NOLS
One experience will lead to a lifetime of experiences.
Experience can be our best teacher. For more than 40 years, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has used the world’s most spectacular classrooms to teach leadership, outdoor skills and environmental ethics.
Paul Petzoldt created NOLS to train tomorrow’s leaders. Guides will not lead the way; instead, your instructors will teach you the skills so that you can lead the way. Our students learn to live and travel in the wilderness. They benefit from the best instructors in the business—well-trained educators and leaders with a passion for what they do. The school’s hands-on, learn-by-doing approach to education means that students come away ready for their own wilderness expeditions.
With NOLS, your options are endless. From sea kayaking in Patagonia, to mountaineering in the Himalayas, to horse packing in Wyoming, students have explored our 14 locations and varied skill types around the world. And with courses ranging from 10 days to a full academic year, you will learn the skills necessary to be competent, responsible wilderness travelers and leaders long after their course is over. Other programs talk about leadership—at NOLS, you’ll do it!
Learn more by visiting NOLS at www.nols.edu or call 1-800-710-NOLS.
-
This course is designed for 14- and 15-year-olds who want to climb a peak and guide a paddle raft all... [more]
Duration: 28 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Kayak Prince William Sound: you'll learn paddle skills and how to live comfortably and responsibly in the backcountry while floating... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- July
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll backcountry travel through the Talkeetna Mountains or just east of Denali Natl Park while learning how to eat, sleep... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll backcountry travel through the Talkeetna Mountains or just east of Denali Natl Park while learning how to eat, sleep... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Kayak the SE Alaska Archipelago: learn paddling & backcountry living while floating above the whales, porpoises & sea otters of... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore some of Alaska's most rugged landscapes. You'll learn mountaineering and how to travel in harsh conditions while moving though... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Become a backcountry telemark skier. You'll perfect skills at Idaho's Grand Targhee Resort and then spend two nights in a... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
The pace is gradual in the beginning, as you travel through lush, old-growth forests and tangled alder thickets, and it... [more]
Duration: 31 days
Months offered:
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Travel over the rock, snow and ice of beautiful British Columbia. You'll explore glacial plateaus, long fjords & peaks encountering... [more]
Duration: 31 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore some of Alaska's most rugged landscapes. You'll learn mountaineering and how to travel in harsh conditions while moving though... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore some of Alaska's most rugged landscapes. You'll learn mountaineering and how to travel in harsh conditions while moving though... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Kayak the SE Alaska Archipelago, learning paddle skills and responsible backcountry living while floating among whales, porpoises & sea otters... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- June
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Become a backcountry telemark skier. You'll perfect skills at Idaho's Grand Targhee Resort and then spend two nights in a... [more]
Duration: 12 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore the Sea of Cortez in a kayak. You'll perfect paddle skills and discover elusive aquatic life and beautiful landscapes... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- February
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll learn how to live comfortably and responsibly in the backcountry while hiking over vast arctic tundra, trekking through towering... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- August
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll learn how to live comfortably and responsibly in Alaska's Brooks Range while hiking vast arctic tundra. [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- August
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
After learning the horse care at NOLS Three Peaks Ranch, and honing your grooming, guiding, packing & Wilderness First Aid... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- June
- August
Activity types:
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Where better to learn mountaineering than the N. Cascades. Travel rock, snow and ice, and develop leadership and risk management... [more]
Duration: 17 days
Months offered:
- August
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore beautiful Yukon wilderness on land & water. Hike through forests and tundra, canoe down whitewater rivers and discover elusive... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Hiking for 30 days through Wyoming's Absaroka Range, renown for wildlife, you'll learn to navigate with a map, cook in... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
2 disciplines in one backcountry course! Hike through Alaska's Wrangell-St. Ilias Natl Park, the Talkeetnas or the Chugach Range and... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Develop skills to lead an expedition. Backpacking Wrangell-St. Elias Natl Park or the Taalkeetna Mtns and living in the backcountry... [more]
Duration: 24 days
Months offered:
- June
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Develop outdoor education skills by backpacking through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park or Taalkeetna mtns, paddling Prince William Sound and living... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Outdoor Skills
-
Perfect your backcountry boarding skills at Idaho's Grand Targhee Resort, then head to the Snake River Range to sleep, eat,... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Sail the coastline of the Baja CA Peninsula. Perfect your navigation skills and discover elusive aquatic life while learning to... [more]
Duration: 22 days
Months offered:
- January
- October
Activity types:
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
A comprehensive ocean exploration: kayak & sail on longboats and keelboats along the Baja Peninsula while discovering marine life, earning... [more]
Duration: 73 days
Months offered:
- February
- October
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Explore the Sea of Cortez in a kayak. You'll perfect paddle skills and discover elusive aquatic life and beautiful landscapes... [more]
Duration: 22 days
Months offered:
- January
- March
- October
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll learn how to live comfortably and responsibly in Alaska's Brooks Range while hiking vast arctic tundra and paddling the... [more]
Duration: 40 days
Months offered:
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
If you're a NOLS grad, consider ascending the continent's highest peak. You'll travel responsibly in the harshest of conditions while... [more]
Duration: 34 days
Months offered:
- June
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
The most comprehensive exploration of Baja. For 78 days you'll hike mountain ranges of the peninsula, sail & kayak its... [more]
Duration: 78 days
Months offered:
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive backcountry exploration of New Zealand. You may hike, canoe, kayak and sail through the Southern Alps,... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- September
- October
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Discover breathtaking landscapes and elusive wildlife of Patagonia by hiking & sea kayaking through rarely-traveled terrain and fjords, interacting with... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- September
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Climbing
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Backpacking
-
Depending on the season, you might hike, ski, paddle & climb through Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nevada & S. Dakota while... [more]
Duration: 87 days
Months offered:
- August
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Mountaineering
- Wilderness Medicine
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
-
You might hike, cave, climb & paddle the Rio Grande, Gila Wilderness, Carlsbad Caverns & Cochise Stronghold while earning backcountry... [more]
Duration: 88 days
Months offered:
- September
Activity types:
- Climbing
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Backpack New Mexico's historic Gila Range, with canyons previously inhabited by Mimbres & Apache cultures, snow-covered peaks and elusive wildlife,... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- April
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Discover India. Hike through the valleys, mountain passes and peaks of the Kumaon region, learn backcountry basics, practice Leave No... [more]
Duration: 35 days
Months offered:
- April
- May
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore N. India's rugged, beautiful backcountry. You'll interact with local communities, practice responsible travel and learn to plan & lead... [more]
Duration: 40 days
Months offered:
- April
- September
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You and fellow 14 & 15-year-olds cook, camp, sleep, navigate & work as a team while backpacking through the Wyoming... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Cook, sleep, lead, foster teamwork and practice Leave No Trace principles while hiking through Idaho's Beaverheads and/or Lemhi ranges and... [more]
Duration: 28 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Explore Wyoming's wilderness with minimal gear. After stuffing your pack with the lightest, barest essentials, you'll travel quickly through beautiful... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- July
- August
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Learn to fly fish in backcountry Wyoming. After developing fishing skills in a two-day seminar, you'll put them to use... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Fishing
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Discover backcountry Washington! Youll travel through Olympic Nat'l Park or the Pasayten Wilderness while learning to eat, sleep and lead... [more]
Duration: 31 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
On this outdoor educator course you’ll get a variety of skills - backpacking, mountaineering and rock climbing - and experience... [more]
Duration: 31 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
On this outdoor educator course you’ll get a variety of skills - backpacking, mountaineering and rock climbing - and experience... [more]
Duration: 24 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Develop the skills to lead your own expedition. You'll observe the beautiful landscapes and elusive wildlife of Washington while learning... [more]
Duration: 9 days
Months offered:
- June
- August
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Hike and fly fish in rugged, beautiful, untouched Chile. You'll travel through Patagonia's Aisen region and learn to fly fish... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- February
Activity types:
- Fishing
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Explore Chile's rugged, beautiful icefields. You'll learn the techniques of glacier mountaineering and heavy-weather camping and discover ecosystems while living... [more]
Duration: 34 days
Months offered:
- January
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Master 2 disciplines in one course: climbing, leading, belaying, placing anchors, tying knots, rappelling and managing risks in Wyoming, then... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
Activity types:
- Climbing
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
With climbing techniques, rope systems, anchors, rappelling, belaying, risk management, protective placement and the skills to travel safely in the... [more]
Duration: 21 days
Months offered:
- July
Activity types:
- Climbing
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Season depending, you might hike, ski, paddle and climb in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nevada & S. Dakota while learning to... [more]
Duration: 86 days
Months offered:
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Mountaineering
- Wilderness Medicine
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
-
Learning to live, guide, manage risks, foster teamwork & teach while trekking through backcountry Wyoming is the best way to... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Pursue a career in outdoor ed! Learning to eat, sleep, guide, manage risks, foster teamwork and teach everything from natural... [more]
Duration: 23 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Climbing
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Become an expert outdoor educator. After traveling through varied terrain, learning myriad skills, earning backcountry certifications and developing teaching tools,... [more]
Duration: 94 days
Months offered:
- February
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Wilderness Medicine
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Leadership Training
-
After honing skills and leadership for 75 days at NOLS Alaska - sea kayaking, backpacking and glacial mountaineering - you... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
-
You'll hike the Pindari and Milam (Johar) valleys, raft down the Ganges, become Wilderness First Aid certified, and discover the... [more]
Duration: 80 days
Months offered:
- March
- August
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of the Amazon. You'll hike and canoe through one of the world's most diverse ecosystems... [more]
Duration: 80 days
Months offered:
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of the Pacific NW. For 77 days you'll hike, climb and sail your way through... [more]
Duration: 77 days
Months offered:
- August
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Outdoor Skills
- Leadership Training
- Wilderness Medicine
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of the Yukon. For 76 days you'll learn to live safely and comfortably in the... [more]
Duration: 76 days
Months offered:
- June
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore the Southwest and Pacific Northwest: you'll hike, kayak, climb & sail the beautiful boundary territory while earning backcountry certifications... [more]
Duration: 86 days
Months offered:
- February
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive backcountry exploration of Australia. You may canoe, sea kayak and hike through the Drysdale River, Dampier... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- March
Activity types:
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Backpacking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
The most comprehensive exploration of Baja. For 78 days you'll hike mountain ranges of the peninsula, sail & kayak its... [more]
Duration: 78 days
Months offered:
- January
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive backcountry exploration of New Zealand. You may hike, canoe, kayak and sail through the Southern Alps,... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Sailing & Small Boats
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Discover Patagonia's breathtaking landscapes and wildlife: hike and sea kayak through rarely-traveled terrain & fjords, interacting with locals, earning wilderness... [more]
Duration: 75 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Climbing
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Backpacking
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of the Rockies.You can hike, ski, paddle and climb your way through Wyoming, Utah, Idaho,... [more]
Duration: 87 days
Months offered:
- February
- March
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Mountaineering
- Climbing
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
-
You can hike, cave, climb & paddle your way through the Rio Grande, Gila Wilderness, Carlsbad Caverns and Cochise Stronghold... [more]
Duration: 88 days
Months offered:
- January
- February
Activity types:
- Climbing
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of the Rockies. Depending on the season, you might hike, ski, paddle & climb your... [more]
Duration: 68 days
Months offered:
- June
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Mountaineering
- Wilderness Medicine
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
-
Become a winter expedition leader. You'll spend 19 days perfecting the art of snow shelters, practicing telemark and cross-country ski... [more]
Duration: 21 days
Months offered:
- January
Activity types:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
You'll develop skills: kayaking, rafting, rowing, wet exits & entries, eddy turns, ferries & peel-outs while learning comfortable and responsible... [more]
Duration: 16 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Travel Wyoming on a packhorse: learn to ride and care for your horse at Three Peaks Ranch, then explore the... [more]
Duration: 21 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
- August
Activity types:
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore the glaciers, snowfields & rocks of Wyoming. While safely traversing difficult terrain, like 13,804-foot Gannett Peak, you'll learn climbing... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Hiking for 30 days through Wyoming, you'll learn to navigate with a map, cook in the backcountry, rock climb, fly... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Hiking through Wyoming, you'll learn to navigate with a map, cook in the backcountry, rock climb, fly fish and lead... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- May
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Hiking through Wyoming's Wind River Mountains, you'll learn to navigate with a map, cook in the backcountry, rock climb, fly... [more]
Duration: 14 days
Months offered:
- July
- August
- September
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Don't wait to pursue an interest in the outdoors! Explore beautiful Wyoming while honing backcountry map, cooking, hiking, fishing, climbing,... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
In the most comprehensive course NOLS offers, you'll spend 135 days hiking, climbing, sea kayaking, learning Spanish, leading a student... [more]
Duration: 135 days
Months offered:
- October
Activity types:
- Mountaineering
- Backpacking
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
In this comprehensive immersion of the Sonoran Desert, you'll hike, kayak & climb through the Cochise Mtns, Galiuro and Gila... [more]
Duration: 135 days
Months offered:
- October
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Climbing
- Canoeing & Sea Kayaking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
Explore rugged Yukon wilderness: learn to travel responsibly in the backcountry and discover the tundra, permafrost, rivers, midnight sun, bear... [more]
Duration: 27 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
-
After backpacking through mountains of NE Whitehorse, paddling down the Hyland, Wolf or S. MacMillan rivers, and being safe &... [more]
Duration: 30 days
Months offered:
- June
- July
Activity types:
- White Water Rafting & Kayaking
- Backpacking
- Hiking
- Leadership Training
- Outdoor Skills
Below is a sampling of our trips. You may refine your search criteria using the form above.
Showing 78 of 78 trips found.
