O.A.R.S. Adventure Travel Company Operates Rafting, Hiking, Multi-Sport Trips into October

Whitewater rafting in Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. O.A.R.S. adventure travel company is operating rafting trips into October.

Veteran river outfitter and nature-based adventure travel company O.A.R.S. (www.oars.com/) is operating rafting, hiking and multi-sport vacations into October that promise cooler temperatures along with great fishing, uncrowded wilderness and brilliant night skies.

“It’s our favorite season for hiking and exploring in the national parks,” adds Steve Markle, O.A.R.S.’ spokesperson. “And then there’s the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, which not only has spectacular alpine scenery, but also world-class trout fishing – especially in September when high water has receded, the river is crystal clear, and angling conditions are prime.”

Markle suggests some of the company’s most popular fall adventures for anyone looking for domestic travel from September through October:

Through mid-September O.A.R.S.’ six-day Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer takes guests off the beaten track at a time when seasonal visits to the two parks are slowing down. This multi-sport program in wild Wyoming includes two nights of lodging and three nights of catered camping on Jackson Lake with days spent touring Yellowstone and kayaking and hiking in Grand Teton. Through special access granted by the National Park Service, O.A.R.S. has been given permission to camp on an island in the lake, a privilege unique to this company. This trip transports guests into a world of mountain peaks and meadows, trout streams, waterfalls, bear, moose and bison. The rate is $1,589/person based on double occupancy for six days (five-day camping trips also available from $1399/person).

The company’s four-day, lodge-based Grand Canyon Rim to River Hiker in September and October brings guests into one of the deepest parts of the Grand Canyon with an overnight stay at historic Phantom Ranch. The adventure begins in Walnut Canyon, en route to the South Rim, with a close-up view of 25 unique cliff dwellings. Hiking in Wupatki National Monument, features multi-story ruins of red sandstone blocks and mortar.  After gazing into the canyon’s depths from the Desert View Watchtower, a night at the South Rim is the perfect spot to rest before an invigorating hike into the canyon the following day. The South Kaibab Trail, a seven-mile hike into the canyon, reveals panoramic vistas that overwhelm the senses as guests take in the canyon’s grandeur.  The Bright Angel Trail offers a nine-mile hike out of the canyon, followed by a short stroll along the Rim Trail to Hermit’s Rest before returning to Flagstaff on the final day of this hiking adventure. The rate is $1,599/person based on double occupancy.

In September, six-day fishing trips on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River combine crystal clear water, abundant wildlife, amazing scenery, hot springs and Blue Ribbon trout fishing. This Idaho adventure brings guests into the largest federally protected wilderness in the continental U.S., a rugged and varied terrain of pine-clad mountains, rolling grasslands and narrow gorges. The catch-and-release policy along with limited access to the river and little angling pressure has resulted in a river loaded with fish. Twelve- to fourteen-inchers are common, with an occasional trophy sixteen- to eighteen-inch lunker. From $2082/person.

The Colorado River through Cataract Canyon serves up ideal conditions for hiking to scenic viewpoints and pre-Puebloan sites, stand up paddleboarding in the flat water and Class III whitewater through the heart of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. By September the scorching heat of the summer has faded, and with the sun a little lower in the sky, the shade created by canyon walls produces mesmerizing oblique lighting and wonderful opportunities for photography. Guests can marvel at million-year-old rock formations as well as ancient pictographs & petroglyphs while hiking side canyon trails. Four- and six-day trips through October start at $1529/person.

On a special September 14 “Stars with Lars” astronomy trip, veteran O.A.R.S.’ guide Lars Haarr will help interpret the night sky that offers some of the best conditions for stargazing due to the remote location and absence of city lights.

The per person, double occupancy rates for autumn 2014 programs include nights of lodge accommodations and/or comfortable catered camping, all river equipment, dry bags for gear, meals from departure day through the end of the trip and professional guide services.

For more information, availability, reservations and a copy of the 2014 O.A.R.S. Adventures catalog call 209-736-4677 or 800-346-6277, email info@oars.com, or visit www.oars.com.

 

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Rafting season is underway on Pennsylvania’s Lehigh River in the Poconos Mountains

Rafting down the Lehigh River, even the Class I trip had some fun rapids on this Dam Release weekend © 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Rafting season is underway on Pennsylvania’s Lehigh River in the Poconos Mountains.

Major thrills and whitewater are a short getaway away.

We were completely surprised by the quality of the rafting on the Lehigh River, which cuts through Lehigh Gorge State Park.

Whitewater Challengers, one of the biggest raft operators in the area (they send out some 350 rafts a day), offers a superb program – 16 trips with up to 20 rafts a day, satisfying for those who want a tame, swim-splash-fun trip delightful for families, to those who want to a true challenge.

The most exciting trips are on Dam Release weekends, when the river provides Class III rapids.

The rafting here, on a Dam Release weekend was plenty fun.

Their method is to have the guides accompany in kayaks, so somebody on the raft is designated to steer. That got to be me, and was the most fun about the trip on the Class I river (the easiest).

I was green with envy, though, as I watched the kayakers coming down, some on sit-on-top Ocean Kayaks like my own. Next time, I will try that, and this portion of the river would be a great place to learn whitewater kayaking, where you have to learn how to do a quick in-water release.

Whitewater Challengers has the most amazing set-up, tucked into the woods about 30 minutes from where you begin your rafting.

So when you arrive and register, you get a bus “transfer” that is color-coded for your trip; you pick up your life-jacket. If you forgot anything (sunscreen, hat) there is a well-equipped store. You can rent a wetsuit (we didn’t need it the day we rafted). It is all so extremely well organized.

While you wait, you can have breakfast there (pre-paid or pay-as-you-go) underneath a pavilion.

You get to look around – there is a camping area (there were a load of boy scouts when we visited); a zip-line course in the trees.

Whitewater Challengers also offers mountain biking trips – and you can combine various adventures together.

We took advantage of coming the day before the rafting trip to sample the 25-mile rail-to-trail gravel path through the Lehigh River Gorge State Park which follows the river (we saw rafters going down from a different company that operates right from White Haven).

Whitewater Challengers operates some 16 rafting trips with up to 20 rafts per trip.

In addition to the rafting trips on the Lehigh River, Whitewater Challengers also operates rafting trips on New York’s Hudson River Gorge, from North River in the Adirondacks (which can be a Class IV trip, depending upon season), the Black River Canyon out of Watertown, Salmon River out of Pulaski, and Middle Moose River, out of Old Forge.

Contact Whitewater Challengers, 800-443-8554, www.whitewaterchallengers.com.

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– Karen Rubin, Editor & Publisher

Travel Features Syndicate

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