Pursue Your Outdoor Goals

Take on new challenges with coaching from experienced instructors—whether that means camping for the first time, growing your technical skills, or exploring new teaching strategies with fellow outdoor educators.

Create the Space You Want to See

Build a community where you and fellow expedition members set the expectations, conversation, and culture. Work together to create a space in the outdoors that addresses exclusion, barriers to access, and historical erasure.

Course Offerings

The stark desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park at sunset.

For nine days, we had the space and privilege of building our own little POC world together, in this little slice of earth we walked on. For once, we controlled what was talked about and what was prioritized. We made the culture and we made all the rules.

Amanda Machado 2019 Southwest Leaders of Color Expedition Grad

Find Your Community

Explore other affinity expeditions

Women (Ages 23+)

Grow your wilderness skills and confidence in a community of self-identified women. Return empowered to lead in the outdoors and beyond.

AmeriCorps

Use your AmeriCorps education award to explore the world on a NOLS course.
Students pause while mountaineering at to watch the sunrise.

Military

You’ve dedicated your life to service. A NOLS course can honor your experience and create opportunities to take your skills to new heights.
Four girls pose on a mountain slope in the Pacific Northwest while backpacking.

Girls (Ages 14 & 15)

You’re looking for adventure. Join a group of motivated teens to build your self-confidence and learn to lead in the outdoors.
Rainbow in Alaska's Talkeetna Mountains with cluster of NOLS tents nearby.

LGBTQ+

Explore the wilderness in a queer-positive community. Develop your outdoor and leadership skills with peers who self-identify as LGBTQ+.

Call