Family Adventure Vacations

"It was the best family vacation we ever had."
--S. DeStephano, Oregon Family Rafting Vacation

"When I first told my husband and the kids of my idea to go rafting they thought I'd gone insane and/or was having a midlife crisis. Both were probably true and my usually reserved husband is now telling everyone 'We had the trip of a lifetime'. For four days on the river we unwound and felt alive again."
--A. Leonard and Family, Rogue River Rafting Trip

Dear Family Traveler,

Thanks for considering us for your family adventure vacation! As a father myself who has led family adventure vacations and family rafting trips since 1983 I understand the benefits and challenges of adventure travel family vacations. With that knowledge, and a strong desire to share our trips with you, we look forward to providing your family with a first rate adventure holiday!

Family adventure vacations are an excellent way to spend time with your children. You paddle as a team through foaming whitewater, sit back and admire the quiet scene, spend time together hiking along a mountain trail, and just chat without any distractions or sense of urgency. Parents relax as guides take over the day-to-day responsibilites of food, shelter, and safety. Children explore and have fun with things that aren't electronic in nature. And families reconnect as parents and children appreciate each other in a new light. Whether a one-day Portland Oregon rafting trip, a four-day Rogue river rafting trip as part of a longer Oregon family vacation, a week on a Salmon river family rafting trip, or a two week Alaska family vacation, we are confident that you will find your family vacation with us to be rewarding and recharging!

I was fortunate to be a classroom teacher in rural Alaska for many years where I worked with children of all ages and cultures. My background also includes developing and evaluating a number of programs designed for kids and the wilderness while and since obtaining a Master's Degree in Recreation. These experiences combined with a team of guides that love travelling with families and years of experience outfitting family adventure vacations enable Destination WIlderness to offer exceptionally professional, well planned, yet homespun, family adventure holidays.

We are excited about outfitting your family vacation and welcome a phone call or email with any questions you may have about family adventure travel and the nuances of family wilderness tours! There are also a number of articles we have written about family rafting trips and family adventure vacations that you may find useful. These can be seen by clicking here.

Sincerely, Ken Streater, Owner, Destination Wilderness

Family vacations such as family rafting trips, hiking tours, and fishing trips are a Destination Wilderness cornerstone. We are proud to offer a variety of family rafting trips and other family adventure vacation tours. Many of our trips are ideal for families, as they offer fun but not threatening rapids, tranquil campsites with lots of room to roam, guides who are parents themselves and understand the nuances of wilderness travel with youth, activities that are geared specifically to kids, and so much more.

All trips that are suitable for families feature a variety of activities geared towards satisfying kids and parents alike. Each of these trips include kids menus with meals that are served when youngsters are ready to eat, our FAN Club™ (Family Adventures in Nature) guide whose responsibilites include facilitating fun and educational outdoor activities for kids only and for parents and children together, and adventure gear that is designed specifically for kids. On these family adventure vacations we provide a pre-trip packet for kids that help them best prepare for your trip.

Multi-Day Family Adventure Vacations

Klamath River (Northern California)  Rogue River (Southern Oregon)  Salmon River (Idaho Rocky Mountains)  Grand Alaska Adventure  Discover Alaska Adventure  Undiscovered Hawaii

Day and Overnight Family Trips

McKenzie River (Central Oregon)     McKenzie Fishing Trip   Clackamas River (Portland, Oregon)   Umpqua River (Crater Lake, Oregon)   Adv. River House (Eugene, Oregon)

We offer discounts for youth on every applicable trip, and also run specially-priced family trips. Rivers such as the Salmon, Rogue, and Klamath are perfect for any family looking for an extended family adventure holiday. The McKenzie, Clackamas, and Umpqua rivers offer shorter trips for those families looking to raft without investing a lot of time. Simply put, we feel that our family adventure vacations and family rafting trips are unsurpassed!

The FAN Club™: Family Adventures in Nature!
Destination Wilderness includes appropriate activities and natural history education on each trip we run. As an outcome of this for our family adventure vacations we have created the FAN Club. We like the play on words of the FAN Club as we hope to inspire kids and parents alike to learn about, admire and respect the natural settings through which we travel.

Here are highlights of what the FAN Club provides on our multi-day trips:

FAN Club Director: Each family trip includes a Destination Wilderness guide who hosts games and explorations for kids. Throughout the course of the trip the Fan Club Director and all guides available to help meet your family's wants and needs.

Special Activities for Kids Only and Parents and Children Together: Each trip features a handful of activities for families and for all the kids on the trip. Each activity is fun and educational.

Special Menus and Meal Times for Kids: Each trip with a FAN club director provides special meals for kids, such as Mac and Cheese instead of grilled Mango salmon. Of course, children are welcome to eat the regular meals as well! We also typically serve kids meals earlier than the regular meals to accommodate the different metabolisms and to allow kids more time to explore!

Pre-Trip FAN Club Information Packets for Kids: Before your trip we will send a packet for your children to enjoy as a a special way to help them prepare for and understand their upcoming trip! These packets are specially designed for two age groups: teen and pre-teen.

Here is a list of some of the trips we offer that are great for family adventure vacations. For more information, please click on the trip name!

• Idaho's Main Salmon (4 to 6-Day Trips; Class III-III+)
  Idaho's Salmon river rafting tours run through the heart of the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states, is a classic river. Broad, sandy beaches, roller coaster class III-III+ rapids, riverside wildlife such as moose and Bighorn sheep, emerald waters, hot springs, ranch sites from days of yore, and one of the deepest canyons in the world combine to form an unparalleled setting for a wilderness rafting journey. These trips are outfitted by River Time Guide Service, licensed in Idaho and owned by Terry Hughes, a former DW guide. We are a booking agent for River Time Guide Service. As Bill Cross, one of our guides and coauthor of Western Whitewater, states, "of all that I've boated, this is the nicest all around river I've ever been on." Main Salmon river journeys are perfect for everyone! Salmon trips include all personal camping gear and air shuttle from McCall to Boise at the end of the trip. Minimum age: Six during normal water levels; 12 at high water levels.

• Rogue (3 to 5-Day Trips; Class III-III+)
  Oregon's Rogue river rafting trips travel through one of the most poetic canyons on earth, and serves up classic white water. It is perfect for first-time river runners, families, and experienced rafters. It is an exceptional Oregon family vacation option! Pine and oak blanket the canyon walls. Sandy beach campsites abound. Wildlife often ambles along shore. Sparkling side-canyon waterfalls cascade into the river. Osprey and eagle soar through the sky. World-class fish cruise the emerald waters. And, the Rogue's rapids are among the west's most appreciated: enjoyable, challenging, but not extreme class III-III+ rapids. Min age: Six during normal water levels; 12 at high water levels.

• Lower Klamath (3 and 4-Day Trips; Class III)
  Northern California's Lower Klamath river rafting tour is a superb wilderness waterway trip. It offers endless vistas of spectacular scenery, sparkling water, excellent side hikes, and a wealth of wildlife. In particular, the Klamath's fun and bouncy class II and III rapids and warm weather and water are perfect for younger children and families seeking their first wilderness river trip. Minimum age: Five years.

• Clackamas (1/2 and 1-Day Trips; Class III)
  Only one-half hour from Portland, Oregon, the Clackamas is a great family river. In the summer, when flows decrease, the Clackamas features fun class III rapids in a beautiful mountain canyon. Convenient to Mt. Hood and Portland, this river is a great addition to any Northwest vacation, or just a great getaway for those living in Oregon or Washington. Minimum age: Six years in summer months; 12 in spring.

• McKenzie (1/2 to 2-Day Trips; Class II-III)
  Central Oregon's McKenzie river is a crystal clear alpine jewel with an abundance of dancing class II and III rapids. Our McKenzie trips take place on the upper McKenzie, where the rapids come in quick succession and the river winds through a verdant forest, or on the middle McKenzie, where fun class II and III rapids are mixed with scenic calms. We take inflatable kayaks on this stretch. These trips are great for those looking for fun but not overwhelming rapids and great mountain scenery. Minimum age: Five years.

  NOTE: For a great family vacation consider spending time in Oregon's Cascade mountains at the Adventure River House, a charming vacation home that comes with rafting trips, mountain bikes, fishing gear, and so much more. Located next to the McKenzie river, approximately 45 east of Eugene, Oregon, the Adventure River House comfortably sleeps twelve.

• Grand Alaska Adventure (5-Day Multi-Activity Alaska Adventure; Class II-III)
  Taking place the heart of Alaska and the world's largest national park, this five-day trip features a spectacular flightseeing trip, walking on a glacier, hiking around a huge ghost copper mine and a mild wilderness river trip. It is common to see lots of wildlife in this huge wilderness area. We recommend this trip for families seeking a great wilderness getaway in the "Last Frontier". Minimum age: 10 years.

• Discover Alaska (8-Day Multi-Activity Alaska Adventure; Class II-III)
  An unparalled opportunity to experience the best of Alaska, our Discover Alaska trip features numerous wildlife viewing possibilities for whales, bear, seals, eagle, and more. Plus glacier exploration, hiking, rafting, kayaking, boating, and delightful and deluxe lodging and motor yacht accommodations. This is a great trip for those wishing to experience the highlights of Alaska with creature comforts left and right. Minimum age: 10 years.

• Undiscovered Hawaii ( 7-Day Multi Activity Hawaii Adventure; Hiking and Sea Kayaking)
  A series of day hikes in Volcanoes National Park and time spent sea kayaking on the Kona Coast. Explore the unexplored Hawaii. Watch lava flow to the sea, soak in a hidden natural hot springs pool, paddle along dolphins, marvel at sea turtles swimming in the bays, and so much more. Overnights in cozy privately home vacation rental homes and cottages. Minimum age: 12 years.

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