Cascades Adventures mission is to offer outdoor and adventurous challenges in a positive and sharing community.

Cascades Adventures is a program designed for the entire OSU Cascades and COCC community. Our intention is to provide students, faculty and staff from the campus community with an opportunity to participate in outdoor activities, outings, programs and workshops. Come join us and meet new folks, try new activities, learn some new outdoor skills and have fun! Cascades Adventures aims at providing enriching experiences for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts.

Current Students

Weekly Meetings: Fall Term location/time TBA

Schedule of upcoming outings, tranings, and workshops

New Students

Interested in a FREE New Student Wilderness Orientation Program?  Check out your options with the OSU-Cascades Headwaters Program!

The spring quarter is more than half over & students are already preparing for their impending graduation or summer employment prospects. Spring signifies this transition in students’ lives, but also marks a time of transition for the natural world.  These transitions are representative of the growth that occurs during students’ time at the Cascades Campus as well as the new life they will breathe into their future endeavors. Cascades Adventures has continued to celebrate this transitional time of year by getting out for weekly respite in the mountains & rivers of Central Oregon. Cascades Adventures’ current weekly offerings include Wednesday morning Dawn Patrol from 5:30am-9:00am and Canoe Thursdays from 12:00pm-4:00pm.

While Cascades Adventures has been busy playing in Central Oregon’s mountains & rivers, students have also had the pleasure of sharing those landscapes with High Lakes Elementary students. Thanks to a partnership with the Natural Resources department, Cascades Adventures has had the opportunity to help instruct High Lakes Elementary 4^th graders on how to become stream scholars. Stream Scholars have had the opportunity to learn about erosion, water quality, pollution, macro invertebrates & orienteering through field stations at Shevlin Park.

Cascades Adventures would also like to welcome some of our newest trip leaders, a big congrats to Nika Short, Skyler Ogden, Nick Reed & Madison Charrier for their hard work and persistence.

Remember that all Cascades Adventures outings are FREE to students, faculty and staff of OSU-Cascades and COCC so keep an eye on the schedule for news of upcoming events and outings.

Interested in signing up for an outing or do you just want to know more details about a trip?

Get information from Cascades Adventures Coordinator using "CA Instant Beta"

Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Myers

Email: jeffrey.myers@osucascades.edu

Office: 322-3116

Cell: 390-1967

Student Contact: Robert Prentice

bluebuddha@peacemail.com

FAQ

Who is allowed to participate?

Any person who is currently a student, faculty or staff at OSU Cascades and Central Oregon Community College is welcome to attend our trips, outings, and workshops.

How much do the trips cost?

There are no fees or dues for Cascades Adventures. Our costs are cared for by the Student Fee Committee, which allocates an annual operational budget. For the majority of our outings, there is no cost. We do provide trainings and workshops occasionally that may require a fee to cover the contracting of outside resources.

Who leads the trips?

Cascades Adventures trips are led by qualified and experienced leaders, who are members of the Cascades community. All trip leaders undergo a rigorous application process that evaluates their skills and experiences in a certain activity. All trip leader teams have, at a minimum, a WFR certification. Many of our trip leaders are students in the Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Tourism program and are well versed in facilitating, leading, and instructing groups.

What gear do I need to have?

Cascades Adventures has a very limited gear inventory. For all of the outings, participants must provide personal gear, such as water bottles, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, etc. Cascades Adventures gear is limited to rock climbing (ropes, harnesses, helmets), back-country snow riding (avalanche beacons & probes, shovels), and canoeing (boats, pfd's, paddles).

What experience do I need to have?

Many of Cascades Adventures outings are designed for beginner to intermediate level participants. For more advanced outings, we typically reserve the title of workshop or training, for these will focus primarily on technical and leadership skill development.

How can you become a trip leader?

Read through the description of the application process and trip leader responsibilities. Being a Cascades Adventures trip leader is rewarding and beneficial to all students, regardless of their area of study.