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Warren Wilson Ranked Top Outdoor College in the U.S.

Best Value Schools ranked Warren Wilson College as one of its 50 best outdoor colleges in the country.

Best Value Schools has named Warren Wilson College as one of its top 50 outdoor schools in the country.

The organization ranked schools that have “great outdoor programs and activities, taking into consideration the number of yearly days of sunshine, outdoor activities, and clubs at the school.”

Specifically, Best Value Schools noted Warren Wilson’s 15 miles of wooded trails, 1,150-acre beautiful campus, and Outdoor Adventure Program, which gives students opportunities to get out and discover first-hand the millions of acres of national forests and rivers on the College’s doorstep.

It also recognized Warren Wilson’s Outdoor Leadership Studies Degree. The Outdoor Leadership program is a liberal arts discipline that combines outdoor skills (such as backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, and rock climbing) with theory and practice in interpersonal communication, behavioral science, counseling, and being a leader. Graduates of the program have worked at outdoor centers, become instructors for at-risk youth or people with disabilities, or gone into the adventure travel and tourism industry.

Warren Wilson was ranked No. 24 out of the 50 top outdoors schools in the country from Best Value Schools.

“If you like to hike, climb, paddle, forage, MTB, go caving, and get outdoors for your favorite activities this is a great place to go,” the Best Value Schools editors said.

Previously, Warren Wilson College has been ranked No. 13 on Backpacker Magazine’s “The 20 Best Colleges for Hikers” list, one of Princeton Review’s “Green Colleges,” one of eight colleges “For Students Who’d Rather Be Outside” by Men’s Journal, one of Buzzfeed’s “Most Beautiful College on Earth,” and Sierra magazine’s “Cool Schools.”

Mountain Biking Students doing fieldwork