Year Founded: 1991 Operating Season: Sep.-May Location:Tucson,
Arizona In-town Staff:9 Skills offered: Rock
Climbing, Backpacking, Caving, Canoeing
Welcome to the American Southwest: A horizon studded with saguaro cactus, hidden nooks lush with watercress, granite strongholds glowing orange in the setting sun, the call of a Gambel’s quail, the smell of mesquite washed in a pounding desert rain.
Now put yourself in the picture. You could be climbing, hiking, or canoeing in terrain as varied as those skills. From our facility on the outskirts of Tucson, Ariz., we explore the amazing diversity of this desert region, a land of mountain lion, javelina, and white-tailed deer.
Birds such as the elegant trogon and white-eared hummingbird fly the same skies as red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures. It’s a land that famed naturalist Aldo Leopold called “near to being the cream of creation.”
Courses pass through areas also rich in human history, areas originally inhabited by ancient cultures and areas with a more recent Spanish influence. With easy access, amazing contrasts, and challenging technical skills, a course at NOLS Southwest is hard to beat.
Consistently good weather means that skills develop quickly at NOLS Southwest.
Photo: David Anderson
“Why do I work for NOLS? First, I like teaching.
NOLS courses provide a stupendous avenue to teach people who are
highly motivated to learn. And finally, it’s the people I
work with. The NOLS community is great.”
Jim Ferguson
NOLS Instructor
EXPLORE
NOLS SOUTHWEST...
WHAT MAKES NOLS THE
LEADER?
Our 45 years of
experience and time-tested curriculum has produced nearly 200,000 leaders. Read more reasons...
