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.