CAMPER'S COMPANION EXHIBIT |
RESOURCES AND GUIDES: GETTING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED
Websites and Yellow Pages: Start Your Search Engines
Where are the Forests, Where are the Parks?
Printed and Virtual Trip Guides
Outdoor Services for the Disabled
Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking Resource and Advocacy Organizations
Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Resources
Rather than try to be comprehensive and definitive, we give you here a finder’s guide–sort of a Camper’s Yellow Pages. One call or letter will lead to others until you have the information you need. Then in Chapter 3, we introduce you to that bottomless pit of information, the Internet. There you’ll find literally hundreds–sometimes thousands–of parks, trails, routes, snippets of gear advice, organizations, recipes, and just about everything else you’ve ever imagined concerning the outdoors. Careful, though. You may never leave your monitor!
Look for local help first, then regional or national. Sometimes the fastest way to that end, however, is to start the other way around. Example: You want to find out local canoeing information: clubs, routes, trips and tips. Yet you don’t know any local outlets and the phone book is no help. What to do? Call or write the American Canoe Association and ask for the names, addresses and phone numbers of their local affiliates. Sometimes it will be a club and sometimes an individual (the local "commodore"). Now you’re back to square one, and in a few minutes you ought to have the information you seek.
You may need help on several fronts at the same time. The format in this chapter lets you package information. Example: You want maps, consumer guidelines for buying a mountain bike, park access and reservations info, and some literature to read on hiking and biking. Scan the categories and subcategories. No use writing away for a Forest Service map if what you need is a topo map. No use calling the bike shop in East Missoula if you live in Rattler Bend 2,500 miles away. Identify the park or parks you intend to visit then go to the information here on the national, state or county agency which administers those parks. Check our Booklist if you don’t find the book or magazines you need here. Assemble all the information first, then make your calls or write your letters. Do it early. You’ll be surprised how helpful people are.
The most frequent question we’re asked is, "Where do I find out...?" Instead of leaving you in the dark till you get to the "end matter" of the book, we want to answer the question now, when you need it. Here and in the following chapter you’ll find the addresses, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses and World Wide Web sites (identified here as URLs) of the people or organizations that can help you plan a camping trip and find your way. If you learn to use a phone, fax or e-mail strategically, you can get information fast and reasonably cheap. Of course if you have more time, write and get the same.
Local Clinics, Clubs, and Bulletin Boards
Experienced backcountry types tend to congregate at local outfitters and outdoor clinics or clubs. Local outdoor stores often serve as the hot-stove leagues for their immediate areas. They’ll have bulletin boards (the old fashioned, pre-Internet kind) announcing all sorts of information–second-hand equipment for sale, offers to join a trip or expedition, learning clinics, rides to share to Mount This or River That. Store staffers are more often than not outdoor fanatics themselves and will give you enthusiastic and usually sound advice. And there will always be a couple of grizzled experts just hanging out swapping lies and tips on their own particular thing. They’re human resources. Use ’em.
If you live near a college, community college or university, look up the name of the appropriate club–mountaineering, river/water sports, hiking, environmental concerns–and give them a call. You may not be able to join such a group or get paid service–many are limited to staff and students–but almost certainly you’ll get friendly advice as to where to turn for the information you need. Some of these services are run by professionals, some are co-ops, and some are student-operated. Most will let you run at the mouth with questions and let you look at their bulletin boards and brochures. It’s a small community, after all, and they like interested people, whatever their connections.
If none of the above exist in your immediate neighborhood, get in touch with the local environmental organization. They usually have reliable and helpful advice on outdoor recreation: trips and activities for members (and non-members), local clubs or private groups, names of individuals or organizations you can call, pamphlets on the National Parks and trail systems, and the like.
Chat Rooms and Newsgroups
The dot.commers didn't always run the Internet. It began with lots of breathing space for info-junkies sharing all sorts of information unmediated by the Net police, editors, managers, efficiency freaks, sales figures and bottom lines. The last of the free "booters" are the newsgroups. You wanna ask questions? Ask. You want answers? Wait around. Somebody's out there whose going to give them to you. More likely 130 somebodies are going to give them to you. So, if you want to skip this entire chapter and get your information via newsgroups or chatrooms, that's an option. A long, winding trail of an option, but,hey, it's your life, not ours.
To log on to a newsgroup, you first subscribe to its new user group (news.announce.newusers), where you'll find all kinds of useful guidelines. Enter through Usenet (metalab.unc.edu/usenet-i) that wondrous world of freelancers , yentas, and electronic buccaneers. It is to the Net what all those message boards are to the commercial services. It's Newsgroup Central, and it's a helluva place to chat up like-minded folks. Almost everybody's outdoor home page, commercial or amateur, is indebted to information gleaned from Usenet groups. It's hard to leave home without them! You can get to the Usenet groups directly from your online service or from a web browser like Netscape or a directory like Yahoo. And you can subscribe to an unlimited number of newsgroups for free. But be prepared to be overwhelmed. Volume is the Life Force of this sprawling system. And there is no moderator or manager to tidy things up. We're dealing with popular democracy here, although some would call it anarchy. There's no limit to the amount of correspondence on even the most recondite subjects, and woe is you if you don't keep up. Hal ignored the "rec.backcountry" newsgroup for a couple of weeks and got this message when he touched base: "Unread news in rec.backcountry...1294 articles." (Yes, there are ways to delete the old and unwanted stuff, ways to browse only the subtopics of interest to you, say tent smells as opposed to the pros and cons of cotton clothing on the trail.)
Where are the Forests, Where are the Parks?
Recreation follows politics, and thus parks, forests and wilderness areas are administered under different and sometimes competing jurisdictions. You don’t need to be a Washington lobbyist to find out what you want to know, however; you just need an up-to-date phone book. Once you get someone on the line, you’ll get friendly, informative service. We’ve dealt with federal and state agencies, departments, offices, field headquarters and ranger stations, and over the years they have been almost uniformly helpful. The fat cats are in Washington or the state capital; the outdoor experts are in the local and regional offices.
National Parks are administered by the National Park Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior. For travel info, brochures on all the national parks, and advice, contact:
U.S. National Park Service
Public Enquiries Office
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-4747
By accessing the Park Services homepage (www.nps.gov) you can "visit" each of the national parks by name, by state, or, best of all, by detailed maps of each park within one of the following regions:
Click on the park you want and you'll be taken to its homepage. From there you'll get all the information you need for a visit.
National Forests are administered by the National Forest Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wilderness areas are specially designated areas within National Forests. For information about trails, maps, permits, location, availability, rules and regulations in your state or local region, check the U.S. government pages in the phone book. First find "Department of Agriculture." Under that heading locate "National Forest Service." And under that heading locate the office of "Recreation." Then go to work with your questions. Otherwise write or call:
U.S. Forest Service
201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 205-1760
www.fs.fed.us
State and county parks are administered by their respective Parks and Recreation Departments. If you’re not sure who oversees which park, call the state offices. They will tell you the park’s status and refer you to the proper office and phone number. Or browse the web. Type "State Parks" in your search engine and presto!, you'll get links to all the state parks in the country listed by state. Likewise, a search for "county parks" will get you lists for some (but not all) of the states. So be more specific. Type your state's name plus "county parks," as in, say, "Arizona county parks," and you'll get some useful leads.
Printed and Virtual Trip Guides
The National Parks and Forests are huge recreational areas, big management complexes. They don’t look like Wall Street, but they’re run by agencies that want the paying public to spend time and money in them. Hence they produce publicity and detailed information. Want descriptions of their facilities and camping possibilities? Write for their printed matter. Get the Sierra Club’s booklet on the National Parks. Check your local library for literature. State parks also have printed brochures. Regional and state guidebooks are often complete, entertaining, and filled with the kinds of information you need: route information, number of campsites, recreational facilities (swimming, boating, fishing, trail hiking), amenities (showers, laundry facilities, cabins, shops), and maps. Don’t buy a guidebook that doesn’t have this kind of information. (See the Booklist for a partial guidebook list.)
Trail guides are indispensable for trip planning. Most of the major forest, park and wilderness areas are now covered by convenient individual hiking guides. For example, Wilderness Press (2440 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, California 94704, 510/843-8080; www.wildernesspress.com; mail@wildernesspress.com) produces detailed trail descriptions, itineraries, suggested number of days needed for round-trip hiking at various levels of expertise, altitude changes, flora and fauna to be seen, camping and fishing possibilities for almost all wilderness areas in the western United States. Similar guides exist to other wilderness areas.
Comprehensive camping, boating, and hiking guides, detailing locations, facilities, numbers of campsites, fees, docking facilities, trail ratings and descriptions, and a zillion other useful facts, are treasures. Check out the National Geographic's "Guide to American Outdoors series (see booklist) or those written by the prize-winning outdoor writer, Tom Stienstra, or by the stable of camping and hiking mavens at Avalon Travel Publishing's Foghorn Outdoors (see booklist.)
Mountaineering guides, which grade peaks by their climbing difficulty, make the high country accessible and safe. See our Book List for a selection of such Tote Books put out by the Sierra Club. Ask your local camping store to show you what they have or tell you what they know about.
Maps
There are four types of maps you may need to plan a camping trip: road maps, Forest or Park Service maps, topographical maps, and, if you’re canoeing in coastal or large lake waters, nautical charts.
Road Maps
Reliable road maps are updated every two years or so and will distinguish, by color, various road types: interstate highways, state highways, county roads, paved and unpaved local roads. Wherever you get your map, from the supermarket, the local auto club or map store, check the date of publication. A state road map may serve you best for long-distance driving; a sectional map (part of a state) may be drawn on a larger and hence more readable scale. If you are traveling through several states, try to collect similarly printed and scaled maps for the entire trip. Check the Yellow Pages for map sources. Call the state automobile association. Or ask Aunt Phionia, whose cross-country trip was planned by the swank travel agency you can’t afford, if you can borrow the maps they gave her.
Forest and Park Service Maps
The National Park Service, National Forest Service and some state park services put out maps of specific parks and forest lands, updated every ten years or so to show changes in access roads, jeep trails, campgrounds, parking areas and new hiking trails. If you’re serious about getting access to the wilderness, you’ll need such a map. Otherwise, you won’t know how to navigate to the trailhead, which may be miles up a warren of logging roads and washboard tracks. These maps can be obtained from the appropriate agency office. Often this can be done with a phone call, and the maps will be sent to you free of charge, though sometimes you have to send a check or money order. You’ll find that the more camping you do, the less you’ll need to send away for maps. Not because you use them less, but because you’ll keep returning to the same parks and forests year after year.
It is one thing to get to the trailhead, another to walk the trail or climb the mountain. Hiking requires topographical ("topo") maps, which bring you face to face with the lay of the land.
Topographical Maps
Mountains and valleys normally don’t change as fast as roads and other human structures. True, Mount Saint Helens can rearrange things dramatically. So can the San Andreas Fault. But by and large, the topo map drawn thirty years ago will still represent physiographic reality pretty accurately. Unfortunately, it won’t show the latest trails and may show trails long since abandoned. That’s why you should work with a combination of topo and Park/Forest Service maps. They’ll allow you to chart a trip with reasonable accuracy.
Computer-generated mapping techniques promise to revolutionize the field, and already some topo maps are appearing color-coded for altitude and characteristic terrain features. Some are being produced on lightweight, foldable plastic, perfect for wilderness camping and hiking.
Topo maps are obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey, which is a sub-unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Victimized by big budget cuts in recent years, the U.S.G.S. has closed offices and cut staff. Still, it’s worth a check in the phone book to see if there is a Geological Survey office in your area. If so, go down and get the maps you need from them. If not, try the local map vendors or camping stores. More and more of them sell the U.S.G.S. maps. The maps for any area in the United States are also available by mail, though you’ll first need to send for a free "key" or index map if you don’t know the name of the particular quadrant (of the entire area of a state) you want. The key divides the whole land area of the state into small squares. Each of these squares is numbered and titled, representing one topo map. After you pinpoint the area(s) you want, order the relevant maps by number and name. If there’s not a U.S.G.S. office, map source or camping store in your area, write, e-mail, log on, or call:
U.S.G.S. - Map Distribution
Box 25286
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
(303) 202-4700
(800) USA-MAPS (From the menu tree you can get map and pricing information and place map orders.)
www.usgs.gov
Nautical Charts
Most river canoeing can be done with Forest/Park Service maps and topo maps. Coastal canoeing, island hopping, and large lake travel may require nautical charts. These you obtain locally through map stores or independent dealers who specialize in nautical travel (salt-water fishing specialists, boat dealers, tour operators). Or write to:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service SSMC4, 13th Floor 1305 East West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910
Communications Branch (general information)
(301) 713-3070
email: nos.info@hermes.nos.noaa.gov
www.nos.noaa.gov
Permits
Permits are gatekeeping and safety devices, similar to campground reservations for car campers. They allow local forest or park rangers to keep track of the number of people entering each part of their jurisdictions each day, and to control the use of campfires in hazardous conditions. One permit that grants access and states fire conditions usually serves the two purposes. The idea is to maintain a balance between nature and human visitors to the maximum benefit of each. And while evidence shows that fewer people are backpacking in the wilderness, more people than ever are car camping, and hiking the most popular and accessible trails. It’s not unusual for 200 people a day to pass some scenic spots on the John Muir Trail in Sequoia National Park, for example. Trails are fragile; numbers need to be controlled. Fire rangers also need to know where you are in case of a major emergency, such as a forest fire.
It’s best to apply for a permit after you’ve had a chance to look at the maps and decide exactly where you want to go. Call or write the appropriate ranger station, which issues the permit. Addresses and phone numbers are available from the National Park or Forest Service office nearest you. Get the permit early. Along with it, you’ll get any information that the rangers feel is important to pass on to hikers. This includes warnings about bears in the area, cautions involving drinking water and possible disease transmission, notices of areas closed to camping and rules regarding firewood, fires and fishing. These are all important to know about before you arrive on the scene with your backpack bulging, only to discover, for example, that you’ve mistakenly forsaken the campstove, expecting to cook with firewood. It’s possible to get permits at the last minute, but rules differ depending on the area. Sometimes, you can arrive at a ranger station, get a permit immediately, drive on to the trailhead and begin hiking. Sometimes you can telephone ahead and have the permit waiting for you in the "night pick-up" box outside the ranger station door for late-night arrivals. Other times, you’ll find that the trail is full for the day; permits will be issued for the following day only. It pays to have alternate routes and destinations in mind for just such eventualities.
One year, we drove to a National Forest area in the evening, planning to get a permit the following morning. A sign in front of the ranger station said that half the permits were issued in advance by mail (only until the end of April). The rest were issued that day, with the last few to be distributed the next morning at 6 a.m. We got to the door of the ranger station at 5:45, only to find ourselves behind nearly 40 other early risers. Our first choice was booked solid, and we had to settle for a second-choice route. Plan your trip well in advance. Make campground reservations early. Start ordering maps during rainy winter afternoons; send off for July and August permits in March. Especially if you’re planning a week-long trip, the more time you give yourself to plan, the smoother it will go. It’s possible to camp "spontaneously," but trips invariably work out better if they are thought out and arranged months in advance.
If you want animal transport into the mountains, call or write the pack stations closest to your destination. The National Forest Service requires all pack trains which enter National Forests to be licensed by them, so you can get a list of accredited pack stations from the appropriate regional National Forest office or its field station. The National Park Service runs its parks through concessionaires which either directly provide pack service or lease it out to local pack stations. Check with the National Park of your choice for information.
The Net, used selectively, can help you plan and execute outdoor trips, inform you on the latest gear, provide weather predictions, book titles, recipes, and a zillion other things. Here are a couple of all-purpose sites with just the links to get you anywhere and everywhere else.
www.gorp.com Stands for Great Outdoors Recreation Pages. A massive site for just about everything you can think of. Browse it to see just how it can help you.
www.adventurenetwork.com Created by the outdoor writer, Michael Hodgson, this is another of those encyclopedic sites with all kinds of adivce, expertise, and useful links. Soup to nuts and more.
If there isn’t a good camping, biking or boating store in your area, use the mail. The number of excellent illustrated catalogs of camping, biking and canoeing equipment is growing, and the information in them is reliable, often accompanied by expert technical advice, and the prices are usually fair and competitive. A growing number of companies are going on-line, complete with illustrated catalogs and order forms. Buy a canoe on the Net? It’s been done!
General Suppliers
REI Catalog
1700 45th Street East
Sumner, WA 98352
(800) 426-4840
www.rei.com
REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc., one of the country’s oldest outdoor suppliers. Meets all the outdoor needs covered in this book. Expert advice. Buying made easy through the mail. REI is a co-op, and holds regular clinics, talks and demonstrations for the public.
Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)
1 Vose Farm Road
Peterborough, NH 03458
(603) 924-9571; FAX (603) 924-9138
www.emsonline.com
The equivalent of REI in the eastern part of the U.S. Equally expert and reliable. They do not have a mail-order service, but they do have 43 stores. Call or write them for the one nearest to you.
L.L. Bean, Inc.
Freeport, ME 04032
(800) 221-4221
www.llbean.com
Old favorite, though it has gone awfully upscale in recent years. Even sells its own brand of bicycle and cycling accessories, as well as its old line of standard camping equipment. Threatens to become the Abercrombie and Fitch of the late 20th century. Still, they know their stuff and it’s good.
Campmor
Box 700
Saddle River, NJ 07458
(800) 525-4784; Orders: (800) CAMPMOR
FAX (800) 230-2153
www.campmor.com
email: catalog-request@campmor.com
Lots of choices; good prices.
MakeYourOwnOutdoorGear
home.earthlink.net/~lscholte/index.html
A comprehensive, self-explanatory website including information on where to get fabrics, hardware, and patterns, plus technical tips for the do-it-yourselfers.
McHale & Co.
6341 Seaview Ave., NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 783-3996
www.mchalepacks.com
Expensive and high quality packs.
Norm Thompson
P.O. Box 3999
Portland, OR 97208
(877) 718-7899, fax (800) 821-1282
www.normthompson.com
Stylish outdoor merchandise, but not cheap.
Stephensons
22 Hook Road
Gilford, NH 03246
(603) 293-8526
www.warmlite.com
Expensive, high quality tents, sleeping bags, packs; specialists in
"vapor barrier" systems.
GearWorld.com
www.gearworld.com
Exhaustive site which helps you search for every size, shape, usage, price, and manufacturer of just about everything you need for the outdoors, including backpacks, boots, liner bags, sleeping bags, tents, water filters and all sorts of climbing gear.
Bibler Tents
c/o Black Diamond
2084 East, 3900 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84124
(801) 278-5533
www.biblertents.com
email: tents@bdel.com
High quality, hand-crafted tents. Website includes instructions on how to shop and care for your tent and a ton of information on what makes theirs so special.
Canoes and Marine
Mad River Canoe
Mad River Canoe Annual Catalog
P.O. Box 4339
Archdale, NC 27263
(800) 390-0819, fax (336) 434-6912
www.madrivercanoe.com
email: info@madrivercanoe.com
A comprehensive, superbly illustrated catalog with enough technical information and non-technical advice to appease the appetites of beginners, experts and everybody in between. Mad River Canoe people also travel, giving demonstrations at outdoor stores all over the country. The catalog contains a calendar of appearances. The same people also issue a brochure on inn-to-inn canoeing vacations. Catalog also available online.
Voyageur’s Definitive Action Gear
P.O. Box 207
Waitsfield, VT 05673
(800) 390-0819
The Mad River folks under a different label. They hold a lock on waterproof storage bags and flotation systems for canoes and other water craft. You want dry sacks, sea sacks, fanny thwarts, portage harnessses, tandem end-bag flotation systems, or lash kits? These are the folks to write. Their catalog is, well, definitive. And easy to read.
Old Town Canoe
58 Middle Street
Old Town, ME 04468
(800) 343-1555; (207) 827-5514
www.otccanoe.com/
email: feedback@oldtowncanoe.com
One of the great old names in canoeing. Fine catalog, online or hard copy.
Easy Rider Canoe and Kayak Company
15666 West Valley Highway
Seattle, WA 98188
(425) 228-3633; FAX (425) 277-8778
www.easyriderkayaks.com
Has made Royalex, Fiberglass, and Kevlar canoes since 1970.
We-no-nah
P.O. Box 247
Winona, MN 55987
(507) 454-5430; FAX (507) 454-5448
www.wenonah.com
email: info@wenonah.com
Making canoes since 1966. Catalog lists local dealers.
West Marine
Box 50070
Watsonville, CA 95077-5050
(800) 538-0775; FAX (408) 761-4421
www.westmarine.com
General marine mail order, from inflatable kayaks to GPS devices to life jackets.
Bicycles
Rhode Gear
A Division of Bell Sports
6350 San Ignacio Avenue
San Jose, CA 95119
(800) 776-5677; (408) 574-3400
fax (800) 888-9009; (408) 224-2024
www.bellsports.com
High-quality cycling equipment including parts, clothing, and specialized gear.
Supergo Mailorder
626 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(800) 326-2453; (310) 576-0222; fax (310) 576-0223
www.supergo.com
Catalog of bicycles, frames, parts, components, clothes, exercisers and more.
Performance, Inc.
One Performance Way
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 933-9113
catalog: (800) 727-4177
www.performancebike.com
Prices for quality equipment–bicycles, accessories and clothing–are considerably cheaper than those offered by some of the glitzier places.
The Third Hand
12225 Highway 66
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 488-4800; FAX (541) 482-0080
www.thethirdhand.com
Every bicycle tool known to man, plus a wide assortment of spare parts not generally available elsewhere, such as derailleur bolts and nuts, seatpost binder quick-release and much more. If you do your own repairs and maintenance, you need this catalog.
Colorado Cyclist
3970 East Bijou Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80909-9946
(800) 688-8600; (719) 591-4040, fax (719) 591-4041
www.coloradocyclist.com
Excel Sports
2045 32nd Street
Boulder, CO 80301
(800) 627-6664; (303) 444-6737, fax (303) 444-7043
www.excelsports.com
email: customerservice@excelsports.com
Outdoor Services for the Disabled
The number of resources for disabled campers is growing exponentially, and we list here only those most readily available, or those which are resource guides themselves.
Recreation.Gov
www.recreation.gov/access.cfm
This is the Web page for Accessible Recreation on Federal Lands with links to information and accessibility programs in the following government agencies: Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Park Service.
National Center on Accessibility
5020 State Road 67 North
Martinsville, IN 46151
(765) 349-9240(voice/tty), fax (765) 342-6658
www.indiana.edu/~nca
email: nca@indiana.edu
Loads of information, including access to parks and recreation, all kinds of resources, and, on their website, links to other outdoor resources. They work in cooperation with the National Park Service.
Golden Access Passport
www.nps.gov/pub_aff/fee.html
The National Park Service's free lifetime pass for "persons who are blind or permanently disabled." The pass admits the passholder and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle. It also gives you a 50% discount on all federal use fees for such things as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, cave tours. You get the pass at any Park entrance fee area.
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages: Outdoor Resources for People with Disabilities
www.gorp.com/gorp/eclectic/disabled.htm
Indispensable guide to 19 or more great accessible sites, with descriptions, directions.
Wilderness Inquiry
808 14th Avenue, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414-1516
(800) 728-0719 or (612) 379-3858(Voice or TDD)
www.wildernessinquiry.org
email: info@wildernessinquiry.org
Both an advocacy group and a resource for outdoor opportunities. Check their website for trips, guidebooks, destinations.
Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center
P.O. Box 697
Breckenridge, CO 80424
(970) 453-6422
www.boec.org
Offers year-round outdoor adventures to people with special needs. Includes skiing, rock climbing, backpacking and canoeing.
Environmental Traveling Companions
Fort Mason Center
Building C
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 474-7662
www.etctrips.org
Whole Access
517A Lincoln Avenue
Redwood City, CA 94061
(650) 363-2647
www.wholeaccess.org
An accessibility information organization working to make parks and trails accessible.
Wilderness On Wheels Foundation
3131 South Vaughn Way, Suite 305
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 751-3959
www.coloradopros.com/wow
email: wow@coloradopros.com
Dedicated to making the wilderness accessible by, among other things, constructing a model wilderness-access facility in the Rockies which others can then learn from and draw on.
Disabled Sports USA
www.dsusa.org
A comprehensive web page with links to disabled sports and recreation facilities and sources.
C.W. HOG
(Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group)
Idaho State University
P.O. Box 8128
Pocatello, ID 83209
(208) 236-3912
www.isu.edu/cwhog/general.html
A regional self-help group which seeks to provide challenging outdoor adventure activities in a supportive environment. Excellent links to otehr Web pages.
Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program
830 Bancroft
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 849-4663
www.borp.org
National Sports Center for the Disabled
P.O. Box 1290
Winter Park, CO 80482
(970) 726-1540; (303) 316-1540
www.nscd.org/
A full menu of outdoor activities, winter and summer sports of all kinds, including biking, hiking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing.
Printed and Other Electronic Information for the Disabled
New Mobility
www.newmobility.com
email: ginal@jvleonard.com
A magazine with lots of suggestions and information on outdoor activities. For a fuller, though now somewhat dated, listing see the book Spinal Network, by the same publisher, Miramar Communications, 23815 Stuart Ranch Road, P.O. Box 8987, Malibu, CA 90265-8987; (800) 543-4116.
Spinal Network, The Total Wheelchair Resources Book, ed. Barry Corbet, et al., Miramar Communications, 1998.
The "Total" in the title says it all.
California Parks Access: A Complete Guide to the State and National Parks for Visitors with Limited Mobility, by Linda Mitchell and Allen Mitchell. Cougar Pass Press: Escondido, CA, 1992.
Contains excellent information about the access features of the many state and national parks in California. Worth using as a model for other states. Out of print but can be found in libraries.
DO-IT and the Internet: Disability-Related Resources
www.washington.edu/doit
email: doit@u.washington.edu
DO-IT stands for Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology. An online resource which aims to increase participation in academics and careers by people with disabilities. Includes information for disabled campers and access to electronic resources.
Easy Access to National Parks, by Wendy Roth and Michael Tompane
Sierra Club National Headquarters
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 977-5500
www.sierraclub.org
A comprehensive guide to all 50 National Parks for people with mobility impairments. It includes information on trails, campgrounds and natural history, but alas is hard to find and no longer in print. The Sierra Club also has a companion video: Easy Access Video (30 minutes) but it's as scarce as the printed guide. Don't try their bookstore; no one is ever in.
Palaestra
Challenge Publications, Ltd.
P.O. Box 508
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 833-1902
www.palaestra.com
email: challpub@macomb.com
A research-oriented magazine covering sports and recreation for people with a wide range of disabilities.
Sports & Spokes
P.V.A. Publications
2111 East Highland #180
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(800) 888-2201; (602) 224-0500
www.pva.org/sns
A magazine largely devoted to cycling sports.
Adaptive Equipment
If you’re looking for adaptive outdoor equipment or information on how to get it made, try:
Access to Recreation: Adaptive Equipment for the Physically Challenged
8 Sandra Court
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(800) 634-4351, fax (805) 498-8186
www.accesstr.com
This is a free mail-order catalog. Illustrated.
ABLEDATA
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 935
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(800) 227-0216; (301) 608-8998; fax (301) 608-8958;
TTD (301) 608-8912
www.abledata.com
This is a computer database which indexes products useful for people with disabilities. An electronic Yellow Pages for adaptive equipment.
Touring Information and Organizations
Adventure Cycling Association
150 East Pine Street
P.O. Box 8308
Missoula, MT 59807
(406) 721-1776 or (800) 755-2453, fax (406) 721-8754
www.ADV-cycling.org
Excellent maps, clothing, camping gear, buyers guides and a great tour organizer.
Canadian Cycling Association
1600 James Naismith Drive, Suite 212A
Glouchester, Ontario K1B 5N4
Canada
(613) 748-5629, fax (613) 748-5692
www.canadian-cycling.com
Cyclists’ Touring Club
Cotterell House
69 Meadrow
Godalming, Surrey GU7 3HS
U.K.
+44 (0) 1483-417217; fax +44 (0) 1483-426994
www.ctc.org.uk/ctc.htm
e-mail: cycling@ctc.org.uk
Touring info on the British Isles and Europe, including a handbook with cyclist-friendly lodging information.
International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)
P.O. Box 7578
Boulder, CO 80306
(888) 442-IMBA or (303) 545-9011, fax (303) 545-9026
www.imba.com
Fosters mountain biking as an environmentally sound and sustainable activity. See their "Rules of the Trail" in Chapter 1, page 20.
League of American Bicyclists
1612 K Street, NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20006-2082
(202) 822-1333, fax (202) 822-1334
www.bikeleague.org
email: bikeleague@bikeleague.org
The oldest bicycle organization in the U.S.
U.S. Cycling Federation (and National Off-Road Bicycling Association: NORBA)
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
(719) 578-4717, fax (719) 578-4628
www.usacycling.org
email: uscs@usacycling.org or norba@uscycling.org
A major sponsor of competitions, races and other events.
If you really must have a longer list, proceed directly to the Web. There, under the website cycling.org/ws/groups.html you'll get a list of all the cycling organizations in the world! And at their homepage (cycling.org) just about everything else you could possibly want about cycling and bicycles.
Bicycling Publications
There are so many cycling publications now that any listing will necessarily be incomplete. In the Book List we note some of the more useful books. Here we list the major magazines, many of which are the house organs of the groups listed above. Thus the name in parentheses here means "Publication of (this group)." Note too that many of these magazines also come in electronic format on the Internet.
Adventure Cyclist Magazine
(Adventure Cycling)
P.O. Box 8308
Missoula, MT 59807
(406) 721-1776, fax (406) 721-8754
www.ADV-cycling.org
Bicycle USA
(League of American Bicyclists)
1612 K Street, NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20006-2082
(202) 822-1333, fax (202) 822-1334
www.bikeleague.org
Bicycling
(Rodale Press)
33 East Minor Street
Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
(610) 967-5171, fax (610) 967-8963
Subscription and back issues: (800) 666-2806
email: questions@bicycling.com
This is the oldest U.S. bicycling magazine.
USA Cycling
(U.S. Cycling Federation)
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
(719) 578-4581; FAX (719) 578-4628
www.usacycling.org
Mountain Biking
Challenge Publications
8381 Canoga Ave.
Canoga Park, CA 91304
(818) 700-6868, fax (818) 700-6282
www.challengeweb.com
Recumbent Cyclist News
P.O. Box 2048
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(253) 630-7200
www.recumbentcyclistnews.com
email: info@recumbentcyclistnews.com
For e-zines, check this website: cycling.org/ws/readings.html
Hostels
Still called "youth" hostels, these organizations house cyclists and other travelers of practically any age. The two listings here will point you to hostel resources in the areas you expect to be cycling through.
Hosteling International - American Youth Hostels
National Office
733 15th Street, NW, Suite 840
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 783-6161, fax (202) 783-6171
www.hiayh.org
email: hiayhserv@hiayh.org
Hosteling International - Canada
400-205 Catherine Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1C3
Canada
(800) 663-5777 (for Canada only); (613) 237-7884
fax (613) 237-7868
www.hostellingintl.ca
email: info@hostellingintl.ca
For a comprehensive listing of hostels worldwide, see this website:
www.hostels.com/hostels/
Organizations and Informal Groups
American Canoe Association
7432 Alban Station Boulevard, Suite B-232
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 451-0141, fax (703) 451-2245
www.acanet.org
email: aca@acanet.org
This is the godfather of canoeing organizations in the U.S.; it's over 100 years old. It's the place to call or write for information on clubs and groups in your area. Its club membership list is huge, so there will be something for you unless you live in the desert. It has a book service with over 250 publications on canoeing, river guidebooks and maps, and instructional manuals. Also videotapes and films on canoeing. And, of course, it publishes its own magazine, Paddler Magazine, and formerly The American Canoeist.
American Red Cross
Contact your local chapter for training programs. See also the comprehensive illustrated book Canoeing (Doubleday, 1977), which the Red Cross put out as the complete manual of canoeing. It’s invaluable.
American Whitewater Affiliation
1430 Fenwick Lane
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 589-9543, fax (914) 586-3050
www.awa.org
email: info@awa.org
Its goal is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources.
Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association
P.O. Box 398
446 Main Street West
Merrickville, Ontario K0G 1N0
Canada
(613) 269-2910, fax (613) 269-2908
www.crca.ca
Friends of the River
915 20th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 442-3155, fax (916) 442-3396
www.friendsoftheriver.org
National Organization for Rivers
212 West Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
(719) 579-8759, fax (719) 576-6238
www.nors.org
email: nors@rmi.net
A rich store of information on canoeing, kayaking, rafting, fly-fishing, river conservation, river access, trips, wilderness rivers and more.
United States Canoe Association
c/o Jim Mack
606 Ross Street
Middletown, OH 45044-5062
(513) 422-3739, fax is the same number
http://usca-canoe-kayak.org
For racing buffs.
Canoeing Magazines
There are not as many publications as the bikers have, but still more than you might expect. We list only two more here (see American Canoe Association and American Red Cross), and expect that will keep you afloat during the long dark winter nights.
Paddler Magazine
(American Canoe Association)
7432 Alban Station Boulevard, Suite 226
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 455-3419 or (703) 451-2245
www.aca-paddler.org\paddler
email: paddlermag@aol.com
See also the online version: Paddler Online
Canoe and Kayaking Magazine
10526 NE 68th Street, Suite 3
Kirkland, WA 98033-3146
(800) 692-2663 or (425) 827-6363, fax (425) 827-1893
www.canoekayak.com
Videos and other canoeing publications can be found on the Web. The following website will get you there: website: www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/paddle.htm
Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking Resource and Advocacy Organizations
The following organizations focus on efforts to maintain and enhance the outdoor environment through national and local political efforts, trail development and maintenance programs, national park maintenance, hands-on environmental work, and information resources. These are the real "good hands" people.
Alpine Club of Canada
Indian Flats Road
Box 8040
Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T8
Canada
(403) 678-3200, fax (403) 678-3224
www.culturenet.ca/acc/
email: alpclub@telusplanet.net
American Alpine Club
710 10th Street, Suite 100
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 384-0110, fax (303) 384-0111
www.americanalpineclub.org
email: getinfo@americanalpineclub.org
American Hiking Society
1422 Fenwick Lane
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 565-6704, fax (301) 565-6714
www.americanhiking.org
An advocacy group which seeks to protect, maintain and develop trails on federal land, organizes volunteer opportunities for trail development, campground posts and archaeology work on public lands. Has listings of trail clubs and organizations in almost any area. Want to learn how to build a horse trail, stop erosion or clear a trail? They'll tell you who to see.
Appalachian Mountain Club
5 Joy Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 523-0636, fax (617) 523-0722
www.outdoors.org
This is a big New England organization that helps to maintain the northeast portion of the Appalachian Trail.
Appalachian Trail Conference
799 Washington Street
P.O. Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
(304) 535-6331, fax (304) 535-2667
www.atconf.org
email: info@atconf.org
The umbrella organization that oversees maintenance of the Trail. Its members are the various Appalachian Trail clubs.
The Green Mountain Club, Inc.
4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road
Waterbury Center, VT 05677
(802) 244-7037, fax (802) 244-5867
www.greenmountainclub.org
email: gmc@greenmountainclub.org
Like the Appalachian Trail Conference, this group helps maintain the Appalachian Trail, as well as the Long Trail, which runs between Canada and Vermont.
Mazamas
909 N.W. 19th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 227-2345, fax (503) 227-0862
www.mazamas.org/
email: mazamalodg@orogontrail.net
Activities oriented. Mountaineering.
The Mountaineers
300 Third Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
(800) 284-8554 or (206) 284-6310, fax (206) 284-4977
www.mountaineers.org
Family Campers and RV-ers
4804 Transit Road, Bldg. 2
Depew, NY 14043
(800) 245-9755 or (716) 668-6242, fax is the same number
www.fcrv.org
Activities oriented.
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
232 Madison Avenue, Room 802
New York, NY 10016
(212) 685-9699, fax (212) 779-8102
www.nynjtc.org/
email: nynjtc@aol.com
Maintains and develops trails. About 5,000 members.
Illinois Prairie Path
P.O. Box 1086
Wheaton, IL 60189-1086
(630) 752-0120
www.ipp.org
Has developed and maintains a 50-mile trail through the prairies.
Sierra Club National Headquarters
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 977-5500, fax (415) 977-5299
www.sierraclub.org
The great environmental organization also provides outdoor recreational activities for its members, including national and international outings. Local chapters—57 main chapters and 382 clubs in the U.S. and Canada—put on local activities, often open to non-members, too. Also publishes books and pamphlets on all aspects of the outdoors, including information on the National Parks and the National Trail System, and a bimonthly magazine, Sierra. If you don't know where the nearest chapter is, call or write the national headquarters.
Adventuring/IGLOO
www.actwin.com/chiltern/igloo.html
A very useful Internet resource for gay, lesbian and bisexual outdoor folk. IGLOO stands for The International Gay and Lesbian Outdoor Organization. Includes address lists, trip leaders guide, related information, and other IGLOO groups in 11 countries, and a click-on U.S. map for club locations by state.
Leadership and survival training is another way to "do" the outdoors. It’s not quite the laid-back experience you’ll get from our kind of camping, but it’s compelling, challenging and an altogether legitimate alternative to the "one-step-at-a-time" camping which most of us do. People who have gone through these programs feel themselves special.
National Outdoor Leadership School
288 Main Street
Lander, WY 82520-3140
(307) 332-5300, fax (307) 332-1220
www.nols.edu
email: admissions@nols.edu
Outward Bound
100 Mystery Point Road
Garrison, NY 10524-9757
(800) 243-8520 or (914) 424-4000, fax (914) 424-4280
www.outwardbound.org