Navigating Rensselaer & Beyond Overnight Trips
August 21-23, 2025 | Registration for NRB Overnights will open on June 6, 2025 at 10 a.m. EST.
To ease your transition to college, the NRB overnight trips will introduce you to the local community through adventure, team-building, cultural exploration, and community service, all designed to help you connect with fellow students.
Participant Information
Review the important information below to learn more about paying for your NRB Overnight, preparing for your trip and more. A personalized version of this information will be sent to your RPI email.
Note: Overnight trip confirmations, liability and medical forms, meal accommodations, and detailed packing lists will be sent to your Rensselaer email address.
The cost for each trip listed will be charged to your Fall 2025 Student Bill as "Navigating Rensselaer & Beyond". If cost is a barrier to attending an overnight trip, grants are available for need-based applicants. Apply here and if you are selected for an NRB Grant, your bill will not be charged.
Program Fee Includes:
- Welcome dinner for students and families on August 20 arrival day.
- Round-trip transportation from campus to all aspects of your adventure.
- Lodging for the duration of the program.
- All associated meals and program costs.
- All activities are subject to change, weather permitting.
Recommended packing lists for your trip can be found here. Not every trip has an extensive packing list and it is important to consider the activities you will be doing when packing clothes. Most trips will require a sleeping bag and, in some cases, a pad or yoga mat for underneath.
Some of our trip sites require a separate waiver. Completing this prior to arriving on campus is VERY important, especially if you are under 18. If this applies to your trip, fill out the waiver and utilize this upload link to deposit your completed waiver.
Students should plan to move into their residence hall and attend the brief informational meeting on Wednesday, August 20. Families are also encouraged and welcome to stay and attend this meeting and join for a welcome dinner following the meetings. All students attending an overnight trip will leave from the Rensselaer campus on Thursday, August 21 and return on Saturday, August 23 mid-afternoon.
Interested in sponsoring another student's trip? With your support, many students who are unable to cover the out-of-pocket cost of these trips will be able to experience this fun and enjoyable opportunity as they begin their undergraduate career. Give today.
Fall 2025 NRB Overnight Trips
Check out our fall 2025 NRB overnight trip options below.
This page will be updated frequently as trips reach capacity.
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, you’re not afraid of getting wet, and you want to meet other first-year students who enjoy the outdoors and sleeping in tents riverside without the conveniences of modern bathroom facilities. This trip is a fantastic way to see the Adirondacks and get connected with classmates. The trip begins with a full day of Class III rafting to a campsite on the Hudson River. The second day has opportunities for hiking and swimming. Day three, you'll pack up camp and rail bike out alongside the river. During this adventure, you’ll become an integral part of a team that must work collaboratively to overcome challenges such as lighting a fire, setting up camp, and transporting gear.
Capacity = 24 students
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, you’re not afraid of getting wet, you want to meet other first-year students who enjoy these activities, and you wouldn’t mind sleeping lakeside in a tent or lean-to without modern conveniences. This trip is an excellent way to see the Adirondacks and get connected with classmates. You will begin day one by paddling to your campsite. On day two, we'll be hiking or canoeing, and day three we'll break down camp and canoe back to the launch. During this adventure, each person becomes an integral part of a team that must work collaboratively to overcome challenges such as lighting a fire, setting up camp, and transporting gear.
Capacity = 24 students
You should go on this trip if you like camping but still want a real bathroom, you’re interested in building teamwork and leadership skills, and you want to try to make it to the top of a climbing wall! Your stay at Camp Sloane YMCA will provide a true outdoor experience. You will participate in outdoor adventure-based activities intended to help you get to know your classmates better while developing a support group among your peers. Group problem-solving and communication skills will also be built that will help to further your ambitions as students and in your personal life. During this trip, you’ll live in a 14-foot-by-14-foot canvas wall platform tent with modern bathroom facilities adjacent to each living area.
Capacity = 46 students
You should go on this trip if you have an interest in biology, ecology, and the environment, or just like being outside. During this trip, you’ll spend time learning about the research performed at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute. You’ll also be presented with environmentally based team-building activities, all at the foot of the Tongue Mountain Range and the historic Narrows of Lake George. Friendships begin immediately as you plan your meals and choose activities like canoeing, kayaking, hiking, or swimming. You’ll experience all of this while learning the basic practices of limnology (fresh water science) and aquatic species identification. Lodging accommodations have been arranged in the newly renovated Education Center, which was originally an Adirondack lodge built in 1896. This center offers warmth with beautiful Adirondack décor, a large modern kitchen, and a recreation room with full computer media capabilities. The communal nature of your stay at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute will foster long-lasting skills, friendships, and experiences.
Capacity = 10 students
You should go on this trip if you like camping but still want a real bathroom, you’re interested in sustainability, planets, and the stars. Your stay at Camp Fowler will include rustic cabin accommodations with your fellow classmates. Explore outdoor adventure-based activities including guided hiking and boating, campfires, and night sky tours. Free swim will also be available throughout the trip on beautiful Sacandaga Lake in the Southern Adirondacks region of New York.
Capacity = 144 students
You should go on this trip if you want to make new friends, you want to develop leadership skills, you are comfortable living in a cabin with 7-8 of your peers while still having access to a real bathroom, and you are looking to experience traditional camp activities such as climbing, archery, and boating. During this trip, challenge yourself to try new things, be creative, meet new people, and build life-long relationships.
Capacity = 96 students
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, you’re not afraid of getting dirty, and you like going underground! Join fellow first-year students and explore the area’s best underground caves, local geology, and tree-top adventures. During your time in the caves, you will be crawling through tight and muddy spaces, walking through a knee-deep water passage, and exploring natural rock formations, fossils, and stalactites. Your above-ground experiences will have you exploring Thatcher State Park while you hike the Escarpment to waterfalls, and also enjoying an afternoon on the WildPlay high ropes course! On this trip, you will become an integral part of a team, working collaboratively on outdoor skills such as setting up tents, lighting a fire, preparing group meals, and taking proper care of outdoor equipment. Camping in tents, you will have the conveniences of modern bathroom facilities at the campground.
Capacity = 10 students
Must be 18+
You should go on this intro-level backpacking trip if you like adventure, you’re not afraid of getting dirty, and you want to meet other first-year students who love the outdoors! This trip is a fantastic way to hike some of the coolest mountains in the area, take in gorgeous views, and embrace the freedom of being completely self-reliant. During this adventure, you’ll become an integral part of a team, working collaboratively on outdoor skills such as backcountry navigation, preparing group meals, and taking proper care of outdoor equipment. You will be camping in tents or lean-tos, so be prepared to hike in all your supplies and use a privy (no modern bathroom facilities).
Capacity = 8 students
Must be 18+
You should go on this all-levels backpacking trip if you like adventure, you enjoy the thrill of the wilderness, and you want to meet other first-year students who love the outdoors! This trip is a fantastic way to hike in a rugged environment, take in the beautiful surroundings, and embrace the freedom of being completely self-reliant. During this adventure, you’ll become an integral part of a team, working collaboratively on outdoor skills such as backcountry navigation, preparing group meals, and taking proper care of outdoor equipment. You will be camping in tents, so be prepared to backpack in all your supplies and use a privy (no modern bathroom facilities).
Capacity = 8 students
Must be 18+
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, have previous biking experience, and want to meet other first-year students who enjoy a challenge! Whether you are newer to mountain biking or ride downhill like a pro, this all-levels adventure will have your adrenaline pumping on one of the best trail networks in the southern Adirondacks! During your trip, you will also explore scenic Adirondack hiking trails. On this trip, you will become an integral part of a team, working collaboratively on outdoor skills such as fundamentals of mountain biking, preparing group meals, and taking proper care of outdoor equipment. You will be camping in tents, and will have access to modern bathroom facilities at the Caroga Lake Campground. If you have a mountain bike, you are welcome to bring it.
Capacity = 10 students
Must be 18+
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, have previous backpacking experience, and want to meet other first-year students who enjoy a physical challenge. Primitive camping in tents in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains, be prepared to hike with all your supplies and dig a cat hole (no modern bathroom facilities). This advanced trip is a fantastic way to hike some of the harder mountains in the Adirondacks, see gorgeous views, and embrace the freedom of being completely self-reliant. During this adventure, you’ll become an integral part of a team that must work collaboratively to overcome challenges such as backcountry navigation, sharing group equipment, setting up tents, lighting a fire, and preparing group meals.
Capacity = 6 students
Must be 18+
You should go on this trip if you like adventure, you’re not afraid of getting dirty, and you want to meet other first-year students who enjoy paddling on open water. Camping in tents around Little Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks, be prepared to canoe in all your supplies and use a privy (no modern bathroom facilities). This trip is a fantastic way to canoe on one of the Adirondacks’ prized lakes, see gorgeous views, and embrace the freedom of being completely self-reliant. You might even hear an early morning loon! During this adventure, you’ll become an integral part of a team that must work collaboratively to overcome challenges such as water navigation, setting up tents, preparing group meals, and paddling together as a group.
Capacity = 8 students
Must be 18+
Students selected for this trip are sponsored by the Patty and Lou Bellardo '67 Fund for the First-Year Experience (FYE). Established in 2006, this fund allows FYE to sponsor community service based activities and projects for students. You should go on this trip if you have a passion for civic engagement and community outreach, you like meeting new friends who share these values and interests and you want to explore the local community through working with local organizations. Accommodations for this trip include spending one night in a traditional house setting but on an air mattress with 10-15 others in the house sharing two traditional bathrooms and spending your second night in camp cabins. Service projects may include gardening, trash clean-up, woodworking, construction, and repair work. This trip encourages you to get your hands dirty and to be open to learning and working with others. Students will be selected for this trip with input from the trip leaders representing RPI Habitat for Humanity.
Application is available below. If we are not able to offer you a spot for this trip, you will be offered a spot on Camp Fowler. Thank you for your interest in supporting our local community.
Interested in the Bellardo Community Service trip? Apply here by June 15. Trip participants will be notified by June 30.
