10 greatest U.S. adventure vacations

Kayaking the San Juan Islands
Scattered like precious jades within the sheltered waters of Washington's coastal zone, the San Juan's are treasures not so hidden, yet not overly touched. In waters flat as a Bible belt, the boats glide like a prayer. Bald eagles swoop to scan the emerald waters; orcas dance and dine in the salmon-laced tides; scaups and scoters drive for fry near the forested isles. Sea kayakers meet them all, eye to eye and beam to beak. No previous experience needed. June-September.

Canoeing the Boundary Waters
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, largest in North America, has over 1,500 icy, clear-water lakes accessible by paddle only in an area of well over a million acres, unchanged since when the Sioux, Chippewa and French-Canadian voyagers navigated through hundreds of years ago. Every fall from about 1750 until the mid-1800s, the Voyageurs carried trade goods through the Boundary Waters as far as the Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories. They spent the winter in the interior trading with the Native Americans. When the ice went out of the lakes and rivers, they returned with beaver and other pelts. In fact, the Voyageurs' route through the Boundary Waters defines the Canadian-U.S. border. Trips begin at Gunflint, Minnesota, and head out for six days of paddling and portaging. Canoeists typically encounter moose, beavers, black bear, eagles, loons, otters, and timber wolves, the last large packs in the lower 48 states. Fishing lines bring in walleye, northern and lake trout, as well as smallmouth bass. May through September.

Mountain Biking the Grand Staircase
Between the pink cliffs of Bryce Canyon and the sheer walls of the Grand Canyon's north rim, an expansive geological staircase climbs skyward in rainbow pastels. Through the vast wilderness of remote-forested mesas and flamboyantly-stained buttes flows the Paria River, whose waters, cutting unceasingly through layers of sedimentary rock, have formed some of the finest slot canyons in the world. On this adventure fat tires float through the sinuous yet spacious backcountry of the upper Paria, which flows out of Bryce Canyon. After descending Echo Cliffs and rumbling along dirt roads to the rim of the Grand Canyon, the bikes climb from sagebrush valleys to groves of pinon to tall ponderosa pine forests following jeep trails into the Kaibab Mountains, where vestiges of the Anasazi culture are ever-present. April through July.

Climbing Denali
An ascent up the west buttress of Denali, North America's highest point, is no slick adventure tour, as there is no easy way up. An outfitted climb takes about three weeks on the mountain, living and climbing in true expedition style. Base camp is set at 7,000 feet on the tongue of Kahiltna Glacier, and from there relay loads are made over the course of a week to the 14,000-foot level, and finally to high camp at 17,200 feet. Then the team waits — for the crystal clear morning when the wind is still and the horizon line sharp and the snowy route to the summit firm. The final push to the 20,320-foot apex makes the most of mountaineering skills honed while on the climb. Although previous climbing experience is helpful, it is not essential. Far more useful is the physical and mental health necessary to cope with the long days of glacier travel, the snow and ice climbing, and the possibility of poor weather delaying, or perhaps canceling, the summit attempt. April-June.

MORE FROM ALPINE & ECO ADVENTURES

Ski resorts ratchet up the fun factor

Ski resorts ratchet up the fun factor Resorts go 'green' to make white For good European skiing, head for the Alps Europe’s traditional alpine resorts Sun Valley gets low grade on environment Ski resorts uphold quaint images Rustic resorts: roughing it in style North America's best cross-country ski resorts Elite skiing: The very best downhill slopes South Pole trek: Skiing to the Nth degree   Add Alpine & Eco Adventures headlines to your news reader: