Vacations
The words extreme, family and vacation are seldom seen together outside of the subtitle for a National Lampoon-esque theatrical romp. Spending time with the family this summer however does not necessarily mean spending time at the same well-trodden campground hiking, cycling, canoeing and fishing. This year, try something new. Plan your vacation somewhere unexpected— a dude ranch in central Alberta—doing something exhilarating—swinging from a zip-line in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains—or even extreme— canyoneering in Utah’s slot canyons or running whitewater in the Ottawa Valley. These seven extreme getaways focus on learning, fun, adventure and blowing the dust off your family vacations.
32 SPRING 2009
7
Sea Kayaking Excursion LAKE SUPERIOR, ONTARIO
For a wilderness vacation without the worries or work, try a journey by tandem sea kayak along the remote coast of Lake Superior in northern Ontario. No roads or campground noise—and no responsibilities—means you have more time to explore, relax and share campfire stories with your kids. Tandem kayak- ing focuses on communication and teamwork as parent and child learn how to manoeuvre their shared craft.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner to intermediate MINIMUM AGE: Eight TIME TO COMMIT: Three days WHEN TO GO: July to August
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Swimming, cliff jumping, hiking, camping HOW MUCH: $425 per adult / $275 per child
CONTACT: Naturally Superior Adventures
www.naturallysuperior.com/ kayak_weekend_ getaways/guided_sea_kayak_family_week-
end_getaways.php
Aerial Ropes Adventure VAL-DES-MONT, QUEBEC
High ropes courses supply plenty of thrills for aerially-inclined families. Discover life in the treetops, cruise above a lake on giant zip-lines, and play Tarzan on scores of ropes, swingbridges and aerial obstacles. LaFleche Adventure has two sprawling adventure parks where families work together to conquer a series of lofty challenges, under the watchful eyes of the instructors.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate
MINIMUM HEIGHT: 1.5 metres for zips and main parks, 1.2 metres for children’s trails TIME TO COMMIT: One day WHEN TO GO: Open all year, discounts in winter
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Explore the bat cave, hike or snowshoe on 10 kilometres of forest trails
HOW MUCH: $30 to $104 per family, depending on activity
CONTACT: LaFleche Adventure
www.aventurelafleche.ca/en/index.php
Cave Exploration MAMMOTH CAVE, KENTUCKY
If heights don’t appeal to your gang, consider a subterranean adventure in the world’s longest cave system. Tours in Mammoth Cave National Park range from short strolls in roomy, well-lit passages to full-on spelunking in dark, damp crawlspaces. Whatever your level of adventure, all tours are led by park rangers and include learning about cave formation, cultural history, and environmental issues.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Easy to strenuous
MINIMUM AGE: None on short tours, six years on longer tours, 10 years for intro to caving, 16 for the wild cave crawl
TIME TO COMMIT: One hour to one day WHEN TO GO: Open all year
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Hiking and cycling park trails, canoeing, camping
HOW MUCH: $5 to $48 adult / $3.50 to $18 child per tour
CONTACT: Mammoth Cave National Park
www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/cavetours.htm
Whitewater
Kayaking Clinic MADAWASKA RIVER, ONTARIO, and DEERFIELD RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS
Learning a new skill together is a great way to bring family members closer. Whitewater kayaking clinics for kids and their parents
Extreme
Family
PHOTO: ACE RAFT
PHOTO: MEGAN ROMANO
PHOTO: ERIC ODENTHAL
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