on location: west � elana andersen

Is your group eager to experiencethe thrill of a new adventure? Ex-

plore the unknown? Adventure travelhas taken a dramatic turn from beinglimited to death-defying, adrenalin-charged, physically demanding activi-ties to soft adventures that tone downthe heroics and turn up the emotions.Great soft adventure experiencesthroughout the West will energizespirits and excite the five senses.

Here are some examples of adven-tures you may want to plan for yourgroup:

ALASKA

Warbelow’s Air Ventures has in-troduced a new “Arctic Adventure”package to view polar bears. The two-day journey takes travelers to Kak-tovik, an Inupiat Eskimo villagelocated 260 miles north of the ArcticCircle, during its annual subsistencewhale hunt, September-October. Theillusive bears gather in the area for ashort time each year to forage thehunt’s remains. The package includestransportation, meals, accommoda-tions and viewing expeditions. Warbe-

low’s offers both scheduled and groupcharter service. (warbelows.com)

ARIZONA

The thrill of flightseeing combinedwith land excursions to places less trav-eled is a fantastic way to experience Ari-zona. Westwind Air Service tours fromPhoenix include the “Grand CanyonWest Rim Adventure,” which featuresseveral experiences. It begins with a sce-nic flight to the canyon’s West airport.First land stop is a walk on the clear glassSkywalk that jettisons 65 feet out over

Montana’s Glacier

National Park offers

a stellar backdrop

for ambitious bike

riders and other

adventure seekers.

From rafting in Idaho to llama treksin Washington, groups kick it up a notch

with active outings that spotlight some of America’s most scenic landscapes

Discovering the Softer Side of

46 October 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com

Western Adventures

Western Adventures

the 4,000-foot depth of the canyon. There is a visit to theHualapai Indian Cultural Village and stop at Guano Pointfor lunch, hike along the rim and photo stop at a 270-de-gree canyon viewing site. The highlight of the afternoon isa helicopter ride to the canyon floor and a pontoon boatride on the Colorado River. (westwindairservice.com)

CALIFORNIA

Good food and drink, fitness and a healthy respect forpreserving the earth—combined, these tenets of the Cali-fornia lifestyle will create an indulgent adventure. InSonoma County, for example, there is a plethora of recre-ation options and culinary choices, including more than250 wineries, 200-plus specialty farms and artisan food pur-veyors, 20 farmer’s markets, and ocean-to-inland moun-tain landscapes. Enjoy a bicycle tour of wineries paired witha gourmet picnic (sonomavalleybiketours.com), a casualRussian River rafting trip through villages and nature re-serves (rradventures.info), and field-to-table restaurant andwinery culinary packages that feature local products (from-farmtotable.com, farmtrails.org).

COLORADO

Taking a ride on the wild side is far from rustic whenvacationing at a Colorado dude ranch. In many cases it’sdownright luxurious. The fun of ranch vacations comeswith the outdoor atmosphere, spectacular scenery andwide-open spaces. Standard activities include horsebackriding, hiking, swimming and fishing.

The wild rivers of Montana and other Western states

provide travelers with a raft of whitewater thrills.

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The camaraderie at the dinner tableand around the campfire is hard to beat.Meals are hardy, accommodations areprivate and well-appointed, the staff isattentive and friendly. Other adventuresmay include hot air ballooning, Jeeptours, rock climbing, cattle drives,whitewater rafting, golf and tennis. TheColorado Dude and Guest Ranch As-sociation (coloradoranch.com) repre-sents about 30 ranches.

IDAHO

Can’t decide which adventure youwant to do first—sport fishing, white-water rafting, wilderness trail rides orimmersion into the life and times ofSacajawea? All these adventures andothers are available through Kook-aburra Rafting from its base inSalmon on the Salmon River. Visitorsmay choose to experience one type ofadventure or do something new everyday. River rafting is mainly Class 2 and3, horseback riding is at an easy paceand drift boats take visitors to the beststeelhead holes. The historical immer-sion programs, in cooperation with theSacajawea Interpretive Center, focuson Native American culture and Lewis& Clark’s Corps of Discovery.Overnight accommodations are avail-able in Salmon. (raft4fun.com).

MONTANA & WYOMING

Both states offer many opportunitiesfor sportsmen and outdoor adventurersat all skill levels. Options range fromfishing and hunting to whitewater raft-ing, cattle drives and just hangingaround a guest ranch. Tour companiesand outfitters are accustomed to adapt-ing activities to meet the abilities andpace of their guests. For adventure travelideas, contact the Montana Outfitters& Guides Association (montanaoutfit-ters.org) and Wyoming Guides andOutfitters Association (wyoga.org).

UTAH & NEW MEXICO

The World Outdoors organizesguided walking adventures in some ofthe Southwest’s most beautiful locations.The “Utah Canyonlands-EscalanteHiker” program explores Arches,Canyonlands and Capitol Reef nationalparks and the Grand Staircase-Escalantearea. The “New Mexico Hiker” adven-ture starts near Santa Fe and follows apath to an Anasazi settlement, land-scapes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe,the canyons and pueblos near Taos, San-gre de Cristo Mountains and the RioGrande’s inner gorge. Both are easy tomoderately paced six-day packages ledby two guides. The World Outdoors alsooffers similar itineraries offering multi-sport activities. (theworldoutdoors.com)

WASHINGTON

Sea kayaking through the San JuanIslands with Adventure Travel Associ-ates is a great adventure even for thosewho have had no previous experience.The crafts are stable, the waters calm,and the marine life is abundant withseals, porpoises, eagles, sea birds, ottersand orca whales. Guided trips rangefrom day outings to six-night itiner-aries. Accommodations are at rustic re-sort lodges offering private cabins withservices and amenities. (adventureasso-ciates.net)

Some wilderness treks require theuse of pack animals to haul camping,sport and survival gear. Deli LlamaWilderness Adventures operates llamapacking treks (up to seven days) into the high country of North CascadesNational Park, Northeastern CascadePasayten Wilderness, and the rainforestvalley and alpine highlands of OlympicNational Park, May through September.In early spring, a special three-day pro-gram is designed to acquaint newtrekkers with the ease and pace of thisstyle of adventure. (delillama.com) LGT

on location: west �

48 October 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com

Listen closely and you’ll hear the centuries-old echoes of ancient Native Americans, Spanish Conquistadors and Wild West legends.

It’s Unreal How Real We Are