Where to Go
Passion for Fun at Silver Star
With accolades that include “Best Small Resort in North America” and “Best Family Resort in Canada,” British Columbia's Silver Star is a mountain for every interest, and its colorful Victorian-inspired Village evokes images straight from the pages of a Dickens novel while offering a true ski-in ski-out experience, and some of the best Nordic terrain anywhere.
Art Wolfe Photographs the Mysterious Island of Madagascar
Jasper's Jewel: The Tonquin Valley
Waterton: The Quiet Jewel of Canada's Rockies
Tucked between Banff National Park to the north, and Glacier National Park to the south, sparsely visited Waterton Lakes National Park sits astride a narrow waist of the Rocky Mountains, where the high peaks don't bother with foothills, where the bear mojo is more intense than even Denali, and there’s more species of wildflowers than in Jasper and Banff combined.
The High-Adventure High Life at Lake Chelan
From hiking to kayaking to mountain biking, the unique combination of mountains and water at Washington state's Lake Chelan creates unrivalled access to outdoor activities--months before the surrounding Cascades melt out. Outdoor fun combined with the civilized pleasures and fine dining of the world-class wineries make Washington state's Lake Chelan the perfect venue for early season adventures.
The Tour Divide: The World's Longest Off-Pavement Bicycle Race
A Trek to Grey Owl's Cabin
There’s no better way to experience the great boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan than to make the 40 kilometer round trip hike through the wilderness of Prince Albert National Park to pay homage to one of Canada’s earliest conservationists: the man who called himself Grey Owl. The two or three day tek out to his cabin on remote Ajawaan Lake, in the Grey Owl Wilderness is a great way to combine living history with backcountry adventure
Hiking Utah's Cedar Mesa Country
This unique plateau in southeastern Utah soars to 7,000 feet but harbors dozens of canyons slicing through the layer cake of the Colorado Plateau. With the greatest concentration of ancient Anasazi ruins on earth, Cedar Mesa’s landscape and artifacts make it a great place to kick off the hiking season.
Riding the White Rim -- In a Day
Most mountain bikers who take on Moab’s classic White Rim Trail do it as a two or three day ride with “sag wagon” support. But Colorado based Leighton White likes to do the entire 100-mile length of the trail in a single day to kick off the spring season. Follow along as White gives us a blow by blow, curve by curve description of this epic ride, despite broken spokes and a steep finish.
Mid Winter Getaway: Hike the Grand Canyon
Want to take a break from all those winter adventures, from ice climbing to skiing? Then head for the Grand Canyon, where March can be the best time of year for a backcountry trip down into one of the greatest features on planet Earth. Even if it's snowy and cold up at the rim, conditions can be pleasant in the canyon bottom. And the mild temperatures make the hike back up the rim pleasure.
The Wallowas In Winter
Come along as GreatOutdoors.com correspondent Kyle Beall goes skiing and split-boarding off the grid: Beall and friends head into the wilds of Eastern Oregon's Wallowas, a cluster of mountains so impressive they are called the Little Switzerland of Oregon, to try out a yurt-based adventure with the guides of Wallowa Alpine Huts.
Whisked Away
Come along with GreatOutdoors.com correspondent Fletcher Jackson as he takes a wild ride on the slopes of Oregon's Mount Bachelor with Jerry Scdoris and his Oregon Trail of Dream dogsled operation, and his daughter Rachel, a racer who has run the Iditarod despite her blindness.
Yosemite Grand Traverse
Come along as GreatOutdoors.com joins forces with Columbia and Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides for an epic seven-day trek through the Sierra to try out the latest and greatest gear for 2010. Sixty miles on the Yosemite Grand Traverse proves a great experience and the ultimate gear test.
A Journey to Skoki Lodge
Behind the Lake Louise Ski Area lies the awesome Slate Range, but one of the best kept secrets in this corner of Banff National Park is man made: venerable Skoki Lodge, a comfortable base camp for backcountry exploration. But the only way in is a seven mile hike, or ski.
Hiking the Teton Crest Trail
One of America's most iconic backcountry routes, the Teton Crest Trail takes backpackers into the heart of the spectacular Grand Tetons, and comes with enough route options to make for a weekend or a week-long adventure that will prove unforgettable.
Luxury Adventuring on BC's Sunshine Coast
Whether it's sea kayaking, hiking the coast, or mountain biking single tracks, the Rockwater Resort on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast makes a unique--and outrageously comfortable--base for exploring the inlets, coves and coastal trails of the Malaspinas Straight north of Sechelt.
Jordan's Jewel: A Trek to Petra
Everybody who goes to Jordan goes to Petra, but few people get there via a 50 miles trek that in six days travels from Dana Biosphere Reserve to Wadi Araba and into the Sharah Mountains before arriving at the storied city of Petra through the back door. Come along as GreatOutdoors.com shows you the way.
Skiing Fernie, The Friendliest Place on Earth
Come along as GreatOutdoors.com contibutor Gordy Skoog ventures to little known Fernie Alpine Resort. Located about 60 miles north of the U.S. border, and about that far from Alberta, Fernie has bucket loads of terrain for every skill level, and even advanced skiers will find plenty of black and double black diamond steeps to explore.
© 2011 GreatOutdoors.com
