Best American Adventures: Mountain Bike the Tahoe Rim Trail

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by Scott Markewitz, Aurora Photos

Encircling the largest alpine lake in North America, the 165-mile (266-kilometer) Tahoe Rim Trail just may be the singletrack with the greatest view in the United States. More than 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the trail are open to mountain bikes. In fact, the riding here is so sublime that the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) named the 21.8-mile (35-kilometer) section between Tahoe Meadows and Spooner Summit as one of its Epics, an honor bestowed on trails that epitomize the best that mountain biking has to offer.

For good reason: The trail takes in gritty climbs and fast descents with spectacular views of Tahoe to the west and the Nevada desert to the east. Nine miles (14 kilometers) in, you’ll split off onto the adjacent 22-mile (35-kilometer) Flume Trail, which starts at the Spooner Lake campground. Though not officially part of the Rim Trail itself, it’s the signature ride here, and it requires a decent climb and a bit of singletrack to get down. Just remember, it’s tough to keep your eyes on the trail with all those eye-popping views of the lake. One of the best things about the rides on the Rim Trail is that it can be just as much fun for novices as it is for fat-tire vets.

Need to Know: Some sections of the trail are only open to bikes on certain days. Many local bike shops provide shuttles for the point-to-point rides in the Rim Trail. Rent bikes and check in on trail conditions at Flume Trail Mountain Bikes (www.theflumetrail.com). Bike rentals start at $45 a day; shuttles from $15. Read about the trail at www.tahoerimtrail.org.

Best American Adventures: Race the Leadville Trail 100

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by David Zalubowski, AP

Leadville was always the epicenter of the core endurance mountain biking race scene, but when Lance Armstrong started competing—and winning—the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, a hundred-mile (161-kilometer), high-altitude sufferfest, it became the showcase race of mountain biking pain. The course is so hard that even the mighty Armstrong was humbled the first time he raced it (in 2008), when Colorado local and six-time champion Dave Wiens beat him by two minutes. But Armstrong broke the course record in 2009 and will be back to defend his crown in 2010.

Plenty of mere mortals take on the race, too, but don’t expect to be on Armstrong's wheel. The course gains 12,612 vertical feet (3,844 meters), with several heart-busting 3,000-foot (914-meter) climbs and a highpoint at nearly 13,000 feet (42,651 meters). At that altitude, not only does it become tough to breathe, legs also grow dead and sluggish. And don’t think the race is just for the guys—last year’s women’s winner, Rebecca Rusch, finished in an impressive 8 hours, 15 minutes. If pedaling is not your thing, there’s the Leadville Trail 100 run.

Need to Know: Register by January for the 2011 race. Entrants are then chosen by lottery. For information, go to www.leadvilletrail100.com.

Sail Away: Win a Trip to Fiji From Teva

By Stephanie Ostroff; photograph courtesy of Tui Tai Adventure Cruises (read our review of this company)

On April 1, a few lucky adventure-seekers will board a 140-foot luxury ship, embarking on a ten-day journey around Fiji. There’s no April Fool's Day prank or joke attached to this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Rather, it’s an amazing trip sweepstakes from Teva: One winner and a guest from the U.S., Korea, the U.K., the Netherlands and Australia will hop aboard the Teva Houseboat for hiking, kayaking, rafting, and diving around the islands.

Should you win, you’ll first explore the Upper Navua Gorge, the so-called “river of Eden,” surrounded by black lava rock walls covered in lush ferns. Then, aboard the Tui Tai, you’ll have the chance to experience authentic Fiji. That means visiting remote locations that aren’t part of the ordinary tourist’s itinerary. You’ll hike, learn about local customs from villagers, and snorkel over reefs that are a hundred miles from the nearest resort.

Discovering the unspoiled beauty of Fiji while meandering through the islands on a luxurious ship—this is adventure travel at its finest. And you could get a piece of the action. Complete the entry form at  www.TevaHouse.com.

Best American Adventures: Float the Tatshenshini-Alsek River

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

Photograph by Whit Richardson, Aurora Photos

The opportunity for a true wilderness expedition experience in the U.S. is slowly disappearing. The best bet you have left is a float down the Tatshenshini-Alsek river system (which does, however, require that you start in Canada). It’s not so much the isolation that makes the standard nine-day to two-week, 140-mile (255-kilometer) trip from Yukon’s Dalton Post to Alaska’s Dry Bay so sublime as it is the scenery.

Flowing through a deep gorge, the Tatshenshini runs through lively Class III white water before slowing down for grizzly viewing. But that’s just a warm-up. When the river flows into the Alsek in British Columbia’s Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, it’s surrounded by massive glaciers, many of which calve giant chunks of ice into Lake Alsek. This lake, the largest glacier-dammed lake in North America, is the center of attraction on the river trip. (Consider taking a few extra days to hike the banks of the Tatshenshini and Walker Glacier inside the park.) Headed into Alaska, the Alsek leaves the glaciers, but chances are icebergs will be making the voyage to the sea alongside your raft.

Need to Know: Book a nine-day trip with Mountain Travel Sobek (www.mtsobek.com), starting at $2,995 per person.

Your Favorite Adventure Town? Tell Us Why You Love Where You Live

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Our own spectacular backyard is overflowing with out-the-backdoor adventure escapes. To help you keep track of them, browse our top 100 adventure towns across the country. Boulder (especially after the recent fire). Bishop. Burlington. Telluride. Tucson. Taos. Our selected towns are situated near the country's finest outdoor recreation spots. In each town profile learn favorite activities, places to eat, and places to stay. Now it's your turn.

What's your can't-live-without adventure town and why? Where do you love to live and play? We'll comb through your comments to report back on our readers' favorite adventure towns. Stay tuned!

Best American Adventures: Climb the Grand Teton

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by Greg Von Doersten, Aurora Photos

Lording over the surrounding Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at 13,770 feet (4,197 meters), the elegant Grand Teton demands to be summited. Lucky there are countless routes up the iconic peak for climbers of all abilities. In fact, it’s the ideal technical peak for everyone from alpinists looking for new challenges to average folks who just want to be guided to the top.

The most popular route, the Exum Ridge, is an absolute beauty, consisting of incredibly exposed 5.4 climbing that is easy enough for someone with very little experience or a first alpine climb, yet it’s so beautiful that it keeps even hardened rock dogs coming back for more. Those who want more of a challenge can climb the entire Direct Exum Ridge, which begins lower down and requires more difficult 5.7 climbing. For even more seasoned climbers, the North Ridge is a dream trip, encompassing 5.8 climbing on another exposed route. But no matter your experience level or how many times you have stood on top, the view is one of the best in the West, surveying three states, with the other peaks of the Tetons at your feet, and stretching north across the massive caldera of Yellowstone National Park.

Need to Know: Exum Mountain Guides (www.exumguides.com) offers a four-day Classic Grand Teton Climb, starting at $475.

72 Hours of Adventure: Bournemouth, England - Surfing, Biking, More

By Tetsuhiko Endo; Photographs courtesy of Bournemouth Tourism

Day 1

With a little over 7,500 miles of coastline, England has undergone a quiet conversion in the last 20 years to become an unexpected haven for the traveler in search of history, culture, and rollicking adventure sports. My travels have brought me to the seaside town of Bournemouth, just two hours south of London by bus or train in the county of Dorset. With more than 30 beaches, Dorset is home to many of London’s classic holiday towns like Weymouth, Swanage, and Poole, with Bournemouth existing as the jewel in this seaside resort crown. Its seven miles of beach have hosted famous Britons like Mary Shelley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Robert Louis Stevenson (which, by extension, makes Bournemouth the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous pirates, Long John Silver).

Best American Adventures: Hike Yellowstone’s Wild Southwest

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Robert Earle Howells; Photograph by Christopher Zimmer, My Shot

It’s a mighty high claim to call one backpacking trip in our archetypal national park the best, but it’s hard to top this traverse of the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. Factor in a hot soak or two with a hike beside burbling hot springs, steaming fumaroles, streaming waterfalls, a grand finale at the park’s signature attraction and you’ve got plenty to back up the boast.

The 27-mile (43-kilometer) hike starts at the Bechler ranger station, a long haul in itself, reachable via Idaho Highway 47. It crosses expansive Bechler Meadows, where an early-season crossing would be one of America’s worst adventures—they’re underwater in June and under bug siege in July, so wait till August or September when they’re in their wide-open glory. Then comes a spectacular series of waterfalls in the cool, damp, forested embrace of Bechler Canyon—Ouzel, Colonnade, Iris—and even more cascades outside the canyon in Continental Divide country. But enough of all this cool mist—time to get into hot water.

Near the Three Rivers Junction is the redoubtable Mr. Bubble hot spring, conveniently cooled by the flow of the Ferris Fork River, so it’s an ideally tempered spot for a soak. Take the two-mile (3.2-kilometer) side hike to Shoshone Lake and camp by the park’s largest backcountry lake and find a remote geyser basin and some trailside hot springs. Then, time the exit hike to pass by one of Lone Star Geyser’s eruptions, which happen every three hours. Ironically, after three to five nights on the trail among some of the park’s most remote water features, you emerge right at Old Faithful, feeling like a prune-skinned version of Jeremiah Johnson.

Need to Know: Get more information about Yellowstone attractions at www.nps.gov/yell.

Originally published in the March/April 2009 edition of National Geographic Adventure magazine

Best American Adventures: Backcountry Ski Teton Pass

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Doug Schnitzspahn; Photograph by Randy Barnes, Aurora Photos

When it comes to terrain, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort claims some of the best on the planet—famed chutes like Corbet’s Couloir and backcountry gates that access stuff straight out of ski movies are the norm here. But the resort is, after all, still a resort. To take it to the next level, head to Teton Pass, where a quick hike from the apex of Wyoming Highway 22/Idaho 33 (which runs between Wilson, Wyoming, and Victor, Idaho) will reward you with myriad adventurous backcountry lines and practically guaranteed powder. The most popular route, up to the top of 10,086-foot (3,074-meter) Mount Glory and down Glory Bowl, delivers 2,000 vertical feet (610 meters) of wide-open lines, trees, and secret stashes.

Teton Pass is no secret. In fact, on powder days it feels as if it’s a resort itself since many of the locals ski here exclusively. But it is a rite of passage for any backcountry skier or snowboarder visiting the Tetons. It’s also a fantastic way to experience powder skiing in the high, dry northern Rockies without committing to a long skin slog. The true beauty of the pass is that the hike is so fast and the ride down dumps you onto the highway so that you can rack up lap after lap of fresh white goodness. Plus, you can escape the crowds by heading across the highway to Avalanche Bowl or pack the skins and head farther north from Glory into Unskiabowl and the Great White Hump.

Just be very careful: This is true backcountry and it can be deadly. Carry avalanche gear and know how to use it. If you are unsure of your backcountry skills, hire a guide.

Need to Know: Get prepared with a 24-hour basic avalanche course with Exum Mountain Guides, starting at $235 (www.exumguides.com).

Best American Adventures: Canyoneer Grand Staircase-Escalante

 

We've just updated our popular America's Best Adventures feature with 50 new trips, bringing our grand total to 100 iconic escapes (see the map, state-by-state list, and photo gallery, too). So no matter what your pleasure—hiking, heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, or paddling—we've got the perfect adventure for you. Check in each day for a new, out-the-backdoor adventure highlighted here on our blog.

By Kate Siber; Photograph by Howie Garber, Mira

The deep, tangled canyons of southern Utah are a remote and unforgiving country with the ever present danger of flash floods, extreme temperatures, lightning storms, and waist-high quicksand. In other words, perfect habitat for canyoneers, who know that the area’s unbroken wildness and otherworldly wind- and water-sculpted chasms are precisely what make it so appealing. Many canyons still remain unnamed, making true exploration a possibility.

A little know-how, however, can go a long way in mitigating the risks, which is why the American Canyoneering Association and outfitter Excursions of Escalante teamed up to offer three-day canyoneering courses. Students learn how to evaluate the weather, assess risks, tie basic knots, set up anchors, rappel up to 300 feet (91 meters), and squeeze through tight canyon walls. The classroom is arguably some of the best canyoneering territory in the country: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Some of the last lands to be mapped in the continental U.S., this high, remote desert is pocked with sinewy, red-sandstone canyons that twist and turn into Gaudí-like spaces.

Need to Know: A basic course is $500. Contact Excursions of Escalante for dates (www.excursionsofescalante.com).