Category Archives: Outdoors Adventures

*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides close encounters with animals like the Cape Buffalo © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It isn’t a surprise to see zebras grazing, giraffes ruminating, a rhinoceros with her 2700-pound baby, or sleeping in a luxurious safari tent and awakening to see a herd of antelope dashing in unison, when you go on safari in Africa. What is extraordinary is that this is in the backyard of Sonoma, California, better known for wineries, vineyards and winetasting. This is Safari West, which since its founding in 1993, affords an extraordinary authentic experience that makes you feel you are in Africa – the Sonoma Serengeti! – no passport, vaccinations or jetlag required.

Eric and I start our Safari West visit with the three-hour Classic Safari, consisting of about 2 ½ hours driving through three habitats across the vast, 400-acre landscape on which some 1000 animals (almost 100 different species), reside and a half-hour walk to visit mammals and birds.

*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides an authentic safari adventure on the “Sonoma Serengeti”© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

During the course of my 24 hours here, I will follow the Classic Safari with a Behind-the-Scenes tour with our toddler (children need to be at least four years old for the Classic Safari, though families with younger children can arrange a Private Safari) where we get to feed a variety of animals; a 5 pm buffet dinner, followed by a walk-about through a zoo-like setting.

*Even our toddler gets to feed a warthog on Safari West’s Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, after the rest of the family leaves, I stay over for a Glamping Among the Wildlife: A Safari West Experience in one of their 30 authentic Botswana safari tents tucked into the trees, enjoying evening activities including s’mores and a movie (“Jungle Book”). Since overnight guests have no curfew, I am able to explore more at dusk, into the dark of night (borrowing a flashlight from reception), and again in the early morning when the animals are most animated. I follow the included breakfast buffet with more exploration before reluctantly leaving Safari West.

*One of the 30 glamping tents tucked into the woods at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Safari on the “Sonoma Serengeti”

For our Classic Safari, we ride in vehicles that are open on the sides and have four seats on top (reminding me of my tiger safari in India). The guides – invariably friendly, humorous, knowledgeable and unscripted so they respond to their guests’ interests (and terrific drivers) take us on rough gravel trails over hills and plains, coming incredibly close (without barriers or fences) to giraffe, antelope, ostrich, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, zebra, elands, addax, aoudad and others among the 97 species in residence.

Our guide for our 1 pm. three-hour Classic Safari, Alex Killian, invites our questions and observations which she gleans to stay in an area longer. We are riding in “Bender”, a 1950s Dodge Power wagon (it seems Safari West has bought up the fleet of Dodge Power wagons from 1940s to 1970s). About 2 ½ hours are spent driving, with about 30 minutes on a walking portion to see the primates, porcupines and birds.

You can read about these different animals and see photos but seeing them up close, in their habitat provides a whole different dimension of understanding and appreciation for behaviors and evolutionary adaptations.

We go into the vast field with the giraffes– Killian tells us they are 5-6 feet tall at birth (they are delivered while the mother is standing up and are dropped six feet to the ground); 9 feet tall by one year old, and grow up to 19 feet tall. These sweet creatures – literally gentle giants – are distinguished by the fact every giraffe has a unique pattern of sports, like human fingerprints, but these spots also help in thermoregulation (at night, the giraffes walk themselves into their barn to protect from hypothermia).

Giraffes, Killian says, “speak” but in a pitch that can barely be heard by a human but sounds like a moo and use various sounds like moans, snores, hisses, and grunts, they mainly communicate with body language. Killian tells us they sleep standing up for 20 minutes at a time– only half their brain sleeps at one time – for a total of about two to three hours in the course of a day; the rest of the time they are eating or ruminating. (Later, during the Behind-the-Scenes tour, we get to meet them close up and feed them).

Killian points to “Mango,” the only male giraffe, here, noting that the animals mate and breed naturally here; the caretakers only insuring they are healthy, and adds that Safari West will “buy, sell, trade, borrow and loan” animals with other zoos and conservancies to increase genetic diversity.

Addax, a white antelope that is critically endangered, whose horns have extra twists, which Killian explains helps cool the animal; we see one with only one horn, and she explains that if they break off, they do not grow back. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In this plain, we also see Dama Gazelle; Gemsbok; Greater Kudu; Roan antelope and Addax, astonished at how magnificent they are with their horns and coloring.

Leaving this area through the double-fence system, we see an ostrich which seems to be “flirting” with the safari vehicle ahead of us. This is “Lucille Ball,” “She is more flirtatious when she is about to lay an egg,” Killian explains. Ostriches, Killian tells us, lay the largest eggs among the birds, equivalent to 12-24 chicken eggs in size and lay 1-3 eggs a week.

*An ostrich gets flirtatious with one of the safari vehicles © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Ostriches are surprisingly large and amazingly fast – she tells us they can run 12-35 mph and though they have a brain the size of a walnut, “they are not dumb.” “It’s an ‘in the moment’ animal,” she explains. “But you don’t need to outwit a predator when you can outrun it.”

*A pregnant Southern White rhinoceros with her baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see a Southern White Rhinoceros mom with her two-year old baby that already weighs 2375 lbs. She is pregnant again (rhinoceros gestate for 16-18 months) and is due to deliver at any time (you can follow her progress on social media). But because the pheromones at the end of pregnancy and when she is in labor are the same as when she is in heat, they have to separate the male, who is in an adjacent area. In the wild, she says, “They spend a week together and then don’t see each other again” but the mom is very maternal. “She is very connected to her baby.” She can nurse two babies at a time. The female rhinoceros can weigh 4000-7000 lbs. A herbivore, the rhinoceros consumes 150 lbs of grass or 60 lbs of hay a day.

*The zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive through more gates and come to an open area with zebra gathered around where they have just been provided grass. Like the giraffes, the zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides of the animal, except for its face.

*The Common Eland depends on pheromones to mate © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Close by are the Common Eland and we see a baby less than one month old (it’s been named “Nova”, consistent with the space-themed names given the herd). The Eland (“it means ‘moose’ in Dutch) is a kind of antelope, the biggest of the species (the tallest is the Kudu).

*“Nova” is a one-month old Common Eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“They depend largely on pheromones – it’s how they identify the others in their unit, and how they take a mate. They urinate and others take in the pheromone.”

*Our guide stops to tell us about the herd of eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive into the third habitat, the largest of the three at 100 acres.

*Stunning views of antelope at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the African Cape Buffalo, one of the Big 5 – that is, the 5 most dangerous animals to encounter in Africa, she tells us (lion, leopard, Black rhinoceros, African Bull elephant are the others). The Cape Buffalo are dangerous, she says, because they protect each other. “If one of their group is threatened, even if they just think it is threatened, they will still protect.”

*The African Cape Buffalo is one of Africa’s “Big 5” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We meet the Blue wildebeest from Southern Africa which Killian calls “a spare parts animal” because it has hair and horns resembling the female African Cape buffalo; stripes like a zebra; a long face like a baboon; and a heavy build in front but slender legs like an ostrich compared to its bulky front build.

*“Spare parts animal” wildebeest are well adapted for their habitat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

These are adaptations to the environment, and as we watch one nuzzling a baby, Killian tells us that its long face helps the wildebeest detect humidity – and impending disaster, and that the herd in the wild, 1-5 million of them, migrate or escape danger moving together. Other animals have learned to follow their lead.

*Mother and baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the wild, they somehow synchronize the births to the month, timed for migration. Some 8,000 babies could have been born on the last day before migration, so wildebeest have evolved to move as fast as 55 mph, from Day 1. Here at Safari West, they somehow synchronize births to the season (rather than a month, as they might in the wild) and ‘migrate’ on property (moving down the hillside).

“Animals here mate naturally,” she adds. “We only make sure they are healthy.”

We spot Aoudad on the forested slope, and Killian says that while other species take a mate by showing dominance (brawn), Aoudad males pee on their beard and the ‘best’ smell gets the lady.

*We spot Aoudad on the forested slope © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

(Insiders tip: if photography is important to you, bring a decent SLR camera with a decent zoom lens that can capture moments and movements (cell phone cameras are good for scenics and landscapes and have their merit in difficult lighting situations). Safari photography is just as interesting a sport as hunting – only you are hunting and shooting with a camera. For avid photographers, Safari West offers a Private Photography Safari Workshop.)

After the drive portion of the Classic Safari tour, we have a walking tour of about 30 minutes, to see the porcupines, primates, mammals and birds.

*Nicobar pigeon in Safari West’s aviary © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We walk through one of the aviaries, chock full of bird varieties – crane, sacred ibis, scarlet ibis, spoon bill, cattle egret, black swan, Nicobar pigeon, to list but a few. (We will soon return to help feed the birds during our Behind the Scenes tour).

*The Caracal is a master of hunting and hiding © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the Caracal, a master of hunting and hiding that can jump 6-10 ft to capture a bird, take down prey 2-3x its size and when they hunt as a group, they can take down an impala.

*The Patas Monkey is said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I especially love watching the Colobus Monkey and the Patas Monkey (said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax), ring-tailed lemurs (two “old men” in their bachelor pads), and (my favorite) the Red Ruffed Ringtales. All have various forms of enrichment – like puzzles and toys, obstacles and constructions. (There is an immersive Enrichment Tour, also on my list for my next visit.)

*One of the two older ringed tail lemurs lounges © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Behind-the-Scenes

Our Classic Safari ends just in time to meet up with Sarah and our 16-month old toddler to enjoy the Behind the Scenes tour where we get to feed the animals – one of Safari West’s most popular programs for good reason.

Our guide, Zoey, tells us she was part of Safari West’s Junior Zookeepers program for 12-16 year olds.

*Feeding the Crested porcupines on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even our toddler gets a chance to feed the Crested porcupines, Spike and Norton – notably, they don’t have the prickly quills, their quills are a softer material.

*Birds flock to whoever has the blue latex glove on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go next to feed the birds in the aviary and Zoey warns us that it can be intimidating because there are so many birds and they get pushy when they see the blue latex glove and know there is food to be had. She adds that to stop the birds from rushing at you, take off the blue glove. I find it fascinating that there is such a learned behavior.

Sure enough, it is quite an experience that as we walk in, the birds swarm around us. We get to fling pieces of chopmeat (that surprises me) and watch as the biggest ones catch pieces in the air.

*Flamingoes, the oldest animals at Safari West, were brought here when Marine World closed © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go to where there is a huge flock of flamingoes in a small pond. These, Zoey says, are the oldest animals at Safari, many came when Marine World closed in 1969. They can live to 30 years old in the wild, but can reach 60-70 years in captivity (the oldest known is 85).

We next go to the Giraffe Barn to feed “Mabel.” Coming so close to the giraffe is truly an experience.

*Even our toddler gets to help feed “Mabel,” the giraffe, during Safari West’s popular Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

With eating being the giraffes’ main activity, their tongues are the most distinctive feature – they can be up to 18 inches long and are prehensile to grasp and manipulate objects, so they can strip leaves from branches and maneuver around thorns and rugged bark to reach their food. Also, the front of their tongues are dark, with melanin, to protect from sunburn. They eat the leaves but leave the roots, so that their food source will renew. During the course of a day, they will consume 100 lbs of foliage.

*Giraffes are notable for their prehensile tongue © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The giraffes come when the keeper calls them to go into barn overnight, to prevent hypothermia

We finish our Behind-the-Scenes tour by feeding the warthogs “Lucy”, Vigeri and Fig Newton

And now it is time for our feeding.

Dining Out, Staying Over

Safari West offers a fixed menu buffet dinner (two seatings, at 5 and 7 pm) which is marvelous.

The meal is superb – chicken (paprika seasoning), steak (perfectly cooked over fire), rice, mac/cheese, salad (we are invited to have seconds until they run out), fresh fruit and a cheesecake dessert.

Guests who stay for dinner can wander the property until 8:30 pm; overnight guests (like me) can wander without any curfew.

(There is also a very pleasant deli where you can pick up sandwiches and such (good selection and very reasonable cost.)

*Watching Addax in the field at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even when I go around at 7:30 pm when the sunlight is a rich golden color – I am surprised that it seems as if the animals have grabbed their coats and lunch buckets for quitting time (the porcupines are curled up), but several are very active.

*The Red Ruffed lemur is the second loudest primate. I get to hear their chorus © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The three Red Ruffed Lemurs, with stunning, fluffy red fur, black faces and bright, piercing yellow eyes, are really active at this time. Earlier in the afternoon, when I came upon them, they were making extremely loud shrieks – indeed, the guide says they are the second loudest primates and can vocalize very high and low pitches at the same time, that can be heard up to a half-mile away. Found only in Madagascar, they are matriarchal and the keeper explains that one of the three is being bullied, kept from being groomed and from eating,

*A family of ring tailed lemur live on a small island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are S’mores at 8 pm and then they show “Jungle Book” (one of three animal-themed movies they present each night) at 8:30 pm. (Overnight guests can help ourselves to coffee, tea, chocolate an fruit as we like

*From my tent, I watch the giraffes walk themselves into the barn for the night © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

After the movie, I borrow a flashlight from the reception desk, and go into the darkness. I am especially interested to see if I can observe activities of nocturnal animals, but alas, it is too dark and the animals, if they are active, are too far into the darkness to be observed (perhaps on a night with a full moon it would be better and even more magical.)

By now pitch black (and grateful for the flashlight), I walk up the hill to my tent, delighted to find a luxurious, spacious room accommodating a queen bed and two cots, sufficient for a family of four, with beautiful wood floor, an enormous tile-floor bathroom stocked with the necessary toiletries like a deluxe hotel; giant screened windows on two of the walls so I can see out to a gorgeous view of the lake; and a patio where, when I walk out in the pitch black night, it seems the Big Dipper is right in front of my face close enough to touch. If it gets cold, there is a space heater and an electric blanket.

*My glamping tent has all the comforts of a hotel room, but with canvas walls © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I am surprised that I do not hear more animal sounds in the night, and do not need to use the ear plugs they supply.

But I awake to the sounds of birds and mooing, and look out from my porch to see the herd of antelope running together across their field.

*From my glamping tent, I watch antelope running together in the early morning © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The best part of overnighting at Safari West is being here at early morning when the animals become really active knowing they are to be fed.

*Going out in the morning, I can take my time watching animals close up © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Each place i come upon, if there is a keeper, they are happy to share more information about the animals in their care.

*A caretaker explains how she gives special attention to the Red Ruffed lemur which is being bullied by the matriarch © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I watch the Red Ruffed lemur being fed – one is being bullied by the matriarch, so the keeper goes in, entices two of them into a separate compartment, and gives the third special attention (she doesn’t get groomed, so the keeper pats her and feels for any health issues).

*In the early morning, I get a good view of the cheetahs which eluded me the day before © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I get to see the cheetahs, pacing their enormous enclosure (they eluded me the previous day); and the hyenas devouring a thick chunk of red meat

*A hyena with its breakfast of red meat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As appropriate, the keepers incorporate enrichment into their feeding methods so the animals have to work for food. (“Most creatures are bribable with food,” our guide Killian had told us on the Classic Safari. “Food is a prime motivator.” (Safari West offers a new Enrichment Tour Experience to see how they use puzzles, toys and activities like hiding treats, to stimulate the animals’ natural behaviors and keep them mentally and physically active.)

*A Patas monkey plays with one of its enrichment toys. Safari West now offers an Enrichment Tour where you can help create toys © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go into the Elephant room for breakfast (included for overnight guests and served from 7-10 am) – eggs, oatmeal, cereals, yogurt, muffins, toast/bagels, fresh squeezed OJ – before going for another walk-through the animal enclosures.

As an overnight guest I need to be out of the tent by 11, but I am welcomed to stay and wander about as long as I want.

Overall, with all these encounters over the past 24 hours, I must have made some 10 tours through the animal enclosures and each time, the experience is different – I see animals that eluded me before, or doing different behaviors, or in different light, or just happening upon a guide providing information I hadn’t known before.

Mission to Promote Conservation

I am really impressed in how well Safari West fulfills its declared mission to actively promote conservation and environmental education.

“At Safari West it’s all about the animals. Always has been, always will be.” These animals become ambassadors for their species, promoting understanding and appreciation to help each person make well-informed choices for environmental protection and wildlife conservation.

Over the past decades, Safari West has evolved into a top-tier wildlife destination.

Safari West began in the late 1980s when Peter Lang purchased 400 rolling acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. He relocated his small but growing collection of exotic wildlife, converting a former cattle ranch into a world-class conservation breeding facility.

As Peter set to work establishing captive breeding programs for the varied and often critically endangered species in his collection, he worked closely with local zoological facilities including the San Francisco Zoo where he met the lead curator, raptor-specialist and his future wife, Nancy Lang. After four years of operating their conservation breeding facility behind closed doors, Peter and Nancy opened their home to the public on July 4th, 1993.

*Safari West opened glamping tents to give visitors a whole new experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, in the late 1990s, Peter looked to expand the activities available to guests and built the Safari West Tent Camp, importing custom-built tents from Lobatswe, Botswana. With the Watusi Pond as the center, the tent camp sits between the Gazelle Pasture, the Hundred Acres, and the Vista habitats, overlooking the antelope and giraffes. The 30 glamping tents are mounted on raised platforms, with hardwood floors, electricity, running hot and cold water, and even en suite bathrooms.

The Langs’ devotion to their animals was tested and proven during the horrific Tubbs wildfires that struck in October 2017.

When I ask our safari guide about how they managed during the wildfires, she replied, “We didn’t save the animals, they saved us. They graze so there was nothing for the fires to catch onto, and the oak trees are resilient.”

She relates that when sheriffs came to order an evacuation at around 11 pm, the 90 guests on the property just grabbed their keys and left within 15 minutes.” Helicopters fighting the fires used water from the lake.

But she seems to have understated what happened because it was horrific – 250 out of Safari West’s 400 acres were scorched and the osteology lab operated by the Safari West Research, Education, and Conservation Department burned completely. Though conservation organizations were ready to help evacuate the animals, no one was allowed up the twisting mountain road, so they couldn’t have evacuated the animals.

The animals were saved because Safari West owner Peter Lang, then 76 years old, after driving through fire to evacuate their home which burned to the ground, stayed behind and for the next 10 hours, fought the fires alone. In the next couple of days, some volunteers and staff were able to come and help put out the brush fires that erupted.

All 1000 animals were saved. For his heroic efforts, Peter Lang received the 2018 American Red Cross Animal Rescue Hero Award. (Read the thrilling story by Paige Peterson reported in the New York Social Diary, https://safariwest.com/2017/11/life-after-fires/).

Safari West is ideal for family gatherings and special events – I am already planning to bring our bi-coastal family together for an overnight stay as soon as the little ones are old enough to appreciate the safari. I’ve earmarked the Enrichment Tour and Private Photography tour, especially.

Safari West, 3115 Porter Creek Road Santa Rosa, CA 95404, 800-616-2695, 707-579-2551, safariwest.com

Travel planning help is available from Sonoma County Tourism, https://www.sonomacounty.com.

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Biking Tours, Cruising, Cultural travel, European travel, Historic Places, Outdoors Adventures

Boat Bike Tours Netherlands Islandhopping: Sailing the Wadden Sea, Biking, Exploring Terschelling, Harlingen

July 14, 2025 krubin723

*Sailing into Terschelling on our ship*, *Leafde fan Fryslân, on Day 4 of our Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping Netherlands bike tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 4 of our eight-day Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping tour of the Netherlands is spent sailing to the island of Terschelling. It takes about six hours to sail across the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

*Captain Age delicately navigates our ship,* Leafde fan Fryslân, out of port © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Big boat, small water,” our captain, Age, says, guaranteeing that the ship is “unsinkable” because the water is so shallow, we would run aground first. (“Wadden” means “mudflats” and the Wadden Sea is a large intertidal area in the North Sea along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.)

*Raising the sails on the* *ship,* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We have a northwest wind so we can raise the sails on our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, the only four-masted ship sailing in Dutch waters, instead of just motoring to Terschelling.

*First mate* *Lukacz does most of the work raising the sails on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lukacz, who I call the first mate, gives us the safety talk and invites us to help raise the sails (we don’t do it very well). He says it is more important to be safe “You are on vacation, a nice time. You can’t have a nice time with a broken hand. Bad pain is bad time.” But looking around at several of us with boating jackets, says, “I can see this isn’t your first rodeo.”

‘It’s about being happy,” Lukas says, finishing with “What do you think about my speech?”

*We soon see why* *Lukacz describes himself as a “monkey” as he raises the sails on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lukacz describes himself as a “little monkey jumping around,” and we soon see why as we watch him leaping around to get the sails unfurled.

The wind is so strong (“Respect the power,” he says), but once the sails are raised, we feel the quiet tranquility of sailing. But having come from Texel, and seeing the scores of shipwrecks of those ocean-going trading ships, I can only imagine what this would feel like in a storm, or how those sailors felt for months, even years crossing vast seas to Asia, Africa, and North America.

We have lunch on board as we sail (tonight, we will be on our own for dinner in Terschelling, armed with a list of recommended restaurants).

The scene is stunning, with several tall sailing ships along the horizon, the swirling green/blue water, the white cottony clouds.

*Sailing ships line the horizon as we sail on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is just 4 pm when we sail into Terschelling, flabberghasted by the finesse Captain Age shows to park our enormous ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, 210 ft. long, 24 ft. wide.

We walk off the ship from the crowded harbor crammed with sailing ships tied up two and three abreast and explore the popular village. Huge ferry boats deposit thousands of visitors each day (remarkable considering a mere 9,700 people live on Terschelling).

Terschelling, one of 15 islands in the North Sea and the furthest north we will travel on our Islandhopping tour, is just 30 km long and 4.5 km wide with vast sand beaches, strong winds and wild water – and we will cycle around most of it.

***Terschelling*** *skyline is dominated by the 420 year-old Brandaris lighthouse, standing 388 ft high © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The town is dominated by the 420 year-old Brandaris lighthouse, standing 388 ft high that can be seen from far off in the distance. I learn this is the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands. The first tower was built in 1323 to guide ships on their way to Amsterdam through the Zuiderzee, the narrow opening between Vlieland and Terschelling. A flood destroyed the tower in 1570. Construction on a new tower began in 1592 but the tower collapsed before it was finished because of poor building materials. The tower we see today, remarkably, was built in 1594. It became the first lighthouse in the Netherlands equipped with a rotating Freshnel lens in 1837 and was electrified in 1907.

***View from the top of the hill in Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I meet up with a German couple from our ship and follow them up a path over the dunes to the hilltop for a stunning view of the island and the port as the sun streams through clouds.

Back in the charming village, I come upon a gaggle of girls who, it turns out, are Ukrainians taking refuge here from the war in their homeland. This brings a jolt of the world and current events to this small, isolated, peaceful place, shocking me back to the present out of my reverie for ages past. But as the historic markers and notes remind, the vast majority of human history has been one invasion, one war, one revolution, one disaster after another, and the nostalgia that sweeps over us looking back has a way of tempering the horror of that time. I think that one reason history is more palatable, less stressful, than present-day events is that we know how that chapter of the story ended.

Cycling Terschelling, Sailing to Harlingen

*Setting out on the bike ride on Terschelling along the dyke © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

While the previous day was all about sailing, Day 5 is all about cycling. Terschelling offers 70 km of cycling tracks and four charming villages to discover. We will cycle 26 miles roundtrip, then, in the afternoon, sail across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen, the most important harbor city of the province of Friesland.

This is the first day of cycling where I appreciate why people get e-bikes in the Netherlands: the paths may be flat but the wind is strong (all the charming historic windmills and now modern wind turbines should have been a clue). I power through and at one point, one of our group becomes very conscientious about riding right in front of me to break the wind a bit (like the Tour de France!).

*The Stryper Wyke statue honors a woman whose cleverness saved the town from British invaders © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We set out along the dyke, then turn off into villages, farms and fields. Our route takes us to the Stryper Wyke (wife) statue, a short distance from a cemetery. The monument heralds back to the 1666 wars with the English over trade with India. The British declared the North Sea as theirs and invaded this area, burning, raping, killing. The British, the story goes, confronted the Stryper Wyke demanding to know how many defenders there were, to which she replied, “100 standing, 1000 laying down” – referring to the cemetery. The legend goes that the invaders took her literally and retreated, and she is credited with saving the town.

In fact, everywhere we go, there are just such statues, monuments, plaques, placards and historic photos that cherish local history, heritage and culture and show the pride the Dutch have.

The Toesaks Museum (pirates!) is described as “an exciting and pleasantly eccentric museum for kids and adults” offering a collection recovered from shipwrecks © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We ride passed an intriguing Toesaks Museum (pirates!) which is described as “an exciting and pleasantly eccentric museum for kids and adults” offering a collection recovered from shipwrecks. The museum is housed in a farmhouse and has a real pirate ship, a tree house and a castle. Owner and wreck diver Hille van Dieren, I learn later, has been collecting recovered inventory pieces from the many shipwrecks around Terschelling since 1975. The museum is full of curiosities from 1650 to the present (https://wrakkenmuseum.nl/).

*The wind becomes a factor as you bike on Terschelling © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

No one else wants to stop to visit, so I take a quick peek inside so I don’t hold up the group. But if it were important to me, I could have left the group and followed the route myself using the RideGPS app that Boat Bike Tours provides. But, the ship is sailing this afternoon and I wouldn’t have known if I could complete the route in time.

*At Koor Hoorn, hiking over enormous dunes which open up to this vast expanse of sand beach © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*The vast expanse of sand beach at Koor Hoorn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We ride through open fields (battling the wind), through forest and then over a stretch of sand (not fun) and come to Koor Hoorn, hiking over enormous dunes which open up to this vast expanse of sand beach almost completely vacant of people or structures. I walk what seems a quarter mile before I finally reach the actual water, where the sea is swirling with whitecaps and the beach is strewn with a thick white foam that looks like pieces of clouds have fallen from the sky.

*A wild swirl of sea and sky at Koor Hoorn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

A popular thing to do is take a horsedrawn carriage ride on the beach and we see one of these carriages on the road.

*A popular activity on* ***Terschelling*** *is to ride in a horse-drawn carriage on the beach © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Leaving the beach, our guide, Edith, leads us through the “Dark Forest” so we can be shielded a bit against the wind.

*Biking through the “dark forest” on* ***Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We get to a charming Cranberry inn (spectacular desserts, all made with cranberry), and walk out to the cranberry field (not a bog).There is a small exhibit and video on a second floor. Just as we are gathering to leave, it starts to rain. Edith checks the weather app and predicts it will only last a few minutes – so I go back inside to get cozy in the upstairs screening room to watch the video about the island and raising cranberry. Sure enough, the rain stops within 15 minutes, and we are on our way. (One of the good things about the strong wind, is that rain rarely lasts long.)

*Delectable cranberry desserts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The route takes us up and over dunes, and finally, into the village to the port, where we stop at a monument to those who have been lost at sea.

It’s been a lovely ride – we’re back at about 3:15 pm and the ship soon pulls out of the harbor.

*Monument to those lost at sea in the village on* ***Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We are in awe – along with everyone else on the dock – collectively holding our breath as Captain Age maneuvers out of the tight harbor. We sail across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen, considered the most important harbor city of the province of Friesland.

*Sailing across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We have dinner as we sail, and pull into Harlingen’s port in time to have a 7:45 pm walking tour of Harlingen led by our guide, Anya.

Harlingen

The first thing we see is a restoration of the De Witte Swaen (the White Swan). This was the famous vessel sailed by16th-century Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz when he discovered the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen (now known as Svalbard) and Bear Island. He then sailed onward to the Russian archipelago of Nova Zembla, where, in 1596, the ship got stuck in the ice and they were forced to stay the winter. Barentsz did not survive, but 12 of the 17 crew were saved. Here, in the port of Harlingen, marine archaeologist Gerald de Weerdt is directing volunteers in building a genuine replica of the ship using 16^th century techniques and materials. After years of work, his team is planning to finish the ship by year’s end. It will be sailed to Amsterdam and then returned here. Eventually, de Weerdt and his team want to retrace Barentsz’s voyage by sailing the vessel to Spitsbergen and Nova Zembla (hopefully with a better outcome).

*Discovering Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Anya explains the complicated system of dykes and the dam built in 1932 which turned part of the Wadden Sea into a lake and from salt to fresh water, changing the ecology, and what was done to protect the fish migration from the changed ecosystem.

She points out the architecture – the Celtic tradition of putting a symbol to protect the house from evil – and how 600 buildings in the town are protected for their historic significance.

Magnificent buildings like the elaborate City Hall show the wealth of this town.

*Harlingen’s City Hall shows off the city’s wealth © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As we have seen before, the biggest building, typically a church, was built on the highest point, to provide safety when the town flooded. Holland broke with the Catholic Church of Spain and declared religious freedom when it won its independence after an 80-year war.

She notes that under Napoleon, who conquered the Netherlands in 1800 and installed his brother, Louis, as its first king (who ruled 1806-1810), every home had to replace the ornaments that showed a coat of arms or profession with a house number and street, and a registry was kept of names, religion and where they lived.

“In World War II, the Nazis could see where Jews lived” (one of the reasons why today, the Dutch are still concerned to protect private information on the internet).

*“Stumbling stones” in front of a house in Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Today, we see some of the ”stumbling stones” – square copper plates in the sidewalk -documenting the name of the Jews who lived in the home, “the last place they lived in freedom,” before being taken by Nazis to concentration camps. There are some 70,000 of these “stumbling stones” in Europe, about 7,000 in the Netherlands, Anya says.

I am reminded that after declaring its independence from Catholic Spain in 1581, Holland instituted religious freedom and Jews, who suffered Spain’s Inquisition, were able to practice relatively openly. Rembrandt lived in Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter, a short distance from where the Grand Synagogue was built. When Jews went to New Amsterdam in 1654,then a trading post of the Dutch West India Company. Governor Peter Stuyvesant wanted to evict the Jews, but the company required him to let the Jews stay. (This is all brought back when I visit two exhibits currently on view in New York City: “New York at Its Core: Port City (1609-1898)” at the Museum of the City of New York and “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt,” at the Jewish Museum.)

More information, Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-1249.s

Next: Boat Bike Tours’ Netherlands Islandhopping: Exploring the Solar System through an 18^th Century Lens

BOATBIKETOURS’ NETHERLANDS ISLANDHOPPING: THE TEXEL ROADS YIELDS UP ITS TREASURE

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Biking Tours, Cruising, European travel, International Travel, Outdoors Adventures, Responsible Travel

Setting Sail on Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping Tour to the Wadden Sea

July 2, 2025 krubin723

*Biking through the Dutch countryside from Franeker to Makkum on Day 6 of BoatBikeTours’ Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Netherlands has to be the best destination on the planet for biking. It isn’t just the ubiquitous biking culture (you are greeted at Schiphol Airport with the sign, ”There are more bikes in the Netherlands than people”) and infrastructure that gives as much, if not more, preference to bikes over cars; the mostly flat landscape, but on top of all are the stunning landscapes, the architecture, the quaint villages, and how the Dutch show such pride and honest reflection in their heritage, culture and history.

This is my second trip with Boat Bike Tours, a Netherlands-based operator with decades of experience combining biking with boating. I loved the Bruges to Amsterdam bike-boat trip so much, I eagerly signed on for its eight-day Islandhopping Premium tour that would bring me north on a four-masted sailing ship to bike the ports and islands of Lake Ijsselmeer and the Wadden Sea, so central during the Netherlands’ Golden Age of Sail.

I expect to see stunning pastoral scenes and bike through quaint villages, and to be astonished by the preservation of architecture from the 1600s (the dates and decoration proudly displayed). But I am (yet again) delighted by the cultural sites and excursions Boat Bike Tours organizes, particularly Ecomare, a marvelous seal sanctuary we visit on our ride around Texel that offers superb lessons in ecology and climate change (I race back using the RideGPS app in time to visit the Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild where the ship is docked, which features mind-blowing artifacts rescued from 400-year old shipwrecks) and the utterly astonishing Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker, the oldest working planetarium in the world, built on the living room ceiling of its genius creator that continues to amaze (and still works!) just as it did when Eisinga finished it in 1781. (Also, be sure to arrange time – 2-4 hours – either before you embark or after you disembark in Enkhuizen to visit the Zeidersee Museum, which is a living history museum formed as an entire village. Best to arrive in Enkhuizen the day before.)

*Biking through the tranquil Dutch countryside on BoatBikeTours’ Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

And then there is the pure joy of biking on the most extensive, expansive network of biking paths and roads probably anywhere in the world (even when you ride in town with cars, drivers are very considerate). For the most part, the paths are flat, though I must admit, I did not consider the force of the wind on the northern islands when I chose to ride a regular hybrid when most everyone else has an e-bike. (It’s Netherlands, I thought to myself, how hard could biking be? The fact that Netherlands is so identified with its historic windmills and sailing ships, and today’s battalions of wind turbines should have been a clue.) But I power through, cheered by my newly acquired and supportive brethren (I estimate I only slow them down by five minutes or so.)

Biking epitomizes the appeal that has become a trend of “slow” (and “responsible”) travel at a perfect pace to be constantly interested in what is around, slow enough to really see and even “smell” the roses. Indeed, without a window as a barrier, you can feel the fresh air; hear the wind and the sea, the bleating of sheep and goats as we ride passed; smell the trees and the fields. Meanwhile, the physicality of biking after 20-35 miles– even with an e-bike (which is not like a motor scooter but just boosts the power of your pedaling) sets the endorphins firing and gives you a physically satisfied sensation when you complete the ride.

Slow travel also maximizes the benefits of travel while minimizing the adverse impacts of tourism on the local population and environment.

The only thing better than biking in the Netherlands is biking by boat, compounding the advantages of “slow travel,” especially with a ship that uses biodiesel You can certainly enjoy biking in the Netherlands with an inn-to-inn itinerary, guided or self-guided. But doing it by boat adds an extra dimension, an ambiance (not to mention you don’t have to pack/unpack each day).

*Tall ships in the harbor at Oudeschild on the island of Texel, a testament to Holland’s past and present © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Seeing Netherlands by boat adds to the experience because sailing – that is global trade – was so important to the Netherlands and you see the islands, villages, ports as they were meant to be seen. Indeed, I am astonished when I arrive at the embarkation port, Enkhuizen and see scores of sailing ships – tjalks, fluyts, sloeps, aaks, botters, skutsjes, the traditional flat-bottomed ships designed for navigating the shallow waters of the Frisian Lakes – some 100 years old, that instantly make you think you have been transported back to the Golden Age of Sail.

*Leafde fan Fryslân, claims to be the only four-masted schooner in Dutch waters and is our floating home for BoatBikeTours’ eight-day Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, claims to be the only four-masted schooner in Dutch waters. It didn’t start out that way, though. Built in 1962 to carry freight on the Baltic Sea, the barkentine was converted into a luxury three-mast passenger ship in 2006. Then, over the winter of 2023-2024, it was cut into two and extended with a 14-meter (46 ft.) section and a fourth mast installed. The ship is now 210 ft. long, 24 ft. wide, with a sail surface of 2494 sq ft.

*Leafde fan Fryslân*’s *captain, Age, would have been right at home in that Great Age of Sail © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our captain, Age, would have been right at home in that Great Age of Sail. We are in awe how he maneuvers this huge ship into the tight corners to park at the dock in a crowded harbor (another wonderful feature of this tour is that we always are able to walk on/off the ship into the village and have walking tours in each place).

The captain is helped by his all-purpose first mate, Lukasz, who lets us help raise the sails after giving us a safety speech that basically says he will do all the tough stuff, and describes himself as a “monkey” (we soon see why). On the days when we are able to sail (one day is spent sailing not biking), we are able to experience the exquisite, peaceful feeling of being under sail while the sea swirls.

*Sailing the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner on the Wadden Sea © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The 38-passenger ship is very comfortable with 20 cabins including 4 suites on the upper deck (that have double glass sliding door and a small private balcony); all with private bathroom and air conditioner. There is a very pleasant dining room/bar on the middle deck where we enjoy sumptuous meals prepared by Chef Peter, served with white linen tablecloths, cloth napkins and beautiful china and crystal. There is also a cozy lounge area in what would have been the wheelhouse. I am surprised by how good the Wi-Fi is.

There is always coffee, tea and hot chocolate available, and we can help ourselves to wine and beer on an honor system, paying the bill on the last day.

*Chef Peter offers seconds. Yes please. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Everyone agrees that the cuisine prepared by Chef Peter, who I would have to say is the most unpretentious gourmet chef I have ever encountered, is remarkable. He prepares dishes with scrumptuous flavor (but not overly so) and gorgeous presentation befitting a fine-dining restaurant, and then would come out with a platter to ask if anyone wanted seconds.

Each evening after dinner we are given an orientation to the next day’s program and then typically invited to join a walking tour of the village.

Each day, we set out after breakfast, having packed snacks and lunch, and are able to choose long or short routes, or we can bike on our own using the itinerary loaded on the RideGPS app. We divide into two groups – for long or short rides – each led by one of the guides with one of us volunteering as “sweep.”

Each afternoon, we typically have time to wander about the village (if we are not sailing to the next destination) and help ourselves to a snack, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, before dinner.

On a guided bike tour besides the benefit of a guide who may modify the route for the weather or point out significant sights, you have the camaraderie of the group. And for some reason, bike tour people tend to be the nicest, kindest, most open and interested in all that they experience

*The dining room/lounge on the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our group on this Islandhopping tour is particularly great, instantly melding into a community supporting each other. This is especially interesting because we come from various parts of Britain, Germany, Canada (French and English speaking, East and West), Denmark, and from the East, Midwest and West United States. The Germans, the Dane and the Quebecois all are kind enough to speak English when we are together. And instead of sticking to their own nationality, everyone mixes up at meals, with the couples taking in the three of us traveling solo (bike tours are ideal for solo travelers). In the evening, there would be raucus laughter as people play games and share stories (two couples discovering they shared their wedding anniversary and how they both met at a disco).

*Playing games in the evening on the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

More amazingly, I subsequently learn during an evening walking tour of Makkum, that a fellow traveler is descendent of the Trip family – one of the founding members of the Dutch East Indies Company (the first company to issue public stock) and munitions manufacturers that supplied the Dutch revolt against Spain, becoming one of Netherlands’ most powerful and fabulously wealthy families. He even has an actual coat of arms and portraits of his ancestors Jacob Trip (1576-1661) and his wife, Margaretha de Geer, painted by Rembrandt are in the National Gallery and Ryksmuseum. He is like the embodiment of the history that we see around us. He relates his family’s fascinating story as we sat in a historic pub with centuries old Delpht tiles of great sailing ships, emphasizing that the family fortune had long gone and his side of the Trip family emigrated to Canada.

Getting to the ship in Enkhuisen proves extremely easy from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (instead of arriving the day before as I usually do, I take a chance and just arrive the same day). From the airport, you walk to the train that takes you into the Central Station (every 15 minutes) then change at the Central Station for a train leaving every half hour for the hour-long trip to Enkhuisen. (Be sure you buy the ticket in advance online or at a ticket machine and “check in” on a pole before you get on the train, otherwise you can be charged an extra 50E for the 16E fare if the conductor has to issue the ticket; I know because I didn’t and the conductor was extremely nice in helping me buy the ticket onboard),

The harbor is right at the station, and the ship about a five-minute walk.

We are told to arrive on the ship by 2 pm and they mean it, because the ship sails this afternoon to Medemblik. Two couples are touch and go to make it on time.

And We’re Off!

*Sailing the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner on Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There is great excitement as we cast off and set sail to our first destination, Medemblik. It is exciting to see the landscape from the water, and when we pull into port, the sun is low enough to make gorgeous silhouettes of the historic windmill.

Because we are heading into the wind, we use the motor (biodiesel!) instead of raising the sails (Captain Age explains a ship of this size would take a mile each time it had to tack). I am extremely happy I remembered my warm jacket.

Each evening after dinner there is an orientation to the next day’s biking and touring, and then typically an 8 pm walking tour.

And so we are met with a two local guides who walk us about, explaining the history and significance of this place.

*The castle at Medemblik is one of 12 built by William but one of only two that remains © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We learn that William II came with army against farmers in 1256 and in 1289, Medemblik was made a city. William built the castle that is a prominent feature here that was less about keeping out invaders and more about keeping the citizenry inside. Most of the castle remains – one of only two castles that have survived from the 12 William built. Rembrandt’s famous “Night Watch” was kept here for protection during World War II.

Despite invading this land, William wound up being a popular ruler because he built the dykes that reduced flooding and produced better farm yields – turning the land into the shape of a bathtub – and built a court and prison.

*The charming architecture of Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Medemblik became an important trading city in the 1500-1600s during Netherlands’ Golden Age, with tall ships sailing to Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

But in 1932, when the dam was built, splitting the Zuiderzee into Lake Ijsselmeer, Medemblik lost most of its trade because the big sailing ships could not get in; the water turned from salt to fresh (they had to devise a system to allow for fish migration. (I wonder how the people reacted to entire economy being remade.)

Eight years ago, the city built a 250-meters high wind turbine, apparently the biggest in Europe (I gather the locals aren’t thrilled, especially since he says the electricity produced is used mainly by Google and Amazon).

*Following our guide through the charming alleys and streets of Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our guide shows us churches that changed from Catholic to Protestant after Holland’s independence from Catholic Spain, and the orphanage and the housing for widows the church community built.

The church dates from 1100 but was built to a grand scale in 1400; then in 1517, the city was invaded by the Frissons who burned the city down. The church was rebuilt but its steeple leans (like Piza). This church dates from 1570.

Churches were typically built on the highest points in town – which in this case is two meters below sea level – so if the city should flood, everyone would go there to seek shelter. In 1945, the Germans bombed the dykes, flooding the city.

In 1800, Napoleon conquered the Netherlands, which had been a republic (first in the world! our guide Anya tells me) and made his brother, Louis, the first King of The Netherlands.

Day 2: Medemblik (17 mi. or 24.8 mi. roundtrip) then sailing to Texel

*Biking passed the castle at Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

This is our first cycling day – each day we have a choice of a long and a short route and today we can choose 24.8 or 17 miles with a group and guide, or go on our own using the RideGPS app.

Medemblik proves to be so idyllically scenic with classic Dutch pastoral scenes. Our “rest stop” is at a farm, where the farmer has left out a serve-yourself coffee maker and provides a lovely bathroom. I note an interesting playground that is inhabited by goats (really anxious to get snacks from us) and chickens.

*Biking around Medemblik on Day 2 of Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We soon appreciate how water management has been a singular preoccupation of the Dutch for centuries and how they have become masters at it. This entire community is below sea level – built behind dykes – as if a bathtub. The quaint, centuries-old wooden windmills were part of that water management system and today there is even a separate government agency and tax devoted to water management.

*Biking around Medemblik, we appreciate the importance of water management © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We ride through the picturesque village of Twisk, a former peat mining town.

We finish the long ride about 2:15 pm, so I still have some time to wander about the charming village center before the ship sails at 4 pm for Texel (we will have dinner while we sail)..

*Going through a lock as we sail from Medemblik to Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sailing is picturesque and dramatic – we go by the dam that split the sea, through a lock, and sail into Texel as the sun is starting to drop behind its historic windmill, making for a stunning scene.

*Watching the sunset over Oudeschild on the island of Texel from the top deck of Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go out for a walk – you literally climb stairs to get over the dyke, then down stairs into the town of Oudeschild (below sealevel), then, a few steps beyond, to vast fields with sheep and back again to stroll along the dyke as the sun goes down.

More information: Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-1249.

Next: Boat BikeTours’ Islandhopping in Netherlands: The Treasure Found on The Texel Roads

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Adventure Travel, Ecotourism, Family Travel, Outdoors Adventures, Responsible Travel, Summer Vacations, Sustainable Travel

Trade a Ho-Hum Summer Vacation for an Epic Adventure

May 7, 2025 krubin723

CroisiEurope, a leading European river cruise company, is introducing family and multi-generational cruises with special programming and pricing. One itinerary starts and ends in Strasbourg © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Still looking to trade a ho-hum summer vacation for a memorable adventure? Here are some ideas:

“No Passport” Adventures: 2025 Travel Trend

“No-Passport Vacations” are hot this summer, with American travelers eager to explore incredible destinations right here in the United States. Recent reports show a surge in domestic travel, with 60% of people wanting to see more of their own country.

Here are 10 unforgettable “No-Passport” adventures, from backcountry biking to horseback riding and chasing the Northern Lights (but don’t forget your Real I.D.):

Backcountry Biking in Utah: The Aquarius Trail Hut System offers a backcountry mountain biking experience like no other in the region. A system of five huts furnished with beds, a bathroom, a fully stocked kitchen and solar power has been strategically placed along a 190-mile route through some of Utah’s most scenic backcountry and best mountain biking trails. https://aquariustrail.com/

American Road Trip 2.0: Nothing is more rejuvenating than jumping in your car and heading out on an American road trip, and AdventureGenie is the world’s first AI-powered, end-to-end system for planning one. It offers the most immersive, innovative and intelligent adventure travel planning tools available. Whether starting from a curated GenieTrip or creating a fully customized and personalized journey from your own ideas, AdventureGenie has you covered. https://adventuregenie.com/

Alaska Lodge Adventure: Discover the rugged beauty of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska on a guided five-day trip with Adventure Life that combines outdoor exploration with lodge-based comfort. Tour Kennicott Town and learn about its mining history, hike to a hidden lake or across a glacier, try ice climbing, fly into the backcountry for a day of wilderness exploration, and paddle a packraft through pristine waters. https://www.adventure-life.com/alaska/tours/18770/wrangell-st-elias-national-park-lodge-based-adventure

No passport needed: Escape Adventures is offering a family-friendly, five-day camping and mountain bike adventure in Grand Canyon National Park that includes riding singletrack to Monument Point, hiking into the canyon on backcountry trails, pedaling across the Kaibab Plateau and conquering the Rainbow Rim trail before descending to Indian Hollow.

North Rim of Grand Canyon: Providing gently rolling terrain of lung-expanding dimensions, the North Rim has been long-held as sacred ground to hikers and cyclists alike. Escape Adventures is offering a family-friendly, five-day camping and mountain bike adventure that includes riding singletrack to Monument Point, hiking into the canyon on backcountry trails, pedaling across the Kaibab Plateau and conquering the Rainbow Rim trail before descending to Indian Hollow. https://escapeadventures.com/tour/grand-canyon-north-rim-mountain-bike-tour/

Yellowstone Fly Fishing: Take an expertly guided float down the Yellowstone River on one of Flying Pig Adventures’ custom rafts while you enjoy the spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife and world-class fly fishing. Just outside Yellowstone National Park, the upper stretches of the river are lightly fished, but hold large numbers of native cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout. Private access to the river allows guides to take guests where the fish are without fighting the crowds. https://www.flyingpigrafting.com/yellowstone-fly-fishing

Wine Country Weekend: North of San Francisco, the winding Russian River meets the dramatic Pacific coastline, shaping if not sheltering a world all its own. Escape Adventures offers an idyllic three-day road biking tour in this romantic landscape, quilted with a colorful patchwork of old growth redwoods, fruitful vineyards, historic towns and beautiful gardens. https://escapeadventures.com/tour/napa-valley-weekend-road-bike-tour/

Cowboy Up in Montana: Settle in at the Circle Bar Ranch in central Montana for horseback riding and other classic dude ranch adventures. On the ranch’s 520 acres and nearby national forest land, ride a trusty steed through open prairies, across the Judith River or up a ridge for a breakfast cookout, go hiking, try fly fishing, sport shooting or archery, or tour a Yogo sapphire mine by UTV. At the end of the day, enjoy traditional ranch recipes and locally inspired dishes, and cozy accommodations in a historic cabin, the lodge or Ranch House. https://www.circlebarranch.com/

Jackson Hole Tiny House: Fireside Jackson Hole redefines the traditional vacation with its collection of sustainably built, LEED-certified luxury cabins. Experience the intimacy of a boutique hotel and ambiance of a private residence, set within the atmosphere of a wooded campground – all moments away from the majesty of Grand Teton National Park. https://www.firesidejacksonhole.com

Alaska Northern Lights: On Gondwana Ecotours’ Alaska Northern Lights Adventure, guests will get a dose of local culture by day and photograph the Aurora Borealis at night. Highlights of the tour include dogsledding through snowy forests, taking curling lessons from locals, enjoying a meal with homesteaders, soaking in a geothermal hot spring, learning how to photograph the Aurora Borealis, snowshoeing on private land, having tea with a family of reindeer herders and more. https://www.gondwanaecotours.com/adventure-tours/northern-lights-tour-fairbanks-alaska/

*Rafting on the Gallatin River, Big Sky, Montana © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Big Sky Summer: In Big Sky, Montana, The Wilson Hotel serves as a basecamp for summer adventures on the edge of Yellowstone National Park. Hike through shaded forests and wildflower-filled meadows, raft or fly fish the clear waters of the Gallatin River, experience the adrenaline rush of lift-served mountain biking, and explore the natural wonders and wildlife of the park. Afterward, enjoy Montana fare at the upscale yet casual Block 3 Kitchen & Bar on site or burgers, sandwiches and entertainment at Tips Up. https://thewilsonhotel.com/

L.L. Bean’s Maine Guided Adventures

*L.L. Bean’s Maine Coastal Inn Kayaking Trip is an island-hopping kayak adventure in Casco Bay, complete with a memorable stay in an historic seaside inn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The famed adventure retailer now offers inclusive multi-day guided outdoor adventures in Maine. Among them:

Maine Island Lighthouse Birding Trip: Discover a birder’s paradise on a small Maine island, where you’ll rack up sightings during peak migration and spend three cozy nights in a renovated light keeper’s house.

Maine Coastal Inn Kayak ing Trip: Experience the classic coastal Maine combo: an island-hopping kayak adventure in Casco Bay, complete with a memorable stay in an historic seaside inn.

Allagash River Canoe Trip: Paddle through history on this iconic Maine canoe trail, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that leads you through the unspoiled nature of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Maine Island Kayak Camping Trip; Spend your days touring picturesque islands, your nights camping under the stars, and every moment enjoying the unmatched beauty of the Maine coast.

Visit https://www.llbeanoutdoors.com/overnight-trips

Backroads Travel: Summer in Europe—There’s Still Time!

Backroads Travel has a special site dedicated to last minute trips taking off in the next two months. When we checked, there were 24 on the list including:

Denmark Islands Bike Tour of charming harbors, medieval villages and fairy tale castles.

Scotland & England Bike Tour, Edinburgh to the Yorkshire Dales

A new multi-adventure to Bavaria, Tyrolean Alps and the Dolomites Tour, featuring ”peak experiences” in Germany, Austria and Italy

A Basque Country Multi-Adventure Tour, Bibao to San Sebastian and Biarritz

Cinque Terre & Tuscany Walking & Hiking Tour, featuring coastal Italy’s seaside charm and Tuscan villages.

Italian & Swiss Alps Walking & Hiking Tour, Monte Rosa to the Matterhorn and Zermatt.

See more at https://www.backroads.com/award-winning-tours/last-minute-trips

CroisiEurope Focuses on Families for Summer River Cruises at Special Rates

*CroisiEurope’s Elbe Princess, docked in Berlin © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As an independent, family-owned company, CroisiEurope, one of the leading river cruise companies in Europe, has accepted the challenge of planning a holiday that delights every generation. Children crave excitement and adventure, while parents and grandparents seek culture, fine dining, and relaxation. Affordability is also a key issue. The company has designed a series of CroisiFamily and Multi-Generational Cruises to bring families together on unforgettable journeys along the water, with an ideal balance of fun, discovery, and relaxation, and a value proposition.

The CroisiFamily deals include a free or discounted cruise for children up to 16, waived solo supplement, adjacent cabins for family members, adapted menus, the Multi-Generational Offer comes with a 20% discount for 2^nd generation and free cruise for the 3^rd generation up to 16 years old.

Among the family cruise offerings:

Rhine in the heart of the Black Forest (5 nights: Strasbourg, Rudesheim, Koblenz, Mainz, Rastatt, Strasbourg, featuring a day excursion at Europa-Park, the “world’s best theme park: for the 8th consecutive year, or at Rulantica, a Scandinavian-style water park.

Portugal to Spain: the Douro Valley and Salamanca (7 nights: Porto, Regua, Vega de Terron, Salamanca, Barca d’Alva, Ferradosa, Pinhão, Porto)Andalusia: tradition, gastronomy and flamenco (7 nights: Sevilla, Córdoba, Cadiz, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Isla Minima, Granada, Sevilla)

The Adriatic’s Treasures for the whole Family: Croatia & Montenegro (7 nights: Dubrovnik, Mljet, Korcula, Sibenick, Trogir, Split, Hvar, Vis, Kotor, Dubrovnik)

See more: https://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/destination/family-cruises, 800 768 7232.

*Dresden, Germany. CroisiEurope is offering a discounted rate or no-solo supplement on its six-night Prague, Dresden and the Castles of Bohemia river ruise © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

CroisiEurope has just come out with a list of summer cruises it is offering at 20 to 40% off the fare, or no supplement for solo cruisers. These include:

Coastal Cruises: Croatia & Montenegro, 7-nights; Splendors of the Northern Adriatic Sea, 7 nights;

Southern Europe: Timeless Venice, 5 nights; Andalusia: Tradition, Gastronomy & Flamenco, 7-nights;

France: From Lyon to the tip of Provence, 6 nights; All the must-see sites on the Rhone between Lyon, Provence, and Camargue, 6 nights; Cruise through the Aquitaine Region from Bordeaux to Ryan, 6 nights;

Northern and Central Europe: Best of the Netherlands, 5 nights; Prague, Dresden and the Castles of Bohemia, 6 nights; The Beautiful Blue Danube, 7 nights; Discover the greatest cities along the Danube, 5 nights;

Contact your travel agent or call 800 768 7232, email: info-us@croisieurope.com, www.croisieuroperivercruises.com.

Global Family Travels

Mission-driven experiential travel company, Global Family Travels, is dedicated to providing authentic community-based Learn, Serve and Immerse travel experiences as means to foster cross-cultural understanding, destination stewardship and better global citizens.

“In partnership with community organizations and nonprofits, we apply regenerative tourism principles to develop community-based travel experiences which address environmental and societal challenges in the destinations we work in,” says founder Jennifer Spatz. “Our ultimate vision is to unite humanity and nature, and inspire travelers to take responsibility for the challenges and opportunities facing our increasingly inter-connected planet” – a very innovative idea when the company launched 15 years ago.

“Long before ‘regenerative travel’ was in vocabulary, we put the destination’s needs at the heart of the tourism experience – what locals concerned about.” She designs itineraries around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and partners with nonprofits, community based organizations.

“Responsible, respective travel means more authentic engagement and collaboration with local communities,” she said. “We do due diligence to choose carefully which NGOs [non-governmental organizations] to support.”

Family & Custom Travel Experiences: Purpose-driven trips rooted to Learn, Serve & Immerse, tailored for families (in most cases, itineraries accommodate children as young as 8) and private groups, designed to foster cultural understanding and global citizenship. These immersive journeys often include community engagement, hands-on service learning, and meaningful community interactions.

*Global Family Travels’ “farm stay and play” trip in Ecuador (photo: Global Family Travels)*

I am eyeing Global Family Travels’ family-friendly trips to Costa Rica. “Few destinations offer the fascinating abundance of this coastal country, both from a family friendly and an eco-tourism perspective. Costa Rica hosts more than 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity even though its landmass only takes up .03% of the Earth’s surface. The entire country is smaller than Lake Michigan. Meaning, it’s a place where travelers can easily see and experience a great deal during a visit.” The trips are tailored to offer a mix of cultural activities and participation in local service projects aimed at helping local conservation initiatives and improving the lives of people in the communities visited. (https://www.globalfamilytravels.com/post/costa-rica-conservation-learning-family-adventures)

Other popular programs:

Panama: participate in sea turtle conservation, cultural activities, marine ecosystems, and community based solutions

Peru: learning from Quechua elders and farmers, focus on traditional agriculture, environmental stewardship.

Educational Student Travel Programs: Transformative learning journeys for schools, universities, and youth groups that integrate academic themes with real-world experiences—ranging from climate action and biodiversity to cultural heritage and social justice.

Another category, geared more to adults is Wellness & Retreat Travel: Mindful retreats that combine yoga, healing practices, and connection to nature, designed to nurture personal growth and spiritual renewal. Popular destinations include Ladakh, Peru, and the Pacific Northwest.

In addition to scheduled programs, Global Family Travels offer:
Family GAP Year and Extended Travel Planning – planning an extended journey filled with cultural immersion experiences.

Travel Advisor Services: custom trip planning for families, multi-generational travel, individual adventurers, or spiritual seekers.

Destinations run A-Z, from: Africa, Bali, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Chile, China,Costa Rica,Cuba,Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Ladakh, Mexico, Rwanda, Scotland, Thailand,Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

Global Family Travels.com, 425-371-7143, info@globalfamilytravels.com, globalfamilytravels.com

Join an Earthwatch Expedition to Assist Climate Researchers

Earthwatch is another company that offers programs that turn a summer vacation into a meaningful, impactful experience. It is one of the first companies that enables “citizen scientists” to join actual climate and environmental protection and conservation research projects.

“Since its founding in 1971, Earthwatch has been taking action to address global change through a time-tested model of citizen science and community engagement. By pairing volunteers from all sectors of society with researchers around the world, Earthwatch teams have helped to safeguard critical habitats, conserve biodiversity, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources.”

Earthwatch is working in nearly 30 countries and currently supporting more than 40 research projects globally

Named a top Sustainable Travel Tourism Organization, find the various expeditions you can join at https://earthwatch.org/expeditions/browse.

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adVANturing, Camping/Glamping/RVs, Camping/Hiking/Outdoors, Family Travel, Nature, Wildlife, Outdoors Adventures, See America, Summer Vacations

Where to Find The Best Camping Resorts

April 21, 2025 krubin723

Personal favorite: Herkimer Diamond Mines KOA in upstate New York near the Erie Canalway (marking 200th anniversary this year), has themed cabins like mine, with its own dinosaur dig and one with an actual planetarium, as well as the opportunity to mine for “diamonds” (quartz crystals). A family enjoys a campfire after a day of activity that may well include a cruise on the Erie Canal. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Camping in all its forms – tenting, glamping, RVing, advanturing – will be extremely popular this year and campground operators across North America are preparing. Here is where to find some of the best camping resorts in North America:

Campspot Awards Showcase North America’s Best Camping Destinations for 2025

Campspot, a leading North America campground booking platform, announced the winners of its 2025 Campspot Awards, recognizing its top campgrounds across the United States and Canada.

Among the 2025 winners are several standout parks:

#1 Top Campground in the U.S.: Verde Ranch RV Resort, Camp Verde, AZ offers striking red rock landscapes and easy access to nearby trails and the Verde River.

#1 Top Campground in Canada: Tsawaak RV Resort, Tofino, BC: Set amongst the beaches, rainforest and islands off the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, Tsawaak is a premier coastal destination with activities such as whale watching, beachcombing, and kayaking.

*Tsawaak RV Resort in Tofino, BC won Campspot’s award as Canada’s #1 campground (photo: Campspot).*

#1 Top Glamping Campground: Broad River Campground, Mooresboro, NC combines glamping accommodations with lush forest views and scenic outdoor exploration nestled in North Carolina’s Foothills region.

#1 Top Unique Campground: True West Campground Stables and Mercantile, Jamestown, TN: Campers can step back in time with horse trails and boarding, a western mercantile, and old-time charm designed to make you feel like you’re part of a western frontier town.

#1 Top Hidden Gem: The Cove Pub Campground, Inverness, FL: A true hidden gem, this Florida campground offers a relaxing retreat nestled among towering trees, with pub-style dining and peaceful waterside camping for an ‘old Florida’ getaway.

Campspot awarded Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort; Golden Valley in Bostic, NC #1 for Families (Photo: Jellystone Park Camp-Resort)

#1 Top for Families: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort: Golden Valley, Bostic, NC: Spanning over 600 acres, this family-friendly park offers an exciting range of amenities, including water slides, laser tag, and mini golf, themed events and fun activities.

Other categories of the 2025 Campspot Awards include Top RV Campgrounds, Top Tent Campgrounds, Top Campgrounds for a Quiet Getaway, Top Small Campgrounds, Top Mid-Size Campgrounds, and Top Large Campgrounds, each offering something different to cater to the diverse tastes of today’s campers.

For more information about the 2025 Campspot Awards and a complete list of winners, visit https://www.campspot.com/awards.

20 Adventures at Spacious Skies Campgrounds

Spacious Skies Campgrounds, a fast-growing owner and operator of RV campgrounds with RV, tent, cabin and glamping sites across 15 locations from Maine to Georgia, offers its list of 20 different experiences and where to find them:

1 – Witness spring wildflower blooms. Traveling from South to North, flower-lovers can experience bold color and wide-ranging varieties of wildflowers in each campground region along the Spacious Skies Campgrounds Spring Bloom Trail. The trail begins at Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. in March, where campers are likely to see Azaleas, Camelias and Dogwoods. The trail ends at Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in north central Maine, where guests can spot Blue Violets, Trout Lily and Painted Trillium well into the summer months.

*The statue commemorating Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, 250 years ago, on Boston’s Freedom Trail. Camping can combine nature with urban experiences (photo by Geri Bain).*

2 – Stay rural, play urban. Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. and Spacious Skies Minute Man near Boston are especially appealing to travelers who want to explore the attractions of a big city by day and sit around a campfire beneath dark skies by night. Minute Man is a short drive from downtown Boston and its history-focused attractions like The Freedom Trail, Boston Harbor Cruises and museums. With Savannah Oaks as home base, campers can easily access attractions such as Tybee Island and Georgia Coastal Colonial Gardens, and hop on the Old Town Trolley from the campground to visit Historic Savannah. (Tickets should be purchased directly through Old Town Trolley Tour.)

3 – Dark Skies Gazing: While all of Spacious Skies campgrounds keep exterior lighting to a minimum so campers can enjoy dark night skies, two of the best places for serious stargazing are Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in central Maine and Spacious Skies French Pond, which has RV sites situated around the pristine water of French Pond (campers can sometimes see stars reflected in the water). Also, each month, the campgrounds stage sky-themed events like May’s “Galactic Guardians.”

*One of the best places for serious stargazing is Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in central Maine (photo: Spacious Skies Campgrounds)*

4 – Hike to a fishing hole: Spacious Skies campgrounds that feature stocked on-site fishing ponds include Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn.; Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.; Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.; Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H; Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C., Sandy Run in Fayetteville, N.C..; Woodland Hills in Austerlitz, N.Y.; and French Pond in Henniker, N.H.

5 – Glamp in a retro trailer. Glampers can stay in adorable retro-style trailers at Spacious Skies Walnut Grove in Alfred, Maine and Spacious Skies Woodland Hills in Austerlitz, N.Y. The trailers have modern amenities and a striking retro vibe, so guests may feel like they’re in a mid-century time warp – but with Wi-Fi.

6 – Play pickleball in several locations including Spacious Skies Country Oaks in Dorothy, N.J., Spacious Skies Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H., Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C. and Spacious Skies Woodland Hills in Austerlitz, N.Y.

7 – Paddle with your pals. Several campgrounds feature boat launches and rent kayaks and other paddle craft for paddling on ponds and streams that run through and around the campgrounds. These include Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H., French Pond in Henniker, N.H and Woodland Hills in Austerlitz, N.Y. At Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga., guests can paddle the Ogeechee River.

8 – Seek out quirky local festivals and events. Many communities near Spacious Skies campgrounds stage fun and often quirky festivals throughout the year. For example, near Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in Abbot, Maine, travelers can whoop it up at the annual Whoopie Pie Festival in June. At Spacious Skies Country Oaks in Dorothy, N.J, there’s the annual Doo Dah Parade, featuring string bands, marching bands, floats and pageant winners. The event benefits the local Basset Hound Rescue, and the highlight of the day is the enthusiastic – and noisy – participation of 300 basset hounds.

9 – Let loose the hounds. All Spacious Skies Campgrounds welcome four-legged family members and most feature dog parks – called Cosmic Canine Commons – and pet-friendly cabins and glamping accommodations.

10 – Sample local brew. Several campgrounds are close to local breweries such as Paradox Brewery near Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks in North Hudson, N.Y.; and Tuckahoe Brewing Company near Spacious Skies Country Oaks in Dorothy, N.J.

11 – Take a daytime road trip. From Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views in Luray. Va., witness stunning vistas along Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains and explore the themed Cultural Heritage Trails.

*A stay in the Shenandoah National Park is an excellent opportunity to explore Luray Caverns © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

12 – Power through Maine forestland on an ATV. There are more than 1,000 miles of trails just a short distance from Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in Central Maine. The campground offers easy access to the trails with campsite-to-trail ATV parking, an ATV wash station and onsite gas pump.

13 – Mine for not-so-rare gems. Most campgrounds in the collection have gem-mining stations.

14 – Give parks some love. Most Spacious Skies Campgrounds are near local, state or national parks. Campers at Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C. can experience panoramic views from the top of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain peak in the Appalachian Mountains. Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views in Luray, Va. is right in the backyard of Shenandoah National Park, with more than 200,000 acres of wildlife-rich forestland dotted with waterfalls and hiking trails.

15 – Fall in love with waterfalls. Near Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn., guests can hike an on-site trail to Bridal Falls as well as explore four massive waterfalls in nearby Burgess Falls State Park, including one that plunges more than 130 feet into a gorge. The spectacular Blue Ridge Falls is located near Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks in North Hudson, N.Y., and Linville Falls, the most-photographed waterfall in North Carolina, is located near Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.

16 – Play a round. Miniature golf courses are available onsite at Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.; Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks in North Hudson, N.Y. Campers can also find full-size golf courses near campgrounds, among them: Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. is near the Cumberland Cove Golf Course, and Spacious Skies Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H. is near the Shattuck Golf Course.

17 – Go for a slide. Located in Marion, N.C. just a few miles from Asheville, Spacious Skies Hidden Creek offers a Jr. Olympic pool and giant water slide. Campers can splash down the huge water slide at Spacious Skies Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H.

18 – Dive deep into local history. Most campgrounds are close to historic attractions. For example, campers at Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. can explore sites along the Civil War Trail. Fort Frederica National Monument is near Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga.; Fort Ticonderoga is near Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks in North Hudson, N.Y. and the Averasboro Civil War Battlefield is near Spacious Skies Sandy Run in Fayetteville, N.C.

19 – Follow fall color. The Spacious Skies Campgrounds Fall Color Trail connects the campgrounds as fall progresses from the northernmost campground in Maine to the southernmost campground in Georgia. With leaves beginning to turn at Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in north central Maine in early September and the last remnants of fall color viewable at Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. in early November, fall color fans can enjoy the season for two full months while traveling just under 2,500 miles.

20 – Give winter camping a try. Winter-season camping is an increasingly popular adventure, drawing campers seeking solitude, dark skies and uncrowded attractions as well as access to winter- season outdoor adventures, such as Pats Peak Ski Area near Spacious Skies French Pond in Henniker, N.H. All nine campgrounds open during the winter offer reduced rates throughout the season.

For more information, visit www.spaciousskiescampgrounds.com.

Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts Expand Across North America, Add Attractions

Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts continues to expand across the U.S. and Canada, offering families both new locations as well as more attractions and more ways to stay at existing locations.

Several new Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts have come online in recent years while existing locations have continued to add more and more attractions like water slides, multilevel splashgrounds, floating obstacle courses, snowless tubing, and mini golf, Hershenson said.

With more than 75 franchised locations, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts operates in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences. This year, new Jellystone Park locations are opening in the following locations:

Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada: Maritime Fun Group, which owns and operates leading family amusement parks and attractions in New Brunswick and on Prince Edward Island, is reopening its Cavendish campground, formerly known as Cavendish KOA Holiday, as a Jellystone Park location. Attractions at the new Jellystone Park location will include a swimming pool, jumping pillow and petting zoo as well as RC track where guests can race their own remote-controlled cars and trucks or rent ones on-site. The park also has walking and biking trails and a large playground.

Cavendish KOA Holiday, on Prince Edward Island, Canada, has been reopened as a Jellystone Park location. Attractions at the new Jellystone Park location will include a swimming pool, jumping pillow and petting zoo as well as RC track where guests can race their own remote-controlled cars and trucks or rent ones on-site. (photo from Cavendish Jellystone Park

Lake Charles, Louisiana: Four Points RV Resorts recently acquired LeBleu Lakes RV Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and will convert it to a Jellystone Park Camp-Resort after completing several major improvements. Attractions at the new location will include a swimming pool, water slides, splashground, jumping pillows, and floating obstacle course. The park expects to open May 21 with 200 campsites and will eventually grow to more than 350 sites.

Watts Bar Lake, Tennessee: This Jellystone Park location just south of Knoxville opened in February and this summer will offer two pools, a large splashground with water slides and an outdoor movie theater. Families will also able to meet the Yogi Bear characters, take wagon rides, play laser tag, and experience gem mining. Luxury glamping cabins and premium RV sites are set among the hills and woods overlooking the lake.

Last year, two other campgrounds joined the Jellystone Park:

Cochran, Georgia: Less than an hour south of Macon, this picturesque Jellystone Park location is set among tall trees and boasts a lake and pool, comfortable cabins, and shaded RV sites. Family activities, interactions with the Yogi Bear characters, hiking trails, Wi-Fi and a dog park make for fun family vacations in a relaxing outdoor environment.

Zion, Utah: The state’s first Jellystone Park location features a huge water zone with two pools, multiple water slides, a lazy river, a splashground, and hot tubs. Luxury cabins, spacious RV sites, and a full schedule of activities make the Camp-Resort near Sand Hollow State Park and Zion National Park a new family favorite.

Meanwhile, existing Jellystone Park locations continue to add new attractions, RV sites, and cabin accommodations, including:

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin is adding a “Downpour Derby” to its water playground with competition bucket dumping. Tiny Timbers, the park’s first tiny home, will be available in the spring with sweeping views of Mirror Lake. Virtual tours of every campsite, rental unit and public areas will be available by mid-summer. The park also plans to replace its shuffleboard courts with pickleball.

Caledonia, Wisconsin is adding two more top-of-the-line cabin which sleep up to eight and feature a large screened porch with a fireplace, TV and lofted deck.

Estes Park, Colorado is adding nine cabins for the 2025 camping season.

*Estes Park, Colorado Jellystone Park Camp-Resort offers easy access to enjoy Rocky Mountain National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Bremen, Georgia is completing a major expansion that includes 200 new RV sites, 71 cabins and 10 covered wagons and adding new water attractions including a new swimming pool, water slides, splashground, a large lake with boats and other water features and converting its existing store into an activity center.

Madison, Maine will offer gellyball complete with blasters and an obstacle course.

Milton, New Hampshire is opening a water playground with splashground and water slides this year.

Mansfield, Pennsylvania is adding a Water Wars game.

Mill Run, Pennsylvania is converting its old miniature golf course into an RC track.

Bath, New York is opening a mega water slide and making more motel rooms available.

Jamestown, New York has replaced its swimming pool with a new heated swimming pool.

Tabor City, North Carolina is adding a multi-sport facility this year that includes pickleball, basketball, and volleyball courts.

For more information, visit www.jellystonepark.com.

Don’t Just Adventure, AdVANture in a Campervan

*The fully equipped Moterra campervan gives incredible freedom and flexibility and is pet and baby friendly for your adVANture. © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Don’t just go for an adventure, try adVANturing in a fully-equipped campervan which, give you the freedom and flexibility of camping virtually anywhere parking is allowed.

Moterra campervans are fully-equipped with full kitchen (stove, sink and fridge), porta-potty toilet, thermostat heater and solar-powered electric system and water supply which give you the flexibility of camping virtually anywhere, even “wild camping.”

You can also take advantage of their concierge service and pre-planned itineraries, which are all-inclusive packages with a day-by-day personalized itinerary, pre-booked campgrounds, organized activities, and a dedicated Trip Expert (especially helpful if your trip includes national parks, many of which now require reservations and are strict about not allowing wild camping) and 24-hour helpline if you encounter any difficulty. Moterra also allows for one-way rentals and are pet and baby friendly.

The Mercedes campervans are available in three custom Sprinter diesel models: Pop-Top Classic sleeps 4 and seats 5; Pop-Top Plus sleeps 4 and seats 8; High Roof sleeps 2 and seats 6, and affords the luxury of an indoor shower. The 4-wheel-drive campervans are 19 feet in length, making them both easy to maneuver and off-road capable.

Moterra’s has conveniently located warehouses near airports in Jackson Hole, Wyo, Whitefish, MT, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and a new hub in Portland, Maine, for adventures in Northern New England and Eastern Canada.

Moterra Camper Vans, 2950 West Big Trail Drive, Jackson, Wyoming, 307-200-7220, info@gomoterra.com, gomoterra.com.

AD-VAN-TURING, NEWEST TRAVEL TREND

BABY’S FIRST WILD CAMPING ADVANTURE!

Diamond Mining, Robotics, Erie Canal Cruises Top List of Special Experiences at Herkimer KOA Camping Resort

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Adventure Travel, Camping/Hiking/Outdoors, National Parks, Nature, Wildlife, Outdoors Adventures, See America, Star Gazing, US Destinations

Camping Adds Special Dimension to National Parks Experience

April 20, 2025 krubin723 1 Comment

*Sunrise in Devil’s Garden, Arches National Park, an experience made possible by camping in the park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

National Parks Week, this year April 19-27, is a great time to start planning for a camping holiday in national parks, especially since because of understandable popularity, you need to make reservations early. Camping within or near the parks enhances the experience immeasurably, adding an unparalleled dimension.

Pro Tip: You can purchase a 2025 America the Beautiful–the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass providing access to over 2,000 federal recreation sites, including national parks, wildlife refuges and forests, for $80 from the USGS store (https://store.usgs.gov/) and from LL Bean (https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/1000010294). At sites that charge per vehicle, a pass covers the pass holder and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. At sites that charge per person, a pass covers the pass holder and three accompanying adults (16 or over; children 15 and under are free).

Seniors can purchase a lifetime version, the America The Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Lands Senior Lifetime Pass, for a one-time charge of $80 (plus $10 fee), from https://store.usgs.gov/lifetime-senior-pass. At many sites the Senior Pass provides a discount on Expanded Amenity Fees (such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and guided tours).

Campspot’s 15 Top Trending Parks for Campers

To celebrate National Park Week (April 19–27, 2025)—with free park entry on April 19—Campspot, a leading booking platform for private campgrounds, dug into traveler data to reveal the Top 15 Most-Searched National Parks for 2025, based on check-in dates throughout the year.

With economic uncertainty still shaping how Americans travel in 2025, more adventurers are seeking out experiences that feel meaningful—but still affordable. Camping near national parks continues to rise in popularity as travelers seek fresh air, epic views, and budget-friendly alternatives to traditional vacations.

Whether you’re planning a last-minute getaway or your big summer adventure, here’s where travelers are headed—along with where to camp nearby:

Trending National Parks to Visit in 2025

*Hiking the John Muir Trail in Yosemite National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

1. Yosemite National Park: With its granite giants, towering waterfalls, and legendary trails, Yosemite National Park in California is the definition of iconic. Whether you’re chasing views from Glacier Point or strolling through Yosemite Valley, this park is a stunner in every season. Book early—it’s a favorite for a reason. Where to camp:

Indian Flat RV Park

Golden Pines RV Resort

See More Campgrounds Near Yosemite National Park

*The dazzling – even surreal – natural features of Yellowstone National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

2. Yellowstone National Park: The first national park in the world is still one of the most awe-inspiring. Spanning across Wyoming with portions in Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone and its bubbling geysers, colorful hot springs, and vast wildlife sightings (bison! bears! elk!) make every visit feel like a real-life safari. Add in stunning canyons and wide-open meadows, and you’ve got a wild, wonderful trip waiting. Where to camp:

Yellowstone Hot Springs

Henry’s Fork RV Park

Sugar City RV Park

See More Campgrounds Near Yellowstone National Park

3. Glacier National Park: Alpine lakes, snow-capped peaks, and over 700 miles of trails? Glacier National Park in Montana is high on drama—in the best way. Hop on the Going-to-the-Sun Road for an unforgettable drive, or hike to hidden lakes for pure solitude. Summer is prime time, but shoulder seasons offer quieter beauty with fewer crowds. Where to camp:

Columbia Falls RV Park

Glacier Peaks RV Park

Whitefish RV Park

See More Campgrounds Near Glacier National Park

*Grand Teton National Park, with its craggy peaks and serene lakes © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

4. Grand Teton National Park: Craggy peaks, serene lakes, and a skyline so sharp it cuts through the clouds—Grand Teton National Park is Wyoming’s quieter showstopper. Kayak on Jenny Lake, catch a sunrise over the Snake River, or just enjoy the view with a picnic. Bonus: you’re close enough to Yellowstone to hit both in one trip. Where to camp:

Sugar City RV Park

Idaho Sky RV Resort

Henry’s Fork RV Park

See More Campgrounds Near Grand Teton National Park

5. Sequoia National Park: Come for the massive trees, stay for the peaceful forest vibes. Sequoia National Park in California is home to General Sherman (the largest tree on Earth) and hundreds of other giants that make you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale. It’s also great for stargazing, scenic drives, and uncrowded trails. Where to camp:

Kings River RV Resort

Creekside RV Park

Kern River Sequoia RV Resort

See More Campgrounds Near Sequoia National Park

6. Acadia National Park in Maine brings serious charm where the mountains meet the sea. Hike Cadillac Mountain for one of the first sunrises in the U.S., bike the historic carriage roads, or explore tidepools along the rugged shoreline. Fall colors here are unreal. Where to camp:

Boothbay Craft Brewery

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort: Androscoggin Lake

See More Campgrounds Near Acadia National Park

*Bike the scenic carriage trails in Acadia National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

7. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: This trending national park’s misty peaks and rolling hills are home to wildflowers, waterfalls, and a crazy amount of biodiversity. With no entrance fee, it’s America’s most-visited park. Where to camp:

Cove Creek RV Resorts

Mountaineer Campground

Pigeon Forge RV Resort

Gateway RV Campground

Creekside RV Park

Camp Riverslanding

See More Campgrounds Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

8. Rocky Mountain National Park: Reach new heights—literally. With elevations over 12,000 feet, this trending national park in Colorado is a hiker’s heaven. Think alpine tundra, glacier-fed lakes, and elk sightings around every corner. Trail Ridge Road offers stunning panoramic views, especially at sunset. Where to camp:

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort: Estes Park

Poudre River Resort

Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountains

Base Camp at Golden Canyon

See More Campgrounds Near Rocky Mountain National Park

*Scooping a scenic view in Rocky Mountain National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

9. Hot Springs National Park: Blending history with hot water, this top national park in Arkansas is as quirky as it is relaxing. Stroll the historic Bathhouse Row or hike forested trails before soaking in the therapeutic springs. It’s like stepping into a vintage spa town with a dash of outdoor adventure. Where to camp:

Hot Rod Hill RV Park

Hot Springs Off-Road Park

See More Campgrounds Near Hot Springs National Park

10. Arches National Park: Otherworldly red rock formations and over 2,000 natural arches make this a can’t-miss stop in Utah’s canyon country. Sunrise and sunset bring the landscape to life with shifting colors, and even short hikes lead to jaw-dropping payoffs. Bring water—it’s hot, dry, and totally worth it. You also need to purchase timed-entry reservations during peak season. Where to camp:

Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway

Sun Outdoors North Moab

Sun Outdoors Canyonlands Gateway

Sun Outdoors Moab Downtown

Up the Creek Campground

See More Campgrounds Near Arches National Park

*The famous Double Arch in Arches National Park – see how far up you can climb © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

11. Joshua Tree National Park: Where two deserts collide, weird and wonderful things grow. Sitting between the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert, Joshua Tree National Park in California sports signature trees, giant boulders, and cosmic night skies, making it a magnet for artists, stargazers, and climbers alike. Sunrise hikes and campfire nights here are something special. Where to camp:

Joshua Tree RV Campground

Desert Drifter RV Resort

The Sands RV & Golf Resort (55+)

Coachella Lakes RV Resort

Indian Wells

See More Campgrounds Near Joshua Tree National Park

12. Zion National Park: Towering red cliffs, dramatic canyons, and trails like Angel’s Landing and The Narrows—Zion brings the wow at this trending national park in Utah. Ride the park shuttle for easy access, then lace up for adventures that range from family-friendly strolls to heart-pounding scrambles. Where to camp:

Kanab RV Corral

Kaibab Paiute RV Park and Campground

Hitch-N-Post RV Park

Cross Hollow RV Resort

Dark Sky RV Campground

See More Campgrounds Near Zion National Park

13. Indiana Dunes National Park: A lakefront surprise in the Midwest, Indiana Dunes offers sandy beaches, sweeping dunes, and lush inland trails. Great for swimming, birdwatching, or just a laid-back beach day near Chicago. Where to camp:

Oak Lake RV Resort

Tippecanoe River Run

See More Campgrounds Near Indiana Dunes National Park

14. Olympic National Park: Rainforests, mountain peaks, and the wild coastline of Washington—Olympic National Park’s diversity is unreal. You can hike a glacier one day and walk the beach the next. Don’t miss Hoh Rain Forest or Hurricane Ridge, and keep an eye out for elk, eagles, and tidepool treasures.

Where to camp:

Pedder Bay RV Resort & Marina

Sooke River Campground

The Campground at Jefferson County Fairgrounds

Cove RV Park

See More Campgrounds Near Olympic National Park

15. Everglades National Park: Welcome to the swamp (the good kind). The Everglades National Park in Florida is home to gators, manatees, and miles of slow-moving rivers and marshland. Explore by kayak or airboat and experience one of the most unique ecosystems in the U.S. Don’t forget the bug spray! Where to camp:

Key Largo Kampground

Sun Outdoors Key Largo

Sun Outdoors Islamorada

See More Campgrounds Near Everglades National Park

KOA’s List of ’14 Must See National Parks’

Kampgrounds of America has published its own list of “14 Must-See National Parks” (no surprise with the overlap with Campsite’s trending parks) with the KOA campgrounds that are nearby, compiled by Matt Kirouac (https://koa.com/blog/must-see-national-parks/). Kirouac’s list includes:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Townsend / Great Smokies KOA Holiday
Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg KOA Holiday
Cherokee / Great Smokies KOA Holiday
Gatlinburg East / Smoky Mountain KOA Holiday

Yellowstone National Park

Livingston / Paradise Valley KOA Holiday
Red Lodge KOA Journey
Cody KOA Holiday
Dubois / White River KOA Holiday
Yellowstone Park / Mountainside KOA Journey
Yellowstone Park / West Gate KOA

Badlands National Park (Badlands / White River KOA Holiday)

Badlands, South Dakota © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Saguaro National Park (Tucson / Lazydays KOA Resort)

Hot Springs National Park (Hot Springs National Park KOA Holiday)

Haleakalā National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (Carlsbad KOA Holiday)

Crater Lake National Park (Lemolo Lark / Crater Lake North KOA Holiday)

Death Valley National Park (Lake Isabella / Kern River KOA)

*Hiking the famous Mesquite sand dunes at sunset in Death Valley National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Glacier National Park

West Glacier KOA Resort
Whitefish / Kalispell North KOA Holiday
St. Mary / East Glacier KOA Holiday

Zion National Park (St. George / Hurricane KOA Journey)

Rocky Mountain National Park

Estes Park / Rocky Mountain Park KOA Holiday
Grand Lake / Rocky Mountain National Park KOA Journey

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon / Williams KOA Journey
Williams / Exit 167 / Circle Pines KOA Holiday

Joshua Tree National Park (Palm Springs / Joshua Tree KOA)

“Camping is a high-value travel experience, offering opportunities to disconnect and spend time with friends and family in nature,” says Kampground of America. “The majority of the campgrounds in our system have cabins onsite that are an easy entry point for travelers seeking to benefit from time spent outdoors while enjoying creature comforts. We know that most campers are travelling less than 200 miles to go camping, it is a high-value way to explore the national parks and local communities nearby and certainly lower expense than other forms of travel.

“Campers looking for an RV experience without the commitment of purchasing one can test it out (or even just embark on an epic adventure) through a peer-to-peer rental company like RVshare, RVezy or Outdoorsy among others. I believe that RVshare is offering a service in which campers can opt to have their RV set up on a campground for them to use, without worrying about setting it up themselves.”

Use the Find a KOA locator (https://koa.com/find-a-koa/). The koa.com website also has really helpful articles.

Camping Season Underway in New York State

*A short walk from our campsite in New York Watkins Glen State Park is this amazing scene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York State offers some of the most exciting camping experiences in the country – from the star-studded nights of the Adirondacks and the Catskills to the tranquil sunrise vistas along the shores of the St. Lawrence River. Its state parks like Watkins Glen (where, besides the spectacular scenery of the gorge there is also the tradition of auto racing), and Letchworth State Park (considered the Grand Canyon of the East), you have a variety from parking your RV, or renting a cozy cabin or cottage, to pitching a tent beneath the celestial canopy.

*Camping at New York’s Letchworth State Park affords unlimited opportunities to hike along the ridge of “the Grand Canyon of the East” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Discover private campgrounds, many of which can be conveniently booked through CampNewYork.com or explore the public campgrounds managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation. (Book NYS Park campsites at https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/)

NEW YORK’S WATKINS GLEN STATE PARK IS SPELLBINDING

Yosemite National Park: Best Valley Hikes for First Timers

Yosemite National Park: Surprising Diversity, Dramatic Scenes Hiking Chilnualna Falls Trail, Wawona

ROAD TRIP: DISCOVERING DEATH VALLEY’S TREASURES, RICHER THAN GOLD

ROAD TRIP: HITTING THE HIGHLIGHTS OF DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

ROAD TRIP: SUNRISE, SUNSET IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, NATURE’S GEOLOGIC ART GALLERY

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK IN TWO DAYS: DAY 1: ‘RANDOM BOILING EARTH’

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK IN TWO DAYS: MOTHER NATURE GETS SURREAL

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK: MOTHER NATURE IN HER PUREST FORM

UTAH ADVENTURE DAY 4-5: DRIVING BURR TRAIL, EXPLORING GLEN CANYON, WILD CAMPING IN ARCH CANYON

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us atfacebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Benefits of travel', Biking Tours, Outdoors Adventures, Sustainable Travel

Rails to Trails Conservancy Highlights Benefits on Celebrate Trails Day, April 26

April 15, 2025 krubin723

Biking the Great Allegheny Passage trail with Rails to Trails Conservancy. The trail is part of the Great American Rail-Trail that ultimately will create a transcontinental network of trails 3,700 miles from Washington DC to Washington state. Find a trail near you on Celebrate Trails Day, April 26. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Rails to Trails Conservancy is hosting its Celebrate Trails Day on April 26. This annual spring celebration of America’s trails, which Rails to Trails has organized since 2013 on the fourth Saturday of April, invites one and all to “come outside to experience the joy and impact of America’s trails”.

Every Celebrate Trails Day, RTC teams up with partners—trail groups, agencies, nonprofits, businesses, brands, clubs and every other type of organization in between—to offer scores of events and activities that encourage physical activity, stewardship, community engagement and opportunities to see how fun it is to switch a car trip for a walk or a bike ride and help lower their individual carbon footprint.

*Bike or walk the 2-mile long trail alongside New York’s Cuomo Bridge for a spectacular view of the Hudson River © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“Celebrate Trails Day creates a unique opportunity to show off the many ways trails are essential to communities across the country,” said Ryan Chao, RTC’s president. “Thousands of people get outside with us to send the message that when we connect trails, good things happen.”

*Cycling over what used to be a railway bridge from Peebles Island at the end of Parks & Trails NY’s eight-day, 400-mile Cycle the Erie Canalway biketour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

What good things? “The nation’s 42,000+ miles of multiuse trails on the ground nationwide lay the foundation for 150+ trail networks in development means we have space to move our bodies and be active outside, which is good for our physical and mental health. We support our local economy and create new connections in the neighborhoods where we live. And we can get around safely without a car. These spaces bring incredible value to our everyday lives, improving the quality of life where people live, work and play. When we show up on trails, we send a message loud and clear that these spaces are essential to our communities.”

*Biking over the famous Rosendale Trestle on the Walkill Valley Trail, now part of New York’s 750-mile Empire State Trail network © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

RTC has curated resources to help you plan a day of biking, walking, hiking, running and/or exploring outdoors. These include an interactive map to find events near you (more events being added all the time). Using the map, you can find hikes, spring cleanups, group rides, fun runs, family-friendly festival. You can also find organizations hosting events and events where complimentary non-alcoholic beverages are being provided, courtesy of Athletic Brewing Company, the premier sponsor for Celebrate Trails Day. Go to the website, https://www.railstotrails.org/celebratetrailsday/. (You can also find out how to win prizes for participating.)

Find Trails: Any day of the year, you can find trails near you around the nation using RTC’s free trail-guide app and website, TrailLink.

Impact of Trails for People, Places and the Planet

*Biking the Delaware-Lehigh Trail on a Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Sojourn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Many of the more than 240 events taking place on Celebrate Trails Day highlight the return on investment as the nation’s more than 41,000 miles of multiuse trails are connected into trail networks that make it safer and easier for people to be active outside where they live, with the potential to deliver more than $138 billion to the economy each year in health cost savings, climate savings and direct spending.

Last year’s Celebrate Trails Day was a celebration of unprecedented opportunity for trails, walking and biking – in part made possible by the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – and demonstrated the widespread demand and benefit of dedicated and sustained investment in the nation’s trail networks.

The Highline, the urban art park trail created out of a highway on Manhattan’s west side, is now one of the most popular and used attractions in New York State, and a main artery in a neighborhood it spawned the size of a city © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Participants in Celebrate Trails Day reported mental health benefits of time spent being active on the trail (97% of people agree that using trails makes a difference for their mental health and well-being) and the majority say that having events or programming on the trail motivates them to be physically active (85%). More than three-quarters (78%) indicate that they would use trails as part of their everyday routine (e.g., going to the store, school, work or for exercise) and 76% of respondents indicated they chose to swap a car trip for a walk, bike ride or other active transportation on Celebrate Trails Day and at other times in their day-to-day routines.

“Everyone gains from staying active and should have safe and convenient access to trails. It’s also great when these places include green space, welcome all ages and abilities, and include activities like culturally inclusive programs,” said Ken Rose, MPA, physical activity and health branch chief at the CDC. “Good walking and biking trails can help us stay physically and mentally fit by making physical activity a part of our routine. They also bring communities closer together by giving us spaces to meet up and socialize.”

The Centers for Disease Control, which finds increasing physical activity is one of the best things we can do for our health and recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, reports that only about 1 in 4 adults do. Connected trail and active transportation infrastructure makes it possible for more people to incorporate physical activity into routine, everyday activities, like getting to work or school or running errands. Outcomes from Celebrate Trails Day underscore the impact of park, trail and greenway infrastructure improvements—combined with additional interventions, such as events and programming in these spaces—to increase awareness, enhance access and encourage participation as outlined in recommendations by the Community Preventive Services Task Force to increase physical activity.

*The Centennial Trail from Washington State into Idaho goes through downtown Spokane © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Since 1986, Rails to Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit organization with one million members, has been “dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.”

“We reimagine public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors.”

RTC’s most ambitious program to date is the creation of the Great American Rail-Trail, that will ultimately connect more than 125 multi-use recreational trails 3,700 miles across the continent, from Washington D.C., through 12 states, to Washington State. (https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/)

Some iconic trails are already in place along the Great American Rail-Trail route, while communities, nonprofit partners, state agencies and volunteers are working to build trails to benefit their local area by linking up to the trans-continental network.(See the full list here, https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/content/route/)

As of January, 2025 the Great American Rail Trail – America’s first trans-continental network – is 55% complete with 2,059 miles of trails out of the total 3,700 miles.(see: https://www.railstotrails.org/resource-library/resources/great-american-rail-trail-route-assessment-2024/)

Rails to Trails Conservancy, 2445 M Street, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20037, 866-202-9788, railstotrails.org.

Bike Tour Companies Embrace Rail Trails

Several bike tour operators offer itineraries on segments of the Great American Rail-Trail:

Wilderness Voyageurs already has tours on many segments of the Great American Rail-Trail – indeed, it is actually headquartered on, the famous and picturesque Great Allegheny Passage, one of the primary building blocks of the east-to-west route.

With the addition of the Iowa Trestles Tour in 2021, Wilderness Voyageurs offers supported rides on more than 820 miles of the route. Its multi-day, inn-to-inn, bike tours on the Great American Rail-Trail visit 14 different trails in eight states These include:

*Biking through the Pinkerton Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a key part of the Great American Trail 3700-mile transcontinental network Spokane © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is an iconic rail-trail that runs 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was built in partnership between state agencies and many local trail groups and volunteers. The GAP is featured on three different trips: a four-day Great Allegheny Passage tour from Pittsburgh to Cumberland; six-day Pittsburgh to D.C. tour, and Pennsylvania and Maryland Easy Rider tour. (Wilderness Voyageurs is headquartered right next to the trail in Ohiopyle, Check out the Great Allegheny Passage for info and travel tips.)

The C&O Canal Towpath from Cumberland to Georgetown is featured on a six-day Pittsburgh to D.C. bike tour Following the Potomac River, the C&O Canal Towpath traverses the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park for 184.5 miles. Hundreds of original features – locks, lock houses, aqueducts and other canal structures – are reminders of the canal’s role as a transportation system during the Canal Era, which peaked in the mid-19th century. The C&O actually connects with the GAP.

Its Pittsburgh to D.C. bike tour includes an optional ride on the Capital Crescent Trail, a paved trail that parallels the canal towpath. The 11-mile trail follows the former route of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Both its Gettysburg and the Civil War bike tour and Shenandoah and Skyline Drive bike tours visit part of the towpath near historic Harpers Ferry.

The Cincinnati to Cleveland Tour features a corridor that will ultimately connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland. Of its planned 326 miles, more than 270 miles of trail are complete visiting six different trails and many beautiful small towns. Besides knocking out a big chunk of the Great American Rail-Trail, you visit Cuyahoga National Park, one of the newest national parks.

The Iowa Trestles Tour is a 4 day meander that cycles 3 different trails that are part of the GART: the High Trestle Trail, the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail and the 2021 inductee to the Rail Trail Hall of Fame, The Raccoon River Valley Trail.

Idaho’s Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, part of the Great American Trail network, is featured on tour programs of Wilderness Voyageurs and Discovery Bicycle Tours, among others © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Idaho Coeur d’Alenes and Hiawatha tour spends time on the NorPac Trail that follows the old right-of-way of the Northern Pacific Railway (hence the trail’s name) in western Montana and the Idaho Panhandle, crossing Lookout Pass. The trail runs from Idaho near Mullan at the trailhead for the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, past the East Portal of the Route of the Hiawatha (south of Taft, Montana) and on to the small town of Saltese. The entire trail offers spectacular views of the forested Rocky Mountains as well as lakes and streams.

The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes covers nearly 72 paved miles through scenic mountains and valleys in Idaho’s Panhandle. The area has a rich mining, railroading and Native American history, and hugs the Lake Coeur d’Alene shoreline, rolling foothills in the Palouse prairie, and goes over the impressive Chatcolet Bridge.

The Washington Olympic Peninsula tour cruises the Olympic Discovery Trail, which is the western terminus of the Great American Rail-Trail. Starting in the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend and ending on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, the ODT is filled with views of snow capped peaks, ocean vistas, fast flowing rivers and pristine lakes, and everywhere the majestic forests of the Pacific Northwest. Olympic National Park, which was established in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is truly special, with 922,650 acres of rain forest, old-growth forest, glacier-topped peaks and alpine meadows. Its forests are home to cougars, bears, deer, woodpeckers, golden eagles, mountain goats and peregrine falcons nesting above the trail on Pyramid Mountain.

(Wilderness Voyageurs has trips on many rail trails in New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, Idaho and Washington. (See a complete list of rail-trail bike tours)

Wilderness Voyageurs, 103 Garrett Street. Ohiopyle, PA 15470, 724-329-1000, 800-272-4141 wilderness-voyageurs.com

Discovery Bicycle Tours, similarly, offers several trips on rail-trails that are part of the Great American Rail-Trail: C&O Canal Trail; Great Allegheny Passage, Pennsylvania; Silver Comet Trail; the Centennial Trail, the Hiawatha Trail and the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes on its Idaho Trails tour), as well as many others.

*Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Other Discovery Bicycle Tours rail trail trips include 200 miles of the Empire State Rail Trail from Battery Park, Manhattan to Albany (part of the 750-mile long Empire Trail Network that goes from Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan up to the Canadian border, and east-west on the 360-mile-long Erie Canalway from Buffalo to Albany); the longest rail trail in New England, the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail; Appalachian rail trails of Virginia and West Virginia; Mickelson Trail, South Dakota, 6-Day Washington Cascades Trails, and the P’tit du Nord rail trail in Quebec.

*Bike from Battery Park in Manhattan along the Hudson River Greenway, up to Albany, on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Empire State Rail Trail tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 2520 W. Woodstock Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091, 888-459-3265, info@discoverybicycletours.com

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Biking Tours, Camping/Glamping/RVs, Camping/Hiking/Outdoors, Cultural travel, Festivals and Events, Historic Places, New York State travel, Outdoors Adventures, Places of History, US Destinations

Annual Cycle the Erie Canalway Bike Tour is All the More Special During 200th Anniversary Celebration

April 6, 2025 krubin723

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The annual eight-day Parks & Trails Cycle the Erie Canalway bike tour from Buffalo to Albany is 400 miles and 400 years of history but this year’s ride July 12-20, 2025 is particularly special because it marks the 200^th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. An engineering marvel of its time that transformed the United States, all along the way, riders will enjoy special events and celebrations.

The Erie Canal propelled the Industrial Revolution, opened the frontier, united the country, birthed canal towns and cities, and made New York City a financial capital of the world.

You see all of this unfolding from the first mile out of Buffalo and over the course of eight days of riding (averaging 50 miles a day), filled with activities and camaraderie.

Cycle the Erie Canalway participants experience one of the best trails in America as they cycle through historic canal villages and discover the small-town charm of upstate New York that makes people like us Downstaters marvel, “This is New York!” Along the way, canal historians and local experts will introduce riders to the people, places and things that make the Erie Canal so important to the history of New York and the nation during its Bicentennial Year. Cyclists pedal between 40 and 60 miles per day on the mostly flat (but it seems the campsites tend to be at the highest point of a town) and mostly traffic-free Erie Canalway Trail, and visit some of Upstate New York’s most iconic attractions, such as the Women’s Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls and Fort Stanwix in Rome, a full-scale fort recreation from the French and Indian War.

The Parks & Trails NY tour is actually one of my favorite bike rides in the world – for the scenery, the sights along the way, the activities like lectures and museum visits that are arranged, the camaraderie of camping and riding together with some 650 cyclists from all over the country and all over the world, and the Erie Canalway itself –a 356 mile-long car-free recreational path that is the west-east part of New York State’s new 750-mile Empire Trail Network (the north-south trail network connects Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan to the Canadian border). Between the relatively flat nature and superb support provided, Cycle the Erie Canal offers unparalleled cycling for all ages and abilities (I’ve seen families with little ones in trailers or car seats and riders as young as 10 and as old as 92 bike on their own.)

Though there are bike tour operators (such as Wilderness Voyageurs and Pocono Biking) that offer inn-to-inn bike tours on portions of the Erie Canalway, this annual supported biking/camping trip, in its 27^th year, is organized by Parks & Trails New York, which for decades has successfully advocated to open these recreational trails and improve parks.

Each day’s ride is highlighted by fascinating attractions all along the Erie Canalway

Cycle the Erie Canalway cyclists are fascinated to see the famous “Flight of Five” series of five locks that brought boats 50 feet, an engineering marvel of its time that made the building of the canal possible. Cyclists on this year’s Parks & Trail NY ride will celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the opening of Erie Canal © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In Lockport, see the original engineering marvel that made the entire Erie Canal possible: the famous “Flight of Five”, a staircase of five locks built to elevate boats through the then-impossible 50-foot Niagara Escarpment; take a cruise through the modern lock (the GE motors that run it are over 100 years old), explore underground sluiceways, caves and the “Upsidedown Bridge.”

Leaving the historic village of Medina, look for the tunnel under the Erie Canal, where you see that the Erie Canal is really like a bathtub.

Ride through New York’s Amish Country (who knew!) on the way to Seneca Falls, birthplace of the modern Women’s Rights movement and visit the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, National Women’s Hall of Fame (housed in a former knitting mill) and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton home (the museums stay open for us).

*The knitting mill in Seneca Falls is fittingly now the home of the National Women’s Hall of Fame © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You also get a taste of the women’s movement at the Peppermint Museum in Lyons (don’t miss it!) where you learn about the inventor, Hotchkiss’s daughter, a suffragist, who took over the company.

Get a taste of the women’s movement at the Peppermint Museum in Lyons where you learn about the inventor, Hotchkiss’s daughter, a suffragist, who took over the company. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

On the way to Syracuse, stop at the Visitors Center at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park at Port Byron, then pedal through the authentic enlarged Erie Canal Lock 52 to the c. 1895 Erie House Saloon, Blacksmith Shop, and Mule Barn; visit the Jordan Historical Society Museum, and ride on the towpath on an original aqueduct over Skaneateles Creek which takes you to Camillus’ Erie Canal Park where you stop at Sims Store, a re-creation of a 19th century general store (where riders are cheered for passing the half-way mark at 200 miles)

*Parks & Trails NY’s Cycle Erie Canalway tour goes through New York’s Amish country © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In Syracuse, visit the zoo, and the next morning, the Erie Canal Museum, the best of the Canal Museums along the way (they open especially for the cyclists)

On the way to Rome, visit the Chittenango Canal Museum and dry docks and the Canastota Canal Town Museum and see the spot where the first shovel of dirt was turned for “Clinton’s Ditch” (deliberately in the middle of the canal). Chittenango was also the birthplace in 1856 of L. Frank Baum, famous throughout the world as the creator of The Wizard of Oz and his mother-in-law Matilda Joslyn Gage, was a prominent women’s rights advocate, abolitionist, and writer, known for her radical views, derived largely from the Oneida women and her work alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the women’s suffrage movement).

*In Rome, camp at the restored Fort Stanwix National Monument, built during the French and Indian War, populated with costumed interpreters © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In Rome, camp at the restored Fort Stanwix National Monument, built during the French and Indian War, populated with costumed interpreters, and learn how seemingly minor battles actually shaped the outcome of the American Revolution.

In Little Falls, explore the glacial potholes of Moss Island, a National Natural Landmark, and tour Revolutionary War General Herkimer’s home.

At Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, once a trading post and a fort (they found the footprint after a hurricane), look where you can see all three Erie Canals (yes, 3 Erie Canals have been built).

*Coming from Schenectady to the finish line in Albany, stop at Cohoes Falls, one of the most powerful falls east of the Rockies© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Coming from Schenectady to the finish line in Albany, stop at Cohoes Falls, one of the most powerful falls east of the Rockies and a major challenge for Erie Canal engineers (a wonderful bookend with Niagara Falls in the west); visit Peebles Island State Park, where, during the Revolutionary War, American forces prepared defenses to make a final stand against the British, and finally, bike along the Hudson River into downtown Albany, New York State’s 300-year-old capital.

Registration for Cycle the Erie Canal includes camping accommodations each evening with restrooms and showers (even swimming pools and charging stations and the possibility of indoor camping); eight hearty breakfasts and six delicious dinners; two refreshment stops daily stocked with fruit, snacks and beverages; SAG support and baggage transport; daily cue sheets and marked routes; entertainment and historic presentations every evening; and guided tours of the Canal, historic sites, museums, other attractions, and expanded celebrations for the Canal’s 200^th Anniversary.

The price for the eight-day ride, July 12-20, Buffalo to Albany is $1,300/adult, $700 (youth age 6-17), $300/child (5 and under). There is also a four-day version with an optional shuttle.

(Note: they arrange for parking in Albany ($120, at the Quackenbush Garage July 12-20, 2025), and a shuttle bus to Buffalo on July 12 ($120/rider), or oppositely, parking in Buffalo ($25) and a shuttle back from Albany to Buffalo at the end of the tour.)

Parks & Trails New York, which is celebrating its own 40^th anniversary this year, is a leading statewide advocate working to create a network of parks, trails, and greenways so that New Yorkers can enjoy the outdoors close to home. Cycle the Erie Canal supports Parks & Trails New York’s work on the Erie Canalway Trail and on trails in communities throughout New York State.

The New York State Canal Corporation, the agency charged with operating, maintaining and promoting New York’s Canal System and the Canalway Trail, is the Premier State Sponsor of Cycle the Erie Canal. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is the event’s Heritage Sponsor.

For more information on Cycle the Erie Canal, visit www.ptny.org/canaltour, email eriecanaltour@ptny.org or call 518-434-1583.

Erie Canal Bicentennial Events

The Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour, July 12-20, is one of the biggest events honoring the canal’s bicentennial, but there are many events happening in various towns and cities along the Canal:

On Fri., May 16, 2025, the Bicentennial Navigation season will kick off in Waterford, where the Canal meets the Hudson River, with a parade of vessels.

*Fairport, one of the towns “birthed” by the Erie Canal, celebrates its 48^th Canal Days June 6-8 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Fairport, NY, the jewel of the Erie Canal, celebrates its 48th Canal Days from June 6-8, 2025. One of New York’s premier arts festivals features artisans, music, local cuisine and fun for all ages, and brings more than 100,000 visitors to this Rochester suburb.

Canal enthusiasts, historians, engineers, environmentalists, artists and travelers from around the world can attend The 2025 World Canals Conference from Sept. 21-25, 2025 in Buffalo, NY, complete with canal-themed excursions for participants, in addition to hours of learning, discussion and networking.

The Water Music NY: More Voices Festival returns in Summer 2025, with The Albany Symphony Orchestra performing free concerts across the entire New York State Canal System. The project is a collaboration of composers, local arts partners, cultural & educational institutions and community members fusing arts, cultural heritage, and contemporary issues to re-envision the past, present, and future of people and communities bordering the historic waterway.

For the grand finale, a replica of Seneca Chief, the boat Governor Dewitt Clinton used for his inaugural Erie Canal journey to open the Canal in 1825, will set sail on September 24 and recreate the maiden voyage from Buffalo Canalside to the New York Harbor, making multiple stops along the way with celebratory events at each community stop including flotillas and a grand commemoration in New York City on October 25.

Can’t make it to the Parks & Trails NY Cycle the Erie Ride? The bike tour company, Wilderness Voyageurs offers a four-day inn to inn ride, New York Erie Canal West, that begins in Lockport and stays in places like the historic Genessee Country Inn (2025 tour dates: 6/30, 7/27, 8/10, 800-272-4141, wilderness-voyageurs.com).

Another company that offers inn-to-inn supported tour on the Erie Canalway is Pocono Biking (https://poconobiking.com/specialty-trips/6-day-erie-canal-bike-tour/). Also: Great American Bike Tours (949-424-5369, cycletheusa.com); Classic Adventures (800-777-8090, classicadventures.com); Noble Invention Bike Touring (844-424-5342, nobleinventionbiketouring.com); and 718 Outdoors (347-457-5760, 718c.com)

***Erie Canal Adventures*** *provides this one-of-a-kind experience with live-aboard, fully-equipped canal boats © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Another extraordinary way to experience the Erie Canal is by a live-aboard canal boat! This European-style self-skippered houseboat that was specifically designed for the Erie Canal let’s you make your own way on the Erie Canal, going through locks and under the lift bridges, and experience the 200^th anniversary of the canal just as it was then, by boat and bike. Erie Canal Adventures provides this one-of-a-kind experience with live-aboard, fully-equipped canal boats. Accommodating 2 to 6 people, each of these charming, easy-to-pilot boats features cozy bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms – cooking utensils, linens, fuel, mobile app and bikes. You get 3-4 hours of training, including safety training, systems, and navigational training (and how to go through the locks which are SO fun. You learn how to work the radio to call up to the lockmaster and the bridge operators to lift the bridges. And you tie up where you like. Erie Canal Adventures, 1125 Marina Parkway, Macedon NY 14502, (315) 986-3011, Option 1, allie@eriecanaladventures.com, ericcanaladventures.com.

More ways to experience the Erie Canal can be found at the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, https://eriecanalway.org/explore/cycling/cycling-resources

“This year, New York State is rich with opportunities to experience major milestone anniversaries, stay in new hotels and explore new museums and exhibits,” I LOVE NY Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levisaid. “The Bicentennial of the Erie Canal‘s completion can be celebrated throughout upstate communities, while downstate, New York City commemorates its 400th anniversary. The 100th anniversary of the Great Gatsby can be explored at Gold Coast mansions on Long Island, where the famous novel was set. For more information, visit iloveny.com

Cycle the Erie, Day 1: In Lockport, See Erie Canal Engineering Marvel, ‘Flight of Five’, Cruise Thru Double Locks, and Go Underground to Fathom Rise of Industrial Revolution

Cycle the Erie, Day 2-3: A Sequence of Charming Canaltowns, Pastoral Landscapes, Punctuated by City Birthed by ‘Mother of Cities’

Cycle the Erie, Day 4: Seneca Falls to Syracuse, Crossing Halfway Mark of 400-Mile Biketour

Cycle the Erie, Day 5: Deep Dive into The Erie Canal: ‘Mother of Cities’, Empire Builder, Wonder of the World

Cycle the Erie: At Fort Stanwix, Rome, Time Travel Back to America’s Colonial, Native American Past

Cycle the Erie, Days 6-7: Erie Canal Spurs Rise of America as Global Industrial Power

Cycle the Erie, Days 7-8: Schoharie Crossing, Mabee Farm, Cohoes Falls to Finish Line in Albany of 400-Mile BikeTour

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Biking Tours, Historic Places, Outdoors Adventures, See America, US Destinations

Six Days on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails: Biking the Coeur d’Alenes

February 2, 2025 krubin723

*Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho on the last day of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

On Day 4 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip, after breakfast at our base at the Silver Mountain Resort, we are shuttled to Shoshone Park in the mining town of Mullan for an easy downstream ride through the “Silver Valley,” home to several historic mining communities.

We soon pick up the official start of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, enjoying views of the rocky, forested mountains, as we make our way to the utterly charming “wild west” town of Wallace.

*Biking on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes to Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We have been primed for Wallace’s character (and humor) when we had a talk by a local historian at the Roosevelt Inn in Coeur d’Alene so are prepared for the “history (and some hilarity!) that await us as citizens of Wallace have tenaciously preserved their town amidst an ever changing landscape of fortunes lost and gained.”

Now, we stroll around the town looking for some of the sights she pointed out, like the town’s last brothel, a mining museum, a silver shop, before we join the Sierra Silver Mine Tour that Discovery has arranged for us. It begins with a delightful narrated tour of Wallace in an open-air trolley that takes us up to the mine.

Who knew that Wallace was the “Silver Capital of the World” – some $138 billion worth taken out of these mines –$20 billion of metals just last year (did I hear that right?) – 1 million ounces of silver. In the 1960s, incredulously, Wallace was the “richest little city” in America with the highest number of millionaires per capita, as well as a thriving brothel industry. (The last running bordello was shut down in 1989 when the FBI raided tax dodgers – there is still resentment in the town – but you can visit the Bordello Museum.)

When mining began in 1886, Wallace’s population was 500; at its peak, in 1940, when some 200 mines were operating (quartz, gold, silver, copper, zinc), the population peaked at 4000, but, with the collapse of silver prices in March 1980, most of the mines closed, the miners left and the population fell to the present number of 800. Today, there are still four active silver mines, including the Lucky Friday and the Galina mines, and one gold mine.

In 1890, a chimney fire destroyed most of the town – the buildings we see today date from 1890-1920. Indeed, Wallace has the rare honor of the entire town being listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Other tidbits: only one sitting president has visited Wallace: Theodore Roosevelt came in 1903 on a campaign whistle stop; the town spent $5000 just on flags to welcome him. There was a shootout on Valentine’s Day, 1951 – one of the tommy guns is on display in the museum. And Wallace’s most famous native is Lana Turner went one day to a grocery store where she was discovered.

You would be forgiven if you thought Wallace was a theme park creation (the 1997 movie “Dante’s Peak” was filmed here), but the history and the heritage are real, as is the miner, “Fast Freddie,” who is our guide into the silver mine.

*“Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“Fast Freddie” is a colorful character (he looks as if he came from Hollywood casting), with a marvelous sense of humor, amusing and engaging, but most important, he is authentic, speaking of his own experience working 21 years underground in these mines. “You need a good sense of humor in a mine,” Freddie tells us. “We used to play tricks.”

This mine was only briefly used, he says, because the silver was very low grade and not worth the expense. It was turned into a mining school, where students learned the techniques of mining and could be hired right into a job.

After the collapse of the silver market and the closure of mines, Wallace looked to tourism to compensate. This mine was turned into an attraction, getting as many as 18,000 visitors a year.

*A skeleton wearing a hard hat greets us as we enter the Sierra Silver Mine in Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As we enter the mine and pass a skeleton sitting on a chair, Freddie tells us that one of the worst mining disasters in history took place on May 2, 1972 when 91 miners lost lives and just 2 survived. ‘It took 2 weeks to recover all of them. They didn’t have a system to know who was down there.’ After that, the Mine Safety Administration mandated a tag system – larger mines have more sophisticated program.

*The proverbial canary in a mine. “Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We actually see a canary cage – used to let the miners know when oxygen is low (the proverbial “canary in a coal mine.”)

In this mine, future miners were taught to run the jack, the drill, and to blast. The miners work alone at different levels, so each one has to do everything – digging, setting the dynamite charge, moving out the ore. “You have to get everything done so you can blast before the next shift arrives.”

How to protect against the noise? “A cigarette butt was ear protection” (not sure he was joking.)

The veins of silver go down for miles – in 1964, they were mining at 250 feet. The Lucky Friday Mine, the largest in the area, is operating at 9600 feet below ground. The deeper they go, the hotter it gets – at 9,000 ft, as much as 170 degrees – so they designed a refrigerated ventilation system to cool to 100 degrees.

After being returned by the trolley, we have time to wander around Wallace before biking back on the trail on our own to the Silver Mine Resort.

*The last brothel in Wallace, Idaho is now the Oasis Bordello Museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Wallace is really interesting – like a time warp and not really just “tourist quaint”, quirky and fun. Just strolling around, you find the Wallace District Mining Museum, the Idaho Silver Shop, Northern Railroad Depot Museum, and everyone’s favorite, the Oasis Bordello Museum.

*Wallace, Idaho, claims to be the “center of the universe.” Prove them otherwise. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

These folks in Wallace have a sense of humor – and an eye for a profit-making tourism-promoting gimmick: they designated a manhole at the crossroads in the middle of town as the “Center of the Universe” (that’s what is engraved on it). Based on what? “What’s the evidence that it isn’t?” comes the reply.

*A mummified mermaid, one of the curiosities and collectibles on view in the Trading Post, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I find a shop that sells guns, antiques, curios, and collectibles. In a glass cabinet is a large mummified “mermaid” (calling to mind a similar fantastical creature displayed in a store in Banff, Canada, and P.T. Barnum’s museum of oddities).

*Poster above rifle barrels in the Wallace, Idaho gun shop: Americanism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It’s a delightful bike ride from Wallace to the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, where later we have dinner together in the mountain village base.

DAY 5: 39 or 46 miles, Cataldo Mission and the Coeur d’Alenes

The plan on Day 5 is to set out from the Silver Mountain Resort biking on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, and after 11 miles or so, to visit the Cataldo Mission, Idaho’s oldest standing building, lunch at the Rodehouse before continuing biking, with a choice of 39 or 46 miles of cycling to Harrison, where we are to be shuttled back to the resort for a celebratory dinner in Kellogg for our last night together.

But it is a drenching rain.

Our guide, Calista Phillips, says “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing” and says her job is to cheer lead for biking, but if we don’t want to, we can choose to shuttle the first 11 miles instead of bike to the Cataldo Mission. After assuring us we won’t be missing much in the way of scenery and that the portion from Cataldo to Smelterville is the pretty part, we vote to take her up on her offer to drive us to the Mission. (I’m just so grateful it wasn’t raining like this when we did the Route of the Hiawatha, especially when I see another bike tour heading out there this morning.)

The visit at the Cataldo Mission starts with an excellent video that explains how the local tribe invited the Jesuits (“Black Robes”) to come here and build the mission. At the time, the introduction of the horse meant that tribes that had coexisted in their own land before, began to encroach on each other’s territory. The tribe believed that the “Black Robe” missionaries had a superior power, a Great Spirit, who would enable them to triumph over their enemies.

The Mission of the Sacred Art was built in 1850-1853, by Father Pierre Jean De Smet, chief of the “Black Robes” who answered the tribe’s invitation to come, along with Father Ravalli, an Italian-born religious leader who designed the building and supervised construction with simple tools and without nails.

*Old Mission church, Cataldo, Idaho’s oldest standing building © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Old Mission church is simple and beautiful – the wood-beamed ceiling painted blue with huckleberries, to make the native people more comfortable since they were used to praying outside. We learn that the walls were decorated with fabric bought from the Hudson Bay Company and a hand-painted newspaper from Philadelphia that Fr. Ravalli had received in the mail. Tin cans were used to create the chandeliers. Both wooden statues were carved by Fr. Rivalli with a knife to look like marble.

What I find most fascinating, though, is the museum there that better represents the tribe’s point of view – how they were initially drawn to Christianity with its values of “comfort, community” the sense of miraculous to be found in nature, and a Great Spirit with power to grant protection, like their own spirits, which seemed (at first) to conform with their own values and beliefs.

The Coeur d’Alene people – the Schitsu’umsh, meaning “Those who were found here” or “The discovered people” – were initially drawn in because the early Jesuits were tolerant of native culture and traditions, even blending the cultures together.

The mission became a stop and supply station for traders, settlers, and miners traveling on the Mullan Road, and a port for boats heading up the Coeur d’Alene River.

Over time, the Coeur d’Alene people regretted the decision to give the Black Robes a stronghold when they realized the Jesuits’ mission was to create an Empire of Christianity. At the same time, white settlers looking to exploit the region’s resources, who brought guns and small pox, were taking territory and pushing out the indigenous tribes. In 1877, even the mission was forcibly relocated from the ‘House of the Great Spirit.”

The museum displays photos and artifacts that show the effort to Christianize and eradicate native heritage and culture – but done in an understated, polite way since this museum, is apparently a partnership between the tribe and the mission. (The Cataldo Mission became a state historic park in 1935, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.)

We have lunch at the Rodehouse, right across the road from the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. By this time, the rain has all but ended – it is grey and humid – and we get back on the trail for the 16-mile ride back to the resort. The cloud formations make for dramatic scenes.

*Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho through marshland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We cycle along an enchanting stretch of wetlands – part of the trail is a berm with marsh on either side. We have been told “just after Metamonk Village (mile 20) to be on lookout for moose.

I spot an osprey with fish in its claws so heavy it couldn’t take flight so dropped it; a black furry creature (otter? muskrat?) carrying what looked like a mouse dashes across the path; a flock of blue heron, a family of deer, and finally, when we are almost at the end of the trail, we come upon a moose with her baby.

*Finally! We come upon the promised moose and her baby on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

DAY 6: 16 miles to the end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

Day 6 is our final day of riding. We pack up our luggage, have breakfast, and shuttle to Harrison, the point on the trail where we ended yesterday’s ride. Today, we bike the last section, 16 miles, through a series of chained lakes to the end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. It is glorious.

It’s a perfect day – sunshine, cool temp (60 degrees), a bit of a headwind. We ride along the Lake Coeur d’Alene, then cross over the Chatcolet Bridge, a really interesting bridge which was once a swinging trestle (the challenge is to ride over the hump), then into the forest where we climb for about seven miles, through the Coeur D’Alene reservation, to finish at the trail’s end, at a moving Indian Warriors and Veterans Memorial.

Here we have a picnic lunch, feeling extremely satisfied and happy, before we pack into the van again for an hour-drive back at Spokane Airport or downtown.

*At the end of Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho is this monument to the Warriors and Veterans © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Discovery Bicycle Tours Merges into Active Adventures

*Our Idaho Trails group. Discovery Bicycle Tours specializes in small-groups and personalized service. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Discovery Bicycle Tours has just joined Austin Adventures, a Montana-based North America National Parks small group tour company, under the umbrella ownership of Active Adventures, a New Zealand-based small group adventure travel company. These companies primarily offer hiking and multi-sport options, and just like Discovery Bicycle Tours, focus on small groups (averaging 12 guests).

Austin Adventures is a Montana-based North American National Parks expert offering small group tours with personal touches, flexible options to do as much or as little as you want, and “wow” moments. Austin Adventures also specializes in family and multi-generational tours across North America and around the globe.

Active Adventures, based in New Zealand, has expanded over the past 30 years to South and Central America, Europe, the Himalayas and Africa. They offer small group, inspiring bucket-list adventures worldwide, with a mix of activities ranging from hiking, biking, and kayaking to snorkeling and caving. Each trip is designed to be flexible, so if you’re a little short on time or you’d prefer to skip an activity, they can alter the itinerary to suit you.

The merger means that the teams behind Discovery Bicycle Tours, Active Adventures, and Austin Adventures are located around the world in five countries, 15 cities, and even a campervan.

“Across the three brands, we’ve been running tours in North America for 77 years, Europe for 50 years, New Zealand for 25 years, South and Central America for 20 years, the Himalayas for 14 years, and Africa for five years. That’s a world of knowledgeand deep local experience across our brands,” Scott Cone, Discovery’s owner, stated.

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 800-257-2226, www.discoverybicycletours.com

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Biking Tours, Outdoors Adventures, See America, US Destinations

Six Days Cycling Idaho Trails with Discovery Bicycle Tours

February 2, 2025 krubin723

Biking through the pitch black, 1.66-mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel the first of nine tunnels, seven trestles on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It’s pitch black as we make our way 1.66 miles through the first tunnel of the Route of the Hiawatha, except for the light on our bike. Water drips down from the ceiling, the surface is muddy and slippery, adrenalin pumping. It is hugely thrilling.

This is just the first (and the most dramatic) of the 9 tunnels and 7 trestles we go through over the course of 14 miles down, then back through again for 14 miles up. It is also the longest – a full 1.66 miles in total darkness! – but each tunnel, each trestle is exciting. You can immediately appreciate why the Route of the Hiawatha is one of Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame rail trails.

*Starting out on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha,* *a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The experience is but one of many highlights of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip, during which we will do the 111-mile long Centennial Trail, starting in Spokane Washington to Coeur d’Alene; tackle the remarkable Route of the Hiawatha Trail; and the 73-mile long Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes where we immerse in tribal land, history and culture. Along the way, we will also have interesting experiences such as touring a silver mine in the company of a miner and a museum preserving the heritage of the Coeur d’Alene people.

*Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

What I love most about bike tours is that they are cerebral as much as physical. You feel the scenery; you are part of the space you occupy, engaged – not a spectator peering through a glass window, but a participant, able to smell the air, feel the sun, the breeze, the drizzle, hear the birds and the rushing water. The pace is perfect to really get places while the scenery rolls by as if a movie. And you can stop when you want to take in the scene or a photo, read a marker, or peer at a moose. You feel the satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment at the end of a day’s ride – a combination of euphoria and endorphin rush.

*Bike tours bring you to towns and villages you likely would never otherwise see © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

What is more, you get to go through small towns, see regular folks you would not likely see traveling by car or bus, promoting connection and understanding. And you have the added satisfaction of maximizing the benefit of your visit – providing the economic foundation that secures this heritage, these natural places, these experiences – leaving a minimal carbon footprint. This is true if you are touring in the United States or some faraway exotic land.

As we gather together for our first orientation meeting with our guides, I take note that just about every one of our group of 13 riders has taken not just one, two but several trips with Discovery Bicycle Tours.

This is my fourth, and I consistently find Discovery’s whole approach to bike touring ideal – summed up in the phrases “Ride your ride” followed by “This is your vacation!”– and how they make that happen. There are two guides (they take turns driving the van that shuttles our stuff, sets up our snack-stops, and is there if anyone needs assistance; while the other cycles along, bringing up the rear), but most importantly, we bike at our own pace. This is because we have our own Ride with GPS App, customized by Scott Cone (the company’s owner, he calls himself Adventure Consultant) for each itinerary; they even provide a phone holder on our bike.

The accommodations, restaurant choices and food are the perfect mix of charming reflections of the places we tour, and luxury (as much comfort as you would ever want without going over the top), adding immeasurably to the tour. The bikes (five of us use their hybrid, eight others take advantage of the availability of e-bikes at no extra cost) and equipment provided are top notch, and it bears noting that I consistently find Discovery offers excellent value-for-money.

*Our guides, Susie Iventosch and Calista Phillips, on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our guides, Susie Iventosch and Calista Phillips, are fantastic – really knowledgeable, supportive, encouraging, accurate (I appreciate having a realistic view of what the day’s ride will be), and flexible when necessary (like when we all vote not to ride during a downpour but shuttle the first 11 miles of the day’s route).

The trips are designed for maximum enjoyment of the ride – we are shuttled when it makes sense to or from the ride, and given options of longer or shorter routes each day. And the routes they choose, as well as the added activities (a lecture one evening, the silver mine tour another day, a visit to a museum another) add dimension. I also appreciate the advance preparation – documents, itinerary – and care they provide before the trip.

Day 1: Setting Out on the Centennial Trail, 36 Miles

*Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Day 1 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our first morning starts with an early meet-up at the Hilton Garden Inn close to Spokane Airport, for introductions and orientation, and we are shuttled to Sontag Park, the start of the Centennial Trail, where we are fitted to our bikes, get the Ride with GPS app going, and set out on a really beautiful ride. Suzie notes that this first day will be the most challenging of the tour.

We start pedaling along the Washington portion of the Centennial Trail in the rocky canyons west of Spokane. The beginning of the trail is in the forest, and soon rises so that we have this gorgeous view of the Spokane River far below. And once you do the first hill, you feel you can do the second (which is the steepest of the day), then the third (the longest, but not as steep – a piece of cake).

We pass through Spokane’s urban Riverfront Park that I have so enjoyed visiting for the past three days, and end, 36 miles further down, just five miles before the Washington-Idaho state line, where we are picked up by the van and are taken to the charming Roosevelt Inn where we stay for two nights, in Coeur D’Alene. (Our next day’s ride will bring us back to this same spot, so we can ride the five miles into Idaho.)

*The charming Roosevelt Inn, our base for two nights in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I adore the Roosevelt Inn – it is so much a part of Coeur d’Alene. Named for President Theodore Roosevelt who came through the area in 1903 on a campaign whistle stop, the building dates from 1905 when it was Coeur D’Alene’s first school, then became offices, and is now a most charming 14-room bnb. Each room is named for someone with a picture and bio, and provides plush robes and towels. The inn offers a hot tub and sauna (open 24 hours), and absolutely gorgeous gardens (life-size chess). There is a lovely parlor with gorgeous painted mural along the three walls, where there is a refrigerator guests can use; a constant supply of coffee, tea and hot chocolate; fruit and usually, something freshly baked. Each morning, we are served breakfast to order,

This first evening we enjoy dinner together at a pub-style restaurant (a celebratory drink is included).

DAY 2: 14 or 27 miles, Centennial Trail

*Biking the Centennial Trail along Lake Coeur d’Alene on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

After breakfast at The Roosevelt Inn on our second day, we shuttle to Lovely Falls Park, the headwaters of the Spokane River. The trail takes us along the majestic shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The ride today is 14 miles out and back to the endpoint of the Centennial Trail at Higgins Point, the endpoint of the Centennial Trail, mostly hugging the gorgeous shoreline of Lake Coeur d’Alene, until we come to one major hill up, then down – which means (if we are biking back) we have an even steeper return.

*Enjoying the scenery in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We have the option to ride back in the van, but all of us choose to bike back to The Roosevelt, cycling at our own pace. It is early afternoon when we return, so we have plenty of time to enjoy exploring the charming shops and galleries of Coeur d’Alene (a hugely popular destination), swim in the lake or relax. I find a lovely hiking trail along the cliffs.

We are treated to a talk by historian Shauna Hillman give a delightful talk about the town of Wallace, Idaho and the Silver Valley Mine which we will be visiting (‘Murder, mining, prostitution, the mayor murdered his wife’s lover and got away with it, and was reelected twice!”) as we sit in the inn’s lovely garden – before heading out to have dinner on our own.

DAY 3: 15 or 28 miles, Route of the Hiawatha

*Group photo before start biking the Trail of the Hiawatha on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

After two delightful nights at the Roosevelt Inn in Coeur d’Alene, we pack up in preparation for moving our home base to a mountain resort in Kellogg for the remainder of trip. After breakfast, we shuttle 90 minutes east to the trailhead of the famous Route of the Hiawatha.

Biking the Route of The Hiawatha is an extraordinary experience in the annals of bike trails. Our guides, Suzie and Calista, prepare us extremely well for what we will do, that the first tunnel, the St. Paul Pass Tunnel, is the longest at 1.66 miles long, and is pitch black, damp and a constant 47 degrees. They have put lights on our bikes (you are not allowed to go on the trail without a helmet and bike light).

After we excitedly take group photos at the entrance, we set out at our own pace, with the caveat that we have to start biking back up at 2:30 pm (note there is an hour time change from the start).

Biking through the St. Paul Pass Tunnel is a surreal experience – you can’t see what is above or on the side, only what is lit by the narrow beam where your light shines.

When you get out and ride the hard-packed gravel trail, it goes steadily down a 3% grade for 14 miles. The scenery is quite spectacular, especially when you look down at a thin pencil line and realize that is the trestle you will be riding across. It looks so small, so far away and far down. And then you are there, and it isn’t thin at all. The view from the trestle is spectacular, too.

*Trestles look like thin pencils from above on the Trail of the Hiawatha © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The trestles are so high above where you imagine is the valley floor, you feel you are suspended.

It is 14 miles down on hard-packed gravel to where there is a picnic table where we have a box lunch we had ordered, before riding back up the same 14 miles. If you don’t want to ride back up, you can buy a ticket ($20) to take a shuttle bus. We all bike back. (Notably, there are several bathrooms along the way and water supplied.)

*Biking one of seven trestles on the Route of the Hiawatha,* *a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I must admit I am a bit nervous to ride continuously uphill for 14 miles but it actually isn’t bad at all, and there are all these opportunities to stop for the view, or read the interpretive signs that line the trail that tell the history of the Milwaukee Road Railroad. The view and the fresh air are exhilarating.

*Biking through one of nine tunnels on the Route of the Hiawatha,* *a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Hiawatha, considered one of the more successful rail-trail conversions in the United States, was named to the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s national Hall of Fame in 2010. It was developed from a railroad line, developed in the late 1800s, that went out of business in the 1980s.

One of the historic markers along the way tells of the Great Fire of 1910. One of the most devastating forest fires in American history, it burned 3 million acres of forest in northern Idaho and western Montana. The fire was so huge that a massive cloud of smoke spread throughout southern Canada and the northern United States all the way to the St. Lawrence waterway. The darkness from the smoke was so bad that for 5 days, artificial lighting had to be used from Butte, Montana to Chicago to Watertown, New York. The fire completely devastated the St. Joe River valley and destroyed all of the towns except Avery and Marble Creek, many never rebuilt.

The marker tells of heroic actions by the railroad employees who drove engines and box cars filled with people through the flames to the safety of the longer tunnels, saving 600 lives.

It feels soooo good when I come back through that last, longest (1.66 miles), darkest tunnel, being careful not to ride up on the person in front, or slipping in the muddy surface.

At the end, it is a work out that makes you feel so ecstatic, euphoric when you finish.

You need to have a reserved timed ticket to ride the Hiawatha, which is owned by the U.S. National Forest but operated by Lookout Pass Ski Area. (Discovery Bicycle Trails has taken care of our reservations and the ticket, $20 pp; the shuttle is $20 more.)

Feeling quite elated, we pile back into the van to shuttle to the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, where we stay in spacious and comfortable condo accommodations for three nights.

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 800-257-2226, www.discoverybicycletours.com

Next: Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

_____________________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

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