USA Adventure Travel Guide
| Capital | Washington DC |
| Population | 308 million |
| Area | 3 794 101 sq miles |
| Language | English/Spanish+ many more |
| Distance from London | miles |
| Climate | Wide variety hot desert, temperate,mountain, tundra ,mediterranean |
| Currency | Dollar USD |
| Visa | |
| Health/ Vaccinations | |
| Governmment | Federal constitutional republic. |
The USA has awealth of adventurous fun . Hiking,skiing,climbing,mountain biking and rafting in the mountains. Canoeing in the north on thousands of lakes. Sailing,sea kayaking and whalewatching on the Pacific and Atlantic. The USA also has a wealth of wildlife ,Alaska probably is the nearest to a safari experience; grizzly bear,sea otters,bald headed eagles,caribou,porpoises,seals,whales and caribou. Yellowstone is a wildlife hotspot for geysers as well as wildlife. For big trees head to Redwood NP and Yosemite. For eye popping drame take in the Grand Canyon ,Zion and Bryce NP.
Skiing Hut to Hut in the Rockies
Aspen and Vail in Colorado has a network of 30 huts for skitouring
www.paragonguides.com
Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree
East of LA near Palm Springs is Joshua Tree a mecca for climbing. A coarse granite provides excellent grip and there are 5000 routes for every standard.www.joshuarockclimbing.com
Zion and Bryce Canyons
Zion for multicoloured slot canyons and Bryce for an amazing multicoloured landscape . Both stunning with grest hikes.
Mountain biking Arches and Canyonlands
Head for Moab in Utah for amazing mountain biking in ared desert. Solid sandstone gives excellent grip for all levels. The ultimate ride is the Slickrock Trail 13 miles and not for the faint hearted or inexperienced.
Hawaii:Volcanic Pacific Paradise
Big Island Offers a wilder less commercialised side to Hawaii. The Big Hotels are still here but so are the volcanoes,dramatic landscapes and a lot of space. Try stargazing from the summit of Mauna Kea,horseriding on the ranch Hawaiian style,ascending Mauna Loa and hiking the rainforest.
The highlight has to be volcanoes NP where you can hike on the solidiifed lava in the Kilaeua crater and view molten lava flowing into the sea.
In Mauii hiking the Haleakala crater or freewheeling on abike all the way down.
www.explorevolcanoes.com
Top Adventure Activities
Hiking Half Dome
The infamous granite mountain in Yosemite. Climb the 4700ft cliff- for climbers only or doan 18 mile hike up the back. The final pull to the top involves a 450ft cable handrail across bare granite.
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike and Raft Trip
20,000 people make it 500 need rescuing every year. From the North Rim its 14.5 miles and a descent of 5800ft before you reach the Colorado river then 4500 ft up and 8 miles up to the South Rim. Its a long hot day so drink plenty and steady does it. Running the Grand Canyon in a dory,powered raft or paddle raft can take between 8 and 19 days depending on the mode. www.oars.com Dont forget the Skywalk on the North Rim and hover over the canyon on a glass floor.
Hiking the Big Trails
The Pacific Crest Trail 2650 miles through Caifornia,Oregon,Washington.Wild walking in the Sierra Nevada and Te Cascades. The Applalachian Trail, 2175 miles from Georgia to Maines Highest Peak.The John Muir Trail ,211 miles through Yosemite,Kings Canyon,Sequoia,Half Dome and Mt.Whitney.
Sea Kayaking and Canoeing
Kenai fjords Alaska: Paddle near carving glaciers and whales. TheSan Juan Islands lie off the coast of Washington State.734 islands to paddle round,strong tides and lots of marine mammals
Culture and History
The original inhabitants of the USA were asian migrants who came across the Bering straits land bridge between 12 000 and 40 000 years ago. These first people filtered southwards all the way to south america. The first europeans to find America were in fact the vikings who had a short lived settlement in Newfoundland or Vinland. In 1492 Christopher Colombus sailed west from Europe and found the islands of Caribbean (not the mainland) in was nt until 1513 that the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the mainland in Florida.
European settlement followed by the French,British,Dutch and Spanish. Eventually the British colnoies rebelled and the War of independence in the 1775-81 the Fledgeling states won and George Washington became the first president in 1789.
American expansion and immigration caused westwards expansion and the Indian Wars in which the native tribes were pushed out and driven from their lands.
In 1803 the American aquired the French claimed territories in the Louisiana purchase. They then gained Florida,Texas,California and the Pacific NW.
Internal tensions over the slave trade caused 7 southern states to form the Confederate States of America and ultimately the American Civil War 1861-65. The USA was ow a force to be reckoned with and went on to attract vast numbers of Immigrants,mainly from Europe to a new and prosperous life.
The country continued to industrialise and become a world superpower. Americans have fought in WW1,WW2,Korea,Vietnam, Iraq and Ahanistan. It is said if the Americans had not helped in world war 2 we (UK) would have lost.
Recently the USA has been a key player in the War on Terror when the world trade centre in New York were atcked by Al Queda.
American culture has now reached to virtually every corner of the world through music,film and products like coca cola,Macdonalds,Madonna,Elvis and Hollywood.