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Here's how to plan 10 classic outdoor trips . . .
Outdoor excursions can be planned
By Daniel Gibble It's time that recreation agencies in Illinois consider increasing outdoor recreational opportunities for their residents. This is the opinion of the Outdoor Recreation Committee of the Recreation Section, Illinois Park and Recreation Association. One of the committee's main objectives is to increase awareness of, and information about, outdoor activities. As a result, in 1986 committee members formulated a listing of 10 classic trips. First and foremost, these trips emphasize outdoor recreation. In addition, they have had a successful level of enrollment on more than one occasion. All of these trips visit nearby locations, and are a day or weekend in length, easy to plan and reasonably priced. The committee presented the following 10 trips at a session during the 1986 Illinois Park and Recreation Conference. Detailed information about outfitters, revenue and expense projections, trip planning, contact persons, promotion and brochure development was given during the session. What follows is a condensation of that information. (The detailed packet, including contacts and sites for agencies and districts in southern Illinois, is available upon request from the authors.)
TRIP 1
Location: Near White Lake, WI Brochure Blurb: Get ready to shoot the rapids! This will be a great weekend trip, for adults only, who are looking for the excitement and thrill of whitewater rafting. Beginners need not be intimidated ... all participants will be given complete instructions on how to handle a raft. Program fee includes Saturday and Sunday meals (gourmet cuisine, of course), raft rental for two days, camping fees, transportation, and a victory celebration wine and cheese party Saturday night Expenses: $1,055 (raft rental $300, supervisor $60, van rental $200, food $250, camping fees $120, gas $125) Revenues: $1,120 (14 individuals @ $80 each) Outfitters: Shotgun Eddy Rafting, Highway 55, Menominee County, (414) 497-1251 or 494-3782
TRIP 2
Location: Morraine Hills State Park - McHenry, IL Illinois Parks and Recreation 28 March/April 1988 Best Time To Go: January or February Brochure Blurb: Has cabin fever set in yet? Well if it has, then it's time to get out and play in one of Illinois' finest x-country ski areas. Travel by van with us to the State park. The park is well known for the 19 kilometers of beautiful, wooded trails, mainly groomed and maintained for beginners and intermediates. Lunch, transportation and maps included. Expenses: $130 (van rental $75, food $55) Revenues: $130 (13@ $10) Information: Morraine Hills State Park, (815) 385-1624
TRIP 3 Location: Indiana Dunes State Park or Kankakee River State Park (Any place within 90 minutes from your site.) Length: 24 hours Suggested Participants: Day-Campers Best Time To Go: 9 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday (Give staff and kids Friday off from camp.) Expenses: $535 (bus $300, food $200, camping fees $35) Revenues: Build into day-camp fee
TRIP 4 Location: Devil's Lake State Park, WI Length: Weekend Trip Suggested Participants: Adults, 18 or older, or teens Best Time To Go: Mid-April to Mid-October Brochure Blurb: Here is your chance for a two-day climbing adventure at Devil's Lake, WI! Participants will learn how to climb, rappell, belay and safely deal with the rock at the "hottest" climbing spot in the Midwest.
Program fee includes three meals Saturday, two meals Sunday, transportation, camping fees, instruction and equipment.
TRIP 5 Location: Kankakee, IL Length: Day Trip Suggested Participants: Family Best Time To Go: June Brochure Blurb: Join us in this day trip down the Kankakee River. We'll float on this easy going river, and paddle past bluffs, woods and farms of Illinois. Swimming from sandy banks, and gourmet picnicking will break up this three- to five-hour paddle into a relaxing day of fun in the sun.
Leadership, transportation, canoes, paddles, life preservers, and lunch are included in this
great trip.
Revenues: $341 (11 @ $31)
TRIP 6 Location: Sterling, MI Length: Weekend Suggested Participants: Junior High or High School Group Best Time To Go: July or August Brochure Blurb: Floating down a river in a large inner tube is a super way to work on your summer tan. Enjoy a weekend in Michigan catching the rays! We will tube on the Rifle River, swim and sun on the shores of Lake Michigan, and camp out under the clear Michigan skies. Meals, transportation, and tubing costs are included in the fee. Expenses: $685 (tubes $75, camping fees $60, food $200, gas $150, van rental $200) Illinois Parks and Recreation 29 March/April 1988 Outdoor trips
Revenues: $700 (10 @ $70)
TRIP 7
Location: Portage, WI The hotel features indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna and in-room movies. We suggest renting skis locally and bringing them along.
Expenses: $1,350 (room rental, lift tickets, meals $1,000; van rental $200, gas/miscellaneous $150)
TRIP 8 Location: Ontario, WI Length: Weekend Suggested Participants: 18 or older (yuppies) Best Time To Go: June Brochure Blurb: Have you ever wanted to try kayaking, or have you tried it, but never gone on Illinois Parks and Recreation 30 March/April 1988 an adventure in one? Here's your chance to kayak Kickapoo! Kayak the Kickapoo with us. We'll camp Friday night at Wildcat Mountain State Park. Saturday and Sunday we'll venture out on the Kickapoo River (largely surrounded by federal land) for an overnight adventure. Carrying our own food and water, we'll paddle this easy flowing river, camping on its shores Saturday night, enjoying gourmet meals, swimming and sunning. Fee includes leadership, six meals, transportation, kayaks, preservers, paddles and camping fees. Expenses: $870 (kayaking fees $200, tent rental $50, food $210, van rental $200, supplies $125, supervision $85) Revenues: $935 (11 @ $85 each) Outfitters:Kayaks: Beauti-View Resort, Ontario, WI, (608) 489-3755 or 337-4711 Camping: Wildcat Mountain State Park, (608) 337-4775
TRIP 9 Location: Illinois Prairie Pathway — Elgin to Aurora Length: Day Trip Suggested Participants: Family Best Time To Go: Mid-October to Early November Brochure Blurb: Bring your whole family on this fun, fall excursion on the prairie path. The pace of this trip will be easy, and the path is fairly flat so that everyone can ride through glades of Maple, Oak, Ash and other trees. Colors abound, so bring your cameras for this fall trip.
Illinois Parks and Recreation 31 March/April 1988 Outdoor trips We'll provide leadership; you bring your bikes and a picnic lunch to the trailhead. Directions to the trailhead will be provided at the time of registration. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Expenses: $35 (one leader with a bike) Revenues: $36 (12 @ $3 each)
TRIP 10 Location: Bloomington, IN, area - Garrison Chapel Valley Length: Weekend Suggested Participants: Junior High or High School Group, Adults Best Time To Go: May or September Brochure Blurb: Caves are a wonderful part of our world. They contain things found no where on earth — strange rock formations, rare animals, clean air and water The challenge and discovery of this underground world await you on this two-day adventure program. Fee includes three meals Saturday, two meals Sunday, transportation, camping fees, basic instruction and specialized equipment. Expenses: $1,130 (van rental $200, gas/tolls $125, outfitter fees $600, miscellaneous fees $30, food $175) Revenues: $1,150 (10 @ $115 each) Outfitters: 1. Pretty Lake Adventure Center Kalamazoo, MI (616) 375-1664 2. Other Possible Leadership:
Don Pacquette, President Bloomington Grotto Caving Club
Barrier removal Recreation agencies often have what seem to be large barriers preventing the programming of outdoor recreation activities. The most common barriers are liability insurance, need justification, promotion/marketing and basic equipment requirements. Here are some methods and answers to these problems. Liability According to Betsy Kutska, administrator of the Park District Risk Management Association (PDRMA), outdoor recreation activities are considered no more a risk than softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and other sports. Additionally, PDRMA does not discourage the programming of these activities. Each organization should, however, check with its insurance agency. Need justification The second most common barrier to programming is the need to justify these activities in the agency's normal programming scheme. Outdoor programs • can help your agency's efforts in meeting the diverse needs of different age groups, including the hard-to-program teenage and young adult groups. • have the potential to provide educational experiences, positive personal experiences and creative use of leisure time. • provide experiences that increase self-confidence, self-esteem, group cooperation, and develop outdoor leisure skills. • enhance the participants' understanding of the fragile nature of wilderness and park areas, and increase their sense of responsibility for care and preservation of open space. Basic equipment Most organizations have a concern about major investment in equipment and supplies. While some equipment is essential, the purchasing need not be exorbitant. The Outdoor Recreation Committee lists the following equipment as necessary to an outdoor trip program:
Two Coolers — $50 to $60, Illinois Parks and Recreation 32 March/April 1988
Three Water Jugs - $12 to $20,
The total basic equipment costs in the range of $312 to $400. Most other equipment is available from outfitters on a rental basis. Promotion/marketing The third barrier to these trips is sufficient registration. Members of the committee have used a number of successful ideas for achieving good enrollment. Among these is having home room meetings in the junior high schools. In addition, public service announcements at local schools, fliers at schools and community centers, personal appearances and demonstrations of various skills at the high schools, and co-sponsorship with local clubs, youth groups or surrounding districts and agencies have proved successful. Other alternatives include listing the activities in Outdoor Highlights — printed by the Illinois Department of Conservation — or by urging local papers for continued press coverage of these programs. Conclusion The bottom line is footwork. If someone is interested in trying trips like these, it is essential that planning and promotion be done with a lot of thought, hard work, vim and vigor. This is especially true when an agency is first trying these trips. Once one or two trips have succeeded, word-of-mouth will help sell future trips.
If your agency already has a trip program, try one of these trips in the repertoire. Finally, if your agency is new at this, start small. Try one or two trips that sound most likely to succeed. Then, promote, promote, promote. Your agency will find that the trips will go off well, and the benefits will be greatly rewarding. Illinois Parks and Recreation 33 March/April 1988 |
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