OA has been building friendships for 50 years
Welcome to Princeton
Outdoor Action (OA) provides a supportive environment to form connections with peers through exploration and recreation in the outdoors. No outdoor experience needed! Most students who participate in OA have never been hiking or camping before. You will be accompanied by trained student leaders who will teach you the skills you need to live and travel comfortably in an outdoor setting. Some trips will participate in outdoor activities adjacent to Princeton University, some will stay overnight at a campground facility, and others will sleep in tents in the backcountry. Learn about the types of trips that Outdoor Action offers for incoming student orientation.
Types of Trips:
For the OA Orientation Trip, you will be placed in a group with approximately 12 of your classmates and 2 to 3 OA Leaders. All trip types are an excellent way to bond with your group as you explore the outdoors. The primary activity for most trips will be hiking and/or walking, which will be broken up throughout the day with activities, games, time to rest, and conversations with your new classmates and the upper-class student Leaders.
After a full day of outdoor activities, it is great to enjoy a hot meal with new friends while talking about the day and what to expect at Princeton. You can also look forward to playing games and talking together before the group goes to sleep.
The most frequent questions about camping are regarding bathrooms and bathing. Please read below for information about bathroom access for each different trip type. Since there will be times when you are away from bathrooms, your Leaders will explain the proper methods for relieving yourself outside. We know this may be a little different from what you are used to, but the OA Orientation Trip is all about trying new things and stepping outside your comfort zone.
Activities:
Within each of these different types of trips, there are a number of different activities that we offer including:
- Day Hiking
- Canoeing/Kayaking
- Backpacking
- Indoor Rock Climbing
- Outdoor Rock Climbing
- High Ropes Course
- River Tubing
- Natural History hikes
- Trail Maintenance or other outdoor-based community service
- Nature & Mindfulness Activities
Basecamp Trips
Basecamp trips stay at group campsites at state parks and other campgrounds. You will sleep under a large tarp or in a tent and cook outdoors at your campsite. Everyone in the group works together on all the camp tasks (camp set-up, cooking, cleaning, etc.). There will be toilets or outhouses, running water, and some locations have shower facilities.
Each day, you will head out for a new adventure doing day hikes in parks that only require carrying a light backpack (water, lunch, etc.). You may also spend time doing other outdoor activities near the campground such as kayaking, canoeing, swimming, or rock climbing.
Basecamp Trips
Campus-based Trips
For a Campus-based trip, you will sleep in your own dorm room each night. Some meals will be eaten in the dining halls on campus and others will be picnics outdoors. While on campus, you will have access to your normal dorm bathrooms and showers. There may be more limited bathroom access during the day while outdoors.
Campus-based groups will be exploring the natural areas in Princeton and other parks in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. Some days you will be exploring outdoor locations within walking distance of campus and other days traveling by bus. There will be various activities such as hiking, canoeing, biking, trail maintenance, yoga, or rock climbing. There is also an option for one night of camping at a campground. For the day activities, you will only carry a light backpack (water, lunch, etc.).
Campus-based Trips
Backcountry Trips
Participants on backcountry trips will sleep under a large tarp or in a tent and cook outdoors at your campsite. Everyone in the group works together on all the camp tasks. At most of the backcountry campsites, there are no outhouses or bathrooms. You will not have access to showers during the trip, but you will be able to wash your face and hands. Sometimes there are also streams or lakes to swim in.
Most of these trips will be hiking with a full backpacking backpack or canoeing down calm rivers. Each day, the group will travel to a new campsite while transporting all their belongings—either hiking along established trails or paddling downstream. The mileage varies by group and by day, but typically 6-8 hours a day are spent being active.
If backpacking, you will carry all your personal gear and a portion of the group equipment and food in a large, internal framed backpack, which allows you to carry weight more easily.
