OUTSIDE Take it

From our camps, you’ll find a natural world begging to be explored. Pick an adventure and get started.

Acadia: Sunset Cruise

Join Captain Linda Greenlaw—who was featured in Sebastian Junger’s best-selling book The Perfect Storm (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio played her in the movie version)—for a sunset cruise on the waters around Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Learn about local history and folklore while enjoying a unique perspective of the craggy coastline. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll spot eagles, seals, or porpoises before toasting the end of another amazing day in Down East Maine.

Adventure Option:

Bioluminescent Kayaking

Castine Harbor is Maine’s own Bioluminescent Bay featuring an ecosystem that creates the perfect environment for these glow-in-the-dark phytoplankton to shine. Take a unique evening paddle in Castine Harbor, with the stars shining above and amazing bioluminescent organisms swirling in the water with every stroke of your paddle. Fascinating!

Bryce Canyon: Stargazing in Bryce Canyon National Park

A certified International Dark-Sky Park, Bryce Canyon is the ultimate place to stargaze and enjoy the splendor of the night sky. Far from any light pollution and protected by Astronomy Rangers, you’ll find yourself in a sanctuary for natural darkness. No visit is complete without joining the Astronomy Rangers for an educational and entertaining astronomy experience at their observatory outside the western boundary of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Adventure Option: Fairyland Loop Trail

Explore the grandeur of Utah’s natural beauty and national parks with expert guides. Choose an adventurous trail option like the Fairyland Loop for a long, strenuous excursion that takes you below the rim, through the canyon. See the amazing red rock spires (known as hoodoos), enjoy getting up close and personal with the landscape, and you may even spot some wildlife roaming the grasslands surrounding the park.

Glacier:

Rafting the Flathead River

This scenic float on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River isn’t just a feast for your eyes. Along the way, you’ll enjoy a gourmet riverside dinner (buffalo burgers are one option). On the water, an experienced guide will share the history of Native Americans who have lived in this area for millennia as you savor views of the tall peaks of Glacier National Park. This trip is a great opportunity for the whole family or a group of friends to enjoy the river and the variety of scenic landscapes—it’s a favorite for all ages.

Adventure Option: Fly-Fishing

Can you come to Montana and not go fly-fishing? Whether you’re an experienced angler or a first-timer, our seasoned guides will help you land a fish, maybe even a westslope cutthroat trout, a species native to the Glacier area and considered one of the prettiest, hardest-fighting cutthroats around.

Grand Canyon: Jeep Tour

Venture off-road, down historic stagecoach trails through the Kaibab National Forest in search of elk, deer, and turkey. Eventually you’ll arrive at one of the world’s most magnificent vistas—sunset at the Grand Canyon. Your guide will take you to viewpoints along the canyon’s rim while describing geologic formations, inner canyon trails, and the Colorado River.

Adventure Option:

Guided Hiking

With its two billion years of exposed geologic history, the Grand Canyon is a place where hiking can be as science-y as it is scenic. Or maybe you’re more interested in biology than geology and want to see some of the park’s diverse flora and fauna? Get exactly what you want on a Grand Canyon hike by heading out with a guide on an adventure completely customized to your interests, schedule, and activity level.

Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains: Guided Hiking

Our guides have walked thousands of miles through the Smokies and will lead you to some of the most magical places in the mountains. On the way you’ll learn about both the natural and human history of the Smokies, including bits of Cherokee lore and maybe an Appalachian tall tale.

Adventure Option: Whitewater or Scenic Rafting

The National Outdoor Center has been synonymous with whitewater rafting and kayaking for generations. Its Pigeon River outpost nearby offers scenic and whitewater rafting in the Upper Pigeon Gorge (Class II-IV rapids such as Lost Guide and Accelerator) and on the Lower Pigeon (flat water).

Lake PowellGrand Staircase:

Horseshoe Bend Float Trip

Sit back and relax in a comfortable 32-foot raft as you float through iconic Horseshoe Bend. Your friendly guide will help you enjoy the Colorado River and Glen Canyon Dam, spotting rainbow trout in the crystal-clear water and dozens of types of birds nesting along the banks of the river. You might even spot a herd of bighorn sheep along the way.

Adventure Option:

Vermilion Cliffs UTV Tours

Experience wide open wilderness and the excitement of off-roading while exploring the beautiful, expansive Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in a utility terrain vehicle (UTV). Maybe you’ll even see an endangered California condor; the region is an ideal habitat for North America’s largest flying bird.

Moab:

Hiking in Arches & Canyonlands

Moab is best known for its stunning red rock scenery, stone arches, and vast deserts. As impressive as these look from a distance, they’re even more awe-inspiring when you’re hiking on, in, under, or around them. Head into Arches and Canyonlands national parks near Moab with a hiking guide on a custom itinerary based on your interests. Go for specific objectives like Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, or Grand View Point, or opt for a hike that highlights photography, archaeology, or even paleontology.

Adventure Option: Sunset Hummer Tour

This Hummer safari departs each evening before sunset and within minutes of departure you’ll be scaling one of Moab’s red rock fins on your way to an area known as Hell’s Revenge. Weave in and out of rock canyons and climb steep sandstone hills. While on the trip, your guides will share the geology of the area, along with the history of the Canyonlands region. Midway through, you’ll ascend to the summit of a captivating overlook, where you’ll relax and enjoy hors d’oeuvres while the desert sun paints the evening sky.

Mount Rushmore: Explore the Black Hills

This is a journey that celebrates the three most popular destinations in the Black Hills: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Custer State Park. Experience the sights, view wildlife, learn history, and hear stories from professional guides who have decades of experience to share. Cyclists of all levels enjoy the Mickelson Rail Trail. In its entirety, the trail is more than 100 miles long, but it’s broken into 15 segments, each of which has its own highlights and personality.

Adventure Option:

Guided Kayak or SUP Tour

Spend the day exploring the largest lake in the Black Hills, Pactola Lake, by kayak or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) with an experienced guide. Jumping and diving off rocks and swimming are encouraged.

North Yellowstone–Paradise Valley:

Yellowstone River Float

Experience a relaxing float trip down the Yellowstone River in a custom wooden dory. Enjoy awe-inspiring views of Paradise Valley and the mountains beyond—and spot bison, elk, eagles, and osprey along the way. Available early mornings and evenings, this two-hour excurison leaves right from camp.

Adventure Option: Horseback Riding

A trip to Big Sky Country isn’t complete without a horseback ride through Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Enjoy a guided ride around some of the most beautiful sights Paradise Valley has to offer. For an extra adventure, pair it with a familyfriendly rafting excursion as well.

West Yellowstone: Private Driving Tour

Enjoy VIP status as you explore the country’s first national park and surrounding areas on a private guided tour. Tours are fully customizable, catering to your interests. See wildlife in the Hayden and Lamar valleys, take in the views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and marvel at the wonder of the park’s variety of geothermal features.

Adventure Option:

Whitewater Rafting

Put on your PFD (personal flotation device) and hop in a raft for a wild or mild adventure on the Gallatin River. If you’re feeling wild, there’s a section of the river called the “Mad Mile” that features almost continuous Class IV (out of V) rapids. More interested in taking in the sights and sounds of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem? This river, where parts of the movie A River Runs Through It were filmed, has some mild sections as well.

Zion:

Hiking and Biking

The Zion area contains some of the planet’s most spectacular scenery, yet the vast majority of its three million annual visitors will never experience the park beyond a few feet from the road. Take the trail less traveled and hike to places that most visitors to southern Utah see only in photographs, including stunning panoramas and breathtaking overlooks that have remained untouched and unchanged for millions of years. The bike-friendly Pa’rus Trail winds alongside the Virgin River.

Adventure Option: Canyoneering

Canyoneering is a multisport activity during which a group of people work together to hike, climb, swim, squeeze, rappel, support, laugh, cry, and listen, all in an amazing natural setting. Half-day trips will take place in dry canyons and full-day trips will be in wet canyons. Don’t worry about the location; your guides know some pretty amazing places.