East Tennessee State University (ETSU) was voted the best school for outdoor adventure in the region by the readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors. The win came as part of the magazine’s annual Top Adventure College Tournament. The bracket-style contest features 32 colleges and universities from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic competing against each other through multiple rounds of reader voting.
Surrounded by the mountains of eastern Tennessee in Johnson City, ETSU offers students access to some of the best outdoor recreation in the Blue Ridge. The bountiful options include hiking the nearby Appalachian Trail, paddling the Nolichucky River, and exploring the vast Cherokee National Forest.
While on campus, students can hike and ride mountain bikes on the school’s five-mile Woods and Trail System or climb wall routes at the Basler Team Challenge Course. The Outdoor Adventure Center provides gear rentals and offers backpacking and whitewater rafting trips.
A more in-depth look at ETSU’s outdoor opportunities will be featured in the August issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors.
Another Tennessee school, Maryville College—a former winner of the Top Adventure College Tournament—was this year’s runner-up.
All photos courtesy East Tennessee State University
