National Outdoor Leadership School-Southwest Branch

In Tucson, National Outdoor Leadership School-Southwest Branch offers expedition-based wilderness education through courses that develop backcountry skills, leadership, and judgment. Learning takes place in the field. Students join expeditions in locations such as Patagonia, Baja, the Wind River Range, and the Himalayas, with instructors serving as mentors. Programs include summer courses for teens, semester and year options, adult expeditions, and wilderness medicine training. Course formats range from short outings to multiweek expeditions, and some semester programs offer college credits. NOLS also provides custom expeditions and wilderness medicine training for organizations, tailoring programs to team needs. Its offerings include wilderness first responder certification and courses in wilderness medicine and rescue. The school also provides wilderness risk management consulting and hosts the Wilderness Risk Management Conference.