Outdoor Trips

The elective trips fall into two categories. Adventure Trips are the most intensive and focus on a single activity: backpacking, kayaking, river rafting, back-country skiing, climbing, biking (or a combination!).

Observation/Awareness Trips offer students the opportunity to connect with the natural world through more contemplative and less active means. Such trips include visiting tide pools, survival training and spending time on a working farm.

No previous experience is required, however, the activities are varied enough to challenge even those with some expertise. Students are encouraged to sign up for at least one outing during the year. 

Self-Selected Trips Fall 2021
(tentative, based on health guidelines in place at the time)

CANCELLED DUE TO FIRE
Saturday-Monday, September 4-6
Rafting the American River
We will head to the ETC River Camp where we will begin our adventure of rafting, camping, cooking and getting to know each other.

Friday-Sunday, October 1-3
Donner Climbing Trip
We will spend the day climbing in Donner Summit. We have hired Gateway Mountain Center to guide our climbing. They have experienced staff who know the area well and will cater to our needs, depending on participants’ experience (all experience levels welcome!).

Saturday-Sunday, October 30-31
Kayak in Tomales Bay/Bioluminescence
We'll meet early at Urban for a peaceful drive to Tomales Bay. We'll meet our guides from Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) and launch on Tomales Bay for the paddle to beach campsite. During our paddle to the camp site we will explore Hog Island and White Gulch searching for marine mammals and Tule elk. Depending on weather, we'll do an evening paddle hoping to catch some bioluminescence!

Friday, December 4
Stargazing on Mt. Diablo, with Space Club
We'll take telescopes and learn about the night sky as well as try to spot Jupiter's moons and maybe even Saturn!

Saturday, December 18
Moonlight Kayak in Sausalito
Spend the evening with your Urban peers on San Francisco Bay. Gaze up at the stars as we explore the area in our kayaks!

Grade level trips offer students and teachers an opportunity to get away from the school and the city in order to build class unity and responsibility through trail work and other activities.

Ninth graders may do a ropes course together in the fall and spend a night at Westminster Woods or Point Bonita Y during Spring Class Days. The final spring term Senior overnight trip may incorporate trail work in a local national park and some final moments to bond as a class. 11th graders spend several days at Point Reyes in the fall carrying on the nearly 40-year tradition of trail work that Urban has conducted on behalf of the National Park Service.

2021-22 grade level trips TBA.

9th Grade Class Trip	10th Grade Class Trip
11th Grade Class Trip	Senior Class Retreat