Transforming The Outdoor Classroom: Grand Junction Reimagines Outdoor Education, Stewardship + Adventure For The Next Generation

The edges of the map around Grand Junction are filling in, and it’s inspiring, exciting and perhaps bittersweet. Little-known hikes and hideaways are now common knowledge, so Grand Junction scratches its head and asks: What’s next? The answer is to look through fresh eyes. Those who have known Grand Junction for years now carry the responsibility of passing its stewardship on to the next generation. Grand Junction is a classroom, and its people are its outdoor educators.

There are a couple of outdoor educators that stand out as leaders in this transformation. Jacob Rankin, coach of the Rock Climbing Club at Grand Junction High School, supports students by taking them to climbing competitions and, of course, to climb outside. When asked about how he’s seen the local outdoor education industry transform, he says, “I see a lot more stewardship towards the land and people. Climbing had its origins in secretly bolting climbs or trespassing, and it’s since changed into communities that really care for the land and develop it with intention and preservation.”

Similarly, Casey Montandon, from Colorado Outward Bound School in Moab, Utah and Leadville, observes that “10 years ago, I don’t think we knew what the impact of social media would be on all of us, and I believe we’re realizing how important intentional time outside, away from distraction, really is.”

Photos courtesy of Colorado Canyons Association

These outdoor educators deliver the passion, and at the same time, the industry as a whole delivers an economic boon to Mesa County. A 2022 economic impact study conducted by Colorado Mesa University (CMU) found that outdoor recreation had an economic impact of $321,625,137 for Mesa County and accounted for about 11% of jobs. In reflection of this study and others like it, the 2025-2029 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) outlines Colorado’s plan for harnessing this industry’s economic power. Notably, SCORP’s authors observe that 90 million Americans visited Colorado in 2022-2023, 60% of whom engaged in outdoor recreation. In the same year, 96% of Coloradans recreated outside. One of SCORP’s core values is education; the report states that “education plays a crucial role in promoting awareness, empowerment and behavior change among individuals and communities, contributing to the sustainable management and enjoyment of Colorado’s outdoor recreation resources and western heritage.” Outdoor educators are the backbone of this system, and who better to lead those hungry adventurers?

Therefore, as a community, there is a responsibility to emphasize safety and stewardship. As a first step, CMU offers a Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies and a minor in Outdoor Recreation Studies. Among other requirements, participants must earn their Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, a medical credential specific to the outdoors. Students who graduate with this degree often enter the Grand Junction workforce and recreate independently nearby. Outside CMU, anybody can take courses from Desert Mountain Medicine, which offers WFR and Wilderness First Aid (WFA) classes. Inevitably, our community’s investment in the outdoor education industry will increase the standard of safety for everyone.

This community-wide passion for the outdoors will be represented at the Western Slope Outdoor Educator Summit (WSOES) on October 23, 2026 at the Confluence Center. A collaboration between Eureka!, the National Park Service and the Colorado State University Agricultural Research Station sparked this idea into existence. Essentially, WSOES will bring together representatives of the Western Slope outdoor industry. Organizations like Colorado Canyons Association, Outdoor Wilderness Lab and Colorado National Monument Association, among many others, will be represented. The result: the slow transformation of this industry from a nascent, niche hobby into an economic powerhouse.

There is a renaissance of outdoor education in Grand Junction. This outburst of enthusiasm is an attempt to reach into the future, for generations not yet born, and leave them a gift that is transformed yet completely recognizable. At the same time, it is an attempt to reach into the past and rejuvenate all the familiar parts of this beautiful oasis. To guard the beauty of Grand Junction would impede its potential. Rather, all those with a passion for the outdoors are called to share it with the young people who will discover their own version of that beauty.

Grand Junction is an outdoor classroom. Go teach.

Originally published in the fall 2026 issue of Spoke+Blossom.