North Cascades National Park Least Visited, Say National Park

New Itinerary Tests Physical Prowess With Backcountry Hikes and Mountain Biking On Fringe of Most Remote, Least-Visited National Park


BILLINGS, MT, February 2008 - Washington State's North Cascades National Park protects a pristine ecosystem of steeply walled valleys, dense forests, glaciers and high, snow-covered passes.

Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA), the multi-sport travel company that specializes in immersive travel experiences throughout the Americas and most recently in Southern Africa, is always open to new challenges. So they've created a new, 6-day / 5-night Best of the Northwest program into this least visited of all of the National Parks that encompasses the largest expanse of virgin wilderness in the Pacific Northwest.

Departure dates for 2008 are Aug. 25-30 and Sept. 1-6. The nearly all-inclusive, per person, double occupancy rate, exclusive of round trip air, is $2,398 ($680 single supplement). For details please see:
www.austinlehman.com/pages/trip_page/50.php?id=46

This joins two other new Pacific Northwest trips: Southeast Alaska - Glaciers, Whales & Wilderness, a 6-day / 5-night hike/bike/kayak trip departing June 8-13, June 15-20 and Sept. 7-12 at a per person (double) rate of $3,298 +$300 (air) ($950 single supplement); and Whistler - British Columbia Wilderness Adventure, a 6-day / 5-night hike/bike/raft program in and around Whistler, departing July 20-25 and Aug. 17-22 at a per person (double) rate of $1,998 ($480 single supplement). The Whistler program also has family dates available.

Dan Austin, founding partner and ALA Director, is the company's Pacific Northwest expert who has spent years hiking and rafting its trails and rivers. He's been personally involved in designing these new tours, including Best of the Northwest that follows the Cascades Scenic Loop, a 400-mile stretch of highway circling the heart of Washington from Puget Sound across the Cascades into high desert.  He notes that while only a few hours east of the hip metropolis of Seattle, North Cascades occupies a wild landscape where Gray Wolves, Canadian Lynx, and Silvertip Grizzly Bears still roam free. Human encroachment is limited to all but the fringes.

The active itinerary begins with a hike into the Mount Baker Wilderness, walking along the broad, wildflower-strewn Iron Goat Trail, an abandoned stretch of right-of-way that once belonged to the mighty Great Northern Railway. Austin says this hike "easily ranks as one of the most spectacular in our tour portfolio."

Ensuing days include a mix of invigorating backcountry hikes along with easy to moderately challenging biking. Day 3 begins with a pre-breakfast ride as you work up an appetite on a 10-mile downhill pedal to breakfast at 3 Fingered Jacks. Later you continue the ride through the back roads of Methow Valley, bordered by both the Chewuch and the Methow Rivers.

The evenings are spent in a series of classic lodges and inns, savoring Northwest cuisine and award-winning wines. Two nights are spent at the at Sun Mountain Lodge where guests can enjoy the world class spa and tour the lodge's Wine Cellar, featuring over 5,000 bottles and 450 different labels. Another night takes you to the Buffalo Run Inn where culinary adventures include your choice of exotic game such as buffalo, venison, elk and ostrich.

The tour ends with a final afternoon and morning in Seattle. A visit to Pike Place Market, where you can literally catch a "flying" fish to bring home with you precedes a return to the airport.

ALA manages all of the arrangements in its selected destinations. Small groups are held at 12 guests. Rates include first-class accommodations, meals, guides, entry fees, ground transportation and more. Not included is roundtrip air to the host city.

Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) is also the "go-to" company for planning and setting up a private, custom adventure vacation throughout the Americas and Southern Africa.

To get a copy of the 2008 catalog as well as information on ALA's 40 unique luxury, multisport, adult and family active adventure travel itineraries please call toll-free 1.800.575.1540, or e-mail info@austinlehman.com. To review current trips, schedules and itineraries you can log onto www.austinlehman.com.

Austin-Lehman Adventures specializes in upscale, multi-sport, small group adventures to iconic destinations throughout the Americas and, most recently, to Southern Africa. Most of their active vacations are six days and five nights in duration, and combine such guided outdoor activities as hiking, biking, rafting, canoeing and horseback riding with nights spent at a series of distinctive inns and lodges.  Lunch is usually served gourmet picnic-style along the trail, and breakfast and dinner take place in a given region's finest cafés and restaurants. Prior experience is not a prerequisite and adventures cater to a wide range of abilities.  On adult adventures participants need to be 16 years old or above. Expressly designed family adventures are suitable for children as young as seven (7) years of age.
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