Brooks River, Katmai National Park in Alaska! Check out Explore.org for a live webcam of the bears at Brooks River. Here's a link to the live cam highlights where you can watch a couple of bears having a snack while lounging in the river. I also enjoy just listening to the bird and water sounds - ahhhh!

Now is the perfect time for you to be thinking about and booking your winter adventure travel! Best availability, best early-bird rates.

It's Finland! So many adventures await in the winter in Finland - ice hotels, dog sledding, xc skiing, and you can even visit Santa's workshop!

The Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park, Victoria Australia!  Amazing views await you along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. And, don't forget to check out the wildlife at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve up the road. This reserve is an inland island (ha ha, say that 5 times fast!) of an old volcano with kangaroos, koalas, emu, echidna and other native Australian wildlife to view.

Hint: This is in one of our fine #NationalParks. Good luck!

And the answer is...
Lake Tanuki with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Lake Prags, Italy
​What a beautiful photo of Pragser Wildsee, or Lake Prags, one of the most beautiful lakes in the Dolomites. Hike around the lake or up to the high routes and gaze into the clear, turquoise waters. Or, hop in a boat and soak in the incredible mountain views while floating on the lake.

Tamanawas Falls, Mt Hood, Oregon
With all the snow this past winter, the waterfalls are magnificent!

This is on the famous Vallée Blanche off-piste ski descent in Chamonix, France!

Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe!

Ketchikan, Alaska!

Alaska is a wonderful family vacation destination!  

Denali, tallest peak in North America
3+ million lakes
Over 100,000 glaciers
Alaska Native Culture
Wrangell-St. Elias, largest National Park
32 million acre UNESCO World Heritage Site
Wildlife

Taking the family to Alaska will be the adventure of a lifetime!  So much to do and see and share together - the memories will be cherished.  Whether you've got tiny tykes, independent kiddos or teens, Alaska has something for everyone and all activity levels.
What an opportunity to experience the wild of Alaska and see and learn about the Alaska native culture! 

Imagine watching whales and dolphins leaping out of the water while you're watching from the deck of a small ship in the otherwise quiet narrow fjord of Alaska's Inside Passage.  Perhaps you'll also spot some sea otters playing together or munching on some mussels. Look up!  And see the soaring and diving bald eagles as they hunt for salmon. Get close to glaciers in a skiff, hike amongst the summer flowers, or get into the water in a kayak or stand up paddle board.

All the cruise ships will offer stunning and amazing views of the islands and glaciers, but it's only the smaller ships that will be able to take you closer to what you want to see!  The smaller ships can go into smaller fjords which means you get closer to the action and get away from the crowds.

With a fleet of small ships and passenger size ranging from 24-88 guests, Un-Cruise Adventures is the go-to cruise company for your Alaska vacation!  Small ships, BIG adventure is what Un-Cruise Adventures is all about. Get close to the experience you're looking for with kayaks, trips out in the skiff to explore glaciers and whales, and personally guided hikes at a variety of activity levels.

Un-Cruise Adventures has a variety of itineraries, including Family Cruises, in Alaska's Inside Passage. You can check out the options here or give me a call and I can help you find the itinerary that best matches the experience you're looking for in Alaska!  (775) 303-6282, kerry@mountainadventuretravel.com

On our family road trip to Moab this spring break, we chose the Hwy 50 route so we could stop in at the Berlin-Ichtyosaur State Park in Nevada.  This fabulous, off-the-main-road, park features the fossils of the largest known remains of ancient marine reptile, the Ichthyosaur, that swam in the oceans that covered Nevada millions of years ago!  The park also features the Nevada ghost town, Berlin, that was a bustling mining town in the 1890's.

The mural represents the actual size of the Ichthyosaur.  A Fossil House at the Park offers a guided tour by Park Rangers that shows the excavated whole fossil remains of an Ichthyosaur.
Tip - the Fossil House is only accessible with a Ranger Tour.  Be sure to check the schedule of tours on the park's website.
Even if you can't work a Ranger Tour into your stop at the Ichthyosaur Fossil House, don't worry.  There are viewing windows on either side of the building with signs to help identify which fossil bones you are looking at.

The ghost town of Berlin is a self-guided tour with many of the original buildings still standing and are preserved in what the NV State Parks terms a state of arrested decay.  This means that the buildings have original artifacts still left inside!

This photo is of the inside of the Berlin Mill.  Helpful signs on the building explain the machinery that's still inside.

Other buildings and artifacts to explore include the stage coach house, old machinery, automobile with wooden tire spokes, a Hoist House that raised and lowered the mining cars, Assay Office, and old mining pits. 
Do be careful out there, especially with the kids running around.

There are also camping sites available, currently at $17/night.  There are 14 spaces with covered tables and the pinyon pines and juniper trees offer some shade and privacy between sites.  Drinking water is available seasonally.  There is also a day use picnicking area and trails to explore another old town site near the Fossil House.

I had an opportunity to ski in the Lofoten Islands of Norway last month and what a treat!  The islands are above the arctic circle on the northwest coast of Norway and with help from the temperate waters of the Gulf stream, Lofoten has a milder climate than other places at similar latitude, such as Alaska.  The peaks just jump right out of the exquisitely clear, turquiose blue water! 

Bonus: For skiers coming from sea level, such as San Francisco, your ski days in Lofoten all start from sea level so there's no worry about acclimatizing to mountains.  And, you still climb amazing peaks with stunning views and incredible skiing!

We enjoyed six days of guided ski touring throughout the islands.  Half the days we were able to click in to our skies from the car, other days we had to do some hiking to get to the snow in the couloirs before skinning up to the higher and more open plateaus above.

Did I mention the views??  The top of each peak afforded a National Geographic cover-like view: ocean, fjords, white beaches, farms, rocky islands, and what looked like endless white peaks.  What a delight.  And the only way to enjoy all those snow-covered mountains is by human-power.  Recreational snowmobiling and heli-skiing are prohibited in Norway and there are no ski resorts on the Lofoten Islands.

Spring skiing in Lofoten was pretty similar to spring skiing in Tahoe - we experienced all types of snow conditions.  First day held corn snow on the south-facing aspect and chalky, north-facing snow on the way back to the car.  No spring skiing is complete without breakable crust, right?  We had that, too. 

The last day of the trip was the most special!  We took the boat to Trollfjord. The weather forecast was for clear skies.  However, the peaks were creating their own weather system and we were dropped off at the back of the fjord in a localized snowstorm.  Up we went into the whiteness.  As luck would have it, by the time we reached our col, the clouds opened a bit, visibility improved greatly and we were all smiles as we descended the 3000' full of Norwegian, blowy POWDER!  Can't wait to go back!

"Rorbu" cabins were seasonal housing for fishermen during the winter cod fishing season in the Lofoten Islands, Nordland.  They are easy to spot as they are commonly painted red and are found along the rocky coastline, in clusters or on their own.  They were basic 2-room cabins built on poles over the water and housed dozens of fishermen on bunks.  Nowadays, these rorbu cabins have been refurbished into cozy and comfortable, and even luxury style, accommodations.

We stayed at the Svinoya Rorbuer in Svolvær, Nordland this past April and were very comfortable in one of their 2-story, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom rorbusuites overlooking the Vestfjord. Pictures below.

There are many big hikes around Tahoe that offer amazing views of the lake, but what to do when you are mountain adventuring with young ones?  It's important to get those little adventurers off on the right foot - loving being active in the mountains.  I've got a couple of hikes that we started the kids on and they are both great for motivating little hikers!

Hike 1 - Stateline Lookout
This peak was once used as a fire lookout for the National Forest.  As you can imagine, the view is spectacular with nearly a 360 degree view of Lake Tahoe and the basin. 

Why this trail is great for younger hikers: The trail is an old Forest Service road which offers a smooth and wide path to the top.  The pitch of the road is steep, but the trail is only 1/4 mile till you reach the top where you'll find a paved looped trail with interpretive signs about Tahoe plants, animals, and history.  Along the trail there are benches to sit down and enjoy the view and to celebrate the accomplishment of a hike well-done by your little mountain adventurer.

For directions, follow this link to the US Forest Service website.

Hike 2 - Donner Camp Picnic Site and Interpretive Trail
North of Tahoe along Hwy 89 is a stop on the route of the infamous Donner Party of 1846-47. At the Donner Camp Picnic Site there is a 1/3 mile trail through Alder Creek Valley with interpretive signs displaying excerpts from Donner Party member's diaries and letters.

Why this trail is great for younger hikers: The trail is short and it's a loop which I think is great for kids as there is always new scenery and the mystery of what's "around the corner" to keep them going!  The trail is well-worn and for a short trail, goes through a variety of habitats - creek and marshy area with boardwalks, open meadows, and pine forest.  If kids get tired of walking through the meadow, it's not long before they've entered into the forest with new sights and sounds to engage their senses.

Tip: Make "binoculars" by taping together two cardboard rolls (toilet paper rolls) and adding a string neck strap.  You might be surprised at what a kid's imagine will find when looking through their very own "binoculars" and it also helps keep them motivated to keep walking!

Directions can be found on the US Forest Service website.