Forget vacation.
If you loath spending your off-time loafing about, this list is for you. Channel those elementary school bulletin boards of yore that proclaimed, “Learning is an adventure!” and hit the road.
The National Parks are popular destinations, obviously. Many people end up stuck in their cars, waiting in line to tour Yosemite Valley or catch a glimpse of road-side wild life. But with a little planning and some insider knowledge the parks can be (even more) amazing destinations.
YExplore
If Yosemite is on your bucket list, give a call over to YExplore. A family owned business, they offer, among other things, half-dome hikes (permit included!) and Yosemite photography workshops. The kind of knowledge that YExplore can provide is the kind that comes from a calm and experienced guide who knows and loves the area. You won’t wait in lines and you’ll feel like you’ve got a friend looking out for you.
Yellowstone Forever Institute
Yellowstone is the flagship of national parks — and for good reason. It is a special place and the Yellowstone Forever Institute is a special organization. They offer an incredible array of programs, like one seminar offered this fall called “Three Days in the World of Wolves.” How’s that for awesome?! YFI also maintains the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the Lamar Valley which is maintained by volunteers. This kind of volunteer opportunity is definitely more about what you’re getting than giving, but there’s no harm in offering to clean up a few buildings in a fabulous location.
Kentucky Rock & Adventure Guides
Rock climbing is awesome. Everyone knows it. But not everyone knows how to get started, or how to move from indoor rock gyms to climbing outdoors, or how to build anchors. Here to help you out, at whatever level you happen to be at, are the fine folks at Kentucky Rock & Adventure Guides. They are family owned and based in Daniel Boone National Forest, right outside the famed Red River Gorge. Their guides are AMGA certified (this means they know what they’re doing) and they know the Gorge. So if you want to build confidence as a lead climber, hone your trad skills, or learn what any of those things mean, KRAG can get you there.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Not all nature needs to be remote. Right in Charlotte, North Carolina on the Catawba river is the U.S. National Whitewater Center. They have a whole host of activities from rafting to mountain biking and even the upcoming Flow Fest. You can take a class on Lead Climbing or get certified in swiftwater rescue. It’s a great resource to get a dose of the great outdoors near a big city, or to train up before heading to more remote destinations. And it’s an easy weekend trip!
Boulder Outdoor Survival School
Southern Utah is one of the most beautiful places in the country. It is filled with backroads great for exploring, and many adventure-worthy destinations. However, if you worry about what might happen should your adventure rig break down while you are deep down one of these remote backroads, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School might be for you. Since 1968 they have been offering courses in traditional living and survival skills. They take an admirable approach, promoting low-tech, experiential learning and sustainable use of the land.
The Yestermorrow Design/Build School
The Yestermorrow Design/Build School has a beautiful website, and it only gets better from there. Located in the middle of Vermont, with all kinds of classes on woodworking and building stuff, it looks like an idyll. There you can take a two- or four-week class on designing and building your very own tiny house. Here’s the best part: you don’t have to have any experience. Yestermorrow was founded on the desire to bridge the gap between designers and builders. Some attend classes to become professional woodworkers while others boost their skills to become empowered homeowners.
Port Townsend School of Woodworking
If Vermont is too close, or too far, check out the Port Townsend School of Woodworking in Port Townsend, Washington. They even have a class on designing Gypsy Wagons — yes, please!
Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions
If you’re a mountain lover and an aspiring angler, you must surely head to Lander, Wyoming. A road trip-worthy destination in central Wyoming and the gateway to the remote Wind River Mountain Range, it’s off the beaten path and is a town full of real people. There you’ll find Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions, led by the local Hunker family. Call for a reservation and you’ll likely talk to a woman named Paula. Trips are led by either George or Hank. The Winds are their backyard and they’re Orvis certified, which means you stand to learn as much as you can catch. The Winds offer all kinds of trout: cutthroat, brookies, browns, and the rare and elusive goldens.
“Our purpose is to fish where it is truly beautiful, where we don’t feel confined, where there are no crowds.” – Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions
Orvis Everglades Fly Fishing School
If the beach calls to you more than the mountains, head to southern Florida for fly fishing in the salt water of the Everglades. The Orvis Everglades Fly Fishing School puts together one heck of a three-day trip. Day one gives you an intro to all the basics: casting, tackle and fly selection, and knot tying. Then you’re off for two days of fly fishing!
With so many neat opportunities to learn something new, you might just have to move into your adventure rig full time in order to take advantage of them all.
