Bold West photos
From the canyons of Zion to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, experience some of North America’s most popular and diverse national parks and cities. This trip is a blend of adventure in the great outdoors and exploring the cities of the West.
$4,288.00
Two CPR and First Aid certified AAVE leaders; all ground costs, all ground transportation including airport pickup and drop-off; all camping and camping gear (except sleeping bags, sleep mats and mess kits); all activities and gear listed in the above itinerary; all meals; local gratuities to wait-staff and all hotels or hostels.
Flights to/from Las Vegas and San Francisco; optional gratuities, extra snacks and souvenirs.
Our adventure begins in Zion National Park, home to towering red cliffs, labyrinth-like canyons and cool rivers. Paragon Climbing School guides us as we learn the techniques necessary for safe and fun rock climbing. We climb sandstone cliffs, rappel into the canyon and conquer a 250-foot zip line before we call it a day!
Leaving the peace of desert canyons we enter the electric energy of Las Vegas. Hotel Circus-Circus is our home as we ride roller coasters and visit the sites of this unique city.
The quiet solitude and majestic beauty of Sequoia National Forest is our next stop. We hike among some of the earth’s oldest and largest living organisms, the Giant Sequoia trees. In Yosemite National Park, we swim in the crystal clear rivers and hike to breathtaking vistas of the High Sierras.
In Santa Cruz, we learn the art of surfing and enjoy a typical California beach town, complete with a boardwalk, rides, shops, and restaurants. Our service project is in Muir Woods, home to the famous Redwoods, where we get a chance to give back to the parks we’ve been enjoying. We wrap up our trip with sightseeing in San Francisco: from Chinatown to Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf and Haight-Ashbury… we do it all!
You will be met upon arrival at the airport gate by your experienced AAVE expedition leaders. After a complete gear check, to assure that you are prepared for the diverse, demanding and remote regions we explore, we load up and head off! During orientation we get to know each other and learn what to expect in the days ahead. Our daily routine, jobs and safety rules are explained and the process of growing together as a group begins. We arrive at our Crawdad Canyon camp, just outside of St. George, Utah, where we start getting to know each other, discuss expectations for the summer, relax and have some fun!
On the outskirts of Zion, Paragon Climbing School are our guides as they teach us all the beginner skills necessary for safe and fun climbing. Rappelling, belaying, smearing, stemming and hand jamming are just a few of the skills we learn to help master this exciting sport. Deep canyons and towering red cliffs create the perfect environment for a rewarding day of climbing.
We break camp and head to Zion National park to view the maze-like canyons and cool narrow rivers. We hike up 1,500-foot Angels Landing for a jaw dropping view, and wade chest deep into the refreshing water of the Narrows slot canyons. Tubing is always a fun a way to relax in the heat of the afternoon, or maybe we’ll catch an IMAX movie and go for ice cream!
We have a relaxed morning and delicious breakfast and then drive to the bright lights of Vegas! Check into the famous hotel Circus, Circus, known for it’s family atmosphere and indoor amusement park! We enjoy a great dinner at a Vegas buffet, check out Paris, Paris, the Bellagio fountain show and the carnival in our own hotel! In the morning, we visit the shops at Ceasars Palace, have lunch at New York, New York and ride the roller coaster!
We wake early for a big drive to the launch site for the next day’s whitewater rafting, GET EXCITED!!!
Meet the Whitewater Voyage guides early and splash down the Kern River. We shoot through Class III & IV rapids, cool off in the crisp mountain river and enjoy the warm California sun! We camp on the river banks and fall asleep under the twinkling stars with the rush of the river lulling us to sleep. We wake early for some more fun in the rapids before saying goodbye to the raft guides and heading to Lake Isabella for a BBQ and showers!
We drive to Sequoia National park and sleep beneath the largest trees on earth, the Giant Sequoias. Make sure you use the bear boxes to store food as the bears are extremely curious and very active in this area, if you are lucky you’ll see one from a distance! We hike to 9,000 feet and plunge into the stunning, alpine Heather Lake, always a camper favorite! Next, we check out the largest living organism on earth, the General Sherman Tree standing over 274 feet tall!!
Stand in awe as the 3,000-foot granite wall of El Capitan towers over you, try to spot climbers high on it’s face, feel the misty-wind gusts from Yosemite Falls, and stare down on a lush green valley carved out by an enormous iceberg. No place compares to the shear magnitude and enormity of Yosemite. We spend several days exploring the valley and the higher mountain meadows, floating in the cool, clear rivers, and enjoying great ice cream in Curry Village. No trip would be complete with out a hike in Tuolumne Meadows in the High Sierras. Cool mountain air and gorgeous sunsets await!
We check into the secluded Marin Headlands Hostel, close to the beach and San Francisco! We drive across the Golden Gate bridge and into the heart of the city. We explore the harbor shops of Fisherman’s Wharf, take a tour of the ominous Alcatraz, enjoy the sites, smells and tastes of Chinatown and get hip in the trendy boutiques along the famous Haight-Ashbury. Each night when we return to the hostel we enjoy a foosball or pool game in the rec-room and kick our chef skills up a notch with a fully equipped, spacious kitchen!
We drive to the misty Golden Gate State Park and give back to the national parks we’ve been enjoying along our adventure. We plant native species amongst towering redwoods, clear invasive species, nurture seedlings for future plantings or help maintain trails and walkways.
We finish up the summer of a lifetime learning how to surf waves in Santa Cruz, California. We wake early to hit the water for the best waves of the day. Afterwards, we check out the typical surf town of Santa Cruz; peruse the shops and cafes on Pacific Ave, drive to the Mystery Spot to defy gravity and watch water run uphill, check out the surf museum or stroll the boardwalk and ride a roller coaster! But don’t stay up too late, another early start on the water awaits.
We drive to the San Francisco Airport, bright and early, hug our new friends goodbye and start thinking of what fantastic adventure to plan with AAVE next year!
This itinerary is a sample outline of the program highlights. It is not a precise description. Changes made before or during the trip will only be made in the interest of safety or a more successful trip. This diverse itinerary is our framework for a summer of exhilaration and adventure. Get your mind and body set. Activities are planned using years of experience with your highest expectations in mind.