Hayden, ID Outdoor Activities

Flow Adventures’ intrepid explorers introduce adventurers of all ages and skill levels to the thrill of navigating Washington's backcountry. Tours take place on the Spokane River, with idle inner tubing on the TJ Meenach stretch and whitewater rafting on the lower Riverside State Park section. Before groups set out, staff conducts briefings to ensure safe expeditions. Though they stress safety, they still take a lighthearted approach to trips.

Sprawling across 100 acres in the verdant, picturesque Spokane Falls, Riverfront Park beckons with awe-inspiring visual and auditory wonders. The newly constructed SkyRide invites visitors to survey the land from above, swooping across the Spokane River and past city hall, where they can wave to their favorite comptroller. Back on the ground, the historic Looff Carousel, built in 1909, whirls riders around on 54 horses, two Chinese-dragon chairs, one giraffe, and one tiger, and a tour train chugs through the park on a 30-minute narrated jaunt. Among other attractions, such as the Sculpture Walk and pony rides, Riverfront Park houses an enormous IMAX theater with one of the largest indoor screens in the Pacific Northwest. Standing 53 feet high and stretching 69 feet wide, the screen is slightly taller than the average human and displays crystal-clear two-dimensional images, which are complemented by the sounds of a booming, wraparound surround-sound system.

As an Outward Bound instructor, Will Parks has taught mountaineering and rock climbing to tough, brawny sorts. But he’s found that it’s not physical agility, but mindset, that empowers people to triumph over difficult situations. Will Parks strives to impart that lesson via Adventure Dynamics’s courses. Though it’s exhilarating to race down the 400-foot zipline overlooking the Spokane River and skitter across a five-story balance beam, the challenges are all, ultimately, a means to an end.

Will Parks has welcomed a variety of groups and has watched as people learn to communicate in high-stress situations, be it while in the middle of the ropes course or while grappling with the reality of Morgan Freeman’s mortality. “One day of work here is equal to one month in the office,” says Will Parks, pointing to the intensity of interactions that take place and the bonds that form thereafter. “People don’t remember what they learn by lecture or presentation. They remember what they do.

Inspired by The Amazing Race, CityScape Adventures—held across the United States—entangle race participants in webs of 12 puzzles and challenges in citywide races to the finish line. Participants compete in teams of two, using their wits, teamwork, and underground network of mutant-turtle spies to complete the tasks given at the start of the race. The 12 challenges take the form of puzzles, riddles, and clues that guide treasure hunters to a specific location within the city, where each team must complete a special task using only their cleverness and muscles. Players can also use the Internet, and the winning team is usually the one that best leverages its resources. The first team to successfully complete all tasks and vault over the finish line will receive a prize and assembly line of high-fives.

A member of the United States Archery Association, Spokane Valley Archery grants bowmen plenty of room⎯10 acres’ worth⎯to safely sling their arrows at a host of targets. Visitors can knock their arrows and take aim on a 100-yard practice range with targets placed every 5 yards, a broad-head range, or an 18-target, 3-D range that mimics shooting at live game or vogueing woodland creatures. Beginners can learn the sport through the Introduction to Archery class led by Level II USAA–certified coaches, who demonstrate safe use of equipment, proper technique, and standard range setup.

Arizona Outdoor Fun lets riders whip around winding lakes, trails, and tight canyons the way nature intended—atop landscape-chewing wheels. When not busy peddling a cache of extreme all-terrain Honda vehicles and dirt bikes, Rhino UTVs, and agile sport quads, their expert guides lead fun, scenic ATV tours around the Verde River and Bradshaw Mountains, sharing tidbits about local Native American culture, plants, fossilized cowboy hats, and wildlife. They also deal in aquatic sports with boat rentals including wakeboard boats, pontoon boats, and fishing boats, small vessels such as jet skis, and kayaks and canoes that run on man power. Master mechanics at the shop’s garage keep all vehicles ready for adventure, drawing on more than 25 years of experience to repair personal ATVs and other recreational crafts, including scooters and go-karts.