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Dates & PricingHighlights of Washington Pre-tour Walking the Pacific Northwest More Information
Guides: Lee & Loraine DummerLee and Loraine Dummer have been guiding for Walking Adventures for years! Before they joined the WAI team in 1999, Lee worked in banking and Loraine as a teacher. As a much loved part of the Walking Adventures family, we’ve appreciated their good humor, great ideas, and attention to detail.
The camaraderie of the group, the quality of the hotels and food selected, and a chance to volkswalk in some really neat places… I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth from the trip. ~ Carole H, Aloha, OR
I have enjoyed every walking tour I’ve taken. I find almost all walkers to be very friendly and kind. After six or seven trips with WAI, I don’t find other trips as much fun! ~ Julie R, Smithville, MO
Organization – participants – information – guides. In all my WAI experiences, I felt that I got all that I could possibly get from a tour. ~ Lori P, Manassas, VA
This is my 5th WAI tour – wouldn’t use any other. ~ Lucy B, San Bernardino, CA
Pair a love of walking with a passion for travel, and you come up with Walking Adventures International! The tour was highly recommended by friends who have traveled extensively with WAI, and it surpassed my expectations. ~ Ralph B, Greensboro, SC
The planning and completeness of each tour is superb! Every aspect of the tours is handled to perfection. ~ Helen W, San Antonio, TX
The combination of walks and sightseeing makes a Walking Adventure a truly classy and fun experience. ~ Maureen P, Long Branch, NJ
WAI trips just keep getting better and better. ~ Mary Kay J, Breckenridge, CO
The extras beyond the walks make the trip! The museums, float trips etc. are what I remember over the years. Walking is great, but you give us a good balance of activities. ~ Dick F, Milwaukie, OR
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Walking the Pacific Northwest 2011
Already Walked for 2011! IDAHO ● MONTANA ● OREGON ● WASHINGTON We don’t often offer an Adventure in our own backyard here in the pristine Pacific Northwest, so we’re thrilled to include this option on our 2011 Schedule. We plan to visit lush Rainier National Park and explosive Mount St. Helens in Washington (optional Highlights of Washington Pre-tour), delightful Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, majestic Glacier National Park in Montana, Coeur d’Alene Lake in Idaho, and many more diverse scenic, geologic, and historic highlights unique to the Pacific Northwest! Also unique to this Adventure is the amount of backroads travel we experience! Freeway travel is rare, designated scenic byways are the norm, and driving distances have been reduced to allow time to relish these scenically rich ribbons of Northwest roadways! How to Register A Note on the Walks
Highlights of Washington Pre-tourDAY 1: JULY 6: ARRIVE PORTLAND, OR Travelers participating in the Highlights of Washington Pre-tour rendezvous today in Portland, Oregon. We look forward to exploring the Evergreen State of Washington with stops at two National Park sites, two nights in the Alpine Bavarian town of Leavenworth, and a visit to Grand Coulee Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the USA. DAY 2: JULY 7: PORTLAND – NISQUALLY LODGE, WA (BD) Most miles logged on this Adventure will be scenic backroads, and after just an hour of rare freeway driving, we turn onto the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. This post-eruption road takes us through now placid forested landscapes, once violently shattered by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Today’s trail in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a winding footpath with awesome views (weather permitting) into the throat of this active volcano. From Mount St. Helens, we thread our way north to Nisqually Lodge, in the shadow of the tallest peak in the Cascade Range – Mount Rainier. DAY 3: JULY 8: NISQUALLY LODGE – LEAVENWORTH, WA (BD) The stunning Nisqually-Paradise Road offers scenic viewpoints of Mount Rainier and a series of waterfalls en route to the Paradise visitor center, at an elevation of 5400 feet. Our nature trail takes us to the Grove of the Patriarchs, boasting massive Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar trees with ages estimated at over 1000 years old. We continue east on the White Pass Scenic Byway, through more mountain montages to Leavenworth, a charming Alpine Bavarian village tucked away in the Cascade foothills. Upon arrival, we’ll enjoy a special evening at the Red-Tail Canyon Farm. A home-cooked barbeque repast is followed by a fun hayride pulled by a team of beautiful Belgian draft horses raised on this working ranch! DAY 4: JULY 9: ACTIVITIES IN LEAVENWORTH (B) We have all day to enjoy Leavenworth, beginning with a walk that takes in the scenery of the area along the Wenatchee River and then with an afternoon free to browse the picturesque Bavarian shops and lanes. OPTIONAL: Join us this evening for a special thespian treat. The Sound of Music is playing for its 17th year in a unique outdoor mountain theater overlooking the dramatic Enchantment Peaks. Estimated price: $30 DAY 5: JULY 10: LEAVENWORTH - SPOKANE, WA (B) Our route continues east to the largest hydroelectric project in the USA. Grand Coulee Dam, built during the Great Depression, is still among the top 10 power-producing facilities in the world. After a tour of the dam, we continue to Spokane to meet travelers joining us for Walking the Pacific Northwest.
Walking the Pacific NorthwestDAY 1: JULY 10: ARRIVE SPOKANE, WA Travelers arrive from around North America today in anticipation of a rare glimpse into life off the beaten track in some of the most remote and pristine corners of the American Northwest! The only activity today is the Orientation reception at our hotel this evening at 7:30 pm. Make sure to arrive in time for this fun and important Adventure kickoff! DAY 2: JULY 11: SPOKANE – JOSEPH, OR (BD) This morning’s inaugural walk takes us among many architectural icons of historical Spokane, through Riverfront Park, along the Centennial Trail by the Spokane River, and onto the campus of Gonzaga University. Leaving Spokane, we drive south on the Palouse Scenic Byway through a patchwork of quilted farmland adrift in an ocean of rolling wheat fields. Our destination is across the Oregon border in the remote Wallowa Mountains. We stay two nights at the lovely Eagle Cap Chalets, set in the forest. DAY 3: JULY 12: ACTIVITIES IN JOSEPH AREA (B) A full day of activities in the breathtaking Wallowa Mountains includes a ride up the Wallowa Lake Tramway; a walk amongst high Alpine lakes with outstanding valley vistas; a visit to a bronze foundry, a craft for which Chief Joseph is justly famous; and a visit to the Nez Percé Trail National Historic Park to pay our respects at the gravesite of Chief Joseph and hear Part 1 of the Nez Percé story we encounter again later in the Adventure. DAY 4: JULY 13: JOSEPH – BOISE, ID (BL) Another amazing day in the Northwest begins with an eye-popping drive through the majestic Wallowa Mountains and into the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway. From the Hells Canyon Overlook, views into this, the deepest canyon in North America (deeper than Grand Canyon), are stunning. The second part of our day culminates with a Jetboat ride on the canyon floor through Hells Canyon on a wild ribbon of water called the Snake River. DAY 5: JULY 14: BOISE – CHALLIS, ID (B) We walk through the historic center of Idaho’s capital today, along sections of the Oregon Trail and on winding trails beside the lovely Boise River. Leaving Boise, we join the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway north through the historic mining town of Idaho City and into rugged panoramas in the Sawtooth Mountains. The winding Payette River then leads us between two huge wilderness areas – the Sawtooth Wilderness and the Salmon-Challis National Forest, which, when combined with the adjacent Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, contain more contiguous acres of roadless wilderness than anywhere else in the lower 48 states! From Banner Summit, at 7,056 feet, we drop down into the Stanley Basin, then follow the Salmon River Scenic Byway along one of the Northwest’s prettiest rivers to Challis. DAY 6: JULY 15: CHALLIS – NEVADA CITY, MT (B) First stop today is the Big Hole National Battlefield, site of the largest and most violent battle between Chief Joseph’s Nez Percé tribe and the 7th Infantry Regiment of the US Army. The epic, yet tragically unsuccessful, five month retreat of the Nez Percé towards Canada is immortalized at multiple national parks sites spanning four states. Today’s journey ends in the 1860’s mining town of Nevada City. We sleep in either rustic, but comfortable, pioneer cabins, or at the original Nevada City Hotel, a stage stop during the boom of the 1860’s gold rush. OPTIONAL: Join us after the dinner hour for a 19th century melodrama presentation at the nearby Virginia City Opera House. Details to be announced. DAY 7: JULY 16: NEVADA CITY – HELENA, MT (B) Virginia City was a gold rush town at the end of the Bozeman Trail during the 1860’s. Life here was the stuff of which Wild West legends were made, complete with con artists, card sharks, really bad “bad guys”, vigilantes, and every sort of excess that results from the lure of quick riches. Our walk introduces us to this colorful Old West jewel before another scenic drive north to Helena. DAY 8: JULY 17: HELENA – EAST GLACIER PARK VILLAGE, MT (B) Today’s excellent walk features impressive Victorian-era mansions built with mineral wealth; Last Chance Gulch, site of another 1860’s gold strike; and an attractive state capitol. From Helena, we join the Montana Scenic Loop to Glacier National Park. The Rocky Mountain Front rises dramatically to the west from the Montana plains as we pass through Big Sky classic western towns like Augusta and Choteau. Our route traverses the Blackfeet Indian Reservation en route to our home for tonight in the shadow of what the Blackfeet call the “Backbone of the World”. DAY 9: JULY 18: EAST GLACIER PARK VILLAGE – MANY GLACIER, MT (B) The next two days offer one of the most spectacular collections of mountain vistas we’ve ever seen! After enjoying the Blackfeet Scenic Drive into the Many Glacier area, we meet a team of local professional guides (complete with a potent array of “bear spray”). Our guides know a hike crammed with stunning vistas and opportunities to see bighorn sheep, mountain goat, bear, moose, and any number of other Rocky Mountain critters. The afternoon is free to enjoy the venerable Many Glacier Lodge, on the shores of one of Glacier’s prettiest lakes. DAY 10: JULY 19: MANY GLACIER – MISSOULA, MT (B) Vintage, 17-passenger red “jammer” buses, first put into service in 1937, are our mode of transport on the 52-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road, which offers some of North America’s most enchanting alpine scenery. Following lunch, we rendezvous with our coach and drive south on the Mission Valley Scenic Road along the shores of Flathead Lake through more memorable Montana vistas into Missoula. DAY 11: JULY 20: MISSOULA – SPOKANE, WA (BD) An atypical stretch of interstate through the Rocky Mountains of Idaho takes us to the final walk of the Adventure. The charming resort town of Coeur d’Alene is the venue for today’s trail, featuring wonderful views of spectacular Lake Coeur d’Alene. A short drive takes us across the border, and we arrive back in Spokane, looking forward to a Farewell Dinner and an opportunity to look back on all we’ve seen and experienced in this amazing northwest corner of America. DAY 12: JULY 21: DEPART FROM SPOKANE (B) Our hotel offers airport shuttle service, so we’ll be departing at different times this morning according to flight schedules. We return home warmed by the camaraderie of memory-building with great friends Walking the Pacific Northwest together! What's IncludedHighlights of Washington Pre-tour Including
Optional Excursion
Walking the Pacific Northwest Including
Optional Excursion
**Details of transfers provided are listed in Adventure Advice memo sent upon receipt of tour registration. Registration DetailsTo reserve your spot on this adventure, please mail the Registration Form along with a $500 per person deposit, or call in with your credit card. Make checks payable to Walking Adventures International. VISA, MasterCard, and Discover also accepted. The General Tour Conditions contain important information you should read before you register. Mail payments to: Travel Insurance Why We WalkWhy We Walk Walk Rating System. Volkssport General Questions |
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