Forget the hotel gym. There are far more exciting ways of keeping fit on your vacation.
Here, we take you on a (sometimes nerve-shredding) tour of extreme adventures you can book around America in landscapes ranging from the searingly hot to the intensely cold.
There are the treks you can take in Alaska that require crampons and ropes, the high-altitude hikes in Hawaii with underfloor heating, and the undertakings in Utah that see visitors squeezing in between slabs of sandstone.
Head to Arizona and you can paddle your way through one of the country’s most beautiful national parks, and in California you can cycle through one of the hottest places on Earth, and put your climbing skills to the sternest of tests with ascents up towering granite monoliths.
All of the activities here can be experienced via guided tours and to help you plan, we’ve included the names of companies you can book with. Plus, we’ve picked out hotels that make good bases in each area to launch your adventures from.
1. Glacier trekking — Alaska
What’s involved: A guided hike across the otherworldly terrain of a glacier, negotiating ice caves, meltwater channels, ridges and crevasses. The scenery is stunning, but also dangerous, and participants will typically wear helmets and boot spikes (crampons), and will sometimes be connected to a rope team for extra safety. The trek will normally last between two and four hours.
Top sights: Two of the most popular and accessible Alaska glaciers for trekking are the 27-mile-long Matanuska Glacier in the Chugach Mountains, and Mendenhall Glacier. The latter is roughly 12 miles long, fed by the vast Juneau Icefield and watched over by Mount McGinnis (4,232 feet) and Mount Bullard (4,225 feet).
Good to know: Climbing experience isn’t necessary, but good balance helps. Tours normally run between May and September.
Who to book with: Options include Matanuska Glacier Adventures for Matanuska Glacier and Alaska Icefield Expeditions for Mendenhall.
Good gateway base: Hotel Captain Cook (rooms from $250) in Anchorage is a good HQ for Alaskan exploration and comes with an indoor pool, free wifi and mountain views.
Read more: Anchorage, Alaska city guide: What to do and where to stay in America’s last frontier
2. Lava field and volcanic trekking — Hawaii
What’s involved: Guided hikes across hardened lava flows and volcanic ash, steep crater descents, and heading out along exposed ridges.
Top sights: Trekking up otherworldly Haleakalā on Maui is an experience you’re unlikely to forget. The vast shield volcano looms 10,023 feet above the Pacific Ocean and forms three-quarters of Maui’s 727 square miles. Sunrise ascents are particularly breathtaking. On the Big Island, explore the rugged lava fields of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, formed by eruptions from Kīlauea (4,100 feet), one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and neighboring Mauna Loa (13,680 feet), the largest active volcano on Earth by volume and area.
Good to know: That there will be heat goes without saying, but be prepared also for wild temperature swings and a lack of shade. Sturdy boots and sun protection are vital.
Who to book with: Maui Hiking Company (for Haleakalā), Hawaii Forest & Trail (for Big Island volcanoes), Kīlauea EcoGuides (for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park).
Good gateway base: Maui Seaside Hotel, Kahului (rooms from $220) is convenient for Haleakalā and features rooms wrapped around an outdoor pool.
Read more: 10 best Hawaii beaches to visit for a slice of paradise
3. Slot canyon hiking and canyoneering — Utah
What’s involved: Guided adventures through sensationally slender rocky corridors, between canyon walls, up and over boulders and, on canyoneering routes, embarking on controlled descents using ropes and harnesses.
Top sights: One of the most thrilling places for canyon activities is Zion National Park, a mesmerizing world of cream, pink, and red sandstone cliffs and canyon walls that stretch up to 2,640 feet in height. Farther east, there’s remote Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which harbors breathtakingly deep slot canyons and multi-colored rock layers that resemble slices of cake.
Good to know: Despite the desert conditions, there are rivers (even waterfalls) in these national parks and flash flooding is an acute risk, so trips only run when the weather is favorable. Only book if you have good mobility and, for technical expeditions, a head for heights.
Who to book with: Zion Adventure Company (Zion National Park), Escalante Outfitters (Grand Staircase–Escalante), and Red Desert Adventure (southern Utah).
Good gateway base: Cable Mountain Lodge in Springdale (rooms from $300) is well placed for Zion National Park and Grand Staircase–Escalante, and has a large outdoor pool to relax in after a day of adventuring.
Read more: Forget Route 66: Five under-the-radar road trips that get to the heart of America
4. Expedition-style white-water rafting — Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
What’s involved: Multi-day rafting expeditions along the Colorado River, which flows 277 miles through the epic Grand Canyon National Park.
The river carved out the canyon’s mile-deep canyons, and you’ll be bouncing along on top of its choppy emerald green water for days on end, paddling strenuously through rapids and remote camping in the desert.
Top sights: The Lava Falls, at river mile 179, is the most exhilarating rapids moment. Here, the raft will plummet for around 10 seconds. Once you’re out the other side, you’ll have conquered one of the most challenging rapids in North America. Other highlights include the electric-blue waterfalls at side-canyon Havasu Creek and the marble cliffs at Marble Canyon.
Good to know: You’ll need to be a strong swimmer and heat-tolerant, as well as psychologically resilient, as the days are long and backing out is going home is logistically difficult.
Who to book with: OARS, Arizona Raft Adventures and Western River Expeditions.
Good gateway base: Little America Flagstaff (rooms from $230) is on the southern edge of Flagstaff — the main gateway city for Grand Canyon rafting trips.
Read more: What is the best-value way to see the US national parks?
5. Ultra-endurance cycling — Death Valley, California
What’s involved: Long-distance road cycling through one of the hottest places on the planet, with climbs, daily distances of 60-80 miles, and almost no shade. Hydration planning and support vehicles are essential in an environment where summer temperatures often top 120F.
Top sights: Routes pass Badwater Basin, North America’s lowest point at -282ft, before climbing toward Furnace Creek, where the world’s hottest-ever temperature of 134F (56.7C) was recorded in 1913.
Good to know: This is about as far from casual cycling as it’s possible to get. While most tours run outside peak summer, exhaustion and dehydration are constant risks year-round. You’ll need to drink between six and 10 liters of water over the course of the day.
Who to book with: Escape Adventures (Death Valley endurance rides) or Backroads (advanced desert cycling itineraries).
Good gateway base: The Inn at Death Valley (from $350), an oasis near Furnace Creek that has been a desert escape for Hollywood elites including Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard.
Read more: 12 state parks that are just as beautiful as national parks — and they’re free
6. Rock climbing — Yosemite National Park, California
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What’s involved: Scaling towering granite walls, an activity that’s as thrilling, and scary, as it sounds. The most extreme option involves sleeping in a tent attached to a vertical rock face.
Top sights: Climbing experts can guide amateurs up 200 to 600-foot-high slabs and towers over the course of a day, and up Yosemite’s most famous monoliths: Half Dome and El Capitan. Conquering the former means inching up a 2,000-foot-high climbing face, the latter entails a multi-day ascent up a near-vertical 3,000-foot wall while hauling food and tents. These are nerve-testing undertakings.
Good to know: You’ll need a head for heights and good fitness even for the lower-level climbs. For Half Dome or El Capitan, sugarcoating serves no purpose: this is life-or-death terrain and the ascent — even with ropes and anchors — is physically and mentally taxing. Plus, once the ascent is underway, retreating is complex and sometimes impossible.
Not an advanced climber? The summit of Half Dome can be reached via a route that’s lined with steel handrails between May and October.
Who to book with: Yosemite Mountaineering School for advanced to elite ascents; Lasting Adventures or Echo Adventure Cooperative for less demanding explorations.
Good gateway base: Yosemite Valley Lodge (rooms from $320) is near Yosemite Falls and offers 245 cozy rooms.
Read more: The secret Californian islands that escape most tourists’ radars
