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Maine presents unrivaled recreational opportunities, from nightlife and culture in Portland to the forever-wild recesses of Baxter State Park, from a harborside café in Camden to the lip of White Nitro, the steepest ski trail in the East, at Sugarloaf/USA. Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOTs) introduce arriving students to Maine’s unique natural resources, and many Colby clubs help students explore Maine’s environment. The Kennebec River runs through town, and Colby maintains several recreational and natural areas in the Belgrade Lakes region.
 
Nearby Attractions
Reid State Park at sunset.Maine’s license plates proclaim that the state is “Vacationland,” and increasingly that’s a four-season boast with opportunities inland as well as by the sea. Perhaps most famous for its incomparable outdoors and the likes of L.L. Bean, the state also offers outstanding museums, including the Colby College Museum of Art. Attractions near Colby include the Belgrade Lakes, where Colby maintains the Outing Club cabin and the Colby-Hume Center. Whitewater rafting, kayaking, and canoeing are huge draws, with the Kennebec, Dead, and Penobscot rivers attracting paddlers from April into October. The state capital is 20 minutes away, with shopping and public buildings including the state museum. And with school in session during the winter, both nordic and alpine skiers have plenty of choices, ranging from Colby’s groomed ski trails (classical and freestyle) to Sugarloaf/USA, the state’s second-highest mountain and a premier ski area, just an hour away.
 
COOTers
Most new students participate in the COOT program, which includes outings like this canoe trip.Every year, 475 mildly apprehensive strangers arrive in Waterville to begin the Colby adventure. Four days later, after orientation trips into the Maine woods or along the coast, small, cohesive groups of students return, having forged friendships and with a clearer idea of what to expect of their Colby experience. That’s the magic of Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOTs). Traveling with two upper-class trip leaders, new Colby students ask questions about what lies ahead and get the inside story on academic and social life at Colby.