Archive for the 'Outdoors & Adventure' Category
Enjoy a free day at national parks, forests on Veterans Day, Nov. 11
November 4, 2009 8:52am
Next week, national parks and forests will waive entrance fees for one day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, to honor servicemen and women. Unlike past years, when only U.S. veterans, active members of the U.S. armed forces and their families got a free pass, this year’s Veterans Day observance will allow everyone in for free, according to a news release Tuesday, Nov. 3, from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
If the deal otherwise works like it did in past years, you’ll still owe fees for camping, permits and other activities. But you can save a lot anyway because some popular parks, including California’s Yosemite National Park, normally charge entrance fees of $20 or so per car.
The Interior Department earlier this year expanded the number of free days on federal lands, offering three fee-free weekends over the summer. At that time, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar noted that parks provide affordable family vacations “during these tough economic times.”
Big Bear and Mountain High ski resorts opening Friday in Southern California
October 29, 2009 4:26pm
Two of Southern California’s most popular and convenient ski resorts are opening Friday after a surprise cold snap allowed snow-making for several days. Early-season rates apply, in one of the earliest debuts in decades.
Mountain High in Wrightwood, which opened a top-to-bottom run (Chair 4) today to season-ticket holders, will be offering early-season rates of $35 for four-hour passes and $40 for eight-hour passes. The resort has been making snow almost full time since Tuesday and boasts an 8- to 12-inch base. Six to 10 terrain features were open today, and up to 20 were expected to be open on Friday. Dress warm. Though sunny, the mountain this afternoon was breezy, with temperatures hovering in the high 30s.
Travel to Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras: a twist on your average hotel deal
October 28, 2009 5:52am
With all the travel deals around these days, a traveler can be picky. If you’re like me, it’s easy to pass on deal after deal with the thinking that there’s got to be something better down the line. Now, better might mean more luxurious for the price of $100, or it might mean a more exotic destination like Honduras. That’s why when I found that hotels in Copán Ruinas were discounting room rates up to 50% during their high season this winter, I got excited at the idea of a holiday in western Honduras in a village known for its tranquility and rich Mayan history.
Deals: There really are accommodations to fit any budget. Backpackers looking for hostels and guesthouse properties can find rooms ranging from $5 per night (En La Manzana Verde) and $16 per night, double or triple occupancy (La Posada de Belssy). If you are prepared to spend more, try a bed and breakfast inn with a view of the Copan River Valley for $50 per night, double occupancy (La Casa de Cafe), or a boutique hotel with Wi-Fi and fresh local coffee for $65 per night, double occupancy (Yat B’alam Boutique Hotel). I also liked the looks of the Spanish colonial-style inn La Casa Rosada ($87 per night, double occupancy) and the well-regarded Hacienda San Lucas, starting at $125 per night.
California state parks plan weekday closures, cutbacks in Inland Empire
October 27, 2009 10:09am
If you’re planning a fall, winter or spring outing to California state parks or recreation areas in the Inland Empire region, make sure your destination will be open on the dates you want to go. And that advice may soon apply to other regions too.
Starting next week, five state sites, including Mt. San Jacinto, Chino Hills, Lake Perris, Silverwood Lake and the California Citrus State Historic Park, will either close to the public on certain weekdays or reduce services. In some cases, parks will be open for day use for fewer hours each day. These steps are being taken because of budget reductions.
My colleague Pete Thomas has the full rundown in his Outposts blog, along with a head’s-up that parks elsewhere may take similar steps.
At Yellowstone, wolves and winter deals
October 24, 2009 9:00am
While it can’t compete with the 25-cent hotel rooms recently offered in the U.S. Virgin Islands, or $20 rooms at Hooters Casino in Las Vegas, Yellowstone National Park is offering up some interesting snow packages that include wildlife tours, snowmobiling and ice skating.
The “Winter Getaway” packages are available just after the holidays, Jan. 3 to March 6, a period often ripe with snow-play specials.
Particularly appealing: “Trail of the Wolf,” a guided snowmobile trip to the interior of the park, which is known for its wolves, and wildlife watching by special van in the park’s northern range. The package includes three nights of lodging at Old Faithful Snow Lodge or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, two breakfasts per person, a one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited skating and skates. Prices begin at $411 per person pretax, double occupancy, for two nights at Mammoth Hot Springs and one night at Old Faithful. Two nights at Old Faithful and one night at Mammoth Hot Springs runs $546 per person.
Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight: Use Twitter hashtag #meteorshower to boast of spotting shooting stars
October 20, 2009 4:33pm
Do something different tonight: Leave the city and the suburbs for a late-night picnic beneath a meteor shower. The Orionids, the second annual meteor shower of the year, is expected to peak Oct. 21 around 3 a.m. PT. The best places in Southern California to view a meteor shower are, as you’d expect, in rural areas. Here’s a photo gallery of some prime viewing locations, such as Red Rock Canyon State Park and Joshua Tree National Park (pictured above and taken during the more well-known Perseid meteor shower that occurs between July and August).
“The best time to watch will be between 1 a.m. and dawn local time Wednesday morning, regardless of your location. That’s when the patch of Earth you are standing on is barreling headlong into space on Earth’s orbital track, and meteors get scooped up like bugs on a windshield,” said Robert Roy Britt on Space.com.
For those of you who want to Twitter your star-gazing experience tonight, use the hashtag #meteorshower. You can also find other reports of people talking about the Orionid meteor shower by searching for “Orionids” on Twitter Search.
‘Leave No Trace’ video now online, inspires minimizing our impact on the back country
October 19, 2009 3:40pm
Recently available to view online for the first time is the National Park Service’s “Leave No Trace” video. At just 9-1/2 minutes, it’s a short and scenic entreaty to park visitors to exercise care and conscientiousness in the back country.
Seasoned campers have no doubt heard park rangers utter the saying, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.” But there’s more to it.
To make our outdoor ventures as low-impact as possible, we all know that we should take out what we bring in. But maybe next time we can think about bringing out even more than what we brought in (i.e., trash left by other people). And an evening campfire is a given for many campers, but it’s worth considering, for the good of the environment, not starting one up at all next time, if we don’t need it.
These are just a couple of the themes brushed upon in the video, which briefly describes the following seven widely known leave-no-trace principles for outdoor enthusiasts to follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Fall foliage: Aspen aglow near Big Bear
October 17, 2009 6:00am
The fall foliage around Big Bear is exploding, courtesy of heavy snows a year ago. Meanwhile, a grove of aspen 30 minutes from town is expected to peak this weekend.
Dan Mckernan of the Big Bear Lake Resort Assn. says the grove is the only one in Southern California and a favorite of local hikers. Note that the final leg of the drive from town takes you on a forest road that is not particularly friendly to low-slung sports cars or low-riders. Family sedans should by OK, if you take it slowly.
Once there, you’ll think you are in Colorado, rather than two hours from Los Angeles. Also on display in area day hikes are oak, cottonwood and ferns. Timing the color peak in the area is always tricky, Mckernan says. Peak colors usually last only a week or two. Don’t forget your forest day pass ($5) before leaving town.
Death Valley: Furnace Creek Resort deal includes golf below sea level
October 15, 2009 8:58am
Average temperatures are now more reasonable than they were just a couple of months ago, it’s still low season for tourism, and the Furnace Creek Inn, popular with travelers who prefer four-diamond digs to camping, has just opened for the season. Now is a fantastic time to visit Death Valley National Park for hikers and other explorers, as well as golfers interested in teeing off at 214 feet below sea level.
Deal: The “Stay & Play” package at Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort — a Xanterra property that includes Furnace Creek Inn and the more casual Furnace Creek Ranch — includes a one-night stay for two people, based on double occupancy; one day of unlimited play at the resort’s golf course (billed to be the world’s lowest); and cart rental.
Prices vary depending on dates booked and whether you stay at the more upscale inn or at the cheaper ranch, which is adjacent to the golf course. Stays now through Dec. 23, 2009, at the ranch start at $214 per night, pre-tax, though you can find a midweek stay in January for as low as $207 per night. Use promo code “GOLF” when booking.
This is a good deal for golfing couples considering that a stay in a comparable ranch room at present, without the golf component, costs $159, and green fees are normally $55 per person (for 18 holes). Cart rental generally costs $12.50, and no extra fee is charged for club storage.
Mammoth opening with Freebie Friday
October 14, 2009 5:43pm
Mammoth Mountain will open Friday with free skiing and snowboarding, after a powerful storm left up to 6 feet of snow in higher elevations of the Eastern Sierra resort. Areas lower on the mountain will offer 16-24 inches of machine groomed snow.
“We are so excited to start the season nearly four weeks ahead of schedule and to be able to reward our guests with a free day on the slopes,” said Howard Pickett, chief marketing officer of Mammoth Mountain.
This is the resort’s earliest opening in 15 years. In 1994, the resort opening Oct. 8.
Broadway Express will open at 8:30 a.m. Friday, servicing a base of up to 2 feet of machine groomed natural snow, with runs on Broadway, Forest Trail, Mambo, St. Moritz, and Main Park, and assorted rails and jibs. Mammoth officials said more runs will open as staffing and weather allow.
Contact: Mammoth Mountain, (800) MAMMOTH or (800) 626-6684
–Chris Erskine, Los Angeles Times deputy Travel editor
[Photo: Skiers and boarders on the slopes at Mammoth Mountain; Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times]
