A number of nationally recognized companies offer guided trips to many of the parks in this guide and surrounding areas. In most cases, all you do is pay, and then the outfitters arrange everything, including lodging, meals, transportation, and equipment such as mountain bikes and rafts. Offerings range from fairly standard biking, hiking, or boating trips to luxury adventure vacations, where you spend your days hiking or biking and your evenings being pampered with gourmet meals, hot tubs, and first-class hotels. You'll want to contact companies as far in advance as possible, as reservations are required and group sizes are limited. The adventure tour operators generally specialize in small groups and have trips for various levels of ability and physical fitness.
A good online source for a variety of outdoor adventure trips offered by various outfitters is www.adventurefinder.com.
Here are some of the West's most respected adventure tour operators:
- Austin-Lehman Adventures, P.O. Box 81025, Billings, MT 59108-1025 (tel. 800/575-1540 or 406/655-4591; www.austinlehman.com).
- Backroads, 801 Cedar St., Berkeley, CA 94710-1800 (tel. 800/462-2848 or 510/527-1555; www.backroads.com).
- Bicycle Adventures, 29700 SE High Point Way, Issaquah, WA 98027 (tel. 800/443-6060 or 425/250-5540; www.bicycleadventures.com).
- REI Adventures, P.O. Box 1938, Sumner, WA 98390 (tel. 800/622-2236 or 253/437-1100; www.rei.com/adventures).
- The World Outdoors, 2840 Wilderness Place, Ste. D, Boulder, CO 80301 (tel. 800/488-8483 or 303/413-0946; www.theworldoutdoors.com).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
