REI Adventures offers great national park summer escapes

by Kraig Becker on

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, and the summer travel season is officially upon us, many travelers will be planning their annual escapes. For more than a few, that will mean a summertime visit to one of America’s national parks, which continue to be favorite destinations amongst travelers everywhere.

With this in mind, REI Adventures, the travel arm of the popular gear stores, has put together a host of great itineraries for travelers looking to visit a national park this year, without having to deal with the hassle of planning for it themselves. The company offers 20 unique trips to some of the best national parks in the U.S. system, including Alaska’s Glacier Bay, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, and more.

While these trips do indeed offer the classic national park experience, such as backpacking the Grand Canyon or kayaking in Yellowstone, there are a number of them that are unique and adventurous. For example, REI offers a four-day cycling tour of Death Valley, as well as backcountry climbing in Joshua Tree. There is even an option for a family-centric trip through Great Smokey Mountains, the most popular national park of them all.

These tours vary in degree of difficulty and scheduled activities, but they all offer a great national park adventure. So instead of stressing over your summertime plans, let REI Adventures take care of all the details for you. Then, when you’re ready to go, you can simply enjoy the trip, while someone else takes care of the rest.

View the full list of available itineraries here.

Kids travel free on Utah summer rafting trip

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we told you that 2011 is shaping up to be an epic year for whitewater rafting and kayaking in the U.S., thanks in large part to the record amounts of snow that hit the western states this past winter. Now that the warm spring weather has started melting all of that snow, rafting companies are gearing up for what should be a very busy season, and some are offering great deals in an effort to lure adventurous travelers their way.

Take for example Dvorak Expeditions, which is offering a fantastic promotion for families who want to take a rafting trip this year. The company is running a “Kids Go Free” option that allows one child (ages 5-12), per paying adult, to travel for free on one of their week-long rafting trips this summer. That means a family of four only have to pay for mom and dad, and the two kids get to come along at no extra cost.

The six day, five night, trip runs the legendary Green River, located in Utah. It is one of the most spectacular and scenic paddles in the entire U.S., and a top draw for paddlers the wold over. River guides will lead the family through miles of unspoiled wilderness that passes by two Native American Indian reservations and through the deepest canyon in the entire state. The trip offers excellent meals along the way, plenty of off the water entertainment, and a number of day hikes that reveal ancient petroglyphs, hidden rock grottos, and outlaw hideouts from a bygone era when Butch and Sundance led their “Wild Bunch” through this very region.

But the real highlight of the trip is the Green River itself. Stretching 84 miles in length, the waterway is typically considered one of the best beginner and intermediate rafting spots in the U.S. This year however, it should exceed all of those expectations, as the extra snow will likely add an unexpected punch to what is already a great river experience.

If you’re wondering what to do with the kids on your summer vacation, consider taking them on a Dvorak rafting adventure. 2011 will be the prefect year for just such an excursion, and it is likely to generate memories for a lifetime.

[Photo credit: Jerry Magnum Porsbjer via WikiMedia]

2011 reportedly a banner year for whitewater rafting

by Kraig Becker on
Experts say that 2011 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for whitewater rafting and kayaking in the western United States, thanks to some of the heaviest snowfall totals in decades. As the warmer weather spreads out across the region, all of that snow is starting to runoff, creating high rivers, raging rapids, and some of the best paddling opportunities in years.

Rafting companies in states like Colorado, Idaho, and California are gearing up to take advantage of this bountiful season for water on their rivers. A number of major waterways out west are already 150% above their 30-year average and some are even approaching a 200% increases. But even at this late stage in the year, snow continues to fall at higher altitudes, which means the great whitewater is now expected to last well into July – a time when the adrenaline pumping waters have usually dissipated for the year.

Of course, all this high water brings other concerns as well. Inexperienced paddlers can quickly find themselves overwhelmed in rushing waters, which means there could potentially be more rescues and accidents throughout the 2011 rafting season. The expected high waters have also brought about closures to some sections of notoriously difficult rivers as well. For instance, there are already plans to close some portions of the Arkansas River in June, as they’ll likely be just too high to run.

But the upside to all of this spring and summer snow melt is that whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities should abound throughout the summer months. So whether you’re an expert paddler or you’ve simply always wanted to try, it seems that this will be a great year to hit the water.

[Photo credit: Redmarkviolinist via WikiMedia]

Reality television show Expedition Impossible debuts in June

by Kraig Becker on

A new reality television show entitled Expedition Impossible is set to make its debut on ABC this June, pitting 13 teams of three against one another in what looks to be an adrenaline fueled competition through remote regions of Morocco. The show, which seems to combine elements of The Amazing Race and the sport of adventure racing, comes to us courtesy of Mark Burnett, the mastermind behind Survivor.

The official website for the show offers little in the way of information about the competition, although I would expect that it will be updated as we get closer to when it first airs. But in the trailer video, which you’ll find below, we see teams not only trekking through the desert, rock climbing, and kayaking rushing rivers, but also solving puzzles and working through other challenges. The video actually conveys an intensity to the race that isn’t present in other realty shows of this type.

For Burnett, this looks to be somewhat of a return to his roots. Back in the 90’s he produced an adventure race known as the Eco-Challenge which had coed teams of four racing against one another on foot, mountain bike, and kayak through some of the most remote places on Earth. Expedition Impossible seems to have a similar theme, although it is much more approachable for the masses than Eco-Challenge ever was.

So? What do you think? Is this going to be worthwhile adventure television for the summer months? I guess we’ll find out on June 23 when the first episode airs.


Mountainfilm Festival announces full line-up of guests and films

by Kraig Becker on

The 2011 edition of the Mountainfilm Festival is now just a week and a half away, and to celebrate the big event, organizers have launched a newly designed website. Perhaps more importantly however, they’ve also shared the complete line-up of films that will be shown, as well as the guests that will be on hand.

Held annually in Telluride, Colorado, Mountainfilm is now in its 32nd year. The event has become one of the top adventure and outdoor film festivals in the world, drawing top filmmakers on a yearly basis. This year’s line-up includes a dizzying array of films ranging from the critically acclaimed Buck, which profiles real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman, to Swiss Machine, a 25-minute documentary on climbing phenom Ueli Steck. Other titles include A Perfect Soldier, which tells the tale of a man who was conscripted into the Khmer Rouge army at a young age, and Into Darkness, a short film that explores amazing cave systems. There are literally dozens of films scheduled to be shown, with topics ranging from the environment, exploration, travel, culture, and more. To view the entire line-up, click here.

Mountainfilm will also play host to a number of great guests once again this year, with the likes of actor/director Harry Shearer and environmentalist/writer Terry Tempest Williams. They’re joined by a host of adventure athletes such as climber Renan Ozturk and paddler Chris Korbulic, amongst others. For the complete run down of the special guests, click here.

This year’s festival is set to take place over the Memorial Day weekend, running from May 27-30. Passes are still available and can be purchased online here.