There's always something to do at NOLS Southwest. Photo: Anna Haegel

The friendly atmosphere and abounding beauty of Arizona will welcome you to NOLS Southwest, located on the outskirts of Tucson. Meaning “Spring at the base of the black mountain,” in the language of the Tohono O’odham tribe, Tucson is a mid-sized city of 486,699 people allowing for one of the most accessible NOLS locations. Surrounded by Bureau of Land Management, National Park and National Forest lands, a short drive gets you out of the city and into a wilderness marked by stunning sunsets and towering Saquaro cactus.

In operation for the past 15 years, NOLS Southwest occupies what was previously an Arabian horse ranch, a ten-acre property at the base of the Catalina Mountains where Gila monsters and javelina are regular visitors. The facility is made up of spacious rations and equipment rooms, a climbing wall, two recently-built straw bail houses, and an open air, covered ramada, where students eat their meals and prepare for their courses.

NOLS Southwest’s small size creates a friendly, close-knit atmosphere. Staff get to know each of the students as everyone shares meals, cleans up together, and generally displays stellar “expedition behavior” to make sure everything runs smoothly. By the time students leave the sunny Southwest, they’ll not only depart with a host of outdoor leadership skills, but also the camaraderie of this close-knit and friendly NOLS community. And if you’re lucky, the staff at NOLS Southwest might even send you off with their famous Southwest wave!

Local Facts Course areas are as close as 40 miles or as far as a two-day drive (to the Rio Grande in Texas.) Local wildlife: Saguaro cactus, pineapple cactus, lesser long nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl, ocelot, Sonoran pronghorn antelope, gray wolf, jaguar, Bald eagle, javelina, Gila monsters, red-tailed hawk, and Aplomado falcon. Tucson is one of the sunniest cities in the U.S., with 3,800 hours of sunlight per year. Monsoon season occurs in the summer, where brief, but intense thunderstorms supply the desert with an average of 11 inches of rain per year. The property once served as a corporate retreat when it was an active Arabian horse ranch. Staff gives every course a wave as they leave for their course…wigs, sombreros and special dance moves are usually involved. NOLS is actively involved in the surrounding community: We have adopted a stretch of road where we do regular trash pick-ups and we also help to support a local women’s shelter with donations of food.