Summer camp is one of those indelible rites of passage, right up there with the bar mitzvah��and getting your driver’s license. That week in a cabin on a lake with a bunch of other kids is formative. It’s where you learn how to shoot an arrow and tip a canoe. And parents need summer camp as much as their kids. We all need the chance to decompress and go feral.

“We call it ‘day-three magic,’” says Steve Markle, vice president��of marketing for��, about the��multi-day family-oriented rafting and adventure trips that his company runs throughout the country. “Once you’re out there for a couple of nights, you completely forget about the deadlines and soccer practices, whatever dictates your day-to-day back home. You’re on river time, totally distraction-free.”

And that distraction-free vibe doesn’t just pertain to river trips. Spend several days in the woods, doing things you did when you were a kid, like paddling a canoe and climbing rocks, and you’ll experience that��day-three magic and be feral again.

There are plenty of ranches and lodges that offer a full-service family-camp experience, complete with guides and chefs and “campfire hosts” who will make your s’mores for you, but there’s a lot of satisfaction to be had by taking a DIY approach to this sort of thing. Not only will you save a chunk of change by acting as your family’s camp counselor, but you’ll also be able to set a more flexible schedule and pursue activities that work for everyone in your minivan.

We found��five multisport destinations where you can set up an off-the-cuff summer camp for the whole family.

New River Gorge, West Virginia

The New River Gorge embodies West Virginia’s “wild and wonderful” tagline. One of the oldest rivers in the world, the New cuts a 1,000-foot-deep chasm through the state’s hardwood canopy and has��become a world-class destination for whitewater paddling and rock climbing. The most dramatic portion of the gorge is protected as the 70,000-acre New River Gorge National River, which is chock-full of hiking and biking trails, climbing routes, and rafting. The beauty of the gorge, though, is that there’s just as much for families with small kids as there is for hardcore adventurers.

“My nine-year-old niece says there’s a lot of ‘big nature and little nature’ here,” says PJ Stevenson, marketing director for , a multisport resort in the area. “She used to be terrified of the big nature, like rafting big rapids. But every year when she comes to visit, she sets goals to accomplish a little more. It’s so cool to see her grow.”

The New River offers more than 50 miles of free-flowing whitewater, allowing you to customize a trip based on your kids’ ages and sense of adventure. Meanwhile, there are ,��ranging from 5.4 to 5.14, so the whole family can get on the rock together. Round out the trip with some mellow mountain biking and maybe a day paddleboarding and rock jumping on Lake Summersville, at the mouth of the gorge, and you’ve got the makings of the ultimate summer camp.

Top Three ���ϳԹ���s

Whitewater Rafting: Families with small children (ages seven��and up) should look to the Upper New River, which pairs a half day of mild whitewater (up to Class III) with a pristine section of the gorge that’s prone to bald eagle nestings. If you have older kids (12 and up), raft the 11-mile Lower New, which is packed with 25 Class II–V rapids. is a family-owned business that’s been guiding rafting trips for��more than 30 years. ���ϳԹ���s on the Gorge is another great option.

Climbing: There are more than 60 miles of cliffs in the New River Gorge. The climbing is high quality and diverse, offering��everything from easy top roping to hard-man, multipitch trad routes. It also happens to be a world-class destination for sport climbing. Head to Bridge Buttress for top-rope-friendly climbs next to tougher��trad routes. Easily Flakey, a��classic beginner route, is 5.7��and can be climbed as top rope or trad.�� has half-day and full-day trips designed for families.

Hiking: follows the rim of the gorge for 2.4 miles, with��several overlooks that peer deep into the canyon. (1.6 miles one way) traverses mellow terrain to a rock outcropping with a dramatic view of New River Gorge Bridge.

Best Guided Trip

Load up a pontoon boat with climbing gear and stand-up paddleboards and explore the cliffs and waterfalls along the edge of Lake Summersville. The guides at ���ϳԹ���s on the Gorge��will take you to easy top-rope sites that you can send from the bow of the boat��and to rock jumps perfect for the kids. From $119

Stay

���ϳԹ���s on the Gorge has a sprawling campus on the rim of the canyon that’s complete with its own restaurants, swimming pool, and killer gorge views. Lodging ranges from campsites to deluxe cabins—we like the summer-camp vibe of the Kaymoor Cabins ($99)—while an on-site ropes course and zip-line park keep things interesting.

Moab, Utah

Utah’s desert can seem downright inhospitable at first glance, but we’d argue that Moab is��the ultimate family-friendly summer-camp base of operations. The city has front-door access to two stunning national parks (Canyonlands and Arches), all kinds of water-based fun on the Colorado River, lots of climbing, and enough singletrack to keep every member of the family entertained for days. And the fact that Moab is a well-established adventure town means there’s no shortage of guides to help ease some of the logistical nightmares involved with family vacations.

“Organizing something like a family camping trip is a major undertaking,” says OARS’s��Markle. “Getting a guide for a portion of your trip means you get to spend less time planning and taking care of your kids��and more time just hanging out with them and having fun.”

Top Three ���ϳԹ���s

Mountain Biking: Moab might be known for its all-day epic singletrack, but there are actually plenty of trails suited for families. Just remember to ��early in the morning before the sun gets too high. Moab Brand Trails has a skills area and pump track at the parking lot��and a few easy loops ranging from one��mile��to an eight-mile mini epic. Dead Horse State Park’s Intrepid Trail System is extensive (17 miles)��but not technical, making it perfect for older kids with more endurance. And the views of the Colorado River are postcard worthy.

Hiking: You should spend time in both Canyonlands and Arches, but we think Arches has the edge for families, because the dramatic natural bridges capture the imagination and the rock outcroppings along many trails are natural jungle gyms for kids. Start at Devils Garden Trailhead. If you have small children, head for Landscape Arch,��an easy two-mile round-trip. If you have older kids who like to scramble, the five-mile Devils Garden Primitive Loop offers a bevy of slickrock hikes��and sandy mini canyons with half a dozen lesser-known arches along the way.

Canyoneering: No, really, you can take your family canyoneering. The ��offers a 3.5-mile canyoneering trip through Ephedra’s Grotto that has two rappels and plenty of waterfalls on a half-day trip suitable for kids age ten��and older. ��

Best Guided ���ϳԹ���

OARS offers family-friendly rafting trips all across the country, but , outside Moab, is practically a summer camp on its own. This five-day excursion��begins with a small-plane ride from Moab to the put-in and continues with Grand Canyon–esque scenery. The Class��II–III whitewater is mild enough for seven-year-olds, and OARS brings duckies and paddleboards to keep older kids entertained. You’ll camp on beaches��and play lawn games at night��and stretch your legs by exploring the side canyons.

Stay

There are plenty of BLM campsites along the Colorado River within a short drive of downtown Moab, but if you want a hot shower and a classic western vibe, is the spot. Grab a two-bedroom cabin facing the water, and save time for a horseback ride. The lodge also has an on-site winery, which doesn’t hurt.

Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada

California gets a lot of attention for its West Coast real estate, but you can’t overlook the massive inland coast on its eastern border. I’m talking about Lake Tahoe, the 122,000-acre alpine��sea that straddles the border of these two states. The lake is a stunning centerpiece to the mountains that surround it, which are home to��some of the best skiing, mountain biking, and hiking in the region. Put it all together, and you’ve got��the ideal land-and-water multisport destination.

“The lake is the total equalizer,” says Katie Hickey, owner of the��. “It’s loaded with beaches, and the paddleboarding and kayaking are totally accessible, even for families with little kids.”

On terra firma, there’s��beginner-friendly backpacking and day hikes galore, not to mention lift-served fun at��the ski resorts. Just remember that you’re working at elevation. “Everything starts at 6,200 feet,” Hickey says. “For some reason, it doesn’t tend to bother the kids as much as it does the adults.”

Top Three ���ϳԹ���s

Hiking: is a highlight reel of Tahoe’s terrain—a six-mile one-way hike full of waterfalls, huge granite boulders, and its own high-alpine lake. Given the amount of snow this winter, the waterfalls should be raging as you follow the creek toward��Shirley Lake and end at High Camp, where peaks out. If you have young��kids and want to cut out some mileage, take the tram to High Camp and hike down��to the lake. Either way, you can take the tram back down the mountain for the ultimate shuttle hike.

Beach Partying: Sandy shorelines��punctuate Lake Tahoe all the way around. Some of them get downright crowded on weekends, but , in North Lake Tahoe, is far enough off the beaten path to escape the masses. The shore��is hemmed in by tall evergreens and littered with massive granite boulders. Can you say��“Rock jump!”

Learning to Rip Together: has as much beginner-friendly downhill-mountain-bike terrain��as it does expert terrain, so you can take the lift to the top of the mountain and then choose your own adventure down. Even better, ��with private lessons for the whole family.

Best Guided ���ϳԹ���

Knock out the ultimate Tahoe day by paddleboarding or kayaking��the north shore of the lake, cruising through immersed boulder fields, then seek out family-friendly singletrack in the afternoon. Tahoe ���ϳԹ��� Company��will design a plan��based on your group’s��adventure threshold.

Stay

There’s no shortage of high-end resorts at��Lake Tahoe, but go old-school and get a campsite at ��to enjoy��six miles of shoreline and 1,830 acres of adventure��when combined with the adjacent Emerald Bay State Park. You can swim and launch your kayaks from Lester Beach, hike to a lighthouse, and even explore a Scandanavian-inspired castle. Campsites from $45 a night

Copper Harbor, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

The whole point of family camp is to get away from everyday life, and Copper Harbor couldn’t be further from your daily routine. This small town is so far into Michigan’s North Woods that cell service is spotty at best. This is the tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP), sticking way out into the middle of Lake Superior. The��interior��surrounding Copper Harbor isn’t exactly dry—it’s peppered with natural��lakes, perfect for learning how to tip that canoe. You can look forward��to��rolling peaks within the UP, and Copper Harbor happens to have the very best mountain-bike trail system in the Midwest. Want quality time and adventure? Copper Harbor is your jam.

Top Three ���ϳԹ���s

Riding the Midwest’s Best: Copper Harbor has that’s earned silver-level ride-center status from the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The system is known for its technical challenges, from cliffside singletrack to big wooden features, but there’s family-friendly flow in the woods as well. Copper Harbor Loop Trail is an easy half-mile through meadows near town perfect for younger kids, and the Flow is three��miles of intermediate berms and grade reversals the whole clan��will dig. Keweenaw ���ϳԹ��� Company runs shuttles on weekends to help save your legs.

Exploring��Isle Royale National Park:��A remote island that hugs the Canadian border in the middle of Lake Superior, Isle Royale is so hard to get to that��it sees fewer people all year than Yellowstone does��in a day.��It takes 3.5 hours ��to get there, so plan on spending more than an afternoon. Grab a room at Rock Harbor Lodge, on the north end of the island, and spend at least two days exploring the wild archipelago by foot and by boat. A��water taxi can pick you up from Rock Harbor and drop you off at various points around Isle Royale, or��sign up for the park-ranger-led Hidden Lake Tour, which takes you on a four-mile boat ride followed by a two-mile hike past an inland��lake before climbing 320 feet up to Lookout Louise, a rock outcropping with a spectacular view of Lake Superior. If you have little ones, take the boat back to Rock Harbor;��if you have older kids, opt for the 9.5-mile hike back through the heart of the island.

Hiking:��For the best views of Lake Superior and the UP shoreline, you need to , a three-mile loop that climbs 300 feet in��elevation to the top of a rocky point��with a panorama��that shows just how expansive this body of water��is.

Best Guided ���ϳԹ���

offers guided sea-kayaking trips that take advantage of Copper Harbor’s position on the world’s largest freshwater lake. If you have older kids and are looking for fun, definitely opt for a two-day paddle around Isle Royale to��explore its more than 150 miles of shoreline. Your best chance for spying moose��is from the bow of a boat. If you have younger kids, take a 2.5-hour guided trip around Porter’s Island, just off the shore of Copper Harbor, which is known for its black basalt perimeter. There are��tandem kayaks to accommodate the��little ones, too.

Stay

The cottages at ��($135)��aren’t fancy, but all have small kitchens and, more importantly, large decks facing the 227-acre lake inside Fort Wilkins State Park. You’ll also have a��beach and boat rentals out your front door, and walleye and smallmouth bass lurk in the 40-foot-deep lake if you’re game.

White Mountains, New Hampshire

The White Mountains are no joke. These jagged peaks might not be as tall as their cousins to the west, but they’re every bit as dramatic and feature plenty of adventure, from high-alpine peak bagging to multipitch trad climbing. Between the nearly 2,000 miles of trails that traverse the Whites (including more than 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail)��and a��number of state parks scattered throughout the peaks and valleys, the area is a backpacker’s wild dream. It can also be incredibly intimidating, with so much terrain to choose from. Fortunately, the ��(AMC) has been working and guiding in the area since 1876. Today it��has��a series of European-style mountain huts��and a variety of guided programs, like introduction to backpacking or a multisport weekend that has you canoeing and hiking, that feel a hell of a lot like summer camp—except the whole family is invited.

“The beauty of this kind of summer-camp experience��is you’re not just dropping your kids off. You’re doing this adventure together,” says Nicki Pizzo, manager of the club’s guided-adventures program. “You’re learning skills together and building memories together. And all of the logistics are planned for you.”

Take advantage of the AMC’s��infrastructure around the town of North Conway, and you’ll have a solid base camp for exploring the White Mountains and expert guides for help along the way.

Top Three ���ϳԹ���s

Hiking: If there’s a signature trail that isn’t the AT, it’s inside Franconia Notch State Park. This 1.9-mile loop is made up predominantly of a boardwalk that runs through the heart of a super-narrow granite gorge full of waterfalls.

Climbing: There’s no shortage of , but ��might lay claim to the most dramatic cliff.��Cathedral Ledge is a 500-foot-tall wall that looms over North Conway. Though it’s mostly trad climbing, there are sport and top-rope climbs, too. The exposure can be intense, but there are along it,��and Synnott Mountain Guides��can put you on something that’s appropriate for the whole gang. Or sign up for a .

Summiting Mount Washington: There are three ways you can summit Mount Washington: drive to the top��(lame), ride the Cog Railway (pretty cool), or (very��neat). There are actually a few trails that finish��atop the 6,288-foot mountain, but Tuckerman Ravine is the most family friendly; it’s a four-mile climb with a good amount��of elevation gain (so families with little kids should take the train). You likely won’t be hiking alone, though, becauase this is a White Mountains classic.

Best Guided ���ϳԹ���

The AMC has a that will have you all learning how to climb or canoe, but if you want an experience that’s unique to the White Mountains, sign your family up for one of its��hut-to-hut trips, which begin��at Joe Dodge Lodge and then ascend��above tree line for a night in the Lake of the Clouds Hut before traversing the Presidential Range to the Mizpah Spring Hut. It’s high-alpine hut life at its best.

Stay

is the ultimate White Mountains base camp and the epicenter of the AMC’s lodge and hut system. Snag a private room, starting at $98 per night in the summer;��dinner and breakfast for the family are included. You can arrange for daily packed lunches, too. Easy hikes extend from the property,��and its hiker shuttle��makes hitting local trails a breeze. We also dig the evening astronomy talks.

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#1. Kelvin to Superior, Arizona

Don’t Miss: Mountain Biking, Chimichangas

Running 800 miles between Utah and Mexico, the Arizona Trail offers countless stretches of high-quality mountain biking. And of the Arizona Trail Association’s 43 total passages, the 38-mile segment southeast of Phoenix—passages 16 and 17—is the finest. Beginning at the Kelvin Bridge, several hours’ worth of precipitous singletrack bob and spike like an EKG chart above the Gila River before the trail turns north, climbing a dirt path into a cirque of golden granite needles and towers. Reaching the peak feels like riding into Narnia, especially when the buff thread gives way to a ten-mile, high-speed bedrock descent. Racers in the grueling Arizona Trail 300, which follows this path to Superior, sometimes wonder if they hallucinated how good it was. But this is the genuine article, best finished off with icy Tecates and greasy chimichangas at Los Hermanos in Superior, a few miles from the trailhead. —Aaron Gulley

#2. Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

Don’t Miss: Bird-watching, Bluegrass

Though visitors come for the dark skies and the critters—coatimundis, javelinas, and a plethora of rare birds—the biggest reason to visit Chiricahua National Monument is the rocks: an alien wonderland of towering rhyolite-tuff spires and hoodoos resembling tops frozen in midspin. Reserve a site at Bonita Canyon Campground, hit the 17 miles of hiking trails, and don’t forget to bring your binocs; if you’re lucky, you might spy an elegant trogon or a violet-throated hummingbird among the alligator junipers and ponderosas. You’ll understand why Apache chiefs Geronimo and Cochise were drawn to the area’s wildlife and edible plants. For more Old West vibes, head southwest to the mining town turned funky arts burg of Bisbee, 70 miles from Chiricahua and only eight miles north of the Mexico border. Set at 5,500 feet amid red hills, 140-year-old Bisbee was once the biggest town in the state; today its charm lies in chilling with a cold one while listening to banjo pickers at St. Elmo’s bar. Order a pie at Screaming Banshee Pizza or splurge at renowned Café Roka, a locally sourced, art-deco-style eatery. Then check into a decked-out Airstream at the , just outside town, and go on forgetting that the 20th century ever happened (from $85). —Will Palmer

#3. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

Don’t Miss: Hiking, Gravel Riding, Wildflowers

The American Southwest teems with unexpected treasures that take just a bit of boot rubber to discover. Many are within or just beyond the boundaries of some of the region’s cities. (Hell, Edward Abbey’s bones are resting below a nameless mesa in Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta ­National Wildlife Refuge, a few hours from Tucson.) Others are harder to find yet reward travelers with some of the last grand landscapes in the country. Years ago, I paid my first visit to California’s 940-square-mile Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 90 miles northeast of San Diego, on the westernmost lobe of the Sonoran Desert.

Driving into the Borrego Valley, my group made the 4,000-foot plunge from the Peninsular Ranges into what seemed like another planet—enormous canyons scythed down from the Santa Rosa Mountains, valley bottoms cut into arroyos by summer monsoons, and an ancient sea floor whose tallest peaks now catch snow. I returned to those same peaks when I traveled to Anza more recently, during the winter, to backpack in Cougar Canyon. My friends and I hiked alone, eventually tracking an improbable rill of water that emerged from the top of the canyon. We followed it upstream until the gorge opened into a 20-foot waterfall, and everywhere we looked we saw the prints of coyotes, mountain lions, and indigenous bighorn sheep that had come to the water to drink. That evening, while the wind whipped eddies around the canyon head, I laid back on my bag atop a bed of granite and ogled the endless night sky. Though thousands of people visit during wildflower season, the park and its closest town, ­Borrego Springs, are otherwise low on crowds, and the area offers a surprisingly diverse array of restaurants. During my recent visit, after camping, we stayed in a rental house in town, fueling up on chorizo-and-potato burritos at Los Jilbertos and Kicking Horse coffee from Center Market. And with hundreds of miles of classic road, gravel, and fat-bike riding, the park makes it very tough to leave in more ways than one. —Brad Rassler

#4. Phil’s World, Colorado

Don’t Miss: Mountain Biking, German Lager

Colorado mountain biking can be brutally up and down, but Phil’s World is the fast and fun exception. Sitting at 6,360 feet, on BLM and state trust acreage some 40 miles west of Durango, this 27-mile singletrack system has sweeping views of Mesa Verde National Park and the La Plata Mountains. Cyclists from beginner to advanced rave about Rib Cage, the five-mile interior hardpack loop that rides like a slick luge run through arroyos. Outer loops like Lemon Head and Stinking Springs mix flow trail with technical, Moab-like bedrock riding, ledge drops, and boulder waterfalls. It’s possible to ride year-round, but shoulder-season months like November are ideal, when everything at higher altitudes is too wet. Stay in Durango at the ��(from $65), where mountain bikes are welcome and the new owners have rehabbed most of the 25 rooms. On the way to the trail, stop at Fahrenheit Coffee ­Roasters in Mancos for a pulse-quickening espresso and rent a hardtail, full-suspension, or fat bike at ��($45 to $55) in Cortez; then it’s time to ride. After a few dizzying loops, head back to Durango for a Pils World German lager at Ska Brewing before indulging in a grass-fed, 21-day wet-aged T-bone at Ore House. —Stephanie Pearson

#5. Yampa River, Colorado

Don’t Miss: Rafting, Fishing, Petroglyphs

The last major free-flowing waterway in the Colorado River Basin, the Yampa packs Zion-esque scenery, a string of Class III–IV rapids, and an unrivaled level of solitude. In just four days, you can paddle past striped canyon walls that stretch up to 1,200 feet and amphitheaters full of ponderosas that preside over the river like a patrician audience, take side hikes to fossil and petroglyph sites, and visit an old cattle rustler’s cabin. The natural cycles of this rare untamed river favor native plants and fish; they also form wide ­sandy beaches that are perfect for building campfires and spotting shooting stars. It’s easy to see why ��are among the toughest to snag in the West. If you don’t win the permit lottery, sign up for a trip with the outfitter ��($1,049 for four days), which starts in the Deerlodge Park area of Dinosaur National Monument. —Kate Siber

#6. Mount Charleston, Nevada

Don’t Miss: Sport Climbing, Hiking

Mount Charleston, elevation 11,916 feet, is a world apart from the Las Vegas Strip two miles below—and even from the recreational crowds at increasingly popular Red Rock Canyon. “You get up there and it’s like being in a European mountain town,” says Randy Leavitt, one of the country’s most accomplished climbers, who has put up 5.14’s in the area. To Travis Graves, co-owner of Las Vegas’s Desert Rock Sports, the Mount Charleston Wilderness and ­surrounding Spring Mountains are the city’s saving grace, especially in summer, when temperatures up on the peaks can be 20 degrees cooler than the valley floor. Graves advises climbers new to the spot to acquaint themselves with the short, relatively moderate Yellow Pine cliff—which ranges from 5.9 to 5.12—before moving on to classics like the three-pitch 5.11+ Imaginator. —B.R.

#7. Gila National Forest, New Mexico

Don’t Miss: Road-tripping, Camping, Hot Springs

Let us now praise Aldo Leopold, who advocated for the Gila to become the nation’s first wilderness area. Home to some of the most stunning terrain in the Southwest, its wide open spaces and empty mountains make it perfect for road-tripping and exploration. Start in the funky small town of Truth or Consequences, 150 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25, where you can stock up on supplies and take a dip at Riverbend Hot Springs on the Rio Grande. Then head west on Highway 152 toward the ��in Kingston (population 32). The lodge is a great launching point for hikes, including the spectacular nine-mile Black Range Crest Trail to Hillsboro Peak. If you’re lucky, your stay might overlap with a visit from national banjo champion Jeff Scroggins and an impromptu jam session (from $95). Leaving Kingston, head southwest to camp among the surreal volcanic rock formations at City of Rocks State Park, then soak at nearby Faywood Hot Springs. Next stop: Silver City, a charming off-the-grid town in the heart of the Gila. Base yourself at ��(from $170), or pitch a tent at the Grapevine Campground, which offers easy access to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a ­13th-century housing site built into caves by nomadic tribes that offers a unique perspective on the region’s vastness. On your way back to Albuquerque, detour through White Sands. Not much beats sliding down the massive dunes. —Mary Turner

#8. The Lightning Field, Catron County, New Mexico

Don’t Miss: Solitude, Outdoor Art

Don’t let the name throw you. The 400 stainless-steel rods that make up this monumental work of outdoor art have never been touched by any electrical discharges from the sky. The real emphasis of this place isn’t on conductivity. Overnight guests of The Lightning Field, built by sculptor Walter De Maria in 1977 and maintained by the Dia Art Foundation, are encouraged to simply sit or walk in and around the work—particularly at dawn and dusk—as tiny gradations of shadow, light, and color hitting the nearby Mogollon Mountains are reflected in the rods, which average about 20 feet in height. The foundation provides transportation from the tiny town of Quemado, through grasslands and down unmarked dirt roads to the edge of the grid and the site’s small three-bedroom cabin, which has no cell service. (There’s a 911-ready phone available for emergencies.) The cabin sleeps six, and you can book one bed or reserve the entire thing. Meals are provided by Dia staff and include simple dishes like fresh granola and vegetarian cheese enchiladas. ��for the season, which runs from May to October, begin in February and go fast (from $150). —Reid Singer

#9. Cataract Canyon, Utah

Don’t Miss: Rafting, Kayaking, Stone Ruins

Less than 200 miles up the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon, Cataract has the same towering red-rock walls, beach camping, and thundering whitewater of its more famous cousin. But the permitting process is much less arduous: river runners can take their pick of launch dates from four months to as little as two days in advance. The put-in is just downstream from Moab, near Canyonlands National Park; from there, paddle your raft to Lake Powell, 95 miles away, with breaks to scope ancient Anasazi handprint pictographs and stone ruins at places like Lathrop Canyon. Though the first few days are mostly flatwater, you’ll encounter 29 sets of rapids starting on day three, including the Class IV Big Drops. Run them with care come springtime: the river can be so swollen with snowmelt at these spots that the Park Service often stations a motorboat just below the Big Drops to herd flipped rafts out of the frigid current. Camp at Spanish Bottom, right above Brown Betty rapids, and hike up to the red-and-white-banded rock spires of the Doll’s House to watch the sun set 1,000 feet above the river. are $20 per person, plus a $30 reservation fee. (For guided service, ��hosts four-day trips from April through October for $1,649.) —Frederick Reimers

#10. Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

Don’t Miss: Singletrack, Hiking, Hoodoos

It may be dwarfed by Capitol Reef National Monument to the west and Canyonlands National Park to the southeast, but this 3,654-acre state park, named for an abundance of ghoulish hoodoos, packs a lot of punch for its size. Its seven-mile singletrack system, built in 2015, offers five mountain-biking loops, affording views of steep-sided canyons below. Hikers have six miles of their own trails or can head to Valley of the Goblins, part of the Henry Mountains, a highlight of which is Goblin’s Lair, a 100-foot natural sandstone slot canyon that requires technical gear and a backcountry permit to access for canyoneers. The ��offers guided trips to the cave. Because this park is so isolated—it’s located on a remote corner of the Colorado Plateau, 223 miles southeast of Salt Lake City—the clarity of the sky at night is one of its most impressive features. In 2016, it received the International Dark-Sky Association’s Gold Tier certification. Take full advantage and pitch a tent at the 25-site ��($25;), or upgrade to a yurt with a ­propane grill, a deck, heat, and A/C ($100). —S.P.

#11. Amangiri Resort, Utah

Don’t Miss: Splurging, Climbing, Plunge Pools

As arresting as the surrounding Colorado Plateau, southern Utah’s ��mixes elegance and adrenaline. The 34-suite property sits on its own 600-acre playground at the base of a 100-foot-high canyon in the vicinity of three national parks: Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon. By day, climb the resort’s seven via ferrata routes with a guide, paddleboard Lake Powell, or hike the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon—the 25,000-square-foot spa will ease any discomfort upon your return. Enjoy flotation therapy or ten variations of massage, then cool off in a private plunge pool before dining al fresco on wild greens, foie gras terrine, and ­freshly caught rainbow trout. Oh, and switch off your cell phone: every vantage and architectural detail is Instagram-worthy here and will only drive you to distraction. From $1,400.��—S.P.

#12. Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas

Don’t Miss: Mountain Biking, Cabins, Intoxicating Sunsets

Home to the second-largest canyon in the U.S., Georgia O’Keeffe once called this rugged 120-mile-long gorge within the Texas panhandle a “seething cauldron, filled with dramatic color and light.” Come equipped—bike rentals are hard to come by in the town of Canyon, though less so in nearby Amarillo—and you can glide down the park’s 12 mountain-biking trails, including the fast and flowing Givens, Spicer, and Lowry, ranked number one in Texas by Singletracks.com. One of the most dramatic sights in the park is the Lighthouse, a 300-foot freestanding column of layered rock that is most striking at sunset. Or follow one of the smaller footpaths up to the southern rim and watch as the entire canyon shifts ­between deep shades of red, pink, and purple. Grab provisions in advance at Market Street in Amarillo, and spend the night in one of three rustic rim-top ��built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s (from $110). —Nicholas Hunt

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Holiday shopping for the adventure-loving people on your list is tough. Many either already have all the outdoor gear they need or are too particular to let anyone else shop for things like skis or running shoes. Instead of one more pair of wool hiking socks or yet another headlamp, how about giving an outdoor experience? Nowadays, you can find gift cards for things like��cool guided trips, credit toward campsites and off-the-beaten-path vacation housing, or a chance to learn a new skill.

For Foodies

Need a gift for someone who loves food and travel? Check out . On its guided backpacking trip through California’s Sierra Nevada foothills ($400), a wilderness chef leads you on farm tours, serve up multicourse meals, and do cooking demonstrations on hand-built backcountry stoves.

Or give an Heirloom Mail subscription��() from the Recipe Hunters. Every 30 days, a box will arrive containing one surprise ingredient from around the world, along with stories, traditional recipes, and cooking techniques.

For Hikers and Campers

The National Park Service may be increasing entry fees to some of the country’s busiest playgrounds starting next summer, so a gift card to enter national parks isn’t a bad idea to help loved ones offset the price spike. An ��($80) lasts an entire year and gives access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, including all national parks. Or pick up a gift card to (from $75), and friends and family will be able to book unique campsites on private and public land around the United States.

For World Travelers

Give the gift of travel by starting with an , which recipients can use to book lodging in any corner of the globe. For full-service trips, leads everything from rafting in Costa Rica to kayaking in New Zealand to hiking through Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. You can purchase an to cover all or part of any of those adventures. For the women on your list, consider a trip with a mother-daughter-run company that leads all-female trips like biking in Chile, trekking in the Himalayas, or skiing in Montana. Give yourself peace of mind with a membership (from $99), which offers travel protection for medical emergencies that’ll ensure your loved ones get transportation to a hospital, no matter where in the world they are.

For Water Lovers

For the surfers or aspiring surfers on your holiday list, score a gift certificate in any amount to Tofino, British Columbia’s , a plush waterfront hotel with a surf school in Cox Bay that offers instruction and surfboard rental. Or spring for an ��(from $25), which can go toward more than 100 guided river trips, from Green River to Grand Canyon.

For someone who has always wanted to learn to scuba dive, you can now give an that marks the first step in completing the dive certification process. PADI’s eLearning program (from $179) can be taken at any time and any pace. Once the recipient is certified, you can start chipping in for to places like Tahiti, Thailand, or Hawaii.

For Skiers

Nothing beats freeskiing, so consider a gift card, which can be redeemed for lift tickets at more than 250 ski resorts across North America, including spots like Aspen, Snowbird, Jackson Hole, and Big Sky. For a gift no skier or snowboarder will ever forget, purchase a pass good for one run of at Colorado’s rugged Silverton Mountain ($179), or splurge for a full day of six runs of heli-skiing ($999). As far as heli-skiing goes, that’s about the most affordable you’ll find.

The Winter Nights and City Lights package at Denver’s upscale Crawford Hotel (opened in 2014 inside the city’s restored Union Station) is ideal for folks who want to stay the night before jumping on Amtrak’s Winter Park Express for direct service to the base of the ski area. The offer includes accommodations for two, two winter-themed cocktails, breakfast credit at Snooze, and two travel coffee mugs ($269). Buy a Crawford Hotel to cover the package.

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Though George Wendt built his river-running outfit (Outdoor ���ϳԹ��� River Specialists) into one of the largest outdoor adventure companies in the world, the former middle-school math teacher always remained an educator. He made it his mission to use paddling trips to expose people to wild rivers in the hopes they’d see the value in preserving them. One of his favorite sayings was, “We save what we love, and we love what we know.”

Wendt died Saturday, July 9, at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento from complications caused by non-Hodgkin��lymphoma.��He was 74. Wendt was initially diagnosed in August 2015, and underwent what appeared to be a successful chemotherapy regimen. His health deteriorated in recent weeks, however, and he checked into the hospital on June 17. He died surrounded by his family, including his adult sons Clavey and Tyler.

Wendt co-founded OARS in 1969. The rafting outfit was the first to be permitted by the National Park Service to run exclusively human-powered expeditions (as opposed to motorized rafts) down the Grand Canyon. OARS also ran trips in Utah, Oregon, and California, and today leads 20,000 guests a year on rafting, hiking, and kayaking trips in more than a dozen countries. He also co-founded famed international rafting company Sobek Expeditions and was the backbone behind first descents on rivers around the world, including Chile’s Bio Bio and the Zambezi in Zimbabwe.

To those who knew him, Wendt was known for his generosity in the service of river conservation, directing OARS to donate $5 million dollars to non-profit groups over the years, much of it in the form of free river trips to journalists, politicians, and other influencers to publicize the importance of free-flowing rivers. Wendt was awarded the ���ϳԹ��� Travel Trade Association’s (ATTA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and Friends of the River’s Mark Dubois River Conservation Award in 2012.

Despite his successes, Wendt remained soft-spoken and humble—a contrast to other Grand Canyon pioneers of his generation, like Martin Litton and Georgie White, who were known as much for their outsized, outspoken personalities as for their contributions to river-running. “He had a wonderful curiosity and encouraging nature that allowed people who worked with him to grow and learn,” says Tom Huntington, who worked as a guide for OARS in the 1970s and later with Wendt in river advocacy as director of nonprofit Friends of the River, which Wendt helped found. “He was a great listener.”

Wendt’s first river trip was a June 1962 decent on the Colorado River through Glen��Canyon in Utah while he was a student at UCLA. He and a friend floated the river on a craft constructed from inner tubes and planking. “An experienced backpacker, I was immediately captivated by how effortlessly we flowed through the wilderness,” . When both Glen��Canyon and California’s Stanislaus River, where OARS ran its first trips in the early 1970s, were later drowned behind dams, it galvanized Wendt’s determination to use his company to, as he wrote, “deliver people into the wilderness and generate excitement for these wild places.”

Growing up in West Los Angeles, Wendt was first exposed to the outdoors through the Boy Scouts and then UCLA’s Bruin Mountaineers, with whom he floated Glen��Canyon. After graduation, he worked as a math teacher at Paul Revere Junior High in Los Angeles. During his summers off from teaching, Wendt continued running rivers across the west, but his efforts to improve as a boatman were doubled when he rafted the Grand Canyon in 1965.

In 1969, Wendt began offering guided oar-powered expeditions through the Grand Canyon as well as on the San Juan River in Utah, the Rogue in Oregon, and the American, Merced, and Stanislaus in California during the summer months. In 1972, he quit his teaching job and along with his wife Pam, moved OARS to Angel’s Camp, California to be nearer the Stanislaus, the state’s premiere rafting destination.

In 1973, he co-founded legendary whitewater outfitter Sobek Expeditions when 23-year-olds Jon Yost and Richard Bangs, fresh off an exploratory expedition on Ethiopia’s Omo River, contacted Wendt looking for an established partner. Initially cast as the international branch of OARS, Sobek would lead commercial rafting trips on first descents of the Zambezi River��and the Bio Bio in Chile. Not long after, the Bio Bio would be drowned behind a dam, further cementing the theme of Wendt’s professional career. “Without George, there would be no Sobek,” says Bangs. “Even last year, he was running rivers with me in Laos and Thailand, and in India the year before. I threw so many wacky ideas at George, yet every time his eyes grew wide, and he wanted to��be��in the boat.��He helped make the most outrageous ideas navigable.”

Closer to home, the Stanislaus was threatened by the New Melones Dam. In 1973, Wendt helped found Friends of the River to spearhead the fight against the reservoir. He, Huntington, and other guides used their two-day trips as a platform to raise awareness for the river’s plight amongst their rafting guests. “At lunch, we’d pull out a metal box full of stationery and lists of Congressmen’s addresses,” says Huntington. “We generated 20,000 letters on the Stanislaus that way.” To no avail—the Stanislaus was inundated at last in 1983.

Wendt was determined not to lose other rivers to dams, and helped protect California’s Tuolumne River by leading the charge to get it designated a federally protected Wild and Scenic River, and directed OARS to work with organizations like American Rivers, Friends of the Yampa, Idaho Rivers United and a dozen other river-conservation non-profits to help get influencers down the rivers with cash donations and donations of spots on trips and even entire 20-person guided trips. “No outfitter connected more people to rivers than George,” says American Rivers senior communications director Amy Kober.

Despite the loss of his wife, Pam, at age 65 to cancer in 2011, Wendt remained a spirited adventurer. He continued to do river trips in India, Laos, and Thailand with Bangs, and to travel to ATTA events across the world. Shannon Stowell, president of the ATTA, mentions a��2012 Bhutan trip:��When the group went rafting, Wendt patiently sat through the novice guide’s safety talk, “as though he’d never heard it before in his life. He never let on that he was probably the one who invented the safety talk. He was just a humble, gentle man, but no one did more for rivers and ecotourism.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Wendt was born in 1942. ���ϳԹ��� regrets the error.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misspelled��Glen Canyon.

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