Naturalist Adventure Tours

JUST GET OUTDOORS NATURALIST ADVENTURE TOURS

Find a tour that fits your personality and timing     

Celebrating 25 Years as Just Get Outdoors!!

 **Trip Cost is based on the minimum group size for each tour**

Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and is made up of 1.5 million acres. Established in 1947, it is designated a Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance.

The Florida Everglades is one of the most complex and most fragile natural systems in the United States, consisting of nine distinct ecosystems. At its heart is the well-known "river of grass," a slowly flowing freshwater river that is both shallow and immense, which merges into wide tidal rivers and then mixes with salt water from the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Bay. It is here that the world's greatest mangrove forest thrives. In addition there is cypress swamp, freshwater marl prairie, hardwood hammocks, pinelands, and freshwater sloughs.

This diversity of ecosystems combines to create some of the greatest biodiversity found in any one area. In Everglades National Park there are over 360 species of birds, over 1,000 species of plants, over 40 species of mammals, and over 50 species of reptiles.

Considered by many to be “paradise,” Ocracoke Island is less than one mile wide in some places and stretches 16 miles along some of the last remaining wild, pristine beaches on the eastern seaboard. Famous for being the hideout of Blackbeard the Pirate, it is a remote island accessible only by ferry and private boat or small plane. Ocracoke Island is part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and is the southernmost island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. 

The Outer Banks is a thin strand of broken islands that curve into the Atlantic Ocean and then back again creating a barrier that shelters the mainland coast of North Carolina. Their long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes and woodlands are set aside as Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore and are protected by the National Park Service. This naturalist-led JGO tour will provide a wonderful array of opportunities to learn about and experience the natural history and cultural history of the Outer Banks while staying on Ocracoke Island and visiting Hatteras and Portsmouth Islands. 

The islands and waters of this most precious, preserved national seashore can provide opportunities for quiet thought and contemplation. They can also be a place of great discovery - from kayaking and bird watching to shelling and hiking, we will delve deep into the natural history of the Outer Banks. And we will explore lighthouses, museums, and the ghost-town village of Portsmouth Island to learn about the cultural history unique to this area. You will be intrigued!

Established in 1935, Shenandoah National Park straddles a beautiful 100-mile stretch (300 square miles) of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southern Appalachian Mountain range. The park rises above the Virginia Piedmont to its east and the Shenandoah Valley to its west. Over 70,000 acres of this 196,000-acre park are designated wilderness. Dominated by hardwood forests, this park includes a variety of habitats due to the 3500’ range of elevation, slopes and aspects, rocks and soils, precipitation, and latitude. Lush forests, quiet hollows, rocky ridges and rolling hills characterize this park and its trails.  Remnants of boreal forests exist here as well, reminding us that continental glaciers came nearby. Over 1300 species of vascular plants thrive here and 200 species of birds and 50 species of mammals make their home in these habitats.

With more than 450 miles of trails, this is a wonderful place to stretch your legs and your mind as you experience the many sights, sounds, scents and ‘the feel’ of Shenandoah National Park. We will hike to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain (4051’), the highest point in Shenandoah National Park, and enjoy extraordinary views. During our 7-day Shenandoah adventure, you will be captivated and delighted by the many discoveries we make along our path, whether it is in the sighting of a black bear, the remarkable mountain vistas, a waterfall tumbling over rock, or the bird songs that accompany us along the trail.

June 9 - 15, 2024 - Finger Lakes Region, NY  Trip not offered in 2025, but it will be back in 2026! 

Discover the natural, geological and cultural history of the Finger Lakes of New York. This trip is packed with exciting, captivating activities that will please and delight all of your senses…and your intellect as well. Does it get any better?

Be spellbound as you hike through ancient gorges; feel the spray and listen to the soothing sounds of innumerable waterfalls and cascades; taste award-winning wines and artisanal cheeses of the region; dine at the renowned Moosewood Restaurant; visit the iconic Corning Museum of Glass and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; and take a sunset cruise on Cayuga Lake, one of the 11 sparkling, glacially formed Finger Lakes.

Immerse yourself in the beauty of this geologically fascinating and awe-inspiring area as you join your professional Naturalist guide on hikes through glacial landscapes and into the heart of some of the most extraordinarily beautiful gorges of the Finger Lakes. Explore a bog, an old-growth forest and the cool, moist, shaded environment of glens, all of which provide habitat for a rich array of wildflowers, ferns, mosses and other plant life, as well as birdlife.

Remote!     Magnificent!     Wild!     Vast!     Rugged Beauty!

These are just a few of the adjectives used to describe North Cascades National Park, and yet they only hint at the incredible nature of this portion of the expansive Cascade Range. Venturing into North Cascades National Park is a wilderness experience par excellence! This trip will provide an opportunity for you to explore a very remote national park and ecosystem – an area not accessed by most people; in fact, due to its remoteness, North Cascades National Park is the second least visited national park in America.

Join me on this unique adventure and enter a world of stunning natural splendor. This 684,000-acre park is nestled in the heart of 7 million acres of protected public lands in Washington and British Columbia. 

There is no better way to experience such a remote, wild, and extraordinary region than by hiking the trails and spending time on the lakes. And this, my friends, is exactly what we’ll do. On this naturalist-led trip, we will hike a variety of trails, do a little paddling, take a scenic ferry ride, and be thrilled by new sights and sounds along the way.       

Our hikes will take us to absolutely breathtaking alpine scenery, along with waterfalls, alpine wildflowers, abundant wildlife, and the turquoise waters of glacial rivers and subalpine lakes.    

The Very Best in Hiking Vacations and Outdoor Adventures!