Do you enjoy the peace and serenity that comes with being in the mountains? Are skiing, hiking, or mountain biking a few of your favorite activities? Do you want to become one with nature? If yes, you should look at colleges in the mountains!
1. University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
The University of Utah is a public university in the mountains that offers 100 miles of bike trails and 7 world-class ski resorts within 30 minutes of campus. Some of the dorms on campus were built to serve as the athlete village for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
2. University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
CU Boulder is a public university. The most iconic view on campus comes from a mountain range called the Flatirons. In 1949, CU students painted “CU” in the Flatirons. It remains visible and serves as place of pride for CU students.
3. James Madison University
Harrisonbug, Virginia
JMU is a public university located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Backpacker magazine previously ranked Harrisonburg as a top spot to beat “Nature Deficit Disorder.”
4. Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
App State is a public university located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The college is focused on giving back to the environment. Many students join the Blue Ridge Mountain Corps which works with the National Park Service to educate visitors of the Rough Ridge area on preserving and protecting this area.
5. Lewis and Clark College
Portland, Oregon
Lewis and Clark is a private university that sits atop Palatine Hill. The campus also borders the Tryon Creek State Natural Area, a 645-acre state park, where you can hike, mountain bike, and horseback ride. Students are lucky to have nature and the awesome culture Portland provides right outside their door.
6. Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA
Lewis and Clark is a private university that sits atop Palatine Hill. The campus also borders the Tryon Creek Whitman College is one of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest colleges. The campus is located at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The college offers a robust outdoor program that takes students hiking, skiing, kayaking, ice climbing, and snowshoeing. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a “Semester in the West” that sends students out to do field research in conservation and social justice.
7. Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury College is a private university in the Champlain Valley. The Middlebury College Ski bowl is located on their mountain campus and offers 17 trails open to the public and for intercollegiate competitions. It is one of only two remaining college-owned ski areas in the eastern United States.
8. Berry College
Mount Berry, Georgia
Berry College is a private university and is the largest contiguous campus spanning over 27,000 acres with 100 miles of trails. Part of the campus is located atop Lavender Mountain. According to Buzzfeed, “the campus was made for Instagram.” Another fun fact: scenes from “Remember the Titans” were filmed at Berry.
9. University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
UI students enjoy relaxing and studying on the 65-acre Arboretum that features gardens, ponds, and trees from all over the world. This college in the mountains is full of rolling hills which provides the perfect terrain for their on-campus golf course.
10. Sewanee: University of the South
Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee is a private university with the nickname “The Mountain” for its beautiful location on the Cumberland Plateau overlooking the Tennessee Valley. There are over 50 miles of trails on campus that students can hike, mountain bike, and horseback ride on. Students at Sewanee know to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures.