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Climbing Mt. Nittany: Tips For Your First Time

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Shelby DeMaio
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachel Lytle
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

Climbing Mount Nittany is an age-old Penn State tradition, one that almost every student aspires to experience before graduating. If the time has come for you to make that famous hike for the first time, keep these tips in mind before setting out.

1. Dress appropriately

While the idea of hiking Mt. Nittany may sound like all fun and games, it is, in reality, a tough climb. The mountain’s elevation surpasses 1,000 feet, so the initial climb up is steep. Make sure to wear sneakers, or even hiking boots if you happen to have a pair of those lying around. Jeans are definitely not recommended. If you want to make the most of your climb, wear something that will allow you to move. As the days get colder, remember to layer up. It won’t be getting any warmer at the top of that mountain.

2. Bring food and water

Nothing will bring you more joy than finally surviving the hike to the top and realizing you have a sandwich or granola bar to sit down and eat. It’s a nice reward for all of your hard work and good fuel for your trek to the different outlooks and your descent back down later. And of course, don’t forget to bring water. Even if it’s cold enough that you don’t break a sweat, your body still needs to rehydrate.

3. Take pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? You’ll want to capture every moment of your hike so you can relive it for years to come. The pictures are also great to share with friends and family, who will either be in awe of your incredible athleticism, or join in reminiscing about their own Mt. Nittany experiences.

4. Start your hike early

It gets dark early in these colder months, so make sure you head to Mt. Nittany in the morning or early afternoon. You want to give yourself plenty of time to make the climb, but also plenty of time to sit around at the overlooks, taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful view that is Happy Valley.

5. Check out more than one overlook

The Mike Lynch Overlook (which overlooks Beaver Stadium) is the most popular of all seven overlooks, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best. The other overlooks are generally quieter, and allow you to take in the type of peace and quiet that you can only find at the top of a mountain. The distances between each overlook aren’t incredibly long, so there’s no excuse to not check out at least one other view. 

Remember, your first climb of Mt. Nittany will be yet another great Penn State experience to tell your kids about some day. And with that done, you’ll have plenty of time to cross some other exciting (and thankfully less physically exhausting) activities off your Penn State bucket list. 

For more information, you can visit their visitor’s website here. 

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Born and raised by two Nittany Lions, Rachel continued the tradition by attending Penn State University in the fall of 2009. Currently a senior journalism major, Rachel also spends her time minoring in both psychology and Spanish. During her sophomore year she wrote for the Greek newspaper at Penn State as a member of Alpha Xi Delta, followed by joining the Her Campus team as a writer and the Public Relations/Social Media Manager in the fall of her junior year. In search of mastering the Spanish language, Rachel indulged herself in the country of Spain for five months while she studied abroad in the city of Alicante during the spring of 2012. In order to keep her English up to par, Rachel blogged about her experiences for both her personal account and Her Campus at Penn State. With a love for shoes, smiles, and a good bowl of mac and cheese, this social media fiend never leaves her twitter by its lonesome. Follow Rachel @hayhayitsrayray as she pursues her dream as an aspiring magazine editor and world traveler.