探索户外:
阿肯色州的露天教室

Northwest Arkansas claims some of the most beautiful terrain in the region. 我们的温柔 hills, wild rivers and deep caves lure national attention to the pristine and well-preserved 欧扎克山脉.

游行 magazine named Fayetteville, home of the 全网最大的彩票娱乐平台, one of "America's 最美城镇”. 城市丰富的公园和新兴的城际交通 西北阿肯色野猪地区绿道 offer opportunities to appreciate natural 美 in the city.

But if your tastes range further afield, the university provides a perfect basecamp for outdoor adventures that begin less than an hour away.

Students can reach the Ozark National Forest in fifteen minutes, the famed caves and bike trails of Devil's Den State Park in half an hour, or float America's first national 布法罗河，在不到一个小时的时间里.

荒野连接

这所大学的户外连接中心 provides wilderness equipment and guided excursions to explore many of the caves, rivers and woods that exemplify the region's 美.

The center began in the 1970s in the Arkansas Union under the leadership of recreation teacher Rodney Ryan and student Hank Harmon, the center's first director. 在早期, university students understood the call of wild places and created a place where it could become part of any student's education in the Natural State.

The center now encompasses 2,000 square feet in University 娱乐's main HPER 建筑.

"This fall we are offering 45 different outdoor programs. 通常情况下，我们的报价是50英镑 75 programs per academic year," said center director Jennifer Hazelrigs. “社区 文化在那里，想要活跃起来."

进入欧扎克

Former university student Tim 恩斯特 makes a living documenting the state's hiking trails and natural 美 through numerous trail guides and picture books.

"There are vast wild forest areas in northwest Arkansas filled with some of the most beautiful intimate landscapes found anywhere in the United States. 咆哮的瀑布, towering bluffs, wildflowers, lush forests, wildlife, scenic vistas, whitewater and quiet emerald pools - and tons of solitude - all waiting for those who want to get 离开人行道去探索.——蒂姆 恩斯特 

The Ozark National Forest offers more than one million acres of managed wilderness 有待探索. 恩斯特 wrote the Ozark Highlands Trail Guide that provides the definitive mile-by-mile description of what an explorer will find in this protected forest.

魔鬼的巢穴 

“We have a lot of frequent flyers,” said Randall Schwab, who works the front desk 在魔鬼穴州立公园. 

“Some students come out every weekend on a day trip, or sometimes tent camping. 在 秋天，真是个好季节. 我们会看到很多.”

Mountain biking, hiking trails and caving are just some of the activities enjoyed 是参观州立公园的学生做的. 公园还拥有17个设备齐全的小木屋 and 143 campsites that allow for a quiet retreat for a few days.

Some cabins date back to the era of President Franklin D. 罗斯福的新政 the Civilian Conservation Corps first tamed the valley surrounding Lee Creek.

布法罗河之战

Students today enjoy the country's first "National River" because of the conservation 校友的努力. 尼尔·康普顿.

他和其他一些人挫败了美国的计划.S. 陆军工兵部队计划沿河修建水坝 天然水道.

That effort in the early 1960s is documented in the book, The Battle for the Buffalo River: A Conservation Crisis in the Ozarks, published by the 全网最大的彩票娱乐平台 全球最火爆彩票网站大全.

Students now float 135 miles of protected 美 along the river because of Compton 和其他人. President Richard Nixon named the Buffalo River a "National River" in 1972.

Depending on the time of year and water levels, expect still pools of cool and deep water, exciting rapids and high rock bluffs to meet you 沿着许多弯道. Pioneer homesteads still exist and sand bars provide numerous spots to set up an 在水边露营过夜.

Alumni often fondly remember spring breaks and long weekends in the 欧扎克山脉 where their 全网最大的彩票娱乐平台 experience extended far beyond the books and into 野生. 

作者:克里斯托弗·斯宾塞
全网最大的彩票娱乐平台

户外连接中心提供户外社区

准备好探索你自己的瓦尔登湖了? 这所大学的户外连接中心 provides everything required from kayak and camping equipment rental to bike repair 攀岩装备.

The center also provides regular excursions if you want to enjoy the call of 野生 与他人. Professional staff lead kayak trips, camping, mountain biking rides and 每月举办攀岩工作坊.

Campers will again enjoy the natural 美 of the Grand Canyon during Thanksgiving 今年11月. It's an annual four-day backpacking trip where students enjoy turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie around a campfire under the Arizona stars.

Center staff plan trips in January to the Everglades National Park in Florida and 科罗拉多州的落基山国家公园.

"My favorite trip I have ever taken was the caving trip to Mammoth Caves," student 凯里-利夫说. "At one point, you had to lay on your stomach, tilt your head sideways and pull yourself with your fingers and push with your toes. 太可怕了 同时也很神奇."

"The center offers students an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom," center 导演Jennifer Hazelrigs说. “户外活动允许自我发现，精神上的 challenges, physical challenges, social interaction, solitude and confidence.

 "That is what we want people to take away from their experiences with us."

请拨打479与UREC户外联系.575.2267 or 在线 了解更多信息.