Pulling on their snow gear and trying to avoid the mud, University of the Pacific students stepped out of their vans near Lake Tahoe on Jan. 18. Already feeling the biting cold of the higher altitude, they readied themselves to go snowshoeing.
They listened as the guide outlined the hike. It was the first time any of them had used snowshoes, an opportunity given to them by Tiger Escapes.
Do you know what Lake Tahoe has in common with San Francisco, Yosemite National Park and Sacramento? All four, and many other great locations, are perfect day trips and a relatively easy drive from Pacific’s Stockton campus.
You may not have access to a car, though. Public transit like buses, Amtrak and BART are another good way to travel but don’t offer service everywhere. And if you’re not from the area, you may feel like your hands are full just trying to learn Stockton, let alone broader northern California.
That’s where Tiger Escapes come in. This Pacific Recreation program can take you on weekend adventures throughout the region for hikes, beach days, camping trips and more.
It’s a great way to get introduced to the Central Valley and beyond, which is why computer science student Soojal Kumar ’25 has been going on Tiger Escapes since arriving at Pacific from Pakistan.
“Initially, I didn’t have a car,” he says. “Now I do, but I still wouldn’t go that far by myself. So, visiting these areas, exploring them and getting to know about them is mostly through Tiger Escapes.”
Kumar was among the group who headed to Lake Tahoe. Along with the help of some guides and Pacific staff, the students trekked up and into the forest to get a scenic view of the surrounding Sierra Nevada.
The hike was difficult and rewarding in turns, with most students shedding their warm snow gear as they worked hard to get up the incline. The guides were keen to keep all the students safe through the hike, adding plenty of stops for rest and water.
For most of the students, the trip was their first time snowshoeing. And for bioengineering student Iliana Minervini ’25, who comes from El Salvador, it was her first time being in the snow.
“It was truly beautiful,” she says. “The landscape was completely different. I’ve been to Tahoe when it wasn’t showing. It was nice to see the trees and the soil, but the snow just changes it completely. It was all white and I feel like it was a time of reflection.”
Some students came to the hike alone while others came in groups, but they were all friendly by the end of the hike.
“I really like seeing the students who may show up and not know a single person returning to campus and giving hugs to the people they met,” says TJ Toepfer, the assistant director of Pacific Recreation who runs the program. “That’s what I get most out of Tiger Escapes. And being able to do a lot of things that I’ve never done in the past.”
Neither Kumar nor Minervini are from California, and they say Tiger Escapes has helped them learn to appreciate how much you can do near Stockton, whether that’s visiting an aquarium or going whitewater rafting.
“It’s a great chance to just explore out there and try new things,” Minervini says. “I wouldn’t have done paddleboarding if it wasn’t for Tiger Escapes. I didn’t know snowshoeing was a thing until Tiger Escapes.”
On top of showing you new places and activities, the cost for each adventure also covers necessities for each trip.
“They provide transportation, sometimes even meals, and they make it cheaper for students,” Minerveni says.
Toepfer says that’s a priority for the program, keeping it affordable for students so they can experience new things. Costs can range from $15 for a hike to $125 for an overnight camping trip. That’s made Tiger Escapes pretty popular.
“It’s like the field of dreams. If you build it, they’ll come,” he says. “So, now we’re trying to make sure we can support them and maybe take more of them on certain trips.”
Wherever Tiger Escapes heads, Toepfer says they want new students to feel comfortable joining, even if it’s an activity they’ve never done before. On a previous whitewater rafting trip, he contracted with a company that led the group. That helped everyone feel safe, even the students who didn’t know how to swim.
Kumal and Minervini still attend Tiger Escapes but say that they’ve also learned how to visit places on their own. Although Minervini didn’t know much about the Central Valley before coming to Stockton, she now tries to get out at least once a month to hike, see a national park or visit an amusement park.
“Stockton is in the center of everything,” Kumal says. “You can go to Sacramento and that’s the Capitol right there. Our drive to San Francisco is an hour and 30 minutes. Maybe you can go to Santa Cruz. You can go to Big Sur, Yosemite, Mammoth Mountain and they’re so close, so nearby. I would recommend going to all of these places.”
