Penn State University (PSU)
By exploring this website, you’ve taken the first step toward experiencing the “Happy Valley” — home to Penn State University’s Outdoor Experiential Leadership program!
Penn State is at the north end of the Appalachians in Central Pennsylvania. The area boasts incredible outdoor opportunities through four distinct seasons, right in the Happy Valley. The nearby state forests, state parks, and game lands offer world-class hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, downhill and cross-country skiing, fly fishing, and canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle-boarding opportunities, just to name a few.
The Penn State community helps facilitate these types of opportunities through programming at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Learning Center (situated within nearby Rothrock State Forest), the campus Adventure Recreation Program (including a state-of-the-art climbing wall), and a variety of student-led clubs such as the historic Outings Club, Ski Club, or Fly Fishing Club. This is further supported by the largest alumni association in the world, providing for endless networking opportunities that will begin your track toward success while you’re here, and extend well beyond your time on campus.