Another idea that would be cheaper is someplace like Idaho, coer de Alene etc. I think you can do white water rafting in the right part of Idaho and there is lake boating and hiking etc. it will be cheaper than Jackson to stay there.

Another idea is Santa Barbara California where you can take a boat out to the Channel Islands and kayak and/or snorkel. That trip itself is expensive but the airfare to California is cheaper than some of the other ideas. We stayed in a hotel that had free bikes and we biked along the beach. From there you could also drive to yosemite, although it’s a long drive there are some cute places to stop. We stayed at the hotel Milo and it was cheaper than a lot of others and really perfect — the room had a small separate room with bunk beds for the kids, great included breakfast, and right on the beach.

Iceland!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switzerland is incomparable for natural beauty, comprehensive infrastructure, and safety. New Zealand is a close second for scenery. Norwegian fjord areas are beautiful, but are usually accessed by ship as the tourism infrastructure is not too extensive.

Alaska and Hawaii have nature areas and recreational activities worth exploring, too.

Hawaii is not in the summer though

Hot I meant

Anonymous wrote:Switzerland is incomparable for natural beauty, comprehensive infrastructure, and safety. New Zealand is a close second for scenery. Norwegian fjord areas are beautiful, but are usually accessed by ship as the tourism infrastructure is not too extensive.

Alaska and Hawaii have nature areas and recreational activities worth exploring, too.

Hawaii is not in the summer though

The other point is that it’s winter in South America during our summer, so there’s lots of places you can go that will be relatively cool. I went to Chile and went skiing in the Alps — I. Did more cultural stuff than active stuff but I’m sure there is more active stuff to do there. The airfare to South America will obviously be significant but your costs once there will be lower.

Switzerland is incomparable for natural beauty, comprehensive infrastructure, and safety. New Zealand is a close second for scenery. Norwegian fjord areas are beautiful, but are usually accessed by ship as the tourism infrastructure is not too extensive.

Alaska and Hawaii have nature areas and recreational activities worth exploring, too.

Anonymous wrote:Canoeing in the Minnesota Boundary Waters might be an option. Or a week on Isle Royale. Both of those will be more low-key than Belize or Costa Rica, but a lot more rustic. Boundary Waters will requires camping and hauling everything in and out.

Iceland?

My kid did the boundary waters as a scout and it was ROUGH. Not a vacation. The portage is no joke and you need to carry all our food and cooking equipment.

I was going to suggest Switzerland, Jackson and Tetons, Vancouver and environs, or New Hampshire white mountains and lakes.

We are dreaming about hiking in the Swiss Alps this summer

OP here - to clarify. We have enjoyed ziplining, caving etc and would like to do more of it. We liked Belize and CR because we focused on the jungle areas and not beaches. I mention Alaska because it would get us the weather and activities we enjoy - obviously not jungle, but mountains are good too.

Glacier National Park as mentioned above sounds like a good idea! Maine etc is also not off base, but we have been there several times.

Are “hiking caving ziplining” things you want to do or don’t want to?

Canoeing in the Minnesota Boundary Waters might be an option. Or a week on Isle Royale. Both of those will be more low-key than Belize or Costa Rica, but a lot more rustic. Boundary Waters will requires camping and hauling everything in and out.

Iceland?

I don’t get your ask— you say you want the jungle but then you say you ruled out Alaska because of price?

Glacier National Park. It can be quite warm in the lower parts of the park in July/August, but once you get up into the mountains it stays cool.

It’s not as glamorous maybe, but Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine are all outdoorsy in the summer. Hiking, rafting, fishing, outdoor eating.

We have loved family trips to places like Costa Rica and Belize. Nature, more jungle than beach, hiking, caving, zip lining type activities.

But we want something for July and don’t want extreme heat. Where is the milder weather in summer for adventure travel?

Teen and tween. Maybe 8k total.
I was considering Alaska but the places I was finding were wildly over budget.