Are you a mountain kind of person? Do babbling creeks, snow-capped peaks and evergreens abounding put you at peace? Then the Canadian Rockies are for you, and Backroads offers plentiful ways to see what we believe is one of the most beautiful expanses of wilderness in the world. Choose to get to know the Canadian Rockies by bike, by foot or even by white-water raft!

Canadian Rockies Biking Tour

Get ready to hop on your bike for some amazing outdoor fun. Riding in the open air, you’ll see the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies from gorgeous peaks, beautiful blue lakes to massive glaciers – not to mention the fresh mountain air you’ll breathe all the way. On our bike tour of the Canadian Rockies, you’ll visit the jewel blue Lake Louise, bike Banff National Park, pedal past dramatic waterfalls, ride the Icefields Parkway and pass by wildlife in their natural habitat. Our Canadian Rockies bike tour is available June-September.

Canadian Rockies Walking Tour & Hiking Tour

Another wonderful way to explore the Canadian Rockies is by foot. On our Canadian Rockies walking tour, you get to meander past blue-green streams, walk through valleys, see the second highest waterfall in the country, view a glacier and hike three Canada national parks. Because we travel during the summer months of June through September, be sure to stop and smell the buttercups and the fragrant evergreen meadows and gaze at fields of wildflowers. At the end of your days, relax in our local lodgings, including a log cabin, a lake lodge and a European-style chalet with spa.

Canadian Rockies Multisport Tour

On our multisport tour, you get to combine both biking the Canadian Rockies and hiking the Canadian Rockies into one tour with some extra fun thrown in. On this Canadian tour, you’ll hike a slot canyon, raft a glacier-fed river, bike among crystalline lakes and see wildlife galore from moose to black bears. Also, included on this tour is the lovely Lake Louise, a World Heritage Site. Our multisport tour is available in classic format during July and August, for Singles + Solos in August, and for families June-August. We also offer a deluxe camping of the Canadian Rockies option for families June-August, as well.

Now is the time to plan your summer getaway to the mountains and we can’t think of a better vacation than an adventure to the Canadian Rockies. To book your Canadian Rockies tour, please call us 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific daily at 800-462-2848.

Here at Backroads we all share a spirit of wanderlust, that eternal desire to explore and find yourself in new and amazing places throughout the globe. We’re not the first to experience that longing. Many before us and many contemporaries feel just the same way. We love quotations that put into words just how we feel on many of our biking tours and hiking tours be it a European bike trip or a New Zealand hiking tour. No matter where you go, there you are J.

Here’s a compilation of some of our favorite travel quotes that we feel captures the spirit of Backroads adventure travel:

“My favorite thing is to go where I have never been.”
– Diane Arbus, American photographer

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
–Albert Einstein

“Exploration is the essence of the human spirit.”
– Unknown

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”
–St. Augustine

“Keep close to Nature’s heart.”
– John Muir

“We don’t stop hiking because we grow old; we grow old because we stop hiking.”
– Fins Mitchell

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet.”
– William Blake

And last but not least, from our fearless leader:

“Bicycle touring is travel’s live theater.”
– Tom Hale, Founder & President of Backroads

Got a travel quote that you love? Please share with us!

For more information about Backroads or any of our adventure tours that will fulfill that wanderlust, call us Pacific time 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily at 800-462-2848.

Credit: Gord Sonnenberg

Kids have been listening to stories and seeing movies about princes and princesses living in and defending castles since they were little. Show them a real castle and share with them a little history by embarking on one of our amazing European family adventure tours or Europe bike tour.

The Loire Valley Family Biking Trip is one option for castle-dreaming kids. This France bike trip includes castles straight out of fairy tales like the Château de Cheverny and Château de Chenonceau, where you and your children will be transported back in time.

Château de Cheverny, built between 1604 and 1635, is still owned by descendents of the original builders, the Hurault family, and has retained an intimate charm. Furnishings and period costumes are on display, and the gardens are enormous and immaculate.

Château de Chenonceau was built around 1513 and is completely surrounded by water. Your kids will love the moat, though we can’t promise any dragons or trolls J. This castle is magnificent because of its original design, the richness of its collections, its furniture and its decorations.

Our Czech Republic and Austria Family Biking Trip is another fantasy land filled with storybook castles. Adults will enjoy the France walking tour of the town Český Krumlov, which was built around a 13^th-century castle and is complete with twisting lanes and buildings with red tile roofs. The town is described as an outstanding example of a central European small town dating from the Middle Ages. It owes the structure and buildings of its historic core to the town’s economic importance and relatively undisturbed organic development over some five centuries.

Later in the trip while in Austria, kids will get to experience a Renaissance castle. They’ll have a day of fun at the castle and get to watch a falconry demonstration that is straight out of the middle-ages.

What is your child’s favorite fairytale featuring a castle? Let us know if we can make those dreams come true! Call us between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time at 800-462-2848 to start your journey.

Photo Credit: Erin Clement

If you’ve been dreaming of going on a trip with your entire family, a big group of friends or even the crew from the office, Backroads can help plan a private adventure trip exactly to your specifications. All you have to do is select the date, the destination and invite your guests, and we’ll take care of the rest!

Where to go?

Since the first Backroads trip in 1979, we’ve spent a lot of time creating trips that offer the best experiences (scenery, people, food, lodging, culture) we can find. If you’re not sure what type of trip to take (hiking tour, bike tour or multi-sport adventure tour) or what destination (U.S., Europe and beyond!), we’ve created a few trip ideas for you peruse, including food and wine, art, history, wildlife, scenery and more!

Guests

When thinking about who you’d like to invite on the trip, the average group size ranges from 10-16 so it works great for an extended family vacation or two families who want to travel family adventure tour together. Gather together your friends whether couples or singles – you’ll be in for one of the best bike tours or walking adventures of a lifetime.

Our private trips also work wonders as corporate retreats. We can’t imagine a better place to encourage brainstorming and creativity than the summit of a mountaintop or overlooking sweeping views of the sea.

After you’ve made your list of who’ll be traveling, we’ll help you send out invitations. We have three different sample letters for your custom or private adventure that will help entice your gang to join the adventure of a lifetime. Even though we don’t think it will be that hard to persuade them J.

Plan in advance

We recommend you begin planning about 9-12 months ahead of your departure date. This will make help sure you get the best selection. It also gives you plenty of time to recruit your travel companions, the opportunity to take advantage of booking the most convenient flights and the ability to use frequent flier miles.

A few more details

You can find a few more details, including deposit fees, reservation forms and more in the Private Trips Kit on our website. To speak to our Private Trips Manager, please call 800-462-2848.

Here are a few comments from previous guests who took a private trip with Backroads. We look forward to seeing you on the Backroads!

When Backroads put this new Panama multi-sport trip together, we wanted to offer an amazing trip that would evoke “oohs” and “ahs” from even the most seasoned traveler. We think we did it, but most importantly, we want to know what you think! J

This 6-day, 5-night adventure tour gives you plenty of incredible biking and hiking with highlights that include seeing the epic Panama Canal. You’ll get a special look at the canal from your seat in a motorized dug-out canoe as you cruise up the Chagres River, the chief source of water for the Canal.

You’ll also venture into the jungle, where you’ll see some magnificent wildlife (green iguanas and capuchin monkeys, anyone?). You’ll hike in the realm of the tallest mountain in Panama, Volcan Baru, a dormant, but potentially active volcano. In addition to the hiking and biking, we’ve also thrown in a little snorkeling on the second largest coral reef in the Pacific Ocean that’s sure to cool you off after your jungle walk.

The dining options on this trip, of course, make the most of local cuisine and culture. For example, on our first night, you’ll enjoy dinner overlooking the Panama Canal, where you’ll likely see the busy locks in action. You’ll also visit a lush coffee plantation, where you’ll tour and taste, and savor gourmet cuisine at the Panamonte Inn & Spa.

The lodging we’ve lined up ensures you’ll be able to rest, relax and recharge. First stop is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort (formerly the residence of the Panama Canal’s administrators), Panamonte Inn & Spa (highly rated by Condé Nast) and Cala Mia Boutique Hotel, an incredible eco lodge located on secluded Boca Brava Island.

For more information on this and other Backroads trips, please visit our website or call one of our representatives at 800-462-2848 to request a catalog.

Photo Credit: Robert Houser

Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, family reunion or other milestone, Backroads trips are the perfect venue to host your celebration trip. Forget the surprise party, the cook-out, the date night with a movie and make your celebration like nothing you’ve experienced before: actively engaging with the world in the open air!

Can you imagine camel riding for your 16^th birthday or perhaps an Italy bike tour through the Tuscan countryside for your anniversary (a la “Under the Tuscan Sun”)? How about biking through the Loire Valley of France through fairytale castles for your honeymoon or a taking that new grad on a hiking tour to a destination of their dreams?

No matter the celebration, Backroads handles the trip from start to finish once you arrive at your destination from the accommodations and restaurants to the itineraries and equipment for your adventure vacation. All you need to do is show up ready to celebrate every minute you spend exploring and experiencing the culture of your destination.

People from all ages and fitness levels can participate, so don’t rule out the kids or Grandma and Grandpa’s 50^th anniversary. We’ve got something for everyone!

Here are a few quotes from some of our guests who celebrated something special on their Backroads tour:

“Our 50th anniversary family trip was absolutely wonderful. I never looked at anyone at any time that they didn’t have a big smile on their face. Our group consisted of folks from Ironman to couch potato abilities and we were all satisfied!”  — Linda Goodwin, Frisco, Co.

“My week in the Canyon lands definitely exceeded all my expectations and was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday. I will never forget finding my bike decorated with balloons and ribbons! The leaders made my 50th birthday an experience I’ll always remember.” – Jackie Shoener, Sewickley, Pa.

“We were a family group of 11 – grandparents, kids and grandkids. It was such a fabulous trip for all of us, just the right balance of nature, activities, food and free time. This trip had something for every generation!! … The guides were wonderful, as always, and the guys supporting in the vans were incredible.” – Karen Dern, Boca Raton, Fla.

“This trip was a wonderful trip for our honeymoon! The region is gorgeous, the food is fabulous and Backroads does a great job taking care of you! It is hard to imagine traveling any other way.” – Marc Biondi, Washington, D.C.

If you don’t have a reason to celebrate, we bet you’re making up one now! Come celebrate with Backroads and make memories you’ll never forget.

Photo Credit: Warren Zelman

Thousands of adventurers take Backroads trips every year and we want to see what you are seeing out there. Send us pictures of those countless breathtaking sights you encountered on one of our active travel trips and you could earn up to $3,000 in credit on your next Backroads adventure!

Backroads guarantees you excitement and challenges while you explore our world’s history and landscapes and we’re looking for pictures of your trip’s most memorable moments. Send us those shots of you and your family taking in the timeless beauty found at one of our national parks, of sweeping landscapes as you bike through Europe or pictures of you and your group rafting down a river.

Past and present guests are invited to participate and may submit photos from more than one trip. Simply submit up to 25 high-quality, digital shots per trip.

There will be three grand prize winners awarded annually: 1st place wins $3,000 in trip credit, 2nd place wins $2,000 in trip credit and 3rd place wins $1,000 in trip credit.

In addition to the three grand prize winners, additional photo contest entries may be chosen to appear in Backroads Award Winning publications or on our website at any time during the year. Photographers will be reimbursed $250 in trip credit by Backroads for unlimited usage of that image. Please see the Backroads photo contest terms and conditions for more details on the contest.

We look forward to seeing pictures of your Backroads trip. And, that photo might help get you closer to your next adventure!