Yes, paddling the Grand Canyon, skiing the Haute Route, and climbing Half Dome are all legendary missions. You should totally do those things and other notableÌýbucket-list adventures. But they’re outings that most people already knowÌýabout and may be crowded when you get there.ÌýWhat are the less known epic trips that fewÌýpeople ever do? We found a few.
Scuba Dive with a Navy SEAL in Oahu
Stephen Kaplan and James Beck are retired U.S. Navy SEALsÌýwho were deployed overseas for years as top combat divers. NowÌýthey’re teaching others skills, like jumping out of a helicopter into the oceanÌýand scuba diving amongÌýdeep-sea wrecks, through their outfitting business,Ìý, based in the town of Kapolei on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Sign up for theÌýthree-hour Navy SEAL dive (from $589), and you’ll get a crash course in underwater travel from literal veterans in the field. No scuba experience is necessary, and all gear comes included.
E-Mountain BikeÌýAcross the Swiss Alps
You can certainly ride a standard mountain bike in the Alps. But if you’re looking to really cover some ground, an e-mountain bikeÌýcould be just the ticket.Ìý is offering a new eight-day guided e-mountain-bike trip (from $3,988) across the mountains ofÌýSwitzerland starting this summer. You’ll travel onÌýtrains, gondolas, and trams to reach the trails and stop at classic mountain huts for midday meals and overnight stays. A highlight is riding the 25-mileÌý, designated Epic by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. If you’re not into e-bikes, you canÌý of the Swiss Alps on a regular mountain bike, too.
SnowkiteÌýthe New Hampshire Backcountry
TheÌýÌýin North Conway, New Hampshire, can teach you traditional skillsÌýlike avalanche education orÌýmountaineering as well as how toÌý. Its courses (from $150 an hour) are geared toward newbie snowkitersÌýand held on frozen lakes and fields in the White Mountains. Lessons include kiteÌýand harness rentals; you’ll need your own ski or snowboard gear. Once you’ve got the skills, you can head out on your own when the wind is up. The school provides information for experienced snowkiters who want to plan a DIY expedition into the backcountry.
Camp in the Country’s Least-VisitedÌýNational Park
Let everyone else swarm the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and head toÌý, one of the most remote national narks in the nation, located inÌýthe middle of Lake Superior. This park gets fewer visitors per year than Yellowstone sees in a single day. Isle Royale is closed from November to mid-April, but come spring, you can access it via ferry or a chartered seaplane from nearby Houghton or Copper Harbor, Michigan. The backcountry camping here is desolate and beautiful—it’ll just be you and some moose.
Cycle Idaho’s Route of the Hiawatha
Do this in a day: ride, hike, or run the , a 15-mile rail-to-trail route near the historic town of Wallace, Idaho, along the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains. You’ll start near Lookout Pass Ski Area and pedalÌýover train trestles and through tenÌýtunnels, including the 1.6-mile-long Taft Tunnel, making for a dark and spooky passage (you’ll need bike lights to illuminate the way). Kids will love it, especially because you can do the whole thing in one direction—and all downhill—thenÌýhop theÌýshuttle back to your car. Camp in a nearbyÌý (from $45).
Heli-PaddleboardÌýin Whistler, B.C.
This summer,Ìý will begin offering a new backcountry stand-up-paddleboard half-day adventure (from $1,171). Here’s how it works: You and your inflatable Red Paddle Co. loaner board will be loaded onto a helicopter in WhistlerÌýand whisked to an alpine lake unreachableÌýby hiking. ThereÌýyou’ll be treated to a catered picnic lunch and set free to paddle around a body of water that’s entirely your own (for a couple of hours anyway).
Climb a Sea Stack in Ireland
Off the coast of Donegal, you’ll find over 100 craggy sea stacks, or rock towers, that rise hundreds of feet above the ocean. These are among the tallest sea cliffs in Europe. Book a day of guided climbing with local outfitterÌý, and it’ll take you to the top of severalÌý(from $250). You’ll climb, then do a Tyrolean traverse on a rope over the open water, connecting you to neighboring sea stacks. No previous rock climbing experience is necessary. Stay in the 19th-centuryÌý (from $215), now a five-star hotel, and staff will arrange the adventure for you.
PaddleÌýthe Barrier Islands ofÌýVirginia
You don’t need to be a seasoned sea kayaker to handle this scenic 70-mile stretch of the Virginia Seaside Water Trail, which connects the state’s barrier islands. You’ll spend several days paddling from Chincoteague to Kiptopeke, the longest undeveloped shoreline on the eastern seaboard, stopping to collect oysters and crabs and staying at quaint, waterfrontÌýbed-and-breakfasts.Ìý offers four-day trips (from $995), where you can stay a couple of nights in an updated 1920s-era fishing lodge calledÌý, which opens for the season in March.