Trips are open for all UNC Charlotte students, faculty, staff, and community members, unless otherwise noted.
To find the Medical Form on Niner Engage:
PLEASE NOTE: You only need to fill out this Medical Form once for the entire year.
*When you pay, you'll have the opportunity to list the trip(s) for which you're registering.
**Spaces on this trip are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration is not complete until both steps are finished!
***Registration deadlines are (with rare exceptions) noon on Tuesday the week before the trip--this gives our University physician time to review your medical form.
****You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Venture if/when your registration is approved, and the e-mail will include the trip waiver for you to read and sign.
For trips with a pre-trip meeting, attendance at the meeting is required. Registered participants who miss the pre-trip meeting will be taken off the trip roster and are not guaranteed a refund. Please keep this in mind when making decisions about participation.
Questions about trips or your registration status? Reach out to us at venturedept@uncc.edu.
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $25/$40/$50
Have you ever experienced a Southern Appalachian Winter in all it’s beauty? Join us on a Sunday hike through the winter wonderland of North Carolina wilderness. Day hikes are a perfect introduction to outdoor activities and a great way to unplug and de-stress in nature.
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $40/$50/$65
Rock climbing on a real cliff is incomparable to any other outdoor activity. Learn belaying techniques and rock climbing skills and build trust in your teammates as you support one another to meet your goals. Push your physical and mental limits up the walls of Rocky Face — can you make it to the top?
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $25/$40/$65
Meet new people, learn outdoor skills and experience nature on this beginner-friendly day hike. The focus of this trip will be teaching the basic skills needed to capably plan hikes of one’s own, how to navigate using a map and compass and how to enjoy the outdoors while minimizing impact on the natural environment and “leaving no trace.” Take a leap of faith to try out something new in a positive and supportive community environment.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 19; 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $45/$55/$75
Tawney’s Cave is one of Venture’s secret spots for our favorite trips. Squeeze your way through a small entrance that leads into a huge cavern, clamber over and under the tunnels and check out some breathtaking natural formations that most people will never see in their lifetime. Your team will help inspire and encourage you to take on additional challenges of fitting through tight squeezes and maneuvers as you explore this subterranean world.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 26; 5:30-7 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $150/$200/$225
Your Spring Break this year is going to be UNFORGETTABLE! The Red River Gorge is a hidden pocket of paradise within a day’s drive of Charlotte in eastern Kentucky. Join Venture on a four-day trip where you’ll learn and practice rock climbing skills on the iconic sandstone cliffs and tent camp at a nearby campground. You’ll amaze yourself at how much you can learn about rock climbing and camping in four days, and about how quickly friendships and community grow when experiencing the great outdoors with a supportive team. Take advantage of this opportunity to see a new part of the country and elevate your climbing skills and self-confidence on this Spring Break adventure.
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $40/$50/$65
You’ve never seen Crowders like this. The nearby state park, only 35 minutes from campus, is home to great hiking trails and rugged cliff faces. This trip will combine a stout mile-long hike and scramble with a day of rock climbing. Experience a natural resource just outside Charlotte and challenge yourself to hike, scramble and climb on this day trip.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, March 18; 6-8:30 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $45/$55/$75
Step up your whitewater game this weekend in a kayak. You sit much lower in a kayak than you do on a raft, putting you much “closer to the action” of whitewater rapids. During our pre-trip meeting, we’ll meet at the Venture office and later head over to the Belk pool to learn the basics of handling a kayak and what to do if you flip upside down. Once you’ve learned your wet exit and basic paddling techniques, you’ll put your skills to the test on a beginner-friendly whitewater river. Swimming skills are required.
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $40/$60/$75
Jump in feet first — this trip is going to “wash away” your mid-semester blues! Whitewater rafting is both exhilarating and refreshing between the roaring, thrashing rapids and the moments of still peace on the beautiful French Broad River. Venture leaders will teach you paddle strokes, river features and risk management on the water while you work with your team to power the raft and navigate down this ancient river. Swimming skills are required.
Pre-Trip Meeting: N/A
This trip is open to students who live on-campus only
Cost: Free!
For UNC Charlotte students living on-campus ONLY! Ready to push your standard surroundings of campus to a new level of nature? Venture is partnering with Housing & Residence Life to offer a trip to all students living on campus. Recruit your roommates and sign up for this fresh opportunity to get outside, connect with a new group of people and explore the beautiful South Mountains State Park, which features waterfalls and mountain vistas. On a clear day, you can just see the skyline of Charlotte on the horizon — about 50 miles away.
Registration Process: In addition to filling out a google registration form, you'll need to submit a 2019-2020 Venture Medical History form to complete registration and hold your spot. Once these two steps are completed, we'll send you an e-mail asking you to reply that you're 100% planning to participate. Once you've replied to that e-mail, you'll be fully confirmed for the program.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, April 8; 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $45/$55/$75
Come with Venture into Worley’s Cave in eastern Tennessee and see a fascinating and unique world. Worley’s is a “wild cave,” meaning that there are no man-made ramps or walkways, and our only light sources will be the headlamps we bring with us. Once inside, we’ll travel a roughly two-mile route which will lead us past hundred-foot-tall rooms, (optional) tight squeezes and underground rivers. You won’t want to miss this adventure.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Thursday, March 26; 5:30-7 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $70/$95/$110
Let Spring unfold under your feet. This overnight trip will provide a perfect introduction to backpacking, where you and your team will carry everything you need to live in the outdoors for a weekend on your backs. We’ll meet bright and early on Saturday and you’ll learn how to pack your backpack for accessibility and comfort. Throughout the trip, you’ll learn and practice skills such as map and compass navigation, cooking over a small and lightweight backpacking stove, and following Leave No Trace environmental ethics while hiking through a beautiful natural landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience wilderness and unplug from technology for an inspiring weekend.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, April 22; 6-8:30 p.m.
Cost (Students/Faculty & Staff/Community): $45/$55/$75
Make sure to catch this trip if you missed our last one. We’ll head to a Class II whitewater river in Western North Carolina, perfect for learning how to maneuver a kayak in turbulent water. The pre-trip meeting will include time at the Belk pool to give you an opportunity to fit yourself in a closed boat, learn how to perform a “wet exit” in the case of a flip and practice maneuvering the kayak. Test out your mental and physical capabilities on a whitewater kayaking experience outside of Asheville! Swimming skills are required.
