6 Day Rock Climbing and Backpacking - Adirondacks
The Adirondacks region is one of New York's greatest natural assets, preserved by state law to remain "forever wild." The area covers an impressive 6 million acres, 2.3 million of which are State Forest Preserve, the largest tract of wild land in the Northeast. You and your fellow trippers will enjoy great views, delicious food, and amazing company along the trail. Not only will you have a chance to enjoy the scenic views of the Adirondacks in NY state, but you will be able to scale some of the best cliffs in the eastern region of the country. You will spend 3 days Backpacking and 2 days Rock Climbing (from a base camp site with tents)
| Trip Dates | August 12, 2025: Arrive in Ithaca between 11am-1pm (Day 0) August 13, 2025: Trip departs (Day 1) August 18, 2025: Trip returns to Ithaca for Camp-o-rama (Day 6) August 19, 2025: Move-in day (Day 7) |
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| Trip Fee | $635 (Financial Assistance available) |
| Location | Adirondack Mountains, NY |
| Activity Level | No rock climbing experience is necessary, but due to the relatively un-trekked rocky terrain, approaches to the rock site can have significant elevation gain and un-serviced paths. Most trips hike an average of 3-6 miles per day with a 30-40 pound backpack. |
| Basecamping | During rock climbing portion |
| Access to showers or restrooms | No |
| Day 0 | Trip participants arrive between 11:00AM and 1:00PM at Cornell, trip participants and their guides meet and begin to get to know each other, prepare their belongings for the trip and have a trip dinner (usually at one of the restaurants in Collegetown). Trip participants and their guides sleep on the Arts Quad. |
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| Day 1 | The trip wakes up bright and early and heads off to the starting point of their backpacking trip. |
| Days 2-3 | A typical day of backpacking consists of 4-8 miles of hiking, a break for lunch, and setting up camp / cooking dinner at night. |
| Days 4-5 | On day 4, you will be picked up and transported to the rock climbing site. Here, you will camp in tents. Each day, you will hike to the cliffs, rock climb, eat lunch, and then return to your campsite to relax, eat dinner, and sleep. |
| Day 6 | All trips return to Ithaca for Camp-O-Rama, a closing ceremony and celebration of the Outdoor Odyssey trips. Trip participants clean their gear, share a meal with other trips, and get the chance to meet some of the ~200 other participants. |
Move-In | Trip is shuttled back to Bartels Hall on the morning of move-in day, where the participants return their rented gear as a group. Once all gear is returned, trip participants are free to register at Bartels Hall and move into their dorms. Oftentimes, guides will help their trip participants move in. |
Testimonial
"I went on a 'rock-back' trip before coming to Cornell, and I consider it one of the best decisions I have made while at Cornell. To this day, I am still good friends with my fellow trippers and am planning on living in Collegetown with them next year! I cannot thank Odyssey enough for helping me find an awesome group of friends and feel comfortable transitioning to college!"