Where to go,for an outdoorsy holiday in US or Canada (or somewhere else???)?

Tofino, Vancouver island. Possibly more of a transfer than you were asking for, but it’s stunning. Think we stopped on the way up at Nanaimo just after the ferry, but that was more to do with the flight arrival times. If you’re feeling flush you can get a floatplane up from the terminal next to Stanley Park.

<Where's the photo upload thingy gone?>

Vancouver Island sounds a good call. Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper not that far if you fly into Calgary.

Usual warnings about bears, mountain lions and elk apply.

We went here on our honetmoon 20+ years ago, short seaplane hop from Vancouver Island.

www.grizzlytours.com

I was going to suggest Colorado, but that might involve longer transfers and a bit more camping than you are wanting. Pikes Peak National Park is beautiful, but may have a bear problem.

Canmore/Bannf would be, for me at least, an interesting return to a place with mixed memories, not least because I have only been there in Winter. Could you maybe go to Kamloops via Vancouver? Otherwise, maybe Slovenia? They have mountains, rafting, biking and stuff and it's a lot closer and, likely, a lot cheaper.

Mrs K has mentioned Vancouver Island so I will check that out.

We go to Canmore as Banff (stayed there before) is too touristy. Should’ve put would prefer less touristy on the list 🙂

Best holiday I've ever had - Mammoth Lakes. Winter & summer
https://www.visitmammoth.com/things-to-do/summer-activities/

Slovenia is now on the list.

@desperatebicycle

Looks good - did you camp there or normal accommodation?

Should’ve put would prefer less touristy on the list 🙂

Not Vancouver then.

Fly to Denver and do Colorado and Utah? Some pretty nice scenery, all the things you want to do.

To add to my ultimate wish list:

easy access to beer and food (and beer)

The easily accessed food to be cooked by someone else

Wouldn’t mind being able to hire a motorbike for road use at some point

Beer.

Not Vancouver then

Yes, that is my worry about Vancouver. Colorado and Utah are, in my mind’s eye, the sort of places which would fit the bill, just where in those states would be best.

American Southwest is fantastic. Bit short on the watersports, but hiking/ biking/ food/ drink all easy enough. Fly to Phoenix or Vegas, rent a car from there, and get out to the National Parks (Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon) and State Parks. Or Denver is a good bet too - there's a lot round there in terms of kayaking, hiking, biking and wildlife

I’ve stayed in Utah to do Zion and the sleepy town of Springdale at the entrance to the park is good for a couple of days and gives easy access to the Virgin river for other activities. Other parks are only a couple of hours away in a car.

There are a couple of walks in the park that will take most of a day, and splashing up the narrows is a unique experience.

Fly in and out of Las Vegas (don’t bother with the dump that is the city itself) and you can do the Hoover Dam as well. Depending on how much you care about carbon emissions then internal flights in the US are comparable to trains here. Although cheaper and slightly more reliable.

Came here to suggest Slovenia, but I see it's already been done.

I would have said Colorado, but in July it can be very hot.

July in Norway is the rainy season, at least in the south, and the north is always pot luck with the weather.

Yes, forgot to mention that I wouldn’t go anywhere near central USA in July. There’s no air conditioning on the public buses into the park, and the thermometer was showing 50C in the shade near Las Vegas.

It’s not too bad once you’re in the park itself as the climbs are relatively sheltered from the sun but July will be HOT. Best time to do the narrows, though, provided no thunderstorms forecast.

European alpine areas do these things brilliantly, with easy access and generally everything in east reach once you have arrived. I’d be looking at Austrian alps, Slovenia, etc.

If you're looking for this year then you may have left it a bit late for the trip I was going suggest (which coincidently is what we're doing this July) which is a roadtrip from Vancouver to Calgary, taking in:

Vancouver - not lingering but doing a Whale Watching trip

Squamish - Hiking Stawamus Chief

Wells Grey - Waterfalls, Hikes, maybe some Kayaking

Jasper - Hikes, SUP, Kayaking, Maligne Lake, Miette Hotsprings

Ice Fields Parkway

Banff - Teahouse Hike

Calgary - Buy a cowboy hat and Carhartt, Fly home

We did most of the above pre-Kids so we know what we're letting ourselves in for and the kids are 14/16 in July so have plenty of stamina for hikes.

I say you've left it it a bit late as I was struggling to book accommodation that was vaguely affordable in Jasper and Banff back in October, it's a touristy area and supply is definitely limited.

New England - Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are good for outdoorsy things.

On a slightly different note, if you want to try somewhere less capital T touristy (lets be honest scenic places are touristy) have look at the area between Atlanta (GA), Knoxville (TN) and Charlotte (NC), I've not been but it's on the list.

Pacific NW for me. Last summer we flew to Seattle, did a few days in Olympic National Park, roadtripped down the Oregon Coast and then headed inland to MTB in Oakridge and Bend (Cog Wild do bike hire and guiding/shuttles). Columbia River Gorge and then flew back from Portland. Big food, scenery, wildlife and mountains…

We're off to Croatia (near Split) in August doing something similar.

A couple of ideas

Bend, Oregon

Field, Alberta

Nelson, British Colombia

I was going to suggest Vancouver Island but seen that others have done that. We spent a week there for my 40th (almost 10 years ago) and did the usual whale watching, hot springs cove and beach stuff. Fabulous time and the drive there was equally memorable (got the ferry over from Vancouver itself).

Also really enjoyed Seattle, Portland and Mt Hood a couple of years ago. Again the scenery is stunning and the bits around Mt Hood weren’t overly touristy either. We were recommended Bend and Mt Bachelor as well by some locals so would like to consider there next time I’m stateside.

Look into Wisconsin (famous for boozing and cheese) and/or Minnesota (famous for lakes and dairy generally). Idaho and Montana too. All very large national forests and so massive you won't be crowded.

Having said that, the US is very expensive at the moment. Slovenia isn't cheap either. Have you looked at the Tatras (Polish or Slovakian side)? Lots of lakes and mountains and beer, and reasonably priced once you're there.

Alaska. Seriously, it's brilliant. We did Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper one year and then went looking for a similar style trip and Alaska totally delivered.

Bend is looking interesting. I think Mrs kilo would be all over Alaska, me less so 🙂

kilo
@desperatebicycle Looks good – did you camp there or normal accommodation?

Camp? oh gosh no! Mammoth Mountain Lodge one time - I think that was the ski/snowboard holiday. Located right at the base of the slopes.
Other time in a different hotel. Hotels were cheap and the food! the food was amazing. Only negative was bears... bears are scary, but actually didn't see one 😆 Hired bikes - ProFlex.. (yeah, it was quite a while ago!)

Bend / Portland  / Mt Hood area are indeed also really nice. We've friends we stay with in West Linn and we've never tired of the area. Mt Rainier and the surrounding are also really beautiful.

without wanting to be a Debby Downer, because your plan sounds fun, but…

Banff and Lake Louise are very touristy. I’d go so far as to call Banff a bit disappointing. For a less touristy Canada, but not too remote, Kootenay area. Nelson is a nice spot.

BC is in a drought, the snowpack is 60% below what would be expected. Last 2 summers have been bad for forest fires, and it has been very hot. There is going to be an announcement of the assessment of the coming fire season risk soon, so fingers crossed.

The rules on air b and b are set to change this summer in BC. Basically, the only short term rentals people can offer need to be rooms or buildings on property that is their main living location. This may be postponed, but it has reduced the number of options available for where to stay for a holiday.

Prices are rising very steeply in the USA and Canada and the US$ is almost 1:1 with the pound.

cheap hotels seem to be a thing of the past.

As mentioned above Alaska is great and so is the Yukon if you like hikes and bike rides  the riding is a lot easier than the typical trail in BC. The summer isn’t 30+ degrees and the days are long. And taxes are low!

This is very left field....but Kashmir. I was in Leh in India for a few weeks working last year and two of our guides/fixers were from Kashmir. The photos of where they came from and the snowboarding, biking (motor and mtb), hiking and swimming blew me away. Add some cheap but luxurious accommodation, a boat load of food and culture and very definitely not doing the same thing as every other westerner trying to escape (all to the same place) and I'd be all over it.

Or.......keep your airmiles down and try something a bit closer to home. Slovenia or Bulgaria both appeal.

Have a look at the Much Better Adventures website. I'm not sure I'd ever be a MBA customer (the group thing doesn't appeal) but they 'curate' some interesting active holiday packages in places that are not all same old same old. Good for inspiration.

I’d go so far as to call Banff a bit disappointing.

I’d go so far as to call Banff massively overrated and very meh. We did BC about three or four years in a row a few years back. Banff, Canmore, Revelstoke Nelson and a few other places. Of the lot I’d go back to Canmore, probably, the rest I’m lot less fussed about hence looking at US. Nelson and Revelstoke were good but I think a change would be good.

Every time we were in BC the heat was fairly brutal at times.

Only to add that the float plane along that coast is pretty amazing, we did Van to Victoria (Van island), the views and scenery were just amazing. I could happily spend more time heading into the North of Van island, we just had a few days in Victoria but even that was lovely. Haven't been to Banff for 15+ years, liked it back then, but I expect it's changed a lot since then.

Following an old thread on here, we went to the Verdon Gorge in France a few years back, that was an amazing trip with 0 air travel too.

I've been all along the BC coast and up into Alaska to the Arctic circle. It is superb, scenery spectacular and a real feeling of being somewhere different, with a different perspective from a northern European existence

There is a coastal ferry service Vancouver to Alaska that stops off along the way at various places such as port hardy on Vancouver island and prince Rupert. You will be sick of whales by the end. There are orca areas, all that guff. Glaciers around Juneau, float plane trips, loads of interest set against a mountain and maritime lifestyle. You want bears? There's plenty. Northern lights? Probably. Nantahala hot springs near Tofino to relax at the end, epic

I wouldn't describe it as in any way luxurious but food is fine enough. Eat a fresh caught Pacific salmon and you'll never eat farmer fish again.

Pacific Northwest Seattle/Washington area (I'm biased as I live here).

Easy flights, everything's close (for the USA). Summer weather is generally reliable - although late summer can have smoke from forest fires. Great MTB, kayak, SUP opportunities.

A couple of bike parks with uplift (nothing like Whistler though -  but you could do it as part of a road trip including Vancouver/Squamish).

Not super-touristy.

Easy to get to other places.

Having said that, Vancouver Island is also great.

"July and after?" Depending how much after, another vote for Utah. Fly into Vegas with camping gear, get camping gas etc from the outdoor stores and x weeks of booze from the supermarket before you leave Nevada and then road trip round Southern
Utah National/Regional Parks.

It's all amazing and, being spread-out USA, the driving is easy, not stressful. If you make it to Moab, you have the biking and Green River/Wes****er canyon boating.

Edit: " No camping, "

Sorry! Non-camping options are available, I'm sure!

Fly into Vegas with camping gear, get camping gas etc from the outdoor stores and x weeks of booze from the supermarket

Apart from liking the booze aspect:

No camping, motor homes or squalor dressed up as part of the experience

The easily accessed food to be cooked by someone else

😉

Flagstaff Arizona

DON'T BOOK UNTIL YOU'VE CONSIDERED

Quebec.

Fly into Montreal, and go to Mont Tremblant just north of the city. There are also a number of options south of the city in the Eastern Townships.

You will love British Columbia, I'm sure, but few Brits think about going to Quebec, and for the mix of culture, urban life, and nature, it really cannot be beat. Montreal is easily among the finest cities of the world (sort of a cross between NYC and Paris), while the rest of the province enjoys incredible nature, the Laurentian Mountains (an older range, and therefore nothing near as dramatic as the Rockies; similar to the Highlands), fjords where you can climb and whale-watch... you name it.

I really can't say enough about the place.

Just gonna throw Slovakia into the mix. The Tatra mountains are beautiful. Easily accessed from Krakow, or better still Poprad if you can fly from Stansted - there's a little tram that runs from the town right up into the hills

I’ll make 2 suggestions.

In Europe I’d say Bernese Oberland. Lovely scenery, walking, food, mountain transport and I think water sports on the lake at Interlaken

Ideally you’d go to America not in peak summer. But there are many great areas.

Aspen would be good in Colorado with access to great walking and a nice place to be. It’s big enough not to feel just like a ski resort. Google 14,000 ft Peaks. They are justifiably popular targets for walkers. I loved the desert round Moab. But we cycled not walked

We're heading to the Grand Canyon in October, so it's cool enough to hike. We will be camping a lot as accommodation, food, fuel, everything is through the roof expense now. Also lodges in or near National Parks will be booked for this summer by now. We like to be away from people so do canoe-camping or backcountry hiking so can't offer much advise on lodging sorry but I think Maine or into eastern Canada is a good shout for not too hot, not too busy.

Can you push the holiday into Sept or does it have to be school holidays?

Nearer home, central France, Central Massif mountains and Ardeche canoe (could do a day trip if your used to canoeing). Still gets busy in August in the French holidays.

Further away Cape Town area. Same flight cost as USA but accommodation, food woll be 1/3 to 1/4 especially as its there winter. Proper Michelin star dining or just good steak or seafood, world class wines, and plenty local beers to try. Mountain biking, climbing, sea kayaking, hiking, in the city or within an hour's drive. But July and August can have storms, days are mild to warm depending if the sun is shining, Sept is far preferable for spring weather.

I’ve done western North America few times

Places I loved that might fit the bill

Jasper ( was many years ago so may be too touristy now)

Canoeing Bowmore Lake Circuit was amazing but will mean camping and it’s miles from other places

Vancouver Island ( needed more time)

Kicking Horse pretty small and was a while ago

Zion, Bryce area of Utah  ( may be very hot though) can travel around to other places quite easily too!

Death Valley ( ok not in summer and not going to have water sports but was beautiful)

My sister went to Nova Scotia last year and that also looks amazing and not very touristy in comparison

Can you push the holiday into Sept or does it have to be school holidays?

Its not child scheduling, we have none, it just suits to go July. We might push back a bit , but tbh October is too far away mentally for us 🙂

Cape Town is great , done there and Durban way a few times.

Washington to Oregon. Follow the Cascades, visit Crater lake, Bend. Rafting at McKenzie River. Did a camper van trip, great place. Came bank along the coast. Preferred the mountains!

"few Brits think about going to Quebec, and for the mix of culture, urban life, and nature, it really cannot be beat"

MCJnr had a few days there back in 2019 and I was gobsmacked by his photos and feedback - looked amazing, he loved it, quite something for a 16 year old lad