National Geographic Traveler Interactive - 10.11 2019

NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

BEST LIST

EPIC OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

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Canoe Trip

FLORIDA

Paddle the 1.5-million-acre

Everglades National Park,

a mazelike mix of prairie,

mangroves, marsh, woods,

and water, water every-

where that’s best explored

December to April when

fewer bugs are biting.

Wilderness Trek

WASHINGTON

Take off-the-beaten-path

hiking to the next level

by tackling part of a true

wilderness trail, the 25-mile

Olympic Adventure Route

in Olympic National Park.

The isolated OAR ascends

through cougar habitat and

old-growth forests.

Butterfly Bonanza

ESTADO DE MEXICO, MEXICO

In the fir forests a few hours west of Mexico City, millions of

migrating monarchs roost in the trees and swirl in the skies

from November to March. Of the butterfly sanctuaries open

to the public, Cerro Pelón Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

may be the hardest to reach, meaning you’ll see fewer peo-

ple and earn more props for making the climb—a rocky and,

sometimes, straight-uphill slog on horseback from the Sierra

Madre valley to the monarch’s cloud-forest winter home.

Horseback Ride

ALBERTA, CANADA

Saddle up for a pack trip

into the hinterland of

Banff National Park,

Canada’s first. Traveling

by horse allows you to

go deep into the wild,

climbing above glacier-fed

lakes for top-of-the-Rockies

tableaus and crossing val-

leys where bison roam. Day

rides often retrace trails

blazed by First Nations and

European explorers.

Lake Kayak

MANITOBA, CANADA

Clear Lake is the crown

jewel of the collection of

lakes open to kayakers in

Riding Mountain National

Park, the traditional home

of the Anishinabe people.

Paddling makes for a

stealthy way to slip into the

park’s serene backcountry.

High-Altitude Hike

CALIFORNIA
If you can’t spend three weeks trekking the 211-mile John
Muir Trail along the spine of the Sierra Nevada mountain
range, hiking the section from Yosemite National Park to
Devils Postpile National Monument is the next best thing.
The three-day, 31-mile route begins at Tuolumne Meadows
(elevation 8,600 feet), delivers views of snowcapped peaks,
and climbs through 11,056-foot-high Donohue Pass. That’s
just day one. The otherworldly end point, Devils Postpile, is
named for its basalt rock columns towering up to 60 feet.

Sea Kayak

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR,

MEXICO

Blue whales, manta rays,

and whale sharks thrive

in the plankton-rich

environment of Loreto Bay

National Marine Park in the

Sea of Cortez. The water’s

often rough, but the abun-

dance of outsized marine

creatures, combined with

the stunning scenery—

desert landscapes flanking

turquoise water—make

this park a top spot for sea

kayaking tours.

An American crocodile

soaks up the sun in

Florida’s Everglades

National Park.

Rock Climb

WEST VIRGINIA

The snaking ravine

carved by the New River’s

white water is a gravity-

defying playground for

rock climbers. More than

1,400 established climbing

routes are located within

the New River Gorge

National River park, which

protects 53 miles of river

and some 70,000 acres.

Cliffs range from 30 to 120

feet high, and most routes

require advanced to expert

technique. For daredevil

thrills without the skills,

snag a coveted spot (space

is limited) on October’s

annual New River Gorge

Bridge Day High Line,

which sends brave souls on

a 700-foot-long ride over

the gorge, 2,200 feet up.

Canyon Cycle

ARIZONA
The chasm of Grand
Canyon National Park can
seem too immense to com-
prehend, let alone explore.
Cycling the rim allows you
to cover lots of ground. For
epic sunrise vistas, begin
before dawn at Hopi Point.

EDITED BY MARYELLEN KENNEDY DUCKETT