NST Logistics Information

That depends on your trip!

Portland-Based Trips:
You will be staying on campus during your trip, so you can move into your room on the day your trip begins: Wed, Aug. 21st, 2024 for Creative PDX. However, any items that were shipped to campus will not be accessible until NSO begins on Aug. 28th. Early arrivals are not possible, since the residence halls will not be ready for you.

Outdoor Adventure Trips:
You will not be able to move into your room before your trip leaves campus. College Outdoors will store your luggage (things you are not taking on your trip) in a secure location while you are on your adventure.

You will be able to move in to your room when you return on Tuesday evening, August 27th, 2024 and there will be people and vehicles to help you do this. One of your trip leaders will drive a van with all your group’s luggage and deliver it to the various residence halls on campus, with all of you along, so you’ll be able to visit your trip members’ new rooms and see where your new friends will be living.

 

If you are sick, please stay home. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy the trip if you are sick, and we don’t want you to spread illness to others in your trip group. We will provide a full refund for your trip if you have Covid-19 or another illness, as long as you submit documentation from your health care provider. 

Please test for Covid-19 before traveling to L&C. If you become sick during your trip, we may or may not be able to return you to campus, depending on your trip location and severity of illness. Even if you do return to LC, or if you are in an on-campus program, Health Services and other support systems will not be fully open until New Student Orientation begins on Aug. 28th, 2024.

In the 2 weeks prior to your trip, please wear a mask in crowded public settings, get plenty of rest, and hydrate. No one wants to start college feeling unwell!

We have a large, secure storage space available for you to store any luggage and college supplies you bring with you to Portland. There’s plenty of room so you can feel free to bring everything that you’ll need for your first year of college- we’ll have the space to store it while you are on your trip. If you need temperature-controlled storage (such as refrigeration for medications), please contact us ahead of time so we can make arrangements. 

Many students arrive on their own for college, and it isn’t necessary to have parents/friends/family come to campus since we help you know what to do and where to go. However, some families come with their student before the trips and drop them off, along with all their stuff. Other students travel alone for the trip, then have their families meet them afterwards (once the new student trip returns to campus) with a load of stuff. This second option has the benefit of your family getting to see your residence hall and be on campus for Parent Preview activities.

Each trip has its own trip specific packing list, which can be found on the trip page linked here. Make sure to visit your trip page to find a detailed trip description, all the information you need about what to pack, and specifics about what you can borrow from us. Please call or email us if you have any questions about what to bring. We can supply most of your personal gear (like raincoats, sleeping bags, hiking boots, wetsuits) for no extra charge. All the group gear (tents, camp stoves, water purification systems, kayaks, etc.) is supplied by us at no extra charge.

Plan to arrive between 9:00am and 11:00am Pacific Time on the day your trip starts. Once you’ve received your trip assignment email confirming your place on a trip, you can begin making your travel arrangements to Portland.

If you’re arriving by plane, train, or bus, please schedule an arrival time at the airport or train/bus station no later than 11am on the day your trips starts. We will provide transportation for you from the PDX airport to Lewis & Clark. If you are arriving by bus or train, you’ll need to arrange for a rideshare/taxi to campus.

If you’re arriving by car, please arrive at Lewis & Clark (pull up to the South Chapel, Gate 7, Graduate Campus) between 9:00am and 11:00am.

That depends on your trip!

Outdoor Adventure Trips:
Once you have navigated to Lewis & Clark College on Palatine Hill Rd, go to South Chapel on the Graduate Campus. Enter at Gate 7 (off Palatine Hill Road), and follow the signs (take your first left in the parking lot). CLICK HERE for a map of campus. We’ll have signs on Palatine Hill Road leading into campus pointing you towards the South Chapel, and smiling faces waiting to greet you.

Portland-Based Trips:
Once you have navigated to Lewis & Clark College on Palatine Hill Rd, enter at Gate 3 and follow the signs for the Campus Safety Office.

You should be able to find a same-day flight that arrives at PDX (Portland’s airport) by 11am Pacific Time (which is 2pm Eastern Time). Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any accommodations on campus prior to the first day of your trip. Contact us if you are having trouble finding a flight.

If you’re arriving in Portland the day before your trip begins and need a place to stay, we have a partial list of HOTELS near the airport which have complementary airport shuttles. You can take a hotel shuttle back to the airport in the morning before 9:00am, where our Lewis & Clark shuttles will pick you up. (See What do I do once my plane lands? below for information about how to connect with our Lewis & Clark shuttle.) You are welcome to stay at whatever hotel you prefer. Just make sure they allow guests under the age of 21, and that your hotel offers a shuttle that will take you back to the airport in the morning, so we can pick you up at the information kiosk next to baggage claim #8!

Be sure to carry your (fully charged) phone, and a charger, so that you can contact us in case of any travel delays.

Airlines sometimes lose baggage, so carry the most essential, expensive, and hard-to-replace items on the plane with you, such as your money, face masks, medications, inhaler, contact lenses and/or glasses, and sunglasses. If you will be taking ANY prescription medication or inhalers on your trip, please bring double the necessary amount, in two separate containers, and bring them in your carry-on luggage.

For Outdoor Adventure trips, your trip leaders will carry one set of your medications so you have a backup supply if something happens to your medication or inhaler.

Once you get your luggage, please wait at the information desk closest to baggage claim #8 (there are two info desks in the baggage area; be sure you’re at the info desk by baggage claim #8). A College Outdoors staff member will be there from approximately 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (and later if your flight is delayed), carrying a sign that says “Lewis & Clark.” We will be picking people up in groups, so you may have to wait just a bit while the next couple of flights arrive. If your flight is significantly delayed, please call us at (503)-768-7116 to let us know the new arrival time in Portland. We won’t leave you at the airport, even if your flight is late!

Our first shuttle will arrive at PDX (the Portland International Airport) around 9:00 AM. If your flight arrives before then, go check out the great pastries at Beaverton Bakery, grab a drink at Coffee People, or browse the book selection at Powell’s Books in the Main Concourse. Please be patient if we get held up by traffic. People-watching opportunities are great at the Portland Airport!

Please double check your arrival information as indicated in your Final Trip Details email or contact us for this information. If anything has changed, please notify us as soon as possible at (503) 768-7116.

Choose a flight that is scheduled to land at the Portland airport by 11:00am Pacific Time on the day your trip starts. If your flight is delayed or you have any unexpected travel complications, please let us know as soon as possible by calling 503-768-7116. We will make arrangements to pick you up and connect you with your trip. In some very rare cases, such as extreme flight delays for people on remote backcountry trips, we may need to send you on a trip other than the one you were originally assigned.

Please plan an itinerary that has an arrival time in Portland no later than 11am on the day your trip begins. From the bus or train terminal, plan to take a taxi or rideshare (Uber or Lyft) to campus, and follow the instructions above under “I’m driving to campus, where do I go?”

If your bus or train is seriously delayed or rerouted, please call as soon as you can at 503-768-7116.

Outdoor Adventure Trips:
We’ll have staff members ready to assist you in moving your gear for college into our storage facility, the South Chapel. Once you’ve stored the luggage you don’t need for your trip, we’ll walk you to our College Outdoors warehouse where you’ll meet your trip leaders and the other new students on your trip. At this point, students will be assisted by their trip leaders only - Parents, this is when you will say (a temporary) goodbye to your student. Parents are welcome to reconnect with their student for lunch (although typically students eat lunch with their trip group), but please help prevent overcrowding in our gear warehouse by cooperating with our staff.

Portland-Based Trips:
You’ll check in for your trip, get your residence hall keys, and have some time to move into your residence hall before your group activities begin in the afternoon.

After you’ve met your trip leaders, they will go through your equipment with you to ensure that you have everything you need for your trip. If you requested to borrow gear from us, your gear will be waiting for you for you to try on. If it doesn’t fit correctly, we have a large inventory, so we can adjust the sizing for you.

Yes! Your trip leaders will be there to assist you in packing for your trip, and they will make sure you have everything you need. This is especially helpful for backpacking trips!

Yes, lunch is provided for you on the day of your trip. Lunch at Fields Dining Hall (in the Fowler Campus Center) is covered by your trip fee. Your family or friends are welcome to eat in Field Dining Hall if they’d like, though their meals are an additional ~$10/person. Your trip group will usually eat together, so you may want to say goodbye to family and friends prior to lunch.

Your trip will depart in the afternoon (likely between 2pm & 4pm) on the day your trip begins. After this point, you will have limited access to cell phone service and no computer access. Part of the experience we provide includes an intentional detachment of these modern technologies. Our many years of running New Student Trips have taught us that groups benefit from engaging in conversation with one another which can be hindered by cell phones and other electronic devices.

Absolutely, we welcome students of all identities, experiences, and gender expressions. Trip leaders receive training on diversity and inclusivity, including as it relates specifically to outdoor recreation. Scholarships are available to students of underrepresented groups in the outdoors, you can apply here. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding what to expect on your trip, or about what facilities are available.