A Sierra Club outing is a sanctioned Sierra Club activity in which a significant component is to take participants into the out-of-doors and meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Group Management: It is conducted as a group activity in which participants cannot come and go as they please or on which missing persons would be the Club's responsibility.  Note:  If there are no participants, only the outing's designated leader(s), the outing is considered canceled.

• Remoteness: It occurs in places where public emergency services cannot be obtained as quickly as in an urban area. The rule of thumb is than if EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) assistance cannot arrive within 15 minutes, then the area is considered remote.

• Responsibility for Safety: Group safety is dependent on the competent leadership and emergency performance of the leader.

Examples:

These examples are intended to illustrate and clarify the definition above, not to restrict it or otherwise modify its meaning.

1. A Sierra Club hike has been published in the newsletter and the leader has been contacted by several people expressing interest.  However, at the trailhead on the day of the hike, no participants show up. The leader and assistant leader decide to go on the hike anyway. This hike by the leader and assistant leader is not a Sierra Club outing as there are no participants.

2. An Executive Committee (ExComm) meeting is not a Sierra Club outing. An ExComm meeting followed by a walk in a city park: the meeting and the walk are not Sierra Club outings. An ExComm meeting followed by a trip into a remote wilderness area: the meeting is not a Sierra Club outing, the trip into the remote wilderness is a Sierra Club outing.

3. A casual walk incidental to a Sierra Club picnic in a public picnic ground is not a Sierra Club Outing, but a walk in a remote area is a Sierra Club outing.

4. A Sierra Club volleyball game in a city park is not a Sierra Club outing.

5. A Sierra Club lawn party or picnic to raise funds for conservation is not a Sierra Club outing, but a trip to a remote area with hiking to points of conservation interest is a Sierra Club outing.

6. A Sierra Club bus trip, a cruise or any other travel aboard a common carrier or chartered transportation that does not have some other activity that meets the definition of a Sierra Club outing as detailed above, is not considered a Sierra Club outing.

7. A Sierra Club ski trip with adults, at an area patrolled by a ski patrol, is not a Sierra Club outing. If that same trip involves unaccompanied minors, group management is a factor and therefore it is a Sierra Club Outing. Taking a group out of the ski patrol area would be always be a Sierra Club outing.

Directed Activities

All events that do not meet the criteria for outings are classified as Directed Activities. They do not require the presence of an outings leader. While it is not required that a first aid kit be available, it is recommended.