About the OAC
Make Every Weekend Count with the OAC
The Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) is the premier choice for Bay Area residents looking to participate in outdoor adventures. Founded in 1996 by professional guides with a passion for getting people outside, we lead adventures in California and across the globe to create memories that last a lifetime for our participants. With the OAC, you’ll experience amazing terrain, go places you might not go on your own, learn new skills from professional guides— all in a fun, welcoming community environment. Experience the great outdoors with other Bay Area adventurers and make your weekend count!
The OAC is a unique mix of professional guide service, social club, and adventure travel company.
Unlike a traditional guide service, we organize a wide variety of outdoor adventures with a focus on creating a community of members – we’re here to make your experiences outside special, not just take you out for a day trip. We create the OAC trip schedule based on what you want to learn, how you want to have fun, and how you want to challenge yourself – one week you may be rock climbing, the next you could be backpacking through Yosemite!
Unlike a social club, the OAC is a professionally insured guide service and our trip leaders are trained professionals. Each trip leader is hand-selected for their specific trip based on years of experience and outdoor skills.
Unlike a traditional adventure travel company, we fill our trips primarily with people from the Bay Area and surrounding Northern California area. You’ll be able to meet the people on your OAC international trip before and after your trip. Friendships formed on OAC trips last a lifetime! Learn more at FAQs.
Our Mission:
We strive to provide the highest quality, professionally guided trips while promoting an appreciation for the outdoor world and leading by example to develop future stewards of the outdoors.
Our Values:
Our value is in the quality of the experience we provide.
The Outdoor Adventure Club, as a business, is an extension of who we, the staff, are as people. Climbers. Backpackers. Kayakers. Yoga instructors. Adventurers. We share our love of special places reached through rigorous activity.
We realize we are models for our clients’ behavior. We seek to always minimize our impact on the environment and we take Leave No Trace ethics seriously. We achieve this by crafting a unique experience on each trip through smaller groups, reuse-able products, and an engaged staff able to guide our members on being a steward of the outdoors.
Our History:
If you’ve just found the Outdoor Adventure Club, you may be wondering how and when we started. The OAC began in June of 1996 when its founder was laid off from the high tech world. After spending long days working in front of the computer, she decided it was time to have some outdoor fun! She started looking for a local club that wasn’t a singles club and offered more than just hiking and cycling. She couldn’t find one, so she teamed up with Richard and the Outdoor Adventure Club was born! (This photo is from the very first OAC trip, kayaking!)
In 2008, the founder retired to focus on raising her two boys and Richard took the reins. Since then we’ve traveled the world, climbed some of the highest mountains, hiked some of the most beautiful trails, and rafted and kayaked some awesome rivers. But more important than all the great places we’ve been, is the great people we’ve met along the way.