For the second year in a row, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has been voted our region’s Top Adventure College in Blue Ridge Outdoors’ annual competition. The contest puts 32 colleges and universities from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic head-to-head in bracket-style voting rounds. Note only were votes counted towards the schools, they also entered participants to win two pairs of Ultra Light Merino Performance Crew hiking socks from this year’s sponsor Bridgedale.
The final round of the bracket came down to ETSU and Appalachian State University of Boone, North Carolina. After thousands of votes and hundreds of posts hyping each school, ETSU was named the Top Adventure College of 2024.
Located in eastern Tennessee’s Johnson City, ETSU is surrounded by mountains granting unique and exciting access to outdoor adventure. Hiking the nearby Appalachian Trail, paddling the Nolichucky River, and exploring the Cherokee National Forest are just a few examples of the exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities the area offers.
Their outdoor program makes it easy for students of all experience levels to have access to the outdoors. From trips and clinics scheduled throughout the year that venture into the nearby wilderness and beyond to a climbing wall, ropes course, and equipment rentalls the adventures can be taken on or off campus.
A more in-depth look at ETSU’s outdoor opportunities will be featured this year in a print issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors.
All photos courtesy of ETSU.
