Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
74
Colorado and New Mexico. Each year, the CDTA publishes a project schedule for the
next summer, complete with volunteer needs, project description, and difficulty rating.
Guided backpacking trips of different durations and difficulty levels are offered by the
Grand Canyon Field Institute
(
&
866/471-4435
or 928/638-2485; www.grand
canyon.org/fieldinstitute) and
Discovery Treks
(
&
888/256-8731;
www.discoverytreks.
com).
Backroads
(
&
800/462-2848
or 510/527-1555; www.backroads.com), better
known for its bike trips, also offers a 7-day hiking/biking trip to Grand Canyon, Bryce
Canyon, and Zion national parks for between $1,998 and $2,498. Vermont-based
Country Walkers
(
&
800/464-9255
or 802/244-1387; www.countrywalkers.com), has
a 6-day hiking-oriented trip that takes in the Grand Canyon and Sedona, as well as a
similar tour for women only. Either trip costs $2,798.
The highly respected
Colorado Mountain School
(
&
800/836-4008;
www.total
climbing.com) leads climbs in various parts of Colorado.
The Colorado Trail Founda-
tion
(
&
303/384-3729;
www.ColoradoTrail.org) assembles volunteers to maintain the
Colorado Trail, and offers supported treks and outdoor workshops on the Colorado
Trail.
You can choose from hundreds of other hikes. Consider purchasing a hiking book or
contacting the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Manage-
ment, or other appropriate agencies directly. The best guides for the region are
50 Hikes
in Northern New Mexico: From Chaco Canyon to the High Peaks of the Sangre de Cristos
(Countryman), by Kai Huschke, and
100 Hikes in New Mexico,
2nd Edition, by Craig
Martin (the Mountaineers).
Hiking Arizona,
by Bruce Grubbs (Falcon), outlines many
excellent excursions.
6
HORSEBACK RIDING
Adventurers come from all over the world to horseback ride in the Southwest. Some of
the most notable Western historic moments took place here, and many Westerns have
been filmed. There's a great variety in the types of riding a person can do in the South-
west, so do some research and choose carefully.
If you're content with a nose-to-tail kind of ride, you'll be happiest riding in such
mountainous regions as the White Mountains or in more controlled environments such
as through Monument Valley. But if you'd prefer to really ride—to trot and canter your
horse—you'll want to go to places where the terrain allows for such riding. The Wicken-
burg, Arizona, area offers plenty of open-trail riding. Check out the
Kay El Bar Guest
Ranch
(
&
800/684-7583
or 928/684-7593; www.kayelbar.com; see chapter 15). Some
good riding spots include Canyon de Chelly National Monument (see chapter 6), and
the red-rock country around Sedona (see chapter 15).
Among the most popular guided adventures in Arizona are the mule rides down into
the Grand Canyon. These trips vary in length from 1 to 2 days; for reservations and more
information, contact
Grand Canyon National Park Lodges/Xanterra Parks & Resorts
(
&
888/297-2757,
303/297-2757, or, for last-minute reservations, 928/638-2631;
www.grandcanyonlodges.com). You'll need to make mule-ride reservations many months
in advance. However, if at the last minute (1 or 2 days before you want to ride) you
decide you want to go on a mule trip into the Grand Canyon, contact Grand Canyon
National Park Lodges at its last-minute reservations phone number (see above), or stop
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