Happy New Year!!!

I'm sure that we could all use a better 2009 than 2008. With all the bad news out there, here's some good news - Tracks & Trails had another record year! Thank you so much to all of our clients, especially the ones that took second, third or fourth trips with us and those that referred new clients. It's your experiences and word-of-mouth that helps us continue to create exciting, fun-filled and affordable vacation packages.

Another big thank you to all of our suppliers (and I mean ALL of them)! From hotels to RV rental companies to campground owners to outfitters, the staff at Tracks & Trails thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. You took great care with our clients and went the extra mile to make sure that they not only had their expectations met, but many times they were exceeded!

And a huge thank you to our staff! We can do so much for you because we have a great team that works fabulously together and truly enjoys working with you. It's you that benefits from their extensive experience and knowledge of the itineraries we recommend. We know this is true because we received many surveys that touted their skills and care in helping you.

Here's to a good year in 2009 for everyone! Keep an eye on Tracks & Trails because we will have more to offer including new modes of travel, new starting cities and a new website with new functions that will help you select that Western Driving Adventure that will be a "trip of a lifetime"!

Sheri's Favorites (Part 3)

by Sheri Ballard

Many of our clients are families and many are traveling with children under 6 years old. Just like adults, kids can be just as different with a wide array of interests, levels of activity and attention spans. We have found that having many choices is a good thing since you don't know sometimes from moment to moment what will work for everyone. Here are some of our favorite destinations to visit for families with little ones and older ones as well!

You can get a little of everything when you visit Tucson, Tombstone and the Sonoran Desert. There are great short trails around the giant saguaro cacti, pretty Sabino Canyon, the wonderful Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the touristy, hokey Old Tucson Studios which little kids seem to love and the Air & Space Museum. Plus, the weather is generally nice in the winter and spring, with few bugs. When the small ones start having a meltdown, it’s not too far back to the campsite, and you don’t have to be moving to a new site every couple of days either.

Active kids over 5? For your choice of picks of activities, Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks are hard to beat. Great hiking, rafting, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking and some other more extreme adventures like rock climbing will keep the family busy, and the scenery and wildlife are great bonuses too. Yellowstone has the highest concentration of geo-thermal features in the world. (We’ve checked out the New Zealand one and it’s not even close to the scale of Yellowstone in terms of size and wilderness/natural experience; and Siberia has yet to have their area accessible to those other than scientists. That leaves Iceland on our travel wishlist). You can choose your level of excitement too in all the activities, which makes it a winner for everyone.

For water based activities, check out the Florida Keys where you can snorkel, sail, kayak and body surf. Seeing manatees, dolphins and sea turtles along with alligators and crocodiles, all in the wild, along with all the sea life at the reefs makes this a huge step up from the typical aquarium & theme park visits that are normally associated with Florida. Way better than standing in line to try out a ride.

Hope all of this information has helped! If you want more, just give us a call at 800-247-0970 and ask to talk to a friendly trip consultant who can put together a custom trip proposal just for you! Or check out our website to find an affordable, fun "trip of a lifetime"!

Sheri's Favorites (Part 2)

by Sheri Ballard


We do get a ton of questions each year, especially about our favorite campgrounds (see the last post) and our favorite places to visit. We so much to see and the great variety of outdoor experiences that are possible in the Western US and Canada, this is not an easy question to answer, but here's my best shot!


We live on the edge of Canyonlands and the Rocky Mountains, so we can visit either region within a two hour drive. Depending on the season, we can hike in the high alpine meadows around Ouray or Aspen, or mountain bike or jeep tour in the canyons and desert around Moab. They’re all great. But when friends come to town and have choices of these great destinations, here’s their take: You can see mountains, beautiful lakes and walk through lovely patches of forest in Europe, Canada and the eastern United States. The really amazing stuff is the vastness of wilderness and red rocks of Canyon Country. And the stillness and quiet you can experience, along with spectacular sunrises and sunsets, make it magical. Canyonlands and Arches National Parks definitely have the “wow”, as do Bryce, Zion and even the Grand Canyon (although it is hard to really get a feel for the size unless you get down off the rim).

Next week I'll tell you about fun trips to take with children under 6! Stay tuned!

Sheri's Favorites (Part 1)

by Sheri Ballard, co-owner of Tracks & Trails

Our family does a lot of traveling and camping (in fact we’ve spent close to 10 weeks away in 2008). We take our two boys along on almost every trip, even if one of us is attending a conference (heck, the hotel room is already paid for, and there is always plenty to see and do, even before or after the conference). Chase’s first road trip was at 6 weeks old, Gabe’s at 4 weeks of age, and we’re still taking trips. So when people ask us questions like “Where’s your favorite place?” or “What is your favorite campground?” or “Where are you going next?” it gets really hard to pick. Each place has its own unique features that are great for the time of life you are in. Some places are easier with small kids (toddlers at the Grand Canyon require extra parental vigilance), and other parks and areas are a lot of fun for adults too when the kids are old enough to participate in most activities, or take that longer hike. As our boys grow older, develop more interests and are able to take longer hikes or excursions, our list of places changes too.

Favorite National Park campground: Zion National Park, Utah. With the great red rocks towering above you, the Virgin River flowing by the campsite and bike trails leaving from the campgrounds, it’s a pretty great spot. The scenery in Zion is amazing and we never get tired of it, even though we’ve been there several times. The Virgin River in the summer and early fall is slow and low, which means there are great sand beaches to dig and relax on, and the water isn’t deep enough or fast flowing enough to worry about the kids getting in too much trouble. The adjacent town of Springdale is just across the bridge and has fun rock shops to poke around in. There’s also some surprisingly good restaurants with creative southwestern cuisine. And you can leave the vehicles set up at the campground, then bike or take the shuttle into the Zion Canyon area for some great short hikes and sightseeing.

--- Look for more tomorrow from Sheri on her favorite place to vacation with their kids ---

2009 - The Year of Looking for Travel Deals

As we look at next year and what's possible for your travel options, we see that many deals will be there to be had.

Travel to destinations outside of the United States will be more attractive than earlier in 2008 because of the stronger dollar. Currently, there is a 20% discount in the cost of the Euro but there is no guarantee that the exchange rates will stay this favorable. We hope that you will stay closer to home and see the magificence of our National Parks.

The price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States is averaging around $1.65 right now and seems to be headed lower. Many forecasters are expecting that this will not hold through next summer's driving season, but it's expected to stay well below the record prices of 2008. This should be favorable for you to choose a Tracks & Trails driving adventure since 2009 gasoline prices may be half what they were in 2008. And don't forget that when traveling by RV, you save by buying your own food - and it usually tastes better, too!

Airfares are predicted to be stable through 2009 yet scheduled flights may drop as ridership is expected to continue to be depressed due to economic conditions. If you are looking for deals, popular destinations such as Las Vegas, San Francisco and Denver will work very well with many of our itineraries. For instance, all of our trips to visit Bryce Canyon National Park start in Las Vegas which has direct flights from many locations in the eastern half of the United States. And campgrounds in the National Parks are some of the best values out there!

Bottom line, we can help create fantastic and affordable family vacations. The way we do this is to shop around for the best options for RV rentals, campgrounds and excursions. Our list of suppliers is extensive with time-tested people and services. We know that price is always a concern and we work with you to create the best value for you possible.

Exploring the National Parks

by Ann Proctor

Our last couple of posts have been about dreaming that your vacation is in a National Park (through playing a game) and telling you about one of the things to do before you get there (buy a National Parks Pass). So we thought that we would give you some idea of what to expect when you get there!

When you visit a National Park, prepare not only to be entertained, but to be educated, so subtly so that you and your children may not even realize it is happening. The moment you enter the park you will receive brochures, maps, and a park newspaper full of services available, interesting tidbits, current activities, and other pertinent information like road closures, detours, and delays.

The park information will give you details of guided tours, where knowledgeable park rangers share the park’s history, geology, and other notable facts, as well as self-guided tours you can complete at your own pace. The visitor centers typically offer interactive displays and contain a wealth of information. (Michael's favorite is the Canyon Information Center in Yellowstone!) Roadside pullouts throughout the park feature signs describing what you are seeing in more depth – you can’t help but learn something new from reading them! The goal of all of these interpretive services is to increase each visitor’s enjoyment and understanding, and to foster care for our national parks.

Campfire programs are hosted on select evenings and reach out to entertain and enlighten visitors on a wide variety of topics. For kids, the Junior Ranger programs occupy the small fry with fun activities and reward their learning with a badge. Also available to visitors is the National Park website (http://www.nps.gov/), a great tool which will assist in planning your visit, as well as a fun facts section to get the kids involved.

And we can help plan that driving vacation into the National Park of your choice. Not only have we been there, but 10 years worth of our clients have been there and all that information goes into creating great vacations for you and your family. Whether it's by RV or rental car, we can help you create a trip of a lifetime!

The National Parks Pass

Most of our clients at some point during their Tracks & Trails driving adventure spend a significant amount of time in a National Park or other Federal recreation area. If you are going to be spending time in 3 or more places overseen by the National Park Service on your trip or back home over the course of one year, a National Parks Pass is a great investment.

This pass is available to the general public and provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an entrance or standard amenity fee, for a year beginning from the date of purchase. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free). The pass can be obtained in person at the park, by calling 1-888-ASKUSGS, Ext. 1, or via the Internet at http://store.usgs.gov/pass. The cost is $80.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident age 62 or over, there is a lifetime America the Beautiful Pass for only $10. This pass can only be obtained in person at the park and includes discounts on additional services in addition to the same admission benefits as the standard pass.

Much thanks to the National Parks Service for providing the information above. If you want to learn more about the parks in the NPS system, go to www.nps.gov. And if you want to learn more about how we can help you plan your National Parks driving or camping vacation, check out, the Tracks & Trails website or give us a ring at 1-800-247-0970 and talk to one of our fabulous trip consultants.

Gift Ideas for the Holidays

By Shannon Freed, Trip Consultant

Support your National Parks, learn, and have fun with Monopoly: National Parks Edition. Imagine a world where wooden tents and ranger stations replace houses and hotels, and where wagons and bears take the place of cars and dogs.

Instead of traditional properties like Boardwalk and Park Place, in this version you'll find Yellowstone, Yosemite, and 26 other properties of the National Park System. The game board is divided into eight sections that include Spirit of America, Early Cultures, The Earth Alive, Hallowed Ground, Ancient Creatures, The Water's Edge, Nature's Great Variety, and Majestic Landscapes. The makers and sponsors of the game hope to promote this customized edition as an educational tool to increase awareness and provide information on the national parks. A portion of the proceeds from game sales will be used by the National Park Foundation to benefit our nation's parks.

I bought my niece’s National Parks Edition of Monopoly at Grand Teton National Park, but you can also purchase one online or at your local retail store. The following link will help you find the best buying option for you: http://www.usaopoly.com/. Click on Monopoly, Lifestyle/Hobby, then Where to Buy (at top of page). There is also a Monopoly: Night Sky Edition and Monopoly: MY National Parks Edition which allows you to customize your own game with over 100 of the most beautiful parks across America. Over one million possible combinations of incredible landscapes to choose from, you’ll never play the same game twice. Ages 8+ for both editions, 2-6 players. Standard retail price is about $35.95.

Another great gift for the holidays is the CAMP board game. The vision behind CAMP is to bring families together by educating them about the great outdoors. Tim Paczesny, founder and creator, (and avid outdoorsman and family man) created CAMP out of his passion for nature and a true desire to reconnect the family unit. The unique selling property of the CAMP board game is the 4 levels of play where anyone from 4 years old to 70+ can play and be challenged, making CAMP “ the game that grows with you”. Following is a link to their website to purchase for $24.99 + shipping: WELCOME - EDUCATION OUTDOORS.

Junior Ranger Programs

“I, (fill in name), am proud to be a National Park Service Junior Ranger. I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national parks. I also promise to continue learning about the landscape, plants, animals and history of these special places. I will share what I learn with my friends and family.”

Kids interested in exploring? Do they enjoy art, history, science, animals or nature? Junior Ranger programs help keep your kids’ ears and eyes open as you explore your National parks.

Junior Ranger programs are usually free (or nominal for supplies) and are offered in about 286 of the 388 National parks. The programs are typically available for children ages 6 through 14 (depending upon the park you are visiting.) Zion National Park, for instance, has a program designed for children ages 6 to 12, but children under 6 can complete an activity sheet to earn a decal from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. At the Grand Canyon, there are now 5 ways for you to complete the Junior Ranger requirements (ages 4 and up) and be sworn in as a Grand Canyon National Park Junior Ranger. Their requirements include writing down your observations, answering questions about the park, writing poems and attending one of their Ranger-led programs offered throughout the day. Upon completion of the activities for your age group, bring the booklet back to the Visitor Center for review by a ranger.
Some ways to prepare for these programs would be to eat before you go. No food or snacks are served during the programs. Wear closed-toe shoes – activities are typically held outside and sandals are not usually allowed. BYOW – Bring your own water. And be prompt – Programs start right on time, and kids will need to arrive approximately 15 minutes early to register.

Fun, new airline websites

Unless you've been under a rock, you know about websites to book airfares such as Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline. As you can imagine, we have access to a ton of industry information, including some that still comes from magazines (I know it's hard to imagine...). Now that we're in our off-season, we get a chance to get caught up on our reading. One of our regular reads is Travel and Leisure magazine. One of the few things that we do not include in our road trip adventure packages is airfare. So here are a few sites that were in an article from T&L earlier this year:

1) www.momondo.com - This is a great site to help you uncover cheap flights around the world. They do this by searching over 450 websites to give you the cheapest deals available.
2) www.yapta.com - This site can help you keep tabs on changes to fares both before and after your flight so you can get any applicable credits or refunds. Know that the refund policies are only applicable if you book directly with the airline.
3) www.milemaven.com - This site is updated daily to give you the latest on limited time offers for bonus miles. The search capability will allow you to search by the frequent flyer program so you can work on cranking up those miles in your favorite awards program.

Hopefully this information is a help to you in planning your vacation with Tracks & Trails. Let us know how else we can be of assistance!

Low holiday airfares and where to go!

While we are all hearing about doom and gloom in the economy (and it may be worse for some than others), we are hoping that would-be travelers are seeing the economy of a Tracks & Trails vacation. One portion of a total vacation, in addition to what we provide on the ground - either RV or car-based National Park vacations - there is another significant cost to most of our clients: airfare.

We have written in this blog in a previous post about airfares being more affordable due to the price of oil falling back to more financially reasonable levels. We have also been reading about holiday airfare sales right around the corner. In the coming days and weeks, there may be discounts up to 25% on airfares to key gateway cities. This is great news since we see an opportunity for families to spend their holidays in new, different and exciting locales such as Tucson, Florida and San Diego. Depending on what you want to do, each of these three destinations has so much to offer.

The wild west of Arizona calls in our most popular winter destination, Tucson. The trip from our catalog called Tucson, Tombstone and the Sonoran Desert features great sites such as Kartchner Caverns, western movie sets, the world's largest outdoor airplane display and wildlife uniquely adapted to the desert.



Don't forget the the quintessential winter getaway - the state of Florida. This is a new region for us and our Orlando-based RV vacation and our Florida Keys trip are hard to beat! If you're trying to beat the cold, then a Tracks & Trails Florida trip is the answer. This is also a great location to bring together family for a reunion. We have experience with planning family reunions, honeymoons and just good ol' fashioned family fun.

To visit the San Diego area, we have created a beach and desert itinerary that will give you a great mix of activities where you can visit the world famous San Diego Zoo, pedal around La Jolla or off-road in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Some have described the beautiful weather in San Diego as the most ideal in the 48 states. And there is so much to do! Check our our San Diego itinerary for a taste of what's possible!

If you're thinking of somewhere else to play for the holidays, give one of our trip consultants a call at 800-247-0970 and we'll see how we can help you create a holiday trip of a lifetime!

Spotlight on Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas

Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, managed by Aramark, is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From camping at the Lake Powell Campground to renting jet boats and water toys, boat tours, fine dining at the Lake Powell Resort and houseboat rentals – they offer something for every one of our families to enjoy at beautiful Lake Powell!

Michael and I recently attended a tour operator “familiarization” conference with representatives from Lake Powell Resorts. This was in part to discuss houseboat rentals and operation and to meet with other tour operators. Our very generous hosts also treated us to a tantalizing dinner at the Lake Powell Resort, a day of jet boating in and out of the beautiful canyons at Lake Powell, an evening on houseboats moored at the beach in Warm Creek Bay, and a ½ day boat tour to Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

The water was like glass in this canyon – you can hardly tell where the water begins and the canyon walls end.

Opportunities to visit with suppliers give us first-hand experiences to pass on to our clients - and the opportunity to experience what our clients will do on their vacations? - priceless! Sound like fun? Check out these trips on our website: Exploring the Southwest's Canyons and Lake Powell; and Utah's Amazing Canyons and Lake Powell.

These are our charming Lake Powell hostesses Sarah Bailey, Assoc. Director of Sales, and Laura Litke, Group Sales & Conference Services Mgr. With 10 years of combined experience, they help us make sure that your visit to Lake Powell is all that it can be!

How about Canadian bargains?

Here is an addendum to the last post -

With the current exchange rate being so in favor of the US dollar versus the Canadian dollar, we are strongly urging our clients that are planning a trip to Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Jasper, Banff or other western Canada destinations, to BOOK NOW! Much of last year the exchange rate was at par or US$1 equaled CD$1. As of today, US$1 buys CD$1.27. This is a great opportunity to essentially get more than a 20% discount on a trip to Canada. We can book your RV now and the sooner you pay for the RV rental portion of your trip, the sooner you can lock in what are unprecedented exchange rates. Early bookings are also getting a discount on top of the great exchange rate for booking and paying early.

Please, if you have any questions, you can call me directly at 800-247-0947 or comment on this post. You can also reach one of our talented and gifted Tracks & Trails trip consultants at the same toll-free number above.

Looking for bargains?

Many factors will affect travel for pleasure in the next 12 months and we are seeing many reasons to book now for next year's summer vacation. We realize that many folks are watching their wallets very closely and have concerns about their job security. Optimistically, we also see that most people are still working and many still want to show their kids the National Parks.


First, with the price of oil down 50% from its record highs in the summer, airlines are not under the same financial pressure as they were just a few months ago. I personally have been getting fare alerts from a major travel website nearly weekly with great prices and availability.


Second, we still see the RV as the vehicle of choice when it comes to packing everyone comfortably to experience the great outdoors of the National Parks. There is nothing like staying in the parks, seeing stars at night and having a campfire. Your meals can be much healthier than eating out and cost less too. Overall, for the experience, we see RV travel as a great bargain.


Third, with many travelers looking for big bargains, we have found that we can still help with creating an itinerary that includes a rental car or SUV that is sized to your family or group and accomodations that will save travel dollars. While eating out becomes more of a necessity, you can still eat healthy if you have a simple cooler with you in the car.


Our hope is that you let us help you with your National or state park vacation plans. If cost is an issue, let us know and we'll do our best to create the best vacation that meets your desires and is within your budget. You can call toll-free at 800-247-0970 to talk to a trip consultant or check out our trip catalog on-line. We're ready to help plan that "trip of a lifetime".

Just got back from Lake Powell

Sorry it's been a while since we've posted on the blog. We've been taking some time off to recharge, visit some new destinations and reconnect with some of our outfitters, campgrounds and the road itself. We've spent time researching Florida from Orlando, St. Augustine and the Kennedy Space Center down to Key West. We also did some preliminary research on the Canadian Maritime provinces, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

This past week some of us spent time just outside Canyonlands National Park (someone turned 50, eek!), in and around Monument Valley and cruising Lake Powell.

The picture to the right is from the Salt Creek Overlook just south of Canyonlands National Park. While you can't get here with an RV, it's a good example of the types of vistas you can see in this area (it was pretty quiet at night too!). Unfortunately, the best time to see stars was at about 3:00 AM since there was a strong full moon.





This is a picture of the Mittens in Monument Valley. We had strong winds with gusts over 50 mph, so this shot was from inside the car. Unfortunately with the sand and dust being kicked up, we had to cancel our tour of Mystery Valley. Oh well, maybe next time... Wildlife highlight: We did get to see an adult brown tarantula on the road as we drove through Valley of the Gods!



Our last stop was in Lake Powell. We had a chance to visit with

some of the folks that run the Navajo Village Heritage Center in Page, AZ. We found that if you want be thoroughly educated on Navajo culture and heritage, this is the place. The four families that have created the Center, go to great lengths to provide an authentic experience. Here is a picture of one of the hogans they built at the Center.




We also visited the slot canyons just east of Page called Upper Antelope Canyon. This unique canyon is well known to photographers around the globe for the unique interior structure and lighting that changes by the minute. Here is a good example of a picture that I took with a simple digital camera. I think that it's amazing... Look at the purples that show up in the rock in this picture!


We also visited with the folks at the Lake Powell Resort. We got to experience what our clients see when they take the Half Day Rainbow Bridge Tour or enjoy a rented powerboat around the lake as we snaked up through narrow canyon walls. A new experience for us to spend the night on a houseboat rental with the lake like glass and a full moon. Wildlife highlight: We saw an adult California Condor (tagged "02") at the Visitor's Center at the Glen Canyon Dam. Just stunning...


Yes, we're lucky to take these types of trips and we try to take a bunch of pictures so we can share them with the rest of the staff. All the information that we gather on trips like these are designed to help us provide the best assistance possible when planning what may be a "trip of a lifetime" for some of our clients. Just give us a call or check out the website to see where we can start!

A big thank you to Shane and Emmy at the Navajo Village Heritage Center, Carolene at Antelope Canyon Tours, the staff at the Glen Canyon Dam (great tour!) and Laura, Sarah, Rusty and Chef Josh at Lake Powell Resorts. You all made our trip wonderful and informative. Thank YOU!

New Florida Itineraries!

In our first blog entry, we told you that we would have new itineraries in a brand new region soon. Well, today we've loaded on our website two new trips in our Florida region. After extensive research, recent travel to central and south Florida and staff experience in personal travel to these areas, we have created what we think are great trips that incorporate tons of fun and activities.

These Florida RV vacations are ideal for a fun, affordable winter getaway! Dan and Sheri (the owners of Tracks & Trails) spent three weeks this summer combing the areas around Orlando and the Florida Keys. While the theme parks are a great destination for many families, they found that there is so much more to see and do. After their fact-finding mission, they worked with the rest of the team to create two great trips that deliver the outdoor family adventures that Tracks & Trails clients expect but with plenty of kicking-back-on-the-beach time.

The first Florida itinerary is called "Central Florida & the Space Coast". This 7-10 night route starts in the Orlando area and takes you to St. Augustine, the oldest European settlement in the United States, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. And yes, we can help you with making this trip what you want it to be by either making the trip a little longer (closer to 10 nights) or by having you spend a little more time in one location that has something you want to see.

The second Florida itinerary is called "Florida Keys and the Everglades". This trip is also 7-10 nights and starts in either Miami or Fort Lauderdale. This trip will take you down the Florida Keys' Overseas Highway to Key West. If you love the water, this is the trip to take! From sailing and snorkeling to swimming with dolphins and walking in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, there is plenty for the family to do including building a sandcastle or two.

So why visit Florida in an RV? We think that you'll see much more than you would from a fixed base at a hotel or condo. Another is the Florida State Parks. These magnificent gems include John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo and Blue Spring State Park in Orange City. And these are just two of the great state parks that we've discovered! And let's not forget Everglades National Park, one of the few places where you can walk the boardwalks over alligators!

Now, where to get started? Click on any of the links above to find out more or just give us a call at 800-247-0970 and ask to talk to one of our fabulous trip consultants. We'll take out the mystery and make your trip easy and effortless. Better to call sooner rather than later, particularly if you are thinking about traveling to either of these locations this winter.

Review of our excursion outfitters

As a staff, we just spent some serious time reviewing the performance of many of our excursion suppliers. These are mostly mom-&-pop companies that provide great activities for our clients while they are out visiting the National and state parks. They provide excursions such as horseback riding, whitewater rafting, whale watching, guided hikes, fly fishing, surfing lessons, ATV & jeep tours, jet boat river trips, guided kayak trips and much, much more.

We understand that each and every one of these outfitters has our clients' families in their hands during their fun and exciting activity. We listen to our clients, read their surveys and review their emails for good and bad comments. We also consider how easy or difficult it is for us to work with them as well.

With that, we specifically looked at the new outfitters that we added last year. With these new outfitters (at least new to our clients), we paid particular attention to every client's experiences to ensure that our future clients have the best vacation possible. We also look at outfitters that we stopped using in 2008. Some went out of business, some areas had less travelers than others and some simply weren't requested by our clients.

On each trip in our catalog, we list optional excursions on our website that we think our clients will want to add to their vacation plans. Unfortunately, due to extreme specialization or their location being more out of the way than most, we do not post every outfitter on our website. So if you are thinking of taking a road trip by RV with Tracks & Trails and you don't see a favorite activity associated with a trip on our website, just ask. You never know what we may have up our sleeves!

It's time for a break!

Sorry that there haven't been too many posts to the blog in the past week or so. We're all taking a deep breath after another record setting season! And some of us have been out traveling doing research on new locations as well as some of our most popular destinations. Dan & Sheri have been in Florida, the Atlantic Maritime provinces of Canada and Yellowstone. Karen has been in Montana and Wyoming, while Nancy has been to Bryce Canyon National Park. Early next month, some of the staff will be traveling to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah for a long weekend of hiking and relaxation!

We've been receiving many surveys from our clients that have traveled this summer. We take the many constructive comments and praises to heart. Every fall and winter we work on making our processes and information even better than the previous year based on everyone's feedback. Thank you to all who take the time to help us make future vacations for our clients the best they can be!

RV rental company spotlight

Pierce RV in Billings, Montana is the newest RV supplier joining the Tracks & Trails team of RV partners. We use them primarily for a beautiful trip via the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone & the Grand Teton National Parks (here's a link to the trip on our website if you want to read more Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons). Although it adds some miles traveling to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons from Billings rather than Jackson Hole, the scenic Beartooth Highway is worth it according to many of our clients. Charles Kurault called it “America’s most beautiful highway.” Some of our adventurers were also able to include Cody, Wyoming in their itineraries and enjoyed the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which includes 5 museums.

Pierce RV's location in Billings is also a great starting point for heading up to Glacier National Park (see Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks). Pierce RV provides the best RV’s and top notch service to all of our Tracks and Trails patrons who have chosen these routes in Montana and Wyoming.

Terry Larson is the rental manager for Pierce RV in Billings, Montana. Terry is in his 9th season in the rental department. His attention to detail and his “First Class” customer service is unsurpassed. We have the utmost confidence of his care for our clients and know that each family that begin their RV adventure in Billings, are going to enjoy some true western hospitality.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting with Terry and India, his “gal Friday” last week while I was in Billings. At Tracks and Trails we like to get to know the suppliers and outfitters we partner with so that we can assure our clients a great experience for their family vacation.

Going fast vs. Going slow

We hear many of our clients talk about how they need to be very active during their vacations. Does this sound like something you've thought of or said:

• "My kids want to do everything - hike, bike, fish, climb, swim..."
• "We are very athletic and we want to do at least two activities every day."
• "We love driving. We can drive 500 miles a day."

Not that there isn't anything wrong with doing a ton of stuff on your vacation and we don't doubt that you could drive 500 miles a day. The question is, "Would you really want to if you don't have to?". We find that listening to you makes a big difference when it comes to understanding what you expect from your trip. Most of our clients have never been to the great expanse called the West and have a variety of expectations about what can realistically be done in a 1-week or 2-week self-guided, driving vacation.

We take a philosophy that slower is better. With many of the National and state parks our clients are visiting, we like to plan at least 2 days (and sometimes 3 days) in each major destination. Also, with the idea of going slower, we feel that driving less is also better. Typically most days would include an average of 100 miles of driving (or less), with time to sightsee, stop for lunch, take in an activity and get to the campground for the evening. And those evenings include getting dinner ready, setting up a campfire, listening to a ranger talk or just staring at the stars. We are firm believers that this is your vacation - a time to relax as well as a time to enjoy what the outdoors have to offer.

So, we would vote for going slower when it comes to planning vacations. That said, we have planned very active vacations for our clients. Most times though, we get feedback that they wished they had gone a little slower or felt they missed some key sight that was on their "must-see" list. We know that most everyone has a very busy "real life" and we hope that your vacation will be a break from those hectic days - with time to reconnect with each other and with the beautiful destinations you'll be visiting. Let us know how Tracks & Trails can help.

New itineraries and travel modes

You'll want to keep checking back here in the next few months as we unveil new itineraries and new modes of travel in our online catalog. We have been looking very closely at the economy, fuel prices and the prospect of higher airfares in looking at how to offer new travel options in our travel catalog. While we'll continue to have our many popular itineraries, we plan to offer even more choices to new regions and with new ways to get there. Sorry that this is just a tease, but we need more time to complete the background work needed before we introduce the updates to our catalog.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about RV travel or travel to the National Parks in the western United States and Canada, give Tracks & Trails a call at 800-247-0970 and a trip consultant will answer all of your questions!

When's the best time to travel?

Boy, if I had a nickel for every time we get asked this question, hmmm...

We keep our eye on many factors when helping to plan a trip. Since most of our clients are families with school-age children, we know that we are working with the timeframe between Memorial Day and Labor Day for most folks. And depending on the school district, it sometimes is between mid-June and mid-August.

We also do our best to prepare everyone for the type of weather conditions and the number of other travelers that they'll come across on their road trip. While the US Southwest is very hot in July and August, afternoon thunderstorms can give a cooling affect. The California coastline can be shrouded in fog for much of the summer, leaving September and October the best months for good weather. Yellowstone's weather is most summer-like in July and August and yet that's when their park attendance is highest. Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula can be wet and warmer in the summer. We've seen temperatures in Jasper, Alberta over 90 much of the summer and yet have a freak snow storm in July.

The trick is to be prepared with layers of clothes to add when the weather is not ideal and with a few pairs of shorts to take advantage of those perfect days. In our Adventure Kit, we help our clients prepare for their trips with checklists of what to bring and groceries to buy as well as other travel tips that can make a trip just that much more enjoyable.

If you have a more flexible schedule for travel, just let us know and we can help steer you in the right direction. Check out the seasons for travel on each trip in our Trip Catalog. Here's an example. This trip has a short season due to the high elevation of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Trip: Rocky Mountain National Park - Quick Getaway
Season: Jun 1 - Sep 15
Starts and ends in: Denver, Colorado
Primary destinations: Rocky Mountain National Park
Prices from: $1,325

The Wynne's blog of their trip

Some of our clients are pretty tech savvy and have created blogs detailing their trip adventures. The Wynne's trip started on July 25th and was 18 days long, 16 in the RV from Pierce RV out of Billings. Their custom trip took them to Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, Devil's Tower, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. I won't even begin to describe their trip. You'll have to read the blog for yourself. It's pretty simple - they had a great time! (The picture on the right is from the last day.) Of course, we appreciate the mention of Tracks & Trails and how we helped design "the perfect family vacation". Here's the link - http://thewildwestadventure.blogspot.com/ If you have any questions about how to create your custom trip, just give us a ring at 800-247-0970.

Surveys and client feedback

Earlier I had talked a little about our staff and how valuable their experience is when helping to create your vacation. Another crucial component of our knowledge of the West and keeping up to date with everything that happens in the parks, on the road and in the campgrounds is the direct feedback we get from our clients. We include a survey in every Adventure Kit that is four pages long.

The survey is the most comprehensive tool we have to get a feel from our clients about their trip experience. We ask a variety of questions about the RV, campgrounds, excursions, what exceeded expectations, what disappointed, how they found us and their perception of value. We also have a freeform section where our clients can write anything they want. Many of our testimonials that we put on the website come from that information.

We also have had clients that have documented their trips on family blogs, including pictures and daily postings. And, of course, many clients simply call from the road to ask questions, get clarifications or ask for help.

We take all of this information very seriously and make changes to our itineraries, internal procedures and outfitters based on all of the feedback we get from our clients. We do this because we are always striving to make each client's experiences exceed their expectations.

So a big thank you to all of our clients from past years - you have helped make today's clients' vacations even better!

Travel this fall to Canada

Today we're seeing the best exchange rates between the US dollar and the Canadian dollar or the "loonie" that we've seen all year. Still not as good as last year but a far cry better than earlier in 2008. So what's that mean for anyone traveling from the US to Canada? While gasoline is still quite a bit more expensive north of the border, it means your US dollars go a little farther.

What's that mean for RV travel? We're still seeing some limited availability from our RV rental connections in mid- to late September. Yes, it will be a little chillier, but the summer crowds will definitely be gone and you'll have some of the world's most beautiful National parks and scenery nearly all to yourself. If you've been dreaming of seeing the stunning sites of Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Victoria Island or Whistler, give us a call and we'll see what we can cook up for you! For that matter, there are many wonderful locations worth seeing in September (like California). See my earlier post on travel in the Fall!

Staff experience and how it pays off!

One thing that we want to tell you about when considering using Tracks & Trails - the vast experience of our staff. When you look at the area where we offer itineraries, it's pretty big.

Sometimes our clients have no idea how big it is. Just to give you a basic idea - from Seattle to San Diego is 1,255 miles, from San Francisco to Rapid City is 1,395 miles and Vancouver to Calgary is 970 kilometers (or about 600 miles). Now we usually recommend to keep daily travel to about 100 miles a day. This allows for plenty of time to sightsee, take an excursion, set up camp, maybe get in a hike, get your meals together and just have some time to relax - remember it's your vacation! When you have your list of "must-see's", it sure helps to get some assistance from our staff. If they haven't been there, someone in the office has. We've either camped there, driven through there or even lived in some of the places you'll visit. And the best part is that we listen to what you, your family or group want to do, see and experience before we make any recommendations. We'll probably start with some of the itineraries from our website and then customize it to meet your needs.

And we get all kinds of folks traveling the Tracks & Trails way - the traditional 2 adult families, older couples without kids, one parent families with children, multiple families, family reunions, friends traveling together and business people extending business trips to vacation with their families. All have the same idea in mind - get outdoors, see the National and state parks and enjoy great times together.

So, bottom line, take advantage of our personal experience along with all the experiences of our clients. Our vast knowledge will help you short-cut the planning and worry in planning a great vacation!

Yosemite fire update & LA road conditions

As of 10:15 this morning, the Telegraph fire is 20% contained, yet firefighting is difficult due to the terrain. Hwy 140 is partially open. The lastest maps show that this road is the most threatened and CalTrans is suggesting motorists to use alternate routes. All of our clients visiting this area do not use Hwy 140 because of damage from a landslide incident that occured some time ago. Hwy 120 that enters Yosemite from the west (Groveland and the SF Bay Area) and Hwy 41 that enters from the south (Fresno) are both open. The park is open as well despite smokey conditions.

We do not see any reason to reroute any clients at this time or change campground reservations. Here's a live webcam from the Evergreen Lodge. They are located on the western border of Yosemite on Hwy 120. http://www.evergreenlodge.com/halfdomeview1.html

The earthquake in the LA area yesterday did not appear to do any damage to freeway bridges or other roads. Any of our clients traveling in the LA area should only have to deal with the normal traffic congestion that occurs daily.

More pictures from the road - Team Harper

As our clients come back from their trips, we occasionaly get pictures. The Harper's took a 13 night trip that started in Billings, MT. They traveled the Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone, then through the Grand Teton National Park, on down to Jackson, WY and back to Billings. This family was really adventurous. They took a scenic float trip in the Tetons and had a private, guided, all-day, lunch included hike in Yellowstone (the most popular excursion with our clients). They did unfortunately miss out on a fishing trip due to high water (real bummer) and a chuckwagon dinner (reservation snafu by the outfitter).

They sent us a couple of pictures showing how much fun they had and awesome scenery. We get asked quite often what it's like to be in the outdoors RV camping in the National Parks. Well, it doesn't get much better than this! Not only does a family like Team Harper see some phenomenal sites, they get up close to them. And they get closer to each other.

Summer time staff picture!

We thought we'd get at least a partial staff picture here so that you could put a name with a face. I'm taking the picture and Dan & Sheri are out and about, so we're not in this one. And that's okay, since most of our clients will be interested in who they talk to the most. From the left, it's Nancy, Karen, Shannon, Lisa and Ann.

Nancy is currently performing product development and trip consulting. If you traveled with us this past year, chances are that Nancy had a big say in how the itinerary was planned.

Karen and Shannon are both trip consultants. Shannon is also known as a "Travel Guru". Their primary function is to be the main contact for our clients. They do their best to make sure that your trip is fun and exciting!

Lisa fills two roles in that she is an "Adventure Advisor" and "Reservations Diva". In addition to providing clients with trip consulting, she makes sure that everyone's travel plans actually happen when and where they are supposed to happen.

Ann is our office manager and bookkeeper. She has been filling two roles as well. First and foremost, she pays all the bills and there's a ton of them in the course of a year. She also has been very instrumental in creating each Adventure Kit. For more on the Adventure Kits, check out our website.

We'll put more pictures up on the blog soon! Including a big group shot from our company trip to Moab last April!

Talking "green" when taking a road trip

So how do you reconcile driving a big, American-style RV that gets around 10 miles per gallon of gasoline in the current energy and environmental concerns in the US? We could talk about this subject for a long time and will probably revisit this in later posting. For today, I thought I would tell you about two of our recommended RV rental companies and what they are doing that point to your concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and overall cost of your trip.

The first company is El Monte. Based in the Los Angeles area, this RV rental company just recently offered their clients the ability to purchase carbon offsets right on their website through a provider called TerraPass. TerraPass is a carbon offset provider that takes the voluntary offset purchases and invests them in projects that are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The projects are clean energy produced by wind power; farm power which makes good use of animal wastes; and landfill gas capture, which reduces the impact of our own wastes. And it's pretty cheap! For a Class C RV, the cost of a carbon offset is currently only $7.32 per trip. If you want more information, I would suggest googling "carbon offset providers". You can also go to http://www.elmonterv.com/ to learn more about green RVing.

The second company is Go West. This Canadian-based RV rental company is offering a new RV for rental, a 22' Dodge Sprinter van conversion. This vehicle has a Mercedes diesel chassis and can get up to 25 miles per gallon. It's designed for two people with a double bed in the rear, A/C, furnace, bathroom, propane stove, microwave, inside and outside showers and many more amenities. Here's a picture at the right. We feel that this is the beginning of a new trend in the RV industry that is directly responding to the recent increase in fuel prices. (Hint: they've been doing this in Europe for years.) To see more details, go to http://www.go-west.com/. We have itineraries that cover beautiful areas of western Canada including Jasper and Banff National Parks and Vancouver Island and Whistler. Check out the trip catalog on our website, http://www.tracks-trails.com/ for more information or call us toll-free at 1-800-247-0970!

Booking early for 2009

A recent NY Times article discussed how many travel/tour operators are taking bookings as much as 18 months in advance in order to lock in today's rates for a variety of travel options.


At Tracks & Trails, we can also help facilitate making your vacation arrangements for 2009. Many of our approved RV rental companies have already posted their rates for next year. And here's some inside information - while some companies have fixed rates based on the season, some vary their rates based on their inventory. And between now and the end of the year, the rates are the cheapest you will see. So, the key to keeping your costs down is to book next year's trip before December 31, 2008. We find that as soon as the wrapping paper has been tossed out and the last piece of pie has been eaten during the holidays, that's when many of our clients start planning their summer vacation. If you can get ahead of the crowd, not only will you get a better rate on your RV rental, but you'll also have a much better chance at getting to see and do exactly what you want.

Worried about the cost of an RV road trip? Fear not!

We read the papers, watch TV news and read many articles in the travel trade and the general media and it's obvious that the nation is worried about the economy. And yet, many believe that taking a vacation every year is their "birthright". So how do you consider all the options for a vacation and try to pinch a few pennies? We consistently see and hear that RV vacations are not only cheaper but bring together a family in the great outdoors. We just received an email from our friends at Cruise America with some great information:

• A travel research firm reports that a typical family of four can save anywhere from 23 to 70 percent on vacation costs when they travel in an RV, depending on the distance and duration of the trip.

We find that the savings occurs because: 1) you are cooking for yourself as opposed eating out in restaurants and 2) the cost of hotel rooms in and around the National Parks versus the cost of renting an RV and staying in campgrounds.

• The benefits don't end with your family budget. 70 percent of RV owners said they were more physically active on RV vacations than other trips, while 60 percent said they eat healthier.

While this is true of RV owners, we can say that this is definitely the same for RV renters as well. Our clients report to us through surveys and even their own blogs that they were very active through a variety of excursions including hiking, rafting, canyoneering, horseback riding and fishing. And remember what I said above about cooking for yourself? It seems pretty obvious that if you shop for your own food, you won't eat fast food for sure! And in the National Parks it's hard to find any fast food restaurants anyway!

Traveling in the Fall

If you have the time, want to miss the crowds and like the weather a little cooler, then maybe you should be thinking of taking that "summer" vacation in September or October. Both are great months to travel to beat the crowds, beat the heat and feel like you have the National parks all to yourself. We have found that for families that homeschool their children, traveling after Labor Day is a great time to create an awesome field trip and a vacation at the same time. And for those folks that would be traveling without children, most campgrounds are a bit quieter and hiking trails are a bit more deserted. While there may be a few outfitters that have closed up shop for the year, we think that you'll find a wonderful experience just waiting for you.

Last year I was in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks for 11 days in September. Yes, it was a little chilly at night, but warmed up nicely to still be able to wear shorts, hike, whitewater raft or just relax by the river. Or you could take a great picture of a bull moose hanging out at Ox Bow Bend in the Grand Teton National Park.

We also have found that Yosemite and the Grand Canyon are also great destinations in September and October (althought the North Rim campground at the Grand Canyon usually closes by mid-October). And if you're looking for the Wild West, check out our trip to Tucson and the surrounding area (http://www.tracks-trails.com/trips/trip.cfm?Region=3&Len=2&Trip=33). There is amazing history to be seen first-hand.

And don't forget the California coast line! Just a little secret from the staff: the best weather all year in this area is between Labor Day and Halloween.

If you need help creating the perfect educational driving adventure or just want to be in some of the most beautiful places on earth when they are less crowded, just give us a call 800-247-0970 or check out the website at www.tracks-trails.com.

Big Sur Fire Update and a helpful link or two

Many gorgeous places in the West are very susceptible to wildfire during the summer months. Unlike last year at this time when many fires were burning in Idaho and Montana, it's been Northern California's turn.

At Tracks & Trails, we watch a number of websites daily to see if we need to reroute any of our clients that are currently on the road. Particularly the past month we have been watching the fires close to Big Sur in California. Luckily, we have heard that the local campgrounds that we like to recommend are now open as well as picturesque Hwy 1 (subject to closure to allow for emergency vehicle traffic). In fact one campground host mentioned that with the onshore breezes you wouldn't know that there has been a fire. Clear skies and no smoke in the campground was the report. We are still waiting to hear about the status of Andrew Molera State Park (we have many clients take horseback rides in and near this state park).

Here's a great blog about what's happening right now in Big Sur: http://bigsurthescoop.blogspot.com/

If you want to check out detailed information about the status of fires in the United States, here's a good link: http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf. This is for the National Interagency Coordination Center that reports on national fire activity.

Sharing one client's pictures

This is the time of year for us at Tracks & Trails where most of the planning and reservations are complete for our clients' summer trips. And we get feedback on how much fun everyone has had. Including pictures! This is great for us in the office to see through our clients' eyes what they liked and didn't like. We use this information for planning future trips and talking to prospective clients about the type of trip they would like to take. Here's a couple of pictures from our clients, the Guidry's.


They took the Jasper & Banff National Park trip for 9 days. The first picture on the left is a male bull elk they came by while hiking around Jasper. The picture on the right is from Horseshoe Lake. We were just amazed at the color of the lake! They tell us that they had a great time and highly recommend the 'scary' catwalk at Johnson Canyon, taking the gondola up to Sulphur Mountain, hiking with a guide at Mt. Edith Cavell and hiking up to the Mt. Agnes Teahouse at Lake Louise.

As we get more pics from our clients, I'll post them here along with any other news that's fit to 'print'.

My first blog entry

Well, here it goes...

At Tracks & Trails, we're trying to find out how to best set up a blog so that we can post a variety of information that while separate from our website, will compliment it. We plan to put staff ideas and information on the blog as well as client pictures and comments, and a bevy of other things that we haven't even considered.

If you don't know who we are, check out our website at http://www.tracks-trails.com/ or call us at 1-800-247-0970. We create custom driving adventures that focus mostly driving RV's to the National and state parks in the Western United States and Canada.

New things to look for in the next few months:

• New itineraries in our new Florida region starting in Orlando and Miami
• New modes of transportation and lodging to our most popular destinations - SUV's and lodging as well as RV's and campgrounds
• Great vacations to the Black Hills and Colorado that start in midwestern cities such as Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, Kansas City and St. Louis.

If you are a client of ours, we hope that you'll give us feedback on some of the fun details of your trip, including pictures.

If you have questions, post them here and we'll do our best to answer them so that everyone can benefit. Remember that this is new for us and we'll continue to make it better for you!