I love Minnesota. I spent four years in the Twin Cities and very much appreciate the Midwestern charm and practicality. I have kayaked on Lake Superior, camped in the prairies of Blue Mounds State Park, and bicycled or skated hundreds of miles of the many paved trails in the state. Still, we recognize Minnesota and Continue Reading →
Category: Biking
5 Fascinating Facts About The Rioja Wine Region
This fall we’ll be cycling our way through Spain’s most famous wine region – La Rioja. Rioja is located in Northern Spain and is known for its high-quality wines, scenic patchwork of vineyard-covered hills (don’t worry, e-bikes are an option!), and captivating medieval villages. Not a wine aficionado? No problem! You definitely don’t need to Continue Reading →
Are you a Ferdinand or a Heather?
On our active trips – whether it be hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing or skating – we generally like to have one guide toward the front of the pack to help steer the group, and a “sweep” guide toward the back that makes sure nobody gets left behind. This summer on our Beartooth Hiking Adventure in Continue Reading →
Top 5 Iconic Sights You’ll See In Banff
Banff, Canada’s oldest National Park, offers stunning beauty around every corner. Awe-inspiring mountain peaks, sweeping valleys, free-flowing rivers, and my personal favorite, jaw-dropping glacial lakes. Banff covers 2,564 square miles, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and boasts over 1,000 miles of hiking trails, Canada’s longest cave system, Castleguard caves, and is home to Alberta’s Continue Reading →
My 22-Year History With the Danube Bike Path
On April 4, 1997, I quit my desk job to start what is now Zephyr Adventures. My first task was to fly to Europe to find the very first location for our only tour that year, with two possibilities in mind: the northern area of Friesland in The Netherlands or the Danube bike path in Continue Reading →
Don’t be a couch potato: Bike across Idaho with us!
Before I moved to Idaho when someone mentioned Idaho I thought of this… I was vaguely aware Idaho had more to offer than acres of potato fields, but even coming from the state next door (Montana) I didn’t really know what to expect. Now, having lived in the West Central Mountains of Idaho for 10 Continue Reading →
It’s Not About the Bike – Or the Name
When we were deciding on 2019 U.S. biking destinations our team here at Zephyr was in agreement that we had to add a tour that included the 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and the spectacular Route of the Hiawatha, both located in the panhandle of Idaho. What we couldn’t agree on was what to call this Continue Reading →
Active Yet Easy Vacations
We like to provide a range of activities on each of our tours, to accommodate all ability levels. We try to ensure that each hike or bike ride has several route options – easy, medium, and hard, when possible. But when you take a look at our itineraries overall, there are some that are more Continue Reading →
The Best Less-Visited European Bike Tour Locations
Taking a bicycle tour in Europe is perhaps the most famous and beloved type of “adventure” or active travel. For good reason – biking through Europe often offers wonderful scenery, interesting culture, outstanding food and wine, and healthy exercise. We believe Europe offers the best bicycle tour locations in the world and have run many Continue Reading →
Biking in Idaho on Fantastic Trails
I set up and have several times run our Idaho Skating Adventure, which is absolutely beautiful. But each time I have been there, I have looked at the map and drooled over the Route of the Hiawatha, a rails-to-trails project on what was once one of the most scenic railroad lines in the country. Following Continue Reading →