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.

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.

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!