strenuous hike Please consider your capabilities before signing up. The Loudoun Heights hike is listed as a “strenuous” hike by the National Park Service and is approx. 7.5 miles round trip, with significant elevation gain over rocky, uneven terrain. The trip will meet at the Skyline Fitness Center and depart from the trip from there. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact outdoor@gmu.edu. Registration opens on: 9/2/2024 Registration closes on: 10/30/2024 |
$30 |
*Eligibility for participation is open to all active George Mason University students, faculty, and staff.
- Outdoor Adventures programs will begin and end at Skyline Fitness Center on the Fairfax Campus.
- All trips will have a mandatory pre-trip meeting that will be scheduled by the trip leaders prior to the trip’s departure. Uncommunicated absences from the pre-trip meeting will result in forfeiture of one’s spot on the Adventure Trip
- More information on our Wilderness Medicine courses can be found here as it becomes available.
Reach out to outdoor@gmu.edu with any questions!