Garrett College Center for Adventure & Outdoor Studies

Garrett College Center for Adventure & Outdoor Studies is the outdoor education arm of Garrett College on its McHenry campus near Deep Creek Lake. It runs the college's Outdoor Leadership & Adventure Education (OLA) program for degree students and, with Continuing Education & Workforce Development, offers non-credit trips, clinics and courses that anyone can sign up for.

Courses and Clinics for the Public

The non-credit side is a way to learn a skill without enrolling in college. Recent offerings have included:

• Wilderness Survival Skills, a multi-day professional development course
• Ski & Snowboard Tuning Clinic before the winter season
• Outdoor Adventure Sampler and Swiftwater Rescue sessions
• Guided adventures, skills instruction and team-building programs for groups
• Outdoor Adventure Sports Summer Camps for young people

Registration for many of these runs through the college's Performing Arts Center online box office.

The Degree Program

For students who want to work outdoors, OLA leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree or a field instructor certificate, with skills tracks in rock climbing, alpine climbing, paddlesports, mountain biking and snow sports. Students can earn national certifications such as Wilderness First Responder, Leave No Trace, American Canoe Association, AMGA, PSIA and swiftwater rescue, and an internship is part of the degree. Garrett County's rivers, forests and slopes serve as the classroom, with trips to places like the Youghiogheny River and Fork Run. The program also runs the Adventure Equipment Center.

Before You Go

Course lists change each season, so check the program page or call for what's coming up next.

Call Us!

• Website
• (301) 387-3330