The Western Pilgrimage

August 25 - November 2, 2026
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ITINERARY
DATES
CLASSES
GALLERY
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“Education and Exploration in the American West”

.The Western Pilgrimage is a semester-long experience created by Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and Altum L’alto Pilgrimages (ALP). The semester is open to male students not currently enrolled at a Catholic “Great Books” college.  Students will complete 10 academic credit hours (in four classes) as they explore the western states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.  The final destination is El Santuario de Chimayo, also known as the Lourdes of America.  Students will be guided by traveling faculty and staff for the entire trip and visited by other faculty.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Exploring 10 National Parks
  • 10 transferrable academic credits
  • A variety of outdoor adventure activities

ITINERARY

The semester travels from north to south, beginning in the Northern Rockies and ending in the Sangre de Christo Mountains of the Southwest.  The itinerary consists of several sections where we will stop for education and exploration before moving to the next section.

Montana

Wyoming

Colorado

Utah

Arizona

New Mexico

ADVENTURE

Students will have daily, weekend, and extended-weekend adventures as well as a week-long “fall break” opportunity.  Activities include hiking, biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, paddling, and sanboarding

ACADEMICS

Students will take a full academic semester of courses.  They will have the possibility to transfer the 10 academic credit hours received upon successful completion of the semester to their home colleges or universities.  All courses can be taken at the 200 or 300 level

1. SCIENCE 200/300: Nature’s Cathedral

Natural history of the American West (3 credits)

2. HUMANITIES 200/300: No Mere Worldly Success

The literature of adventure and the philosophy of the examined life (3 credits)

3. POLITICS 200/300: The Strenuous Life

The principles and skills of leadership and community (3 credits)

4. THEOLOGY 200/300: The Spiritual Life

The principles of prayer and contemplation (1 credit)

DATES 

 

August 25 - November 2, 2026

Sign-up Deadline: March 15, 2026

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 Visit the St. Thomas More College website for more information and to apply

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Testimonials

“The Western Pilgrimage was the semester of a lifetime!  Highlights for me included the classes, terrific organization and planning, the positive example of the other guys on the trip, and exploring incredible National Parks throughout the West.”

Joe Hildebrand

“Through the Western Pilgrimage, I was able to leave the digital world behind for a time and enjoy the peace and clarity of mind that this brings. Camping out in the wilderness of the American West allowed me time to worship God through the magnificence of His creation and grow in love for the country in which I was born. I met a group of men who challenged me to grow spiritually, physically, & intellectually as we traveled together on this grand adventure.”

Luke Nurenberg

The Western Pilgrimage was an amazing trip that made me appreciate the spectacular gifts God has given me. On the Western Pilgrimage, I felt a zeal for brotherhood and God’s creation that I still feel when I think about it almost every day.

Paul Williams

“What the Western Pilgrimage offers is something I’ve always yearned for but always thought too good to be true. An opportunity to partake in an epic adventure through the glories of the natural world with the greatest of friends, all while encountering the Lord through prayer and the great minds of the western tradition.”

Declan Blackwell

“To witness the history and grandeur of God’s creation on the Western Pilgrimage was the greatest education I could have received in college. I will carry the lessons, memories, and friends from this for the rest of my life.”

Brendan Moorehouse