student in a circle looking backwards at someone

Orientation

Here's what we have in store for you...

Embedded within our August 17 - 21, 2026 Big Sky Experience program, all incoming traditional-aged first-year students will participate in a 6-hour Site Activity during the week with a small group of their peers.

This is the group of students you will remain with for the duration of the orientation program, led by your UM Advocate mentor.

Students will select their preferred Site Activity in July, so take a look now to see which options you may be interested in.
Capacities for each Site Activity range from 20 - 100 students, and span a broad range of activities from service, arts, outdoors, entrepreneurship, science, athletics, health, wellness, leadership and so much more.
Each Site Activity has different accessibility levels, which are noted in the last sentence of each site's description. Please take note of these differences and self-select into an option that will meet your needs.

If you wish to request reasonable accommodations for a session, connect with the Office for New Student Success at orientation@mso.umt.edu to discuss the specific modifications. Please be advised, we may request that you work with the Office for Disability Equity located on Aber 1st Floor in order to coordinate your reasonable modifications. For more information, visit the Office for Disability Equity website.

Explore the 2026 Site Activities!

Learn more about each of the 2026 Site Activities below. You'll find each Site Activity's campus or community partner, a brief description, and accessibility information.

Keep an eye out in July for an email asking you to select your preferred Big Sky Experience Site Activity. All incoming traditional-aged first-year students will participate in a Site Activity as part of our week-long Big Sky Experience program.

BSE Site Activities

Presented by UM Bear Necessities

Join ASUM Bear Necessities in celebrating our 5th birthday, and helping students in need celebrate theirs too! The Bear-y Happy Birthday Pantry Project will consist of a brief introduction to UM's on campus Food Pantry, one service day to pack birthday cake kits for pantry clients, and one day where students will compete in a "Chopped" inspired pantry recipe building contest.
Our goal is to both introduce first time students to this valuable campus resource, and to create joy and cheer for future students!

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the City of Missoula, Parks and Recreation

Welcome to Missoula! We’re so glad you’re here. We are the City of Missoula, your local government. Join us and learn all about the ways you can get involved and make an impact in your new community!

Day One: Get an overview of the City and the work we do in the community. From climate and sustainability; housing; and parks and recreation, our work at the City will help shape your experience in Missoula.

Find out what neighborhood you live in and how you can get involved in your Neighborhood Council! Hear from Missoula in Motion who encourages the many sustainable transportation options available to individuals and workplaces! Learn about the City's work to address housing, homelessness, and climate resilience. Check out campaigns to acquire and preserve open space lands through the Mount Jumbo and Marshall Mountain projects! And more!

Day one will end with a walk to the river trails near campus. We will teach you how you can get to and sustainably spend time at one of our greatest public assets, the Clark Fork River! We will showcase the places you can bike, walk, or roll to get to Caras Park and other amenities along the Clark Fork River. We will showcase the Downtown Riverside Art Walls project.

Day Two: A day of action, learning how and practicing being a good steward of our public lands.

Our stewardship activity will meet and conclude at the Lincoln Hills Trailhead. Participants will join Conservation Lands staff for a tour of the Lincoln Hills saddle and a morning of collecting seeds from native plants. Participants should be prepared for a morning spent outdoors, travelling along natural surface trails, and collecting seeds from native plants that grow low to the ground.

Bring sturdy shoes, a snack and a water bottle, and sun protection. City staff will provide all required materials and equipment.

Accessibility: This Site Activity will include walking on unpaved terrain for 1+ miles and bending down.
Presented by Griz ESports

Starting college can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to. One of the best ways to find your people at the University of Montana is simpler than you might think: just play. Join us for a fun, laid-back experience where students come together to share laughs, build things, and enjoy games side by side. No experience needed, just bring yourself and an open mind. It's the perfect way to ease into the new semester and walk away with some new friends by your side.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by UM Campus Dining

Students will learn about the flow of food from hands-on time in the Iron Griz Garden to cookie decorating and designing their own fruit platter with Campus Dining Catering team.

Accessibility: This Site Activity will contain working in a kitchen and a garden, so mobility to those in a wheel or motorized chair will be limited.
Presented by the Missoula Downtown Association

This is an immersion into the Downtown Missoula Experience. Students will learn about the rich history as well as get a glimpse into Downtown's businesses and culture. Activities include an Unseen Missoula tour, a scavenger hunt, and of course, getting some cool swag. Students will become Downtown ambassadors of a sort, to help others on campus navigate and feel comfortable spending time there.

Accessibility: This Site Activity will contain travelling on terrain that is inaccessible to wheel or motorized chairs.
Presented by the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center

Join Missoula Food Bank & Community Center for a tour of our building & learn about the many programs we coordinate throughout the community! Then, together we'll build 2,500 EmPower Packs, which are weekend food bags sent home with children across Missoula County. Over 1,500 children rely on this program every week to have nutritious food over the weekend.
We need your help nourishing our community!

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the Missoula Public Library

Join the Missoula Public Library (the #1 library in the world in 2022!) as you learn how the public library connects all of Missoula, fosters community through all of its resources, and learn about information literacy during Day 1! Day 2 is in the MakerSpace, where you'll spend time learning about what that is, how you can use its many resources throughout your time in Missoula, and work through a MakerSpace-made escape box.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the Office of Experiential Learning and Career Success

Get off campus and explore what makes Missoula such a fun place to live and learn. Over two days, you’ll meet local organizations, volunteer at the Rocky Mountain Gardens, and get up close with the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium.

Along the way, you’ll learn about internships, career pathways, experiential learning opportunities, and all the ways students build community and find their path at UM. Expect hands-on activities, good conversations, a little self-discovery, and a chance to make friends before classes even begin.

Accessibility: This Site Activity will be engaging in moderately demanding physical labor outdoors during their volunteer project.
Presented by UM Generative AI

Generative AI is transforming everything around us, but what does that mean for you? Can it help you dream bigger, create more, and maybe even have a little more fun? Join us for an engaging session that explores the exciting possibilities of AI while staying mindful and intentional about how we use it.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by UM Brand Experience and Marketing

Learn the tricks. Create the content. Become the face of UM.

The Griz Creator Collective is a two-day, hands-on content creation experience designed to help students build social media skills, grow their personal brands, and create authentic content that showcases life at the University of Montana. Participants will learn content creation strategies, gain access to professional branding tools, create content for university channels, and have the opportunity to become featured student creators.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by Associated Students of the University of Montana

Kick off your UM journey with two days of fun, friends, and campus adventure hosted by ASUM Student Government! Explore the agencies that make student life happen, step into a mock student government meeting, and discover how your voice can make an impact. Then put your teamwork to the test in an action-packed relay race filled with challenges, mini-games, and friendly competition. Meet new people, build connections, and experience UM like never before!

This Site Activity has no accessibility barriers.
Presented by UM Wellness

The Griz Guide: Navigating Your First Year with Confidence is designed to support you through the exciting—and sometimes overwhelming—transition into college life. Whether you're feeling uncertain, adjusting to being away from home, hoping to make new friends, or simply learning more about who you are, this session offers tools and strategies grounded in the dimensions of wellbeing. Discover how to stay balanced, build meaningful connections, and care for your whole self as you begin your journey at the University of Montana.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers - UM Club

Love the outdoors? Come experience Missoula's local public lands and waters with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers! Day one will be a hike up Crazy Canyon (the backside of the "M") with killer views of Missoula at the top. Day two will be more laid back, learning how to fly fish on the Clark Fork River at Kelly Island. Along the way, learn the importance of protecting these places and the wildlife that call it home.

Accessibility: This Site Activity includes hiking on trails that are not wheel or motor chair accessible. Participants should be in decent physical shape and comfortable with and prepared for changing weather. Hike is six miles round trip with 1,200 ft elevation gain.
Presented by Grizzly Marching Band

All students who are joining the Grizzly Marching Band should select this site for their Big Sky Experience. New Student Orientation collaborates with your Band Director to ensure you are released from practice for important sessions, and you will be guided to and from required activities by your UM Advocate mentor.
Presented by Free Cycles

Free Cycles Missoula is one of the longest running (30 years) and largest (a whole city block) community bicycle shops in the world. And we need your help to keep it rolling! We'll learn about bicycles, community projects, sustainable transportation, non profit work, permaculture and more. The help needed will be a variety of projects- organizing the Bicycle Forest and Pedal Power Warehouse, sprucing up the yard and all the wheels and kid bikes, and so much more. Come join us!

Accessibility: This Site Activity will include walking 3 miles each day.
Presented by the UM PEAS Farm and Garden City Harvest

For 25 years, UM has been home to the PEAS Farm, a student and community farm run in partnership with the Environmental Studies Program. Each year, UM students grow over 60,000 pounds of vegetables and fruit for the wider community -- the Missoula Food Bank, UM Food Pantry, and others.

On day one, students will visit the PEAS Farm to learn about student opportunities, help with the harvest, and prepare a shared snack with farm produce.

On day two, students will head over to the River Road Farm and Orchard Gardens Farm, two farms that, along with the PEAS Farm, are run by nonprofit partner, Garden City Harvest, where students will complete field tasks while learning about the alternative food network that PEAS is part of, as well as some of the major players in Missoula's food system.

This is a diverse two-day community agriculture experience that shows students how they can extend their on campus learning at the PEAS Farm and out in the wider community -- and get their hands dirty growing food for our neighbors.

Accessibility: This Site Activity takes place in a large field that is not accessible to wheel or motor chairs. Participants will be outside for the duration, and will be expected to stand, kneel, and stoop, though modifications can be made.
Presented by the UM School of Theatre and Dance

Imagine a life sized flapping crane, a walking Grizzly, or a gigantic tessellated wall. Working as a team, you will get to use your skills you build giant, parade-ready origami puppets for UM’s iconic Homecoming parade. This is not just an epic art project; it is an immersive exploration in teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving and play. We will introduce you to the wide array of skillsets and careers that stem from theatre and art degrees as we also explore how public and performance art shapes, heals, and brings community together. Our goal is for this to be an experience where you can do something hands-on and have fun being creative with new friends!

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the Indigenous First Year Experience Program

All incoming students who have applied and been admitted to the IFYE program will be automatically registered for this activity.

In its third year, we are excited to welcome the new cohort of Indigenous First-Year Experience students! While IFYE students will participate in the Big Sky Experience with their fellow peers, we will also have special programming that focuses on creating community among one another. During the site activity time, the IFYE program will bring our 20 incoming first-year students together for Native-based wellness activities such as tipi building and making stress buster kits for the upcoming semester.
Presented by the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and UM Global Engagement Office

Day One will be an introduction to cross cultural friendships, why they are important, how to work through cross cultural misunderstandings, how to be a good host and a good guest simultaneously, how to enter in to new experiences and foods, how to be sensitive about different cultural norms, etc.

Day Two will be a celebration with the American students and new arriving international students. We will have food, small group discussions, and then end our time with fun activities such as lawn games, sharing music, board games, etc.

Our goal will be to help American students be good cultural learners and discover how to befriend international students on campus, an also to help international students make friends with Americans right away to feel less lonely.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by Destination Missoula

Destination Missoula will work with students on creating various experiences & itineraries for Missoula visitors and various marketing approaches. Students will choose from various types of visitors (Couples, Individuals, University Parents, Prospective Students, Adventurous, History Buffs, etc.) and various types of marketing approaches (Facebook/Instagram, Tik Tok, Print Ads, Billboards, Email Newsletters, etc.) and put together creative itineraries and marketing campaigns.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Missoula Alliance Church.

Engage with stories from international refugees in Missoula, learn about local organizations who are advocating for these families in our community (Missoula Alliance Church, Soft Landing, International Rescue Committee), help plan and host a park day for Congolese

and Afghan refugee families. Engagement with refugee stories and families will be accompanied by experiential learning programs. Programs will focus on building self-awareness of students’ personal stories and how our stories influence our perspectives, communication, and values. As we connect with refugee families who are facing the challenge of entering a new community, our goal is to process deeper our own need to build relationships and find resources to face the challenges of entering new communities in college.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the Moon-Randolph Homestead

Escape town during your Big Sky Experience to learn about the diverse ways people have lived off the land in Missoula's North Hills. A former ranch turned public site, the Moon-Randolph Homestead celebrates 14,000 years of human history. It is managed conservation, agriculture, history, and community gathering. With your help and creativity, we'll mend fences and hand tools while considering what it takes to manage and interpret a public site for diverse values.

Accessibility: This Site Activity will include walking on uneven terrain that is inaccessible for wheel or motor chairs.
Presented by the Mansfield Center, Global Engagement Office, and the Franke Global Leadership Initiative

Students will have the opportunity to learn about study abroad opportunities at UM from the Global Engagement Office and the Mansfield Center. They will also learn how the Franke GLI supports study abroad.

Then, in small groups, they will have a Q & A with a UM student who has completed a study abroad, discuss various kinds of study abroad experiences, plan an international cultural excursion, and present it to the group as a whole. This experience is intended to help students learn about the resources available for study abroad at UM, the type of study abroad opportunities that we offer, how programs such as the Franke GLI fit in, and the kinds of opportunities that exist through the Mansfield Center, the Global Engagement Office, and the Franke Global Leadership Initiative.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by the Paxson Elementary School

Grab a paintbrush, make a difference, and help create spaces where Missoula kids can learn, play, and climb! Join the Paxson Elementary volunteer team as we refresh colorful playground murals, tackle hands-on improvement projects, and teach you how to belay.

No experience? No problem. You'll learn new skills, work alongside fellow students, and leave a lasting mark on a local elementary school. Whether you're touching up vibrant artwork, helping improve the playground, or getting trained to support young climbers, you'll spend two days giving back to the community while making new friends and having fun along the way.

Come ready to get creative, get involved, and help make Paxson an even better place for the students who call it home!

Accessibility: This Site Activity will be engaging in moderately demanding physical labor outdoors during their volunteer project.
Presented by UM Pre-Health Programs

Get ready to jump into the world of healthcare right here on campus. Our hands-on activities are all about fun and learning. From solving medical mysteries to searching for medicinal plants around campus, you'll explore the dynamic world of healthcare while forging lasting connections with like-minded peers. Join us and embark on a journey where learning meets excitement, shaping your future in healthcare from day one. It's the perfect start to your journey here at the University of Montana.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented By KBGA 89.9 FM

Think radio is a thing of the past? Think again. Come hang out at KBGA 89.9 and see how we actually run the station.

Whether you grew up on classic rock, lived in the band room in high school, or you’re just looking for a platform to share your favorite underground tracks, this is for you. We’re giving you a crash course in life behind the console—covering everything from how to stay FCC-compliant to finding your "on-air voice." You’ll even get to step into the booth and intro a song live on-air.

We’ll also be building a collaborative playlist, playing some music-based icebreaker games, and giving you the early word on all the shows and events we’re throwing this semester. If you're into music or just looking for a cool community that isn't your dorm hallway, come vibe with us. Your radio era starts now.

Stay tuned:
Instagram: @kbgacollegeradio
Website: kbga.org

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by UM American Indian Student Services

This interactive Big Sky Experience invites new students to cultivate a sense of belonging through connection, shared experiences and Native knowledge. Participants will begin with engaging icebreaker activities designed to build relationships an create a welcoming community. Together we will explore a campus Native plant garden featuring Indigenous Montana plants, learn about their significance and traditional harvesting practices. Students will have the opportunity to harvest plant materials and create their own herbal salve, gaining hands on experience with traditional plant-based wellness practices. There will also be a tipi and learning set up and take down. The experience will conclude with a shared story, creating space for reflection, connection and dialogue about belonging, place and our relationships with one another and the land.

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by UM Campus Recreation

We are looking for incoming students who want to GO BIG against the backdrop of the university's own mountain - MOUNT SENTINEL.

Day one will have us climbing Mount Sentinel from the north along the smoke jumper trail and proceeding all the way to the summit for fantastic 360 degree views.

Day two will have us climbing up past the M to the fire road and traversing the length of Mount Sentinel from north to south. Along the way we will be talking about things you might see on the mountain, some history, and maybe even some geology. These hikes will be strenuous. Will you test yourself? Yes. Will you meet cool people? Absolutely. Will you breathe hard? Probably. Will you see amazing sights? Definitely! You will be talking about this one for years folks. So get your hiking shoes and plenty of water join us for THE COOLEST Big Sky Experience: The Sentinel Siege!

Accessibility: This Site Activity includes hiking on trails that are not wheel or motor chair accessible. Participants should be in decent physical shape and comfortable with and prepared for changing weather.
Presented by the National Museum of Forest Service History

We will tour the brand new National Conservation Legacy Center at the National Museum of Forest Service History and work on the grounds.
The Museum has a beautiful 31-acre campus that students will help keep beautiful! With brush and limb clearing, pruning, raking, and possible paint touch up work. This will all be outside work, so be prepared with hats, sunscreen, and water! Be on the lookout for hawks, deer, and the occasional fox!

Accessibility: This Site Activity will have elements of manual labor while outdoors in rugged terrain.
Division I Cross Country, Football, Soccer, and Volleyball athletes, AND Cheer or Dance teams only. All other incoming Division I student athletes should select a different site activity and are expected to participate in the full Big Sky Experience program.

All incoming student athletes participating in Division I Cross Country, Football, Soccer, or Volleyball athletics AND who are on the Cheer or Dance teams should register for this site activity, as you will be occupied with practices and other athletic responsibilities during this time. Your coaches and academic advisors will ensure you receive any pertinent information you may miss during the Big Sky Experience due to athletic obligations.
Presented by Aerie Backcountry Medicine

The Wilderness Medicine Essentials (WME) course provides a great introduction to wilderness medicine for anyone spending time outdoors. The course focuses on injury and illness prevention, patient assessment, long-term injury management, improvised splint and litter construction and environmental emergencies.

In order to receive the WME certification students must be present both days!

Accessibility: Fully Accessible
Presented by UM Sustainability

Get connected with the campus community through the lens of Zero Waste. A concept that means much more than “better recycling”, you’ll work with UM Sustainability and UM's ZW staff to better understand the challenges and opportunities for addressing waste within local and broader environmental justice frameworks. Join us as we survey the campus through a zero waste framework, visit Missoula’s Sustainability and Zero Waste Center (Home Resource), learn how to conduct a campus waste and compost audit, and then workshop strategies to reduce and manage the items we find. All participants will become our next change agents and ambassadors for Zero Waste on campus!
Accessibility: This Site Activity will include walking on unpaved terrain and bending down.
Presented by Griz Athletics

Whether you played sports in high school or just want to learn more about how you can get involved, we've got you covered! Learn traditions and chants from UM's Zoo Crew student section leaders while also hearing from coaches and student-athletes about what makes game days at UM special!

Accessibility: Fully Accessible