Our trips can take you anywhere: dogsledding in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, spelunking in North Carolina, backpacking the Grand Canyon, paddling the Huron River, and more. Whether you want to take off for a couple of hours, a day or a week, let us handle the details—like food, transportation, logistics, trip leaders, and outdoor equipment—while you take in the great outdoors.
Whether you’re a seasoned sport climber or don’t know what a figure eight follow through knot is, this is a great opportunity to get climbing on real rock! Grand Ledge is a unique geologic anomaly in the Lower Peninsula in that there is exposed rock! Thirty-five foot cliffs are a great way to hone skills or try out top-roping for the first time.
Head up north with us for some crazy stars and beautiful day hikes! We will camp at Wilderness State Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, hike along the lake and inland, and at night visit the Headlands International Dark Sky Park to get a dazzling view of the night sky.
Fulfill one of those lifetime goals you never knew about and come dogsledding in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula this MLK weekend! Fly down wooded trails led by a team of professional dogs and experience the true spirit of winter recreation! We’ll then spend a day visiting the amazing Eben Ice Caves, cross country skiing or snowshoeing. Cozy cabins, hot chocolate, new friends, this is what winter should be! No experience is required.
What’s Included
Transportation and accommodations
All group gear, snowshoes
Meals
Trip leaders, dog sledding instruction
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, shoes, toiletries
Pre-Trip Meeting
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 7:30pm at the Adventure Leadership Rental Center at 336 Hill St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
We’ll drive up to an hour (hopefully less) to the nearest woods with good snow and head out for a night ski. If the moon and the clouds cooperate we’ll turn off our headlamps and ski through the silver stillness of night. We’ll end by heading indoors for a cozy cup of hot chocolate.
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear, cross-country skis, cross-country ski boots
Trip leaders
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, including winter jacket, hat, gloves, mittens and good socks
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
Looking to try something new and exciting this year? How about scaling a wall of ice? Peabody Ice Climbing Club is located less than an hour north of Ann Arbor and provides a wonderful setting for beginner and advanced ice climbers alike. This unique outdoor experience will definitely get the adrenaline pumping! How else are you supposed to stay warm on a chilly winter day?
What’s Included
Transportation
All ice climbing gear and instruction
Snacks and warm beverages
Trip leaders
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, shoes
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
What a beautiful time of year to be in Michigan! Whether you’re from here or out of state, you aren’t a true Michigander until you’ve spent a day cross-country skiing in beautiful Michigan forests. We’ll drive up to 2 hours to find the best snowy woods and head out to enjoy the beautiful side of winter. Cross-country skiing will keep you warm and we’ll be sure to follow it up with some hot chocolate.
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear, cross-country skis, cross-country ski boots
Trip leaders
Meals
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, including winter jacket, hat, gloves, mittens and good socks
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
What a beautiful time of year to be in Michigan! Whether you’re from here or out of state, you aren’t a true Michigander until you’ve spent a weekend cross-country skiing in Northern Michigan’s pristine native forests. Add in a visit (timed to the new moon) to our International Dark Sky Park, which offers spectacular views of the northern sky. Join us for this trip featuring a cozy cabin at UM’s Biostation, star gazing with the Ann Arbor Library Telescopes, hot cocoa, and the peace and quiet only the forest can offer.
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear, cross-country skis, cross-country ski boots
Trip leaders
Meals
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, including winter jacket, hat, gloves, mittens and good socks
Pillow (optional)
Pre-Trip Meeting
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7:30pm at the Adventure Leadership Rental Center at 336 Hill St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
What a beautiful time of year to be in Michigan! Whether you’re from here or out of state, you aren’t a true Michigander until you’ve spent a weekend cross-country skiing in Northern Michigan’s pristine native forests. We’ll drive up to 2 hours to find the best snowy woods and head out to enjoy the beautiful side of winter. Cross-country skiing will keep you warm and we’ll be sure to follow it up with some hot chocolate.
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear, cross-country skis, cross-country ski boots
Trip leaders
Meals
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, including winter jacket, hat, gloves, mittens and good socks
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
Looking to try something new and exciting this year? How about scaling a wall of ice? Peabody Ice Climbing Club is located less than an hour north of Ann Arbor and provides a wonderful setting for beginner and advanced ice climbers alike. This unique outdoor experience will definitely get the adrenaline pumping! How else are you supposed to stay warm on a chilly winter day?
What’s Included
Transportation
All ice climbing gear and instruction
Snacks and warm beverages
Trip leaders
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, shoes
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
We’ll drive up to an hour (hopefully less) to the nearest woods with good snow and head out for a night ski. If the moon and the clouds cooperate we’ll turn off our headlamps and ski through the silver stillness of night. We’ll end by heading indoors for a cozy cup of hot chocolate.
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear, cross-country skis, cross-country ski boots
Trip leaders
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, including winter jacket, hat, gloves, mittens and good socks
Pre-Trip Meeting
There will be no pre-trip meeting for this adventure.
The nice thing about living in a cold weather state is that people get really creative with what to do when there’s snow on the ground. This trip is designed to explore the wildest examples. Join us for a five day trip through the snowy landscape of Michigan. We’ll head up to Muskegon to try our hand at an Olympic sport: luge. We’ll then head north to do a day of Fat Tire Biking on the snow of Boyne Highlands. We’ll stick around there for a second day to do some cross-country skiing too. Finally, we’ll hit the Upper Peninsula to meet up with our program Iditarod dog sledding contact. She’ll hook us up with her dog teams and we’ll fly down the trails for a day. This is going to be a wild trip . . . hope you can make it!
What’s Included
Transportation
All group gear including tents and stoves
Sleeping bags, backpacks and sleeping pads available if needed
Trip leaders
Meals
Not Included
Meals while on the road
Personal Gear: Weather appropriate clothing, shoes, toiletries
Pillow (optional)
Pre-Trip Meeting
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 7:30pm at the Adventure Leadership Rental Center at 336 Hill St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
First Ascent
The First Ascent program provides incoming U‑M freshmen with an opportunity to connect with fellow freshmen in small groups for camping, hiking, paddling and exploring the state’s natural areas. Casual campfire discussions are led by upper-level undergrads or grad students and center around the transition to college and all things U‑M. The goal of First Ascent is to help participants grow in self-esteem, self-reliance and confidence—and to have a great time!
All gear is provided. No experience is necessary.
We’ve worked with University Housing to coordinate our First Ascent trips with move-in. If your trip starts in late August and ends on an official move-in date, you can move your belongings in to your room before the trip begins.
Register for the tripon our online store. You will be asked a few questions to complete the reservation.
Look for an email confirmation upon reservation. Later on, we’ll also send along info like packing lists, trip logistics and a few forms that we’ll want you to complete and send back ASAP.
If your trip has one, attend the mandatory pre-trip meeting. This meeting is held a few days in advance of each trip so we can talk together about trip details, logistics and our agenda.
Arrive at the Rental Center on the day of your trip and have a great time on your adventure!
Your fee includes all adventure gear like tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, camp stoves, kayaks, etc. It also includes meals and snacks, and we’ll take care of getting you from U‑M to the adventure site and back.
Generally, you only need to bring trip-appropriate clothing, shoes, toiletries and money for meals on the road.
We’re always looking for enthusiastic and adventurous people to help plan and lead our trips. If you’re interested in becoming an Adventure Leadership Trip Leader, or if you just want to learn some new outdoor skills, come to our Michigan Outdoor Leadership Semester (MOLS) workshops. Taught by our staff, these workshops will instruct you on a variety of topics and are the first step in training to be a trip leader.
Join us for a special MOLS session at the local Ann Arbor outdoor retailer, Bivouac! We’ll cover backcountry cooking with a whisperlite demo. The session is free and open to the public. Bivouac is located on 336 S. State Street.
Banff Mountain Film Festival
Explore exotic locations, stand on the highest peaks and be part of the gripping tales that make the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. Join Recreational Sports’ Adventure Leadership program as they host the Ann Arbor stop of this thrilling film fest at The Michigan Theater!
Date
April 9, 2019
Location
The Michigan Theater, 603 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Wilderness First Aid Courses
Wilderness First Aid
This course covers all the basics you should know before heading out into the wilderness with family, friends, or by yourself. By providing a combination of medical knowledge and hands-on training this short, intense course prepares you to react appropriately accidents, injuries, and illnesses.
Our Wilderness First Responder courses are designed specifically to meet the needs of wilderness guides, expedition leaders, and outdoor instructors, and is the outdoor education and recreation industry’s standard for wilderness medical training. This is the wilderness medicine training course for outdoor professionals and the course you want your friends to have taken before you travel with them. This course uses the Wilderness Medicine Training Center’s unique Distance Learning Project. Participants complete a course of study and tests online prior to the start of the practical on-site training.
Each trip follows a different set of policies and guidelines. We typically cover this information in our mandatory pre-trip meetings. These meetings are held a few days before your trip; if you have questions at any time, contact us.