Bounded by both mountains and ocean, NOLS Pacific Northwest is your gateway to backcountry adventures in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada. In wilderness classrooms ranging from ocean to alpine and rainforest to high desert, we offer courses in five outdoor skills: backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing, sea kayaking, and keelboat sailing. The urban centers of Seattle and Vancouver are close enough for convenient travel to and from NOLS Pacific Northwest, but once you’re on course, you can travel for days without seeing other people. On an ocean-based expedition, you’ll paddle along the open coast of Vancouver Island or navigate a sailboat across the Salish Sea. If you choose to stay on land, your options include backpacking through the rainforest of Olympic National Park, climbing the glaciated peaks of the North Cascades, or mountaineering on the ice fields of British Columbia. No matter which skill type you tackle and which classroom you explore, you’ll find memorable challenges in the Pacific Northwest. Whether it’s completing a peak ascent at sunrise or waking early to check weather conditions before planning the day’s paddling route, you’ll return home with experiences to remember. And, the best kept secret of the Pacific Northwest? It’s not as rainy as you might think!