Hiking

Hanging out with friends is important — and your time with them is valuable.

You want to make memories that are as unique as you are.

At Liberty, you’ll find a wide variety of opportunities to kickback outside the classroom, meeting new people, building teamwork, and just having fun. You’ll never have an excuse to be bored.

And because Liberty’s campus is tucked into the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the natural beauty surrounding LU makes it a special place to connect with nature — and with your Creator. You’ll find everything from quiet moments by breathtaking sunsets and star-studded night skies to high adventure trips and your favorite outdoor sports.

Liberty’s ever-changing natural backdrop makes it the ideal spot for some of the best, and most unique, memories of your life — come and see for yourself.    

Student Recreation Video

Check out all the ways you can experience life at Liberty.


“Because of our local geography and top-tier facilities, Liberty students have the chance to participate in a very diverse and unique range of opportunities. There aren’t many campuses where you could climb a rock wall on Monday, play Spikeball on Tuesday, go out on a challenge course (high-ropes) on Wednesday, swim in the indoor pool on Thursday, go kayaking on Friday, and then run in a 5K on Saturday.”

Chris Misiano, Vice President of Campus Recreation


Intramural Sports

Intramural Sports

Want to keep playing your favorite sport — but not at the collegiate level? No problem! Liberty’s thriving Intramural Sports department offers you over 20 different sports so you can keep up your skills without investing the time it takes to be a college athlete.

And you’ll meet a lot of great new people — Liberty’s Intramural Sports program has one of the highest participation rates in the country. Nearly 25 percent of residential undergraduate students play on a team!

Choose to join an intramural team and play:

  • 3-Point Shootout
  • 4v4 Flag Football
  • Basketball
  • Billiards (8-Ball)
  • Bowling
  • Broomball
  • Coed Beach Volleyball
  • Coed Kickball
  • Coed Volleyball
  • Disc Golf
  • Dodgeball
  • Fantasy Football
  • Flag Football
  • Indoor Soccer
  • Outdoor Soccer
  • Racquetball
  • Slam Dunk Contest
  • Softball
  • Spikeball
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Whiffleball

What else can you do for fun around Liberty?

Go bowling at the Montview Bowling Alley.

Challenge friends to epic video game battles in our Game Room.

Work out at the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center or at our newly renovated David’s Place

Go swimming at the Liberty Natatorium.

Take an exercise class or play basketball or racquetball at the LaHaye Fitness and Recreation Center.

Get your goal on at the Thomas Indoor Soccer Center.


Snowflex Center On Liberty Mountain Video

Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre

No matter what season it is, you can always go skiing, snowboarding, or tubing at Liberty University. The Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is one of North America’s only year-round ski hills of its kind and is home to Liberty’s Men’s and Women’s Ski and Snowboard teams.

Ski or snowboard lessons, equipment rentals, and tubing passes are free to LU students, and the Barrick-Falwell Lodge is a cozy place to study, catch up with friends, or catch a stunning sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains.


LaHaye Ice Center

LaHaye Ice Center

Home to Liberty’s five hockey teams, figure skating team, and synchronized skating team, the LaHaye Ice Center is not only an action-packed competition arena — it also gives students opportunities for:

  • Pick-up hockey games
  • Skating lessons
  • Freestyle skating

Learn more about the Lahaye Ice Center and all other recreational opportunities available to you through Liberty’s Campus Rec department.

Outdoor Activities Student Running

Outdoor Recreation

Are you an outdoor enthusiast? At Liberty, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to take in God’s creation and relax on our more than 7,000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain beauty. 

Head up to Liberty Mountain, where you’ll enjoy over 50 miles of single- and double-track trails that are perfect for cross country running, hiking, or biking.

Or take a break at the Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center. Our sandy beach and designated swimming area provide the perfect spot for all your lakefront fun. Here, you’ll be able to:

  • Swim
  • Canoe
  • Paddleboard
  • Kayak
  • Fish
  • Go camping
  • Challenge yourself and others on a high-ropes course
  • Fly down a zipline

Campsite gear and equipment rentals are free for students.

Outdoor Recreation Students Kayaking

Adventure Trips

Want to get away for the day or the weekend? Liberty offers dozens of adventure trips designed to help you unwind. Go camping, hiking, or horseback riding in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, try your hand at fly fishing or bouldering, or get your adrenaline pumping by white water rafting or kayaking in West Virginia or skiing and snowboarding at nearby Wintergreen Resort.

Our experienced trip leaders will guide you through getaway opportunities like these and other exciting activities:

  • Mountain biking
  • Rappelling and rock climbing
  • Fly fishing
  • Spelunking
  • Sailing
  • Moonlight horseback riding
  • Whitewater rafting
  • Camping
Liberty's Astronomical Observatory

Astronomical Observatory

The Psalmist said it best: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

Find prime viewing for stargazing with open space and minimal light noise at Liberty’s own astronomical observatory. Just a little over five miles from campus, the observatory gives you a closer look at moons, planets, nebulae, galaxies, and more.

See them all through the largest telescope in the region — a 24-inch DFM Engineering telescope. The telescope sits one story off the ground, giving you a spectacular view of the sky. Or, enjoy a clear and wide field of view with one of our 8-inch Celestron telescopes.

The observatory is open for free night sky viewing to Liberty University students, faculty and staff, and their guests.