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Holiday Mansion Houseboats Article

66 toughest tickets in the West; here are trips, lodging, and annual events that are so popular you need to book way ahead - directory

It's new-calendar time again-an annual nudge to plan far enough ahead so you don't miss out on exciting vacation activities. To help you get started, we've identified recreational activities or annual performances so popular that they require booking at least two months in advance. Except for special festivals and events, our advice is targeted at summer (generally, Memorial Day through Labor Day) peak travel season for most people and places. Our usual tack is to help you avoid crowds. But if you've decided on a Grand Canyon vacation, you want to see the Grand Canyon-however crowded. Our lists are California-heavy. But as the state where half the West's population lives, it is where long lead times are most necessary. If you don't keep your resolutions about long-range planning, try anyway for what you really want-cancellations occur. Prices given are for summer months (off-season rates can be more favorable). Where 1991 prices weren't available, we've listed 1990 ones in italics. Area codes are Alaska, 907; Arizona, 602; Hawaii, 808, Idaho, 208; Montana, 406; New Mexico; 505; Nevada, 702; Oregon, 503; Utah, 801; Wyoming, 307. Area codes for California, Colorado, and Washington are specified in the listings for those states. Watch bears fish at Katmai: 6 months ahead ALASKA Katmai National Park and Preserve. Reserve Brooks Lodge rooms six months ahead for summer, when bears cluster at the riverbanks for salmon; a $695 package includes air fare from Anchorage, a bus tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, and two nights' lodging.

Call (800) 544-0551. Alaska ferries. Call after December 3 to ensure summer passenger or vehicle travel on ferries departing from Bellingham, Washington, or Prince Rupert, British Columbia, for southeast and southwest Alaska. Northbound staterooms sell out very fast. One-way staterooms for two cost $93 to $228; adult fare is $118 to $236; vehicles maximum height 15 feet) are ferried for $278 to $564. Call (800) 642-0066. Alaska Fur Rendezvous. Held in Anchorage February 8 through 17, the rendevous features 140 events from championship dogsled racing to snowshoe softball; call 277-8615. Reserve rendezvous lodging two months ahead; call 272-7411 for accommodations. Room with a volcano view: 3 months ahead HAWAII Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Plan three months ahead to stay at the 42room Volcano House (rooms facing the spectacular Kilauea Caldera Crater are $125 and worth it; others are $75 to $100), or in an A-frame cabin ($31) at Na Makani Paio. Call 967-7321. Haleakala National Park. Write at least three months ahead for three backpack cabins in the crater ($ per person). Contact the park at Box 369, Makawao 96768; 572-9306. State park cabins. Plan a year ahead. Maui: Box 1049, Wailuku 96793; 2435354. The Big Box 936, Hilo 96721; 933-4200. For privately run cabins ($35 to $45) at Kokee park in Kauai's Waimea Canyon, call 335-6061. Merrie Monarch Festival. After January 2, reserve tickets ($8 to $20) for March 31-April 6 contest between Hawaii's best halau hula (schools). Write to Waiakea Villa Hotel, 400 Hualani St., Hilo 96720. A night in Paradise. 4 months ahead WASHINGTON Mount Rainier National Park. Four months ahead, book rooms at Paradise inn ($45 to $68), open May 22 through October 6, 1991; or at restored National Park inn ($40 to $62), open year-round. For either, call (206) 569-2275. Olympic Peninsula. Two months ahead, book at beachfront Klaloch Lodge (rooms $55 to $70, cabins $71 to $95), (206) 962-2271; or at rain-forested Lake Quinault ($78 to $99), (206) 288-2571. State park campgrounds. After January 1, reserve summer sites at the 12 most popular parks. Lake Chelan, Pearrygin Lake, and Steamboat Rock are the most crowded. Beach campgrounds at Fort Canby, Greyland Beach, Twin Harbors, and Moran State Beach are also popular. Write to or call the Washington State Parks office, 7150 Cleanwater Lane, Olympia 98504; 206) 753-2027. May 1 to Labor Day, call (800) 562-0990 in state, (206) 753-2116 outside. Camp at rugged Cape Lookout: 4 months ahead OREGON Riverside lodges on Rogue River Hiking Trail. In January, reserve space in the six lodges, accessible only by boat or on foot ($55 to $90, including hearty meals), along the 40-mile trail. Two weeks ahead, reserve boats $25 to $75). For either, call 247-6504. State park campgrounds. January 14 through August 31, call 378-6305 for reservation forms. March 4 through Labor Day, call Oregon Campsite Information at (800) 452-5687 within Oregon or (503) 238-7488 from outside the state. Reserve in April for summer camping at Beachside, Beverly Beach, Cape Lookout, Cove Palisades, Detroit Lake, Harris, Honeyman, Prineville, and Wallowa Lake. Tickets for Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Tickets for the Ashland festival ($13 to $21) go on sale to the public by phone (482-4331) on January 21. Performances run from February 15 to October 27. The hardest tickets to get are for comedies, performances in the Black Swan (which seats just 150), and midsummer Shakespeare in the outdoor theater. Theaters are closed October 28 through February 14. Mount Hood, Timberline Lodge. Fourteen months ahead, reserve yuletide lodging at the 57-room, WPA-built log lodge ($75 to $140, four-night minimum); outside there's a landing strip for Santa as well as guests. B & B in a lighthouse: 6 months ahead Yultide feast at Yosemite: 13 months ahead Ringside seat at the Rose Parade: 9 months ahead CALIFORNIA Death Valley National Monument. Four months ahead, book rooms at the elegant Furnace;Creek Inn $218 to $300) and rustic Furnace Creek Ranch a mile away ($941 for, the desert's November-throughMarch high season. Call (619) 786-2345. Lassen Volcanic National Park. A year in advance, ask to be put on a reservations list for summer bookings at Drakesbad, the only dude ranch in a national park (rooms and cabins $70, bungalows and annex $80). February 1, call to confirm or learn of cancellations. Arrangements are through California Guest Services, (916) 529-1512. Yosemite National Park. A year ahead, book rooms at the stately Ahwahnee ($188), Tuolumne Meadows Lodge ($32), White Wolf Lodge ($30, $49 for cabins), Wawona Hotel ($55 to $75), or Curry Village housekeeping cabins ($32). Two months ahead, book tent cabins ($28). In early November, request applications (they must be received by the first Monday in December) for summer stays in the High Sierra camps ($66, including lodging in tent cabin, breakfast and lunch). Call (209) 252-4848 for room reservations and High Sierra applications. Bracebridge Dinners: The first week in November a year ahead, request a lottery application for the famous seven-course dinners ($128, $107 for children; December 22, 24, and 25) and New Year's Eve Dinner Dance ($120). Call (209) 252-4848 or write to Yosemite Reservations Office, 541 0 E. Home Ave., Fresno 93727. Applications are accepted only between December 15 and January 15. Losers are notified by late March, winners later in the year; acceptance includes room. National park camping. Be on the phone at 10 . sharp eight weeks before you want to pitch a tent in Yosemite Valley or its high country ($10 to $12 a night). Valley sites sell out in 5 minutes. To reserve, call your local Ticketron office or (213) 642-4242. Also plan eight weeks ahead for spots in Sequoia and Whiskeytown Lake recreation area. State park camping. Call Mistix at (800) 444-7275 at 8 . sharp eight weeks ahead to the day for campsites ($12 to $18 a night plus $ service charge) at popular beach parks: Seacliff, Carpinteria, Doheny, Morro Bay, New Brighton, Refugio. East Brother Lighthouse. Six months ahead, book this four-room Victorian B & B on San Francisco Bay ($295 per couple, including dinner and boat transportation to the island), where a Coast Guard station still guides ships through narrow San Pablo Strait. Call (415) 233-2385. Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. Two months ahead, book one of three cabins ($20) in this forested old gold-mining area near Nevada City. Call (916) 265-2740. Mount Tamalpais cabins. Two months ahead to the day, book 1 of 1 0 cabins ($30) overlooking the Pacific at Steep Ravine; call Mistix, (800) 444-7275. Santa Catalina island Six months ahead, book rooms ($150 to $490) at the Georgian-style Inn on Mount Ada (formerly the Wrigley Mansion), overlooking Avalon Bay. Call (213) 510-2030. Houseboating. For Lake Shasta, reserve two months ahead for a week on a 6- to 16-sleeper boat ($1,060 to $2,495) with views of 14,162-foot Mount Shasta. Call (916) 225-4433 for operators. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, plan four months ahead for a week of midsummer cruising along nearly a thousand miles of navigable water, aboard boats ranging from basic to luxury ($740 to $1,680). For a list of operators, call (209) 477-1840. Carmel Bach FestivaL Book tickets ($35) at least three months ahead for July 17, 24, or 31 concerts at 200-year-old Carmel Mission basilica (the festival runs July 15 through August 4); other tickets cost $15 to $35. Call (408) 624-2046. Laguna Beach, Pageant of the Masters. By May, reserve tickets ($9 to $38) for the pageant, which runs July 7 through August 30; live models portray famous paintings or sculptures. Call (714) 494-1145. Pasadena, Tournament of Roses parade. Tickets ($35) are available until the day before New Year's, but you need to reserve nine months ahead for TV-camera vantage near the parade's start on Orange Grove Avenue at Colorado Boulevard. Call (818) 795-4171. Garden Grove, Easter play. in November, order tickets ($14, $18, or $25) for Crystal Cathedral's Glory of Easter play, presented March 15 to 31; a cast of 200, as well as live animals, enacts Christ's last seven days. Call (714) 544-5679. San Juan Bautista, Christmas at the mission. Three months ahead, order tickets ($12) for El Teatro Campesino's Christmas folk production in the historic 1797 mission. Call (408) 623-2444. Climb Mount Whitney. The 22-mile climb to the 14,495-foot summit is limited to 50 overnight hikers. At press time, the Forest Service was changing its reservations system, but permit applications will be accepted March 1 through May 31. Call (619) 876-5542 in January for information; reservation fee is $3 per person. Buck bales at a ranch: 2 months ahead Hear cowboy poets in Elko: 3 months ahead NEVADA Jarbridge National Wilderness Area. At least two months ahead, reserve at Cottonwood Ranch ($85 American plan), a working ranch in the high desert about 115 miles north of Elko; or book week-long pack trips (10 people, $700 per person). For either, call (702) 752-3604 or (916) 832-4861. Houseboating on Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Reserve six months in advance to explore the endless bays and rock-walled gorges on 6- to 14-sleeper houseboats ($1,295 to $2,500 a week). For concessionaires, call (702) 293-8906. Elko, Cowboy Poetry FestivaL Reserve rooms three months ahead for the annual festival featuring cowboy music and memorabilia, held January 30 through February 2. Call 738-7508 for details and an accommodations list. A mule and bunk in Grand Canyon: 1 year ahead ARIZONA Grand Canyon National Park. South Rim: A year ahead, Gall 638-2401 to book overnight mule trips from the South Rim to rustic Phantom Ranch, on the roadless canyon floor ($219, including lodging and meals); book a year and a half ahead if you plan to visit January through March. At least six months ahead, call the same number to reserve accommodations at the park's oldest lodge, El Tovar ($96 to $136; closed for remodeling from January 6 through mid-March); at rock-built Bright Angel Lodge lodge rooms $44, cabins $51 to $96); or at Phantom Ranch (dorm rooms $19, cabins $53). Allow eight weeks to secure a summer campsite ($8) at Mather or Desert View. To reserve, call your local Ticketron office or (213) 642-4242. For a backcountry camping planner and to make reservations (six months ahead for March through May), write to Reservations Office, Box 129, Grand Canyon 86023. North Rim: Six months ahead, call (801) 586-7686 to reserve at Grand Canyon Lodge (rooms $52, cabins $45 to $61); plan two years ahead for canyon-rim cabins. Havasu Falls: Hiking is restricted to 250 persons a day. To reserve, call the Havasu indian Tribe's tourist manager at 448-2141 on January 2. Entrance costs $12 a person; camping fee is $9 per person. Mile Hi/Ramsey Canyon Preserve. A year ahead, book one of the six housekeeping cabins ($60) for a stay between March and October to observe hummingbirds. Call 378-2785. Window Rock. During the colorful Navajo Nation Fair, held September 4 through 8 (tickets $4 per day), rooms at either of Window Rock's two motels are booked two months in advance. Call 871-6282. Rafting the Colorado. Plan a year ahead. For outfitters, write or call the Western River Guides Association, Box 1324, Moab, Utah 84532.; (801) 259-8229. Opera tickets in Santa Fe: 5 months ahead NEW MEXICO Santa Fe opera tickets. On February 11, the public can buy tickets ($14 to $82) for any of five operas, presented in an open-air theater June 28 to August 24; call 982-3855. At the same time, secure lodging with Santa Fe Central Reservations at (800) 982-7669. Holiday-season lodging in Santa Fe. Six months ahead, reserve lodging and ski packages between Thanksgiving and January 1; call (800) 982-7669. Rafting the Rio Grande. Reserve eight months ahead; call (505) 758-0495 for outfitters. Premiere movies at 8,400 feet: 1 year ahead COLORADO Rocky Mountain National Park campgrounds. Allow eight weeks' lead time for reserving a summer site ($9) at Glacier Basin and Moraine Park. Call your local Ticketron off ice or (213) 642-4242. River rafting. Plan eight months ahead for a trip on the North Platte River. For outfitters, call (801) 259-8229. Telluride Film FestivaL A year ahead, make reservations for the festival, August 31 to September 3. For ticket prices, call (603) 643-1255. For a listing of other film festivals in the West, see page 20 of the January 1990 Sunset.) Houseboat on Lake Powel: 1 year ahead UTAH Bryce Canyon National Park. Six months ahead, reserve motel rooms ($60) or cabins ($70) at Bryce Canyon Lodge, open April 26 through October 15; the grand building overlooking the canyon has recently been restored. Call 586-7686. Zion National Park. Use the same lead time and telephone number as Bryce to reserve lodging at the restored Zion Lodge (open year-round; motel units $59, cabins $66), on the canyon floor. Houseboating on Lake Powell. A year ahead, reserve 6- to 12-sleeper boats ($1,140 to $1,835) for a week on bass-filled waters near Rainbow Bridge National Monument, the world's largest sandstone arch. Call (800) 528-6154. River rafting. Plan eight months ahead to float the Colorado River's Cataract Canyon (in Canyonlands) or Westwater Canyon, and the Green and Yampa rivers in Dinosaur National Monument. Call 801) 259-8229 for outfitters. Log Cabin at Jenny Lake: 1 year ahead WYOMING Grand Teton National Park. A year ahead, book log cabins ($265) at Jenny Lake Lodge, at the base of 13,770-foot Grand Teton and close to the reflective waters of Jenny Lake. Write to Jenny Lake Lodge Reservations, Box 240, Moran 83013, or call 543-2855. Yellowstone National Park. Reserve two months ahead at Old Faithful Inn ($32 to $61); call 344-731 1. Allow eight weeks' lead time for reserving a summer campsite at Bridge Bay $9); call your local Ticketron office or (213) 642-4242. Six months ahead, reserve holiday lodging at Old Faithful Snow Lodge (motel rooms $32 to $48, cabins $61); you snowmobile or ski in. Call 344-7311. A chalet stay at Glacier: 6 months ahead MONTANA Glacier National Park.. Book six months ahead at Lake McDonald and Many Glacier (rooms $68 to $124, Lake McDonald cabins $49, motel units $57). Call (602) 248-6000 from October to midMay, (406) 226-5551 mid-May through September. After January 1, reserve summer bunk space at Granite Park or Sperry Glacier chalet ($56 adults, $50 ages 12 and under) by writing to Belton Chalets, Box 188, West Glacier 59936; after May 15, call (406) 888-5511. Rafting on the Selway River. Reserve eight months ahead. For outfitters, call (801) 259-8229. Rafting the Snake or Salmon River: 8 months ahead IDAHO Priest Lake campground. After January 1, reserve Priest Lake campsites ($8 to $12 a night, plus $5 reservation-fee) in the rugged Selkirk Mountains by writing to Priest Lake State Park, Indian Creek Bay #423, Coolin 83821. The campground takes phone reservations (443-2200) after April 1, but most spots are full. River rafting. Book eight months ahead for the Snake River's Hells Canyon or the Salmon's middle and main forks; call (801) 259-8229 for outfitters.