A little help, please.

I anticipate a move away from Central California in the next few years. My first inclination is just to move north.

Please help me identify some candidate locations that feature a university next door to wilderness, literally if possible, but a couple miles would work.

Thanks.

UNBC is located in Prince George, BC. I haven't been up that way but it seems to fit the bill, from the University's website:

"The campus sits on about 550 hectares of university property, providing an ideal outdoor classroom for courses ranging from forestry to anthropology. From a recreational perspective, trails from the campus connect to a network of nearly 50km of hiking, biking, and skiing trails in Forests for the World and along the Cranbrook Hill Greenway."

Anything in Eastern Washington, Idaho, Western Montana.

You might look into VPI, Virginia Polytechnical Institute, last I looked they still had wide swaths of forested mountains around it. Being in the mountains the winters tend toward the vicious and bitter cold but the autumn and spring are beautiful.

You got UC Davis-Agricultural 3 miles from the American River in Sac.,I think theres one in Chico,100 miles north of Sac.,CMU-Copper Mountain University-Anthropology 29Palms,No water whatsoever but Plenty of Beautiful Desert,A place where Nobody can hear you scream,Phoenix University-Business Management Marina del Rey right next to 800+ acres of Ballona Wetlands & The harbor,Oaksterdam University-Botany Overlooking San Francisco Bay&Historical Richmond on the Eastside,A great place to practice survival with 1/2 a brain or less!FSU-Fresno state-Agriculture/Aviation,A great place for Cropduster pilot training,You'll never have to breathe poison on the ground again as,You will be the one applying it!DSU-Drunken State-Enebriation a great place to be if Oaksterdam University doesn't work out for you!

University of Arizona, Tucson, is close ( thirty minute bike ride) to the wilderness areas of Saguaro National Park, as well as the Catalina Wilderness, just north of town, as well as several others throughout southern Arizona (a few of which are burning up right now).

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, is surrounded by very nice ponderosa pine forest, with designated wilderness areas at no great distance. The Grand Canyon is about an hour away and several smaller NPS areas are much closer.

Colorado Mountain College.

Several campuses to choose from. All pretty close to NFS designated Wilderness.

Bemidji University,Bemidji Minnesota. right in the middle of North Woods.fishing,hunting,boating--so on.i went there when i got out of the Army in 1969 looking to mellow out.campus is next to the lake and tunnels connect the buildings so you don't have to walk in 20-30 below zero temps between class--no joke--also has the best hockey team ANYWHERE!!! the Beavers!!!

Ontario Universities Lakehead, Laurentian and Nipissing?

bacpac..is that up by Thunder Bay??..wild country up that way.
i'll be on a canoe trip in the AM until july.

Lakehead is in Thunderbay, Canoedogs. Nice place. Lots of wilderness!

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Would it be germane to inquire as to what academic area would be of interest? All schools vary in the quality of their various departments, and that conceivably might be just as important as their proximity to wilderness.....

Point taken. I have the modest goal of making man and animal tracking a science. So, a university with active wildlife studies would seem the best venue. Suggestions welcome.

If you end up headed this way, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, while its not "next door" (20-60 min by car) to Great Smoky Mountain National Park also has in the eastern half of the state

more than nine lakes (one across the road from campus)
national recreation/parks (Big South Fork & Cumberland Gap)
state parks (Fall Creek Falls, Roan Mountain, Cumberland Mountain, Warrior's Path)
national forests (Nantahala & Cherokee)

These are just the ones that I can name off the top of my head.

Knoxville/Knox County is in the process of developing greenways in parts of town. There is also Ijams Nature Center (80acre park that started as a 20 acre bird sanctuary) 3 miles southeast of campus w/ some trails.

For wildlife studies, Oregon State University in Corvalis.

For Wilderness, The University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

The best,

Jerry