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The Age of Innocence:
Ages 5 to 16



Ziplines and Halfpipes
Multisporting in British Columbia
Set in a lake-studded, stream-laced valley at the base of twin ski mountains, Whistler tacitly poses a challenge: Try doing something new every day of your vacation. On a Ziptrek Ecotour ($83; www.ziptrek.com), you and the troops can spend a half day making like Spidey on five cable spans (one stretches 1,100 feet [335 meters]) suspended above roaring Fitzsimmons Creek and the deep valley between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains—a nonpareil fantasy adventure. Take the lift to Blackcomb Mountain's Coca-Cola Tube Park ($14; www.whistlerblackcomb.com), a glacial-bowl paradise of pipes and groomed lanes for boarders. Both mountains comprise a wild warren of downhill mountain bike runs, and there's a BMX and skate park near the bottom. The next day it's time for some family kayaking lessons with Captain Holiday's Kayak & Adventure School ($190 for a half day; www.kayakwhistler.com). Consider taking Michael Allen's Bear Tour ($152; www.whistlerblackcomb.com), sightings virtually guaranteed. Then you can go fly-fishing, lift-assisted hiking, flatwater canoeing, or windsurfing. Want a bigger splash? Four rivers dish up white water for Class II-IV rafting. At Whistler, today's ADD generation has definitely met its match. Base camp? Try one of 780 fully appointed condos ($975 a week; www.resortquestwhistler.com).
 

Hooves and Hot Grub 
Horsepacking in Yellowstone
"It's not for Nintendo kids," says Yellowstone Wilderness Outfitters' owner and guide Jett Hitt of his six-day, up-to-80-mile (129-kilometer) Thorofare ride in Yellowstone National Park's southeastern backcountry ($2,400; www.yellowstone.ws). The horsepacking journey begins with 19 miles (31 kilometers) of trail along Yellowstone Lake before veering into the grassy, two-mile-wide (three-kilometer-wide) Thorofare, a gorgeous valley framed by the Absaroka Range and Two Ocean Plateau and bisected by the Yellowstone River. Cross the Continental Divide westward and proceed through the Heart Lake area in the Red Mountains, into Snake River Canyon, and on to
a steam-wreathed thermal stream that runs hot-blue on some days and vivid green on others. "I won't promise you so much as a squirrel," says Hitt in one breath, while in the next he describes a trip on which the packtrain glimpsed four grizzlies, cow and bull moose, a gray owl, and a red fox, and had 14 wolves in camp. Hitt guides every ride, along with a wildlife biologist and, occasionally, a historian. "I hire an educated crew," he says. With its mobile camps, the trip may be a bit intense for children under 11 (Hitt also offers easier, fixed-base options), but a thrilling, wide-open ramble into the deepest heart of the American wilderness beats video games any day.

Guidelines: "On horseback in Yellowstone, everyone's a cowboy. Age and physical condition don't matter. It's all about sharing wide-open spaces."—Jett Hitt, Yellowstone Wilderness Outfitters


Big Game and Bush Planes
Wildlife Safari in Botswana
The Okavango Delta is an African dream come alive, and CC Africa's six-day Wings Over Botswana safari ($2,395, including bush flights; www.ccafricasafaris.com) puts families in the midst of it all, with stays at two fly-in safari camps on the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve. In otherwise arid Botswana the delta is laced with watery channels crossing big open plains punctuated with jackalberry, sausage, and baobab trees. At Nxabega Camp canvas-sided rooms permit all the sounds of the night to filter through. Nxabega means "place of giraffe," and you'll see plenty—as well as lions, leopards,
buffalo, crocodiles, and impalas—during two game drives and a mokoro (canoe) outing. At Sandibe Camp rooms overlook the Santantadibe River, and monkeys and baboons frolic among the thatched huts. Out on game drives you'll see elephants splash through shallow crossings while storks, spoonbills, and pelicans probe for food. At both places children six and older can take part in most drives, and 12-and-overs can get in on walks and water-based excursions. Butlers cater to kids' menu preferences—pizza and burgers in the bush? Yep. April through October are cool months, with lots of water in the delta; November through March are warmer, with a bit more game. Astral shows, stirring sunrises, and awesome sunsets are year-round.

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