Urban Diversion is the best thing I have come across in my living in SF. A very fun club, good and friendly members, a super friendly management, and non stop exciting events to go to every month. Nearly two decades of membership for me now, awesome list of experiences and memories, and not one bad experience. It does not get better than that! read more

We were absolutely bowled over by the planning, execution, and thoughtful accommodations made for our Alaska adventure. We loved spending time with Christina, Eric, and Lance as well as their additional staff that cooked, drove, and kept us safe on a wild and enjoyable excursion to the North Pole! Let's just say this...signed up immediately for another play date, this time to Yosemite. read more

I gave both the club and the ski share a fair shot, and this just isn't it. Especially if you're under the age of 30, skip this. These event organizers largely target an older crowd, and although they're opaque about this, you can see from the photos this likely isn't what you want. I spent quite a bit of time with the ski share (that's now expanded to a summer house share!), and I have to say that it's a great deal on paper, with access to multiple houses that stay relatively clean and have good parking, plus a membership body that's been vetted by the org. However, the CEO of UD is prone to lashing out with rage against anyone who messes up or forgets putting their plans on the severely glitchy website he programmed, or breaks any of the other rules. Despite this, when I was a member, he often showed up to the houses unannounced and acted in ways that made me uncomfortable when he got drunk. The entire situation had me on edge even though I never broke the rules and always cleaned up after myself. As for the club, while it's unclear before you join, the organization's model is to nickel-and-dime members for events. Things as simple as hanging out at a bar can cost quite a bit if you sign up less than 2 weeks in advance -- and then if you sign up early then flake you'll also be charged, although that's understandable. The fees add up quickly if you do events like backpacking, which cost over $100 despite the non-staff event leaders being unpaid if I remember correctly. The clubhouse they have seems under-utilized since members don't have access to it outside of events. Overall, I understand that they want to make money, but the setup is too overwhelming to foster the sense of community and belonging that you would want from a membership-based social club. read more

Here's a review for Urban Diversion: I have made some of my best friends from Urban Diversion. The organizers put so much effort into creating well-planned, fun experiences that I can just show up to and know I'm going to have fun at. read more

Participated in many events with urban diversion and still do, it's always a great time with great people. Friendly hosts, staff and members. Whether it's a social event, hike or a bbq at the clubhouse it's always a memorable time. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to explore and especially anyone new to the Bay Area. Im born and raised in San Francisco and they still manage to show me places I've never seen. 10/10 read more

See all

Another wonderful camping trip on the Labor Day weekend. Thanks for the UD team made the very last minute plan and rearranged another camp site due to the wild fire . A great hot-spring camp trip at Buckeye. We had a great host, Emily, arranged everything well. Checked the camp site in advance, prepare great meals, lead us on a 8-mile hike and see the amazing view of Barney Lake. Emily took great care of us, respect everyone's need and made necessary accommodations. Can't help to give 5-star review for the UD team. If I could, I will give our lovely host, Emily, six-star!! read more

See all

If you are looking to make new social connections in the San Francisco Bay Area especially post pandemic then Urban Diversion is a fantastic choice. They have a wide range of events including hikes, happy hours, camping and international trips. Typically 15 events per month and they are reasonably priced. Last summer I went on a number of camping trips with them including National Parks. Have made many longtime friends and business connections. read more

Urban Diversion - Post hike sunset. - Active Life Near Me - San Francisco, California

Such an exceptional experience - went to the Santa Cruz campout hosted by Christina. We had a dedicated campground and had amazing dinner and breakfast cooked by Christina. The beach was one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. We also went up to Davenport for half a day - hiking and chilling at the beach. The event was very organized and you got to meet all the cool people. I can't say enough about how amazing the experience was! Want to attend another one soon! read more

See all

An incredible team, throwing some pretty incredible events. I'm fact, I've been to quite a few events now, and have never left without having had an epically fun time. Highly recommend read more

I love this outing club and think you might too! Been a member for nearly three years now. Found the club during the quarantine and wondered why I hadn't heard of it before. They host great events and the club attracts interesting people from varied walks of life. I find it to be a lot of fun, a little piratey (heck, they do an epic sail where we dress up like pirates), and a little treasure of a club in the city. read more

Highly recommend it. Super fun! Great crew. Fun activities. Ski houses are in great locations. read more

I have been attending their events on and off since 2007. They are always fun, plenty of food, and the people are cool.

Always have a good time! I'm more outdoorsy. They conduct a variety of activities including hiking, backpacking, biking, rock climbing, etc. The vibe is great! Crew is cool. A good social club to join especially during pandemic. I have personally been on many backpacking and camping trips. Within the city, I have been to museums, parks, restaurants among many others. read more

I couldn't recommend Urban Diversion enough! They've been a great addition to my life because they plan awesome, adventurous activities and events for me to attend a few times a month. I've been paddle boarding, hiking, camping, surfing, and also met so many awesome people along the way as well. Sign up if you want to make your life more exciting! read more

See all

At the beginning of the pandemic it seemed I had lost just about all my friends in one fell swoop. Some moved away, some became reclusive, and some just didn't want to take any chances of any sort. So Urban Diversion was a blessing organizing safe and interesting events throughout the pandemic - it's certainly been a great positive addition to my lives. In addition to the great people you get to meet at the events, I think the thing that stands out in Urban Diversion are the hosts - they're positive, energetic, inclusive, and down-to-earth. And membership is an absolute steal when you consider that you almost always have something interesting to do if you find a gap in your social calendar. read more

I have participated in the Winter Ski Share organized by Urban Diversion. It was such an amazing opportunity to meet so many likeminded people who enjoy outdoors, skiing and winter fun. The ski cabin and the amenities were fantastic and it was a great way to socialize and make new friends. I highly recommend checking them out also for other events and socials! read more

:) avoid. Modus Operandi: Overcharge people for events so the surplus ends up paying for the expenses of the "organizers" Very clever :D tried out this website after speaking to a guy at the bar who recommended it. Nothing really special about it. Read all the one star reviews on it and it pretty much explains it. There is no way to cancel the membership on the website. They charge for people to do an otherwise free activity. They charge more for what activity actually costs. Pretty much a predatory scheme that preys on people who are interested in socializing. Pretty lame, you're better off going on meetup. read more

Urban Diversion social calendar events are so inspired and great at bringing people together. It is like they rundown all of the planning details with a fine-tooth comb. The organizers are well traveled and have all kind of connections to local Bay Area suppliers and vendors, like a school bus party bus! I mean, WOW - how do you locate a supplier like that? Another event was wild; I caught this segment in ABC 7 News with Urban Diversion promoting their annual Valentine's Day Pillow Fight at the Justin Herman Plaza in SF. They've also held events at the ball park, downtown, at the Pier, and far into Bay Area outer regions/communities as well as our national parks. Urban Diversion is there to elevate the local travel experience and save us on time and money in planning, budgeting, organizing day trips in this amazing space we take for granted and call home. :-) read more

I have became a member early this year and so far I have had tons fun. I have had good time with the fun hosts and members in all of the events. I totally recommend them and also consider they have different types of events that satisfies most of the tastes. read more

I went to Elkhorn Slough with UD and just loved the day! It is so nice to be with a group but have a leader to help manage the experience. This let me relax and just go along for the ride, and the ride was so charmingly sweet, with otters everywhere and entire armies of pelicans on the banks. This Is an outstanding natural preserve that connects to the Pacific. We ate overlooking this intersection after an easy kayak experience through placid waters. Our leader was as new to UD as we all were to UD, but so pleasant and able to keep us connected and real. I hope to see more of him at these nature events. Sorry, forgot his name!! read more

I was a member, decided to quit because it wasn't fun, no one really was fun and outgoing as me. If I wanted to do events, I rather post it on Yelp.com, Going.com, myopenbar.com, meetup.com, okcupid.com, crazyblinddates.com, sfweekly.com, or even on craigslist.org.... etc etc..... You got so much resources here! Why would I want to pay money for a company that doesn't have any form of communication with others, not organized thoroughly online / offline. After a while, you will feel this..... you're better off doing something you will enjoy. I find it a complete waste of time going to North Beach when you can't find parking and the bridge and tunnel crowd just kills it for me. If you were to ask someone after joining for two to three months, they will tell you the same unless "really" they are socially awkward or have no social skills. Yes, I was rather embarrass. I should of done my research, now you will see UD post some of their events on Yelp to draw in their new customers and some of them will only have less than 5 reviews??? ONE BIG ???? Are these employees or friends??? I bet you they are... read more

Went to my first event last night (New Member Mixer at the Club House and then part of a Birthday Pub Crawl at Etiquette & Anu). Joined because I was a member of Events and Adventures in Atlanta, GA (plus reading the prior Yelp reviews). The pictures on the UD website reminded me of the cool people I met and the fun times I had. Anyway, it was a blast, interesting people, and reasonable prices. Looking forward to the Rockstar Happy Hour @ Harry's Bar next THURS. read more

Really fun and awesome group! Great way to meet new people and go on really nice trips without having to plan . The group leaders are always super chill and easy to get along with and cook really good camp dinners. Such a great group to be a part of! read more

Urban Diversion is a great place to meet new people and have fun. They have a variety of events and activities to choose from, so you're sure to find something you'll enjoy. The event hosts are amazing; they are always friendly and welcoming, and they make sure that everyone has a good time. I highly recommend Urban Diversion to anyone looking for a fun and social experience especially if a lot of your friends have moved away from SF Bay Area. This is a great way to meet new friends who share your interests and do the things that you love together. read more

I joined UD days or weeks before COVID lockdown. When it turned out the lockdown will be longer I requested the cancellation of my membership. You haven't done that and have been charging me for a year... Worst company ever. read more

Went to an Urban Diversion open house yesterday. I was concerned about the 1-star review posted on 9/29/05, but came to find that it was unfounded: It was not a high pressure sales pitch at all (clearly, that reviewer has never tried to use a free 24 Hour fitness pass........now that is a high pressure sales pitch). There were plenty of cool people that showed up (I'd say that there were at least 25 people that showed up at the open house). I read the fine print before signing up for a month-to-month membership, and I saw nothing confusing at all. I obviously haven't been to an outing yet, but I can definitely recommend the open house: free drinks, free apps, a no-pressure environment to sign up, and plenty of people to meet (both those new to the bay area, and others looking to expand their circle of friends who like to get out there and do a wide array of activities). read more

After moving to the Bay I have come across Urban Diversion Club. They organize several socials all around the city and the Bay Area, clubhouse events, and weekend getaways. I have been on many events including hikes as well as weekends boarding in Tahoe. I can highly recommend them. The people there are super cool. It's a perfect way of meeting new people and making new friends as well as discovering the area. I've made life long friends because of this club and I'm so grateful! read more

Urban Diversion is an incredible social club ! If you want to meet people who have same hobbies than you concerning adventure, sport, or sharing a really good time for a dinner or a party, UD is definitely made for you ! Through several events per weeks, you can find your pleasure in one ( all?! ) of these. I definitely recommande UD so check the website and become a member : you do not have more than to enjoy ! read more

I just visited SF and attended a trip with Urban Diversion. I was so much fun! We kayaked to Angel Island and camped out for the night. The host had all the details worked out and all of our delicious meals pre-planned. All of the members were super friendly. We told stories, played games, and explored the island together. It was an amazing experience! read more

So I had joined Urban Diversion as a member more than 10 years ago, and absolutely loved the club, and what it did to my social life. And then life happened. Got busy, moved out of the Bay Area, and so had to end my membership. Then recently, I was fortunate enough to move back to the Bay Area. I realized also that one of the things I missed the most was the fun stuff I used to do at UD. So a few months ago, I renewed my membership, and have started attending their events again. And of course I am sooo glad I did. I have started enjoying my life again, realizing all the while that life is short, the clock is ticking, and the time to enjoy life is now. Way to go, UD, and thanks Lance and the rest of the UD team that make the Bay Area such an awesome place to be living at. read more

Such a wonderful day on the water. Lance was so accommodating at making sure we had everything we needed, following up and planned every aspect of our adventure tour on Paddle Boards in Sausalito. I feel like he took us to the best spots. I can't wait to check out our next adventure. What a great experience! read more

Nutcracker event was nice. Joyfully group as always. Loved it

Glad I joined! Definitely go to a few events and see if you like it. I moved to SF earlier this year and wanted to meet good, not flaky people, as well as be exposed to new activities in the city, the Bay, and around the state. That's all happened. Some of my closest friends are from the group, and I've been camping in Yosemite and Clear Lake, sailing in Santa Cruz, been to a skeet shooting range, had rooftop parties (for Fleet Week), had beach fires at Ocean Beach, and other 'not-your-average' events. The best part for me is that they organize 3-4 events each week, with lots of variety, and take care of all the annoying logistics for you. They reserve campsites months in advance, plan out meals for hikes or camping, get to places extra early (i.e. to reserve fire pits at Ocean Beach), even bring wine and snacks to many events. All you do is show up. Much better than the free meet-up groups I was part of before, where people flaked in and out, and were very, very awkward in social situations :) read more

As a frequent hiker, I saw a hike advertised by this company. The requirement was to join the club. I submitted an application three times and was rejected. I spoke to the founder and he said I was rejected due to age. I am a very active, physically fit over 60 female. He gave a phoney excuse that the age limit was due to "old men joining and preying in the young women making it uncomfortable for them. He claims it IS LEAGAL to discriminate due to age or gender. Now, his excuse doesn't hold as I am not a single "old man" I'm married so, would not prey on anyone. I would not want to be part of a club that picks and chooses its members based on age or gender. read more

This "club" preys on people who aren't well connected-- who are maybe new to the area, and don't know where else to look but craigslist. Before you even think about joining urban diversion-- just, DON'T. Notice that a hefty portion of the 5-star reviews here on Yelp were composed by individuals who've only written a single review-- and who are located nowhere near the SF Bay. Hmmmm There are many great alternatives to urban diversion-- principally I would recommend meetup.com or reddit.com. Meetup lets you find local people and groups who share the same specific interests. Reddit also hosts a number of threads where you can find similarly minded people, view event listings (example: try searching for San Jose Weekly Happenings), and exercise latent neckbeard tendencies to your heart's content. Both sites are FREE. Now the gory details: I moved to San Jose about a year and a half ago for work, knowing no one.. and not knowing what to do. As hinted earlier, I checked the craigslist meetings and events sections for ways to fill a boring weekend... and came across an ad for urban diversion. It SOUNDED great. It seemed like a good way to meet active, local, responsible, people. I filled out a creepy application to join.. and received a call a few days later from a pushy sales rep, whose tone of empty rah rah and weak flattery (e.g. - "you sound like a perfect fit") should have been my cue to hit eject. Long story short, I caved to the pressure tactics of "join now or never" and stupidly agreed to an initiation fee of $500-- and a recurring monthly charge of $59 for a minimum of 6 months. DID YOU GET THAT?! $500 and $59 a month just to hang out with people??? Actually I should mention-- those fees only allow access to the club's calendar. If you decide to participate in an event, you will almost always be required to pay an additional per-event fee. THE INDIVIDUAL EVENT FEES ARE OFTEN GREATER THAN THE COST YOU WOULD PAY TO SIMPLY GO ALONE. I would imagine that club coordinators should surely be able to work out group rates, and I would think that the already outrageous fees required to even belong would cover any "planning / organizing" expense. Again, I'm in the South Bay. Until you pay to join, you're unable to view event locations on the club calendar. I realized too late after I joined that a majority of the events are hosted in/near San Francisco. For all the money I paid ($1,100), I attended just one event. No others were convenient. The event I attended was free-- but UD attempted to charge hapless members a participation fee. I simply showed up, after recognizing the location. The attendees all wore a tired, "this is lame but I'm bored expression." No one socialized much, and everyone disappeared quickly after the event ended. The event coordinator there also sported the same empty "I know I'm selling a s****y product, but I've got to keep smiling" affect as the person who screened my application. These days, I just facepalm myself for pulling such a desperation move and joining this group. I didn't even come close to forking out the same dough when an ex-girlfriend once talked me into joining a fraternity. At least the frat boys were gracious enough to promptly kick me out of their club when I showed up to the first camp-out in a station wagon instead of a pickup. The fratties also neglected to latch themselves onto my bank account -- the way UD did. After requiring direct draft payment setup, UD does everything it can to make cancellation difficult... by requiring members to send a signed CERTIFIED letter to their clubhouse address. Company reps are not forthcoming with these details, and will not provide instructions unless specifically requested. I've run out of energy to describe this folly. I wish could spread this across multiple reviews to offset all the shady 5-star reviews. If you've read this far though, you get the idea. read more

Edit: 6/20/08 After I posted my review I was contacted by UD. While I generally tend to dislike businesses/groups that contact people about their reviews, I was given a polite and informative message from UD that gave me clarification about the pricing and addressed some of my review's concerns. I was told that the Scheckys event price was changed by Sheckys themselves, and members were refunded the difference by UD. I have to add a star to my original review because UD contacted me in a straightforward and sincere manner, and it did seem that they did genuinely want to improve my experience with them. That impressed me and more importantly, demonstrated a concern for their members. +1 star ********************* I have to agree with a lot of what JL mentioned. I was a member of UD for a short while. It seemed like a good idea at the time because I was new to the city and did not have the time to plan for events and trips. The staff and people you meet are friendly but I didn't make any friends (acquaintances, maybe). There is a bit of a feeling that this friendliness is "forced" though--and it is, after all it is their job to make you feel welcome. (I just wish it didn't feel so like they HAVE to talk to you. I'm fine on my own, thank you very much.) I didn't mind that aspect too much because I just wanted to attend the events so if I made new friends, it would have been a bonus, not mandatory. Still, I have my reservations about recommending this group. I think UD overcharges for what you get. For example, recently there was an event for Shecky's girls night out that cost $25 per person at UD (on top of the monthly membership dues). Upon inspecting Schecky's website; however, I found that you can get 2 VIP tickets for $25 for the same event if you went through them directly. Since one of UD's "selling points" (according to them) is their discounted event cost (because of group pricing), I have to call them out about their event pricing. I've also been to barb-b-ques and picnic events and even though they charge $10-15 for those events, they ask you to bring food and beverages. What is the event charge for, I wonder? I could go to my local Safeway for get food and beer for $10-15 and have a picnic on my own--without paying a membership fee. Of course, each person's experience will be different. While I wouldn't do it again, I think everyone should make up their own mind and see if they have a different experience. read more

This review is a non-member's perspective of Urban Diversion, based on their recent Hot Summer Nights party. We didn't have plans, so we randomly decided to join the party, one of their events that's open to non-members. We thought it would be a good way to check out the group and go camping. Signing up was easy on the website. I was worried about experiencing the hard sell from organizers that others have mentioned in their reviews, but that didn't happen at all. Aside from the girl who checked us in, we barely had any contact with the organizers at all until the next morning (more on that later). Anyway, people seemed nice enough. Many already seemed to know each other, but it looked like the few lone people were quickly integrated with the rest of the group. At the campsite, the tents were close enought to touch so it had the feel of a refugee camp, but that's to be expected with big groups. I will say, they delivered exactly what they promised. There was a 30 foot inflatable slide. There was a DJ and dancing. There was a pool. There was a BBQ (mediocre), s'mores (stale fixings), and free soda, beer and wine (boxed). There were other groups there with kids, and they seemed to enjoy the spectacle of watching the UD people. After the rest of the camp shut down at 11pm, the party continued back at the site. I woke up at 3:30am, and it was still going on. So why only two stars? Mostly, the behaviour of some of the people. We were in our tent when a girl came stumbling by. In her heavy accent, she drunkenly told her friends not to follow her, that she was OK. We heard her walk by our tent, and then stop. What we heard next was not exactly the tinkling of water from the creek below. Basically, this drunk chick peed about two feet away from our tent (and others). Gross! I belong to an outdoor group, and in one of his recent newsletters the owner laid out some ground rules for peeing in the woods: not near the trail, not near water, etc. And definitely not right next to other people's tents. And it's not like we were backpacking - there were bathrooms on site, and a port-a-potty was about 30 feet away. Drunk chick, because of you, I will now forever think of this group as Urine Diversion. Another irritating thing: the website said check-out was at 11am, but an UD person walked through camp at 8:30am yelling at everyone to get up and get out. I'm not sure what that was about, but even though we were already packing up it was annoying. It just seemed a little disrespectful to treat paying guests like that. I'm not sure if this behavior is typical of UD events. But I'm not that eager to find out.. read more

This club is terrible! Do not waste your money. My partner and I spent a pretty big chunk of money to join with the assumption we had 3 months to "try it out". The first party we went to we were hit on by a creepy guy that wanted to come home with us. The second time we tried meeting up for a concert the owner never called us back. We did finally enjoy horse back riding but realized after that they charged us MORE than what the stable charged if we went alone (since we went back a few months later). Why am I paying a monthly membership, and initiation fee AND also paying higher rates for activities. Shouldn't the "staff" work out a discount rate? I've also tried emailing the club through the website with no response. I've basically paid a lot of money for the owner and his closest friends to travel all over the world (Thailand, Hawaii, Tahoe). Don't do it! you'll regret it! read more

When I started yelping, I never thought I would give a 1-star review. This one called for it. This is a review of Urban Diversion and their Hot Summer Nights this past weekend. Went for the fun, the camping, the night out, and check out a group that looked potentially interesting. Well, now I will laugh about thinking of ever joining UD in the future. When we arrived at the campground, we were checked in and given wristbands. The scavenger hunt began! Find the parking, find the campground, find the food, find the cup that all liquid needs to be in, find the pool, etc. The UD staff greeted us exactly once at the beginning. And, when they shouted out us to leave over two hours ahead of schedule. Being a non-member, I would've expected a little meet and greet. I would've liked to have a map or at least some direction as to where things were located. The food was sad. The music and dancing lame. The crowd nice enough for the most part (except the one who decided to go to the bathroom near the tent). In general, it just felt like amateur hour. For $65 a person, you'd think they'd work harder or respect their customers a little more. If you missed out on frat parties in college, you could've gotten your fill on Saturday. read more

My experience attempting to do business with their organization was an unpleasant one. The staff who interviewed me for membership was pushy to collect initial payment of membership was pretty unclear on specific details that I requested. When she was told we would think about it and get back to her, se charged us anyway. Not only did she charge without authorization but she charged way more than what she ever quoted on the phone. They were contacted immediately and told that we did not sign the agreement and with this poor practice of premature charging, lost any possibility of our membership. They did not credit the monies back, so I had to dispute it with the bank and they went after them. But not before continuing to charge recurring monthly fees for two months thereafter. When the initial review was written about this, the owner (Lance E.) began to call and harass us and threaten us with legal action if we didn't take the review down (similar to Sophia F.'s review). You made a mistake, own it, give me my money back, train your staff better, stop the recurring monthly charges and DON'T EVER CALL MY HOME AND THREATEN ME ABOUT A YELP REVIEW. Its my thoughts and my perception of the experience. Its not for you to say or attempt to squelch or control. I will never do business with you nor will I ever recommend anyone join your group. read more