OA Group celebrating on the river
OA Orientation Trips
Outdoor Action Welcomes the Class of 2029
Outdoor Action has welcomed incoming students to Princeton through small-group adventures for over 50 years. Since we started in 1974, over 26,000 Princeton students have participated in the program.
Students don’t need any previous outdoor experience or equipment to participate in OA. OA offers a full range of trips, from campus-based to trips that stay at campgrounds to trips that spend the night in the backcountry. Whatever your experience level, we have a trip for you!
OA believes that a group, working together towards a shared goal, can accomplish amazing things. Each day brings opportunities to build relationships with other group members, explore new things in the outdoors, and exercise a ‘spirit of adventure’ that we hope students will carry with them throughout their time at Princeton and beyond.
Students will be placed in an OA group of 10-12 first-year and transfer students along with 2-3 upper-class Outdoor Action Leaders. OA Leaders are some of the most energetic and engaged students at Princeton. They are also leaders outside of OA through their involvement in performing groups, student organizations, student government, athletic teams, community service, and the full spectrum of academic majors.
OA 50th Anniversary Video
Become an OA Leader!
Spring Leader Training over is now open
All of the campus workshops are offered over Spring Break and in April.
- Leadership 101 & 102
- Managing Safety
- Wilderness First Aid
- Outdoor Technical Skills
See the Leader Training Schedule for details. Sign up at My.Princeton.
Welcome to Outdoor Action!
Outdoor Action (OA) is Princeton's outdoor education and leadership program. Each fall, OA provides outdoor orientation experiences for the incoming first-year class and transfer students.
During the academic year, OA offers trips and events open to the entire Princeton University community. These experiences include activities such as hiking, backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing as well as speaker events, film screenings, instructional classes on outdoor skills, and leadership development workshops.
OA also oversees the Outdoor Action Climbing Wall, an indoor rock climbing gym and training facility. OA provides open hours for climbing and instructional classes for beginners.
OA trips and activities are led by students who have completed the OA Leader Training program, a comprehensive leadership development program that teaches students practical outdoor skills and how to effectively manage groups and teams of various sizes.
OA Leader Training is open to all members of the Princeton community and is free for undergraduate and graduate students. The OA Leader community is the largest leadership group on campus and welcomes everyone interested in developing leadership skills to serve others. No prior outdoor experience is required to participate in the OA Leader Training program or any OA activity. OA provides the knowledge and the equipment to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
OA also operates an outdoor equipment rental facility for going on your own trips.
OA Climbing Wall Hours
Person climbing at the OA Climbing Wall
Summer 2025 Open Hours at the OA Climbing Wall:
Tuesdays, June 10 - July 29, 4:30-6:30pm
The Outdoor Action Climbing Wall, located in the Princeton stadium, is free to all Princeton University students, faculty, staff, and visiting summer students with an active PUID. Spouses and children are also welcome (call the OA office for more info). Individuals without a TigerCard (prox) are not eligible to climb. Check My.Princeton.edu for the most up-to-date weekly schedule.
Academic Year Hours and Offerings
- Mondays 4:30-6:30pm
- Tuesdays 8-10pm
- Wednesdays 8-10pm
- Thursdays 10pm-Midnight
- Fridays 4:30-6:30pm
- Saturdays 3-5pm
OA 50th Anniversary
‘More than a Backpacking Trip’: Outdoor Action Celebrates 50 Years
The Princeton Alumni Weekly has a web feature on Outdoor Action's 50th Anniversary entitled ‘More than a Backpacking Trip’: Outdoor Action Celebrates 50 Years which includes reflections from a number of alumni Outdoor Action Leaders.
Photos and Videos from the 50th Anniversary Reunion
OA 50th Anniversary attendees
Alumni Leaders - Celebrated OA's 50th Anniversary
September 20 - 22 on campus
To celebrate fifty years of Outdoor Action, we held a special event on campus for all OA Alumni and Friends. This was a fun-filled weekend of events where all generations of OA alumni and current students got to connect, reflect, and share the important legacy of OA, leadership and the outdoors. Like any OA event, this was an engaging, experiential and explorative event. Any time that OA alumni gather, it’s bound to be a fun adventure!
Outdoor Action Celebrates 50 Years of Programming
