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The ϳԹ Trip-Finder: North America
By Kathy Martin
New
ALASKA: Mountain Biking around Denali
The Route: A six- or 14-day knobby-tire tour on dirt and gravel roads
through the mountain-flanked plains east and south of Alaska’s Denali National
Park, with overnights in backcountry lodges or campgrounds
When To Go: July-August
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory: Summer temperatures often fluctuate between the fifties and the high nineties.
Prepare to chill out during the midday heat and ride late
into the still-bright night.
High/Low Points:
- Having all to yourself the same grandiose scenery that most Denali
visitors only see from the bus inside the park
- Disputing right-of-way with a moose in the middle of the road
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
ϳԹ Cycling Association / 2 / $825
Alaskan Bicycle ϳԹs / 2 / $1,595
Classic
ALASKA/YUKON/BRITISH COLUMBIA: Rafting the Alsek River
The Route: A six- to 12-day rubber bump-and-grind down southern Alaska’s wildly scenic
Alsek, where you’ll encounter Class III and IV rapids, grizzlies, and
bald eagles. Six-day trips run only the upper half of the river
When To Go: June-August
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory: The Alsek roils with bigger whitewater than the nearby Tatshenshini, and
the trip includes a scenic helicopter portage over unrunnable Turnback Canyon.
However, all this jacks up the cost of your trip by
a few hundred dollars.
High/Low Points:
- Bouncing into the confluence with the Tat, where the river flows
six times larger than the Colorado
- Getting blown back upstream by 40-mile-per-hour winds on the flatwater of
the upper Alsek
Luxe Factor: Camping
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Alaska Discovery / 2 / $2,450
Canadian River Expeditions / 6 / $1,420-$2,445
Chilkat Guides / 3 / $2,475
Tatshenshini Expediting Ltd. / 3 / $1,200
Wilderness River Outfitters / 2 / $1,980
Yukon Mountain & River Expeditions Ltd. / 1 / $2,250
Classic
BAHAMAS: Sea Kayaking the Exumas
The Route: A five-day to two-week paddle through gin-clear, 80-degree water along the
immaculate reefs and islets of Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park,
with time to snorkel and explore sea caves
When To Go: February-May
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Travel Advisory: A good beginners’ trip: Except for a few open-water crossings, you
paddle in protected waters inside the reef system. Most outfitters don’t
supply masks and fins, so bring your own.
High/Low Points:
- Transforming a gusty wind into a free ride by raising sails
on your kayak
- Getting the willies off Waderick Wells Cay, where rumor has it
a slave ship sank with no survivors
Luxe Factor: Camping
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Ecosummer Expeditions / 6 / $1,295-$1,895
Ibis Tours / 9 / $1,350
NatureQuest / 6 / $1,295-$1,895
Steve Currey Expeditions / on demand / $995
CALIFORNIA: Rafting the Cal-Salmon River
The Route: A two- or three-day, Class IV-V, adrenaline-pumping drop through the narrow
canyons of the Trinity Alps and Marble Mountains in northern California.
Some outfitters combine this run with trips on the Scott, Yuba,
or other rivers.
When To Go: April-June
Difficulty: Strenuous
Travel Advisory: The Cal-Salmon is free-flowing and very fast, with steep gradients and
challenging plummets–not for the faint of heart or muscle.
High/Low Points:
- Falling asleep to the roar of Freight Train Rapid in your
head–after you’ve successfully run it
- Uncramping your legs after the seven-hour drive from the Bay Area
to the put-in
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
ARTA / weekly / $270
Cutting Edge ϳԹs / weekly / $240-$335
Electric Rafting Company / weekly / $210-$315
Noah’s World of Water / weekly / $295
Tributary Whitewater Tours / weekly / $250-$380
Turtle River Rafting Company / weekly / $242-$356
COLORADO: Winter Mountaineering and Ice-Climbing in the Rocky Mountains
The Route: Five to seven days of mountaineering instruction or an 18- to
23-day Outward Bound expedition training course; programs teach backcountry safety, navigation,
and snow-and-ice technique, with a few nights in snow shelters
When To Go: April
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Travel Advisory: Dig out your eighth-grade textbooks and bone up on Earth Science.
You need to know about things like snowpack configuration, weather patterns,
and avalanche formation.
High/Low Points:
- Posing for an impressive photo of yourself clinging to a frozen
waterfall with crampons and ice ax
- Concluding on day two that you’re really more of a summer
person
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
American Alpine Institute / on demand / $990
Colorado Mountain School / weekly / $745-$1,130
Colorado Outward Bound School / 4 / $1,795-$1,995
MEXICO: Diving the Gulf of California
The Route: A seven- to nine-day live-aboard dive boat trip, including daily dives
to see large pelagics in the Gulf of California or manta
rays at Socorro Island, 250 miles off the coast of Baja
When To Go: June-October (Gulf), January-June (Socorro Island)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Travel Advisory: Don’t gripe about the water visibility being only 60 feet in
the Gulf. The plankton that cloud the water are the same
ones that attract the big fish.
High/Low Points:
- Spending an hour swimming with amicable whale sharks and sea lions
- Spending a week sharing three heads with 12 people on an
80-foot boat
Luxe Factor: Boat accommodations
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Baja Expeditions / weekly / $1,695
Pacific Coast ϳԹs / on demand / $1,500-$2,100
San Diego Shark Diving Expeditions / weekly / $1,495-$2,300
See & Sea Travel / weekly / $1,645-$2,195
THE NORTH POLE: Skydiving over the Polar Ice Cap
The Route: An 11-day expedition to experience free fall above the North Pole
(solo or in tandem with a group leader), including a practice
jump and a stay at a base camp on Norway’s Svalbard
archipelago
When To Go: April
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory:Your clothing is survival equipment. The outfitter can get you a
reliable expedition suit for $925 (yes, that’s wholesale), and you’ll need
a balaclava, ski goggles, and chemical hand warmers as well.
High/Low Points:
- Joining the elite club of the fewer than 500 people who’ve
skydived the North Pole
- Waiting up to several hours in minus-30-degree temperatures for the helicopter
to lift you back to base camp
Luxe Factor: Tourist hotels
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Forum Travel International / 1 / $7,500
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES: Dogsledding and Skiing Ellesmere Island
The Route: An eight- or 15-day sled and ski odyssey across the tundra,
glaciers, and fjords of Canada’s northernmost island, with stops to view
Arctic wolves and herds of musk oxen and caribou
When To Go: April, May
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Travel Advisory: You need dogsledding experience and strong winter camping skills to handle
freezing temperatures and seven-hour days on skis. To get your winter
résumé up to snuff, some trips include a warm-up session in
Minnesota.
High/Low Points:
- Counting yourself in the company of Shackleton, Scott, and Peary, who
passed through Ellesmere on their way to polar history
- Helplessly chattering your teeth even though you’re lugging a 45-pound backpack
on skis
Luxe Factor: Camping
Outfitters / Departures / Price
ϳԹ Canada / 1 / $2,695
The Northwest Passage / 1 / $6,000
Wintergreen Expeditions / 1 / $6,000
NOVA SCOTIA/NEW BRUNSWICK: Hiking the Bay of Fundy
The Route: A five- to seven-day jaunt along the rugged Atlantic coastline through
centuries-old fishing villages, with visits to the spruce and balsam forests
of Kejimkujik or Fundy National Parks and side trips for whale-watching
and sea kayaking
When To Go: June-September
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Travel Advisory: July or early August is humpback whale migration time; you might
also sight one of the last 300 Atlantic right whales, an
endangered species. On other trips, expect to see minke whales, Atlantic
whitesided dolphins, seals, and muskrats.
High/Low Points:
- Sucking down platefuls of Digby scallops, caught near the mouth of
the Bay of Fundy
- Spending up to two hours a day in a van between
hiking venues
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
All ϳԹ Vacations / 12 / $708-$1,295
Backroads / 13 / $749-$1,275
Fundy Hiking and Nature Tours / 1 / $800
Scott Tours / 2 / $600
WYOMING / MONTANA: Cycling the Yellowstone-Teton Loop
The Route: A five- to eight-day, 250-mile road tour from the bubbling mud and steaming fumaroles of Yellowstone National Park to the jagged peaks and glacial lakes of Grand Teton National Park.
When To Go: June-September
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory: You won’t hit much traffic along the back roads, but you’ll need to bring out your defensive riding skills around congested campground exits and park road construction areas.
High/Low Points:
- Cresting the last ascent in hilly, forested Yellowstone before coasting downhill toward the wide open panorama of the Tetons
- Downshifting for RVers with with their eyes anywhere but on the road
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
ϳԹ Cycling Association / 1 / $550
Backcountry / 6 / $1,125
Cycle America / 1 / $390-$460
Timberline Bicycle Tours / 5 / $1,195
Wilderness River Outfitters / 2 / $650-$950
See also:
Copyright, 1996 ϳԹ Magazine
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