Just when it seemed impossible to find untrammeled singletrack in Europe or snorkel uncharted waters in Australia, we're here to remind you that optimism pays off. New parks and trail systems, wacky weather patterns, and cosmic events can make a well-traveled planet feel full of new frontiers again. Here are the best adventure destinations for 2012.
—Claire Martin
-
Ski and Snowboard Mammoth Mountain, California
Photograph by Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
In December 2010, Mammoth Mountain Resort, located in the eastern Sierra Nevada, had the most recorded snow on the planet. By July 4, 2011 (the end of the season), it had received a whopping 661 inches (50 percent more than usual). Credit for the white bounty went to La Niña, the climatic phenomenon whereby cool Pacific Ocean temperatures create cold, wet conditions in the West and Pacific Northwest. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Niña will be back with a vengeance again this year, blanketing the resort’s 3,500-plus skiable acres—which are among the most of any U.S. ski area. True to its name, Mammoth also has a 3,100-foot elevation drop and it’s served by a total of 28 lifts, which leave the slopes blissfully uncrowded.
Go Now:
Tamarack Lodge, a collection of cabins centered around a main lodge and a cross-country ski center with 19 miles of trails, has affordable rooms lined with knotty pine panels and a shared bathroom down the hall (www.tamaracklodge.com, +1 760 934 2442, from $99). Or consider Tallus, a new collection of private homes for rent. It's at the luxurious end of the spectrum, with hot tubs, vaulted ceilings, and private screening rooms in each of the four- and five-bedroom houses (www.tallus.com, 800 568 9976, from $850 a night for a house that sleeps ten).
-
Raft the Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers, Idaho
Photograph by Paul Richer, Getty Images
Far in the southwestern corner of Idaho, a hundred miles southeast of Boise on the border of Nevada and Oregon, is the newest staging ground for two world-class river trips. The Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness, one of the newest designated wilderness areas in the country, is a 90,000-acre parcel of land that protects its namesake rivers. It's also a dead ringer for Bryce and Zion National Parks.
“There is no more remote river system in the lower 48, hands down,” says Peter Grubb, owner of the rafting outfitter ROW Adventures. The Class III-IV Bruneau River begins in northern Nevada and flows turquoise blue, heading north for 50 miles through red-rock canyons. The sheer walls of the Bruneau create a lush environment (a desert anomaly) with good opportunities for side hikes. The Bruneau, which is not dammed, is only raftable in May and June, when it churns with snowmelt. The Jarbidge is a sassier 29-mile, Class V romp through hoodoos and red volcanic spires. Redband trout run these rivers, and otters, bighorn sheep, and bobcats inhabit the region, along with 60 species of birds.
Go Now:
ROW Adventures leads five-day trips on the Bruneau, with nights spent camping on sandy beaches, and seven-day trips that combine time on both rivers (www.rowadventures.com, 800 451 6034, from $1,585 per person).
-
Mountain Bike Bosnia and Herzegovina
Photograph by Andy Ross, Exodus Travels
In 2009, the Lonely Planet guidebook company prophesied that Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Eastern European country perhaps still best known for its ethnically charged war in the 1990s and for hosting the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, had a bright future ahead of it. The country was poised to become Eastern Europe’s year-round center for adventure. Since then, skiers, hikers, and whitewater enthusiasts have indeed made their mark—and now mountain bikers are starting to do the same. The ancient highland caravan routes that linked mountain towns for centuries now make for a heavenly singletrack system for the knobby-tire set.
Go Now:
British outfitter Exodus leads weeklong mountain-biking trips starting in Sarajevo that incorporate Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman culture with present-day adventure. Highlights include a ride into Lukomir, the country’s highest village at nearly 5,000 feet, and an exploration of a region near the Prenj massif, known as the Herzegovina Himalaya. The country is mostly landlocked, but Exodus’s route hits several lakes and culminates with a climb to a waterfall followed by a screaming, 4,200-foot mountain bike descent, and eventually, a return to Sarajevo (www.exodus.co.uk, 800 843 4272, from $1,530 for eight days).
-
Snorkel the Ningaloo Coast, Australia
Photograph by Jeff Rotman, Getty Images
Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef recently caught the eye of the UNESCO World Heritage committee with its treasures: sponge gardens, giant staghorn coral formations, and the world’s largest whale shark population. It was named the newest World Heritage site in the summer of 2011. Ningaloo is one of the largest fringing reefs in the world—a spot where the spawning coral in the spring, from April to July, lures in hundreds of whale sharks. The reef is close enough to shore (a quarter of a mile) that kayakers can easily explore it, and snorkelers can swim out to it. Below the water's surface is a mind-boggling amount of marine life, including 250 types of coral, 500 fish species, manta rays, and hawksbill, loggerhead, and green turtles.
Go Now:
Sal Salis, a luxury tent camp located on the shoreline within Cape Range National Park, has a cluster of tents nestled in the dunes just 165 feet from the water. Sal Salis guides can take guests on reef excursions, including swims with the whale sharks. They also lead hikes into a gorge within the park, where kangaroos and wallabies can be seen—along with gaping views of the coastline (www.salsalis.com.au, +6 129 571 6399, from $677 per night, including all meals and activities).
-
Surf Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico
Photograph courtesy Jay Graham, Rancho Pescadero
Just five years ago, the surf hamlet of Todos Santos was mostly a cluster of run-down hotels and funky art galleries. Located 50 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific side of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, the town was filled with bohemians, artists, and surf bums who congregated at a nearby right point break called Cerritos. But in the last couple of years, a handful of new hotels catering to surfers has sprung up, and there’s been an influx of surf shops and teaching pros. The sandy bottom and rolling waves are beginner-friendly, but expert locals also flock here (and are willing to share their bounty).
Go Now:
Rancho Pescadero, a small eco-oasis perched in the sand dunes fronting the ocean just south of town, has its own organic garden, with ingredients going into dishes such as caramelized chipotle chicken enchiladas and the hotel’s fresh guacamole. Fleets of surfboards and bikes are free for guests to use. The staff will arrange for surfing lessons at Cerritos or at any of the region’s other breaks. Each night, guests meander out to the beach for a margarita-and-bonfire homage to the setting sun. In March, there’s the added bonus of a front-row seat to the gray whale migration, as mother whales begin shepherding their offspring north toward Alaska for the summer (www.ranchopescadero.com; +1 910 300 8891, from $185).
-
Climb Mustagata, China
Photograph by Guillem Lopez , Alamy
Mustagata is known to be the easiest climbable 7,500-meter peak—to the extent that the 24,757-foot mountain is known at all. It is located in China’s Pamir Mountains at the junction of the Himalaya, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Tian Shan, and Kunlun ranges—a region climbers most closely associate with the world’s second highest peak, K2. But Mustagata, unlike its exceedingly dangerous neighbor, is one of the safest high-altitude mountains, and it’s now starting to make it onto climbers’ and outfitters’ hit lists.
The route to the summit is nontechnical and conducive to snowshoeing or skinning up and skiing or snowboarding back down. The peak is located within Mustagata National Park, home to a surprising diversity of wildlife given the high altitude, including marmots, ibex, snow leopards, sheep, and goats. The region is also inhabited by two nomadic tribes, who live in yurts and ride camels and horses. At the summit, reachable in a four- to eight-hour push from the highest camp, views of K2, Pakistan, the Tien Shan range, and Afghanistan make the climb well worth the effort.
Go Now:
UK-based SummitClimb leads expeditions each summer (www.summitclimb.com, +011 360 570 0715, from $2,750 for 25 days).
-
Explore Maya Culture, Belize
Photograph by Dan Hallman, Getty Images
For the past 52,000 years, the Maya people have anticipated the year 2012 as the end of one cosmic cycle and the beginning of a new one—the dawn of a new era, so to speak. “Next year, 2012, represents an important time for rebirth, reflection, and renewal for the Mayas, who still make up a significant portion of Belize’s population,” says Larry Waight of Belize's Lodge at Chaa Creek, located between the ancient Maya cities of Tikal and Caracol. All year, the lodge is highlighting Maya culture with workshops on ancient stone carving techniques, folklore, and Maya astronomy, and hiking and horseback riding excursions to temples.
Go Now:
The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s monthly Maya Heartland 2012 trip includes forays into the rain forest on its 365-acre nature preserve and samples other important Maya sites nearby. The Maya Winter Solstice 2012 trip is timed to the actual changing of the Maya calendar, in late December. It’s seven days of Maya immersion, with classes on folklore, music, medicinal plants, farming techniques, and cacao preparation. Canoeing to a ceremonial cave, snorkeling the Belize reef, and partaking in Maya spa treatments—including the lodge’s signature cocoa massage—are bonuses (www.chaacreek.com, 877 709 8708, from $2,996 per person for seven days).
-
Kayak Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
Photograph by Onne van der Wal, Corbis
With 400 miles of coastline and 1,500 miles of rivers, Rhode Island is a paddler’s dream destination. But until a few years ago, there wasn’t much infrastructure for sea kayakers who wanted to launch day trips or multiday expeditions. Then in 2007, a nonprofit organization called the Rhode Island Blueways Alliance began linking and mapping the paddling routes. It created a database of information and resources for kayaking Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island’s rivers and coastline. In 2012, 20 new sections of paddling routes will be mapped and kayakers will have a menu of new options. This includes the Pawtuxet River, which saw the dismantling of a 300-year-old dam last August. The river now flows freely into Narragansett Bay, and this spring sea kayakers will be among the first to ever paddle into the river mouth from the bay.
Go Now:
The councils that oversee the state’s 16 major watersheds will be leading groups of paddlers on forays of the newly mapped routes throughout the spring and summer. Check the Rhode Island Blueways Alliance website for schedules and maps (www.exploreri.org). On the Pawtuxet River, ecologists predict that schools of river herring and American shad will be making their first runs up the Pawtuxet by the spring. A wooded shoreline cloaks the surrounding suburbs and rapids near the old dam site provide a bit of excitement. Eastern Mountain Sports Kayak School in nearby Lincoln rents boats (www.kayak-ems.com, 800 310 4514, from $55 per day).
-
Hike Newfoundland, Canada
Photograph by Ralph William, Alamy
The easternmost hiking trail in North America, Newfoundland’s East Coast Trail delivers hikers to a world of sea stacks, oceanside headlands, icebergs, and deep fjords. The trail opened in 2001 with 135 miles of pathways from Fort Amherst to Petty Harbour Maddox Cove. Each year, the East Coast Trail Association’s expansion plans have grown increasingly ambitious. Crews have been busy building bridges and cutting trail between the 32 historic communities along the island’s eastern edge. By the close of the 2011 season, more than 100 miles of new pathways were completed—which means a bounty for hikers in 2012. The very newest section, a 4.5-mile path from Pouch Cove to St. Francis, edges along cliffs and past a waterfall—with views of offshore islands as it snakes toward the lighthouse at St. Francis.
Go Now:
The trail is prime for day hikes, but it’s also possible to hike from town to town, staying at inns or camping along the way. The Outfitters, an outdoors store in capital city St. John’s, arranges daylong and overnight hiking packages on the trail—providing logistical information, equipment rentals (trekking poles and the like), trail maps, and beta (www.theoutfitters.nf.ca, 800 966 9658, from $20 for day-hike support and from $100 for overnights).
-
Canoe the Susquehanna River Water Trail, Allegheny Mountains, Pennsylvania
Photograph courtesy Endless Mountain Outfitters
One of the newest national recreation water trails in the country, the West Branch Susquehanna River Water Trail snakes for 228 miles through the oak, cherry, and maple hardwood forests of the Allegheny Mountains and into the habitat of the Northeast’s largest elk herd. It’s seriously wild territory, but it’s located smack in the center of Pennsylvania, within driving distance of the state’s major cities—Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this was prime timber harvesting country, and the river served as a conduit for trees heading to the Chesapeake Bay. Today, the river begins as a small stream near the town of Cherry Tree and gradually widens as it meanders through farmland, state forest, and historic towns. It eventually connects with 266 miles of other waterways that make up the entire Susquehanna Water Trail system, the largest river-based water trail in the country.
Go Now:
Plentiful state forestland means this is canoe-camping territory, but it’s also prime for day trips. McCracken Canoe, in Clearfield, rents boats (www.mccrackencanoe.com; +1 814 765 1410, $25 per day). Maps are available through the Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania website (www.lumberheritage.org/watertrailmap1.htm). Endless Mountain Outfitters leads custom canoe trips on the Susquehanna River Water Trail (www.emo444.com, +1 570 746 9140).
Extreme Photo of the Week
Outdoor Skills
Advertisement
Adventure Favorites
Adventure Photos
-
Bike Across America
A coast-to-coast bicycle ride is just one of our favorite 10 classic adventures.