Go West: Tips for Planning an Epic Outdoor Adventure

If you go out West on vacation or maybe on a fishing or hunting trip, you want to make the most of it, don’t you? Of course, you do. I lived in Colorado for ten years and went hunting and fishing all over the state before moving to Idaho. In my 23 years in Idaho, I have gone hunting and fishing a lot in the state, and also during trips to Wyoming, Oregon and Alaska. . If you’re from down South or back East, it’s likely if you head West, it is to hit Colorado or maybe Wyoming. We’ll focus on those two states, but this advice will apply almost anywhere:

Your first trip anywhere is primarily exploratory. But sometimes, you get lucky, and it’s a killer trip. It can often be if you do your homework ahead of time and order some Forest Service maps of the area you plan to visit. I have a buddy, Paige Darden, that runs MyTopoMaps. Her maps document things you won’t get on traditional maps and can be customized for the area that you will be hunting/fishing or just going for a hike. One year we had a plane drop us off in the backcountry in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. I ordered a map from Paige and I am glad that I did. Unbeknownst to me, there were some old Indian petroglyphs on the rock walls in the river canyon and with the map, I was able to find them.

Get outside your comfort zone! You don’t want to go and just stay on some fancy ranch tiptoeing around piles of poodle poop, ride around in a golf cart, and fish for trout with salmon eggs do you? I once went to one and had them pack me up on horses to a high mountain lake to fish. Great views and a great time. Hire a local guide to give you a flyfishing float trip down a river. If possible, it’s nice to hire a guide to help you learn the ropes of how to fish/hunt in that area. Call the local game warden and talk to them about places to go and where to avoid.

Learn how to flyfish. That’s how trout were meant to be caught. It’s natural. You’ll be less frustrated and able to hit the ground running if you learn flyfishing casting basics before you hit the mountains. I usually take my own gear, but if you visit the local fly shop and buy all of your flies there, they’ll share some secrets if you ask. They know what flies are working at that particular time.

It’d also be fun to take a short backpacking trip. I love backpacking. You’ll get back where the Joe Touristo’s don’t go. You’ll see more game and have the opportunity to catch more and bigger fish. Don’t be intimidated, though. You don’t have to go on a 24-mile backpacking trip. Start out with a basic 2-miles on your first trip and learn what gear you need. One time in Colorado, we had a guide drop us off 14 miles back in the backcountry and pick us up a week later. That was a great fishing trip.

Get in shape before you go. Even when I lived in Colorado and was in good shape, it was still killer hiking at 10,000 ft. Plan to arrive a day or two ahead of time to get acclimated to the change in altitude. Drink lots of water to help avoid altitude sickness.

Take good gear. Buy some decent hiking boots and break them in before you go. Here’s a few other items I’d take:

• Browning hiking socks
• Base layers like XGO or Haeleum
• Maps (MyTopoMaps)
• Aquamira filtered water bottle
• Compass
• GPS
• Camera (You’re going to be in cool country and want to take pics)
• Daypack
• Adventure Medical Kits moleskin, duct tape
• Fire-starting gear
• Consider some type of personal protection. There are too many wolves, bears and cougars. Bear spray only works 50% of the time… the 50% of the time when the perpetrator is downwind of you!