Our Destinations and Activities

Bredeson Outdoor Adventures offers guided and self-guided, culturally oriented hiking, bicycling, snowshoeing and cross country skiing trips for all ability levels in Europe and the northeastern United States.   Under the direction of founder Deborah Lewis, we specialize in custom trips for groups of friends, families, coed or women’s groups (including Girlfriend Getaways), and major international adventure travel companies. If you assemble your own group for a custom trip we can, in many cases, offer a discounted rate.  If you prefer non-guided adventures we can plan a do-it-yourself (self-guided) trip for you.  With self-guided trips we will book and pre-pay hotels, organize and usually pre-pay ground transportation, provide you with hiking maps and hike descriptions, and generally do everything for you except join you on the trip.  Deborah combines her experience living abroad, knowledge of foreign languages and 30 years experience as a trip leader in Europe and the U.S. with an understanding of the high service requirements of her clientele. She personally guides many of her trips, often with the co-leadership of a local guide. Trips are based in hotels and guest houses, but we also offer overnight stays in high mountain huts for those who wish to have that authentic and exciting Alpine experience. Most departures involve day hikes and thus only a day pack.  The exceptions to this are such challenging treks as the Tour du Mont Blanc and the Haute Route that can require carrying a mid-sized pack.  Our family trips have evolved from our personal experience taking our children on hiking trips to Europe and Vermont, and are appropriate for all ages and intergenerational groups. Deborah Lewis prides herself on her ability to make adventure travel safe and fun for “kids” of all ages.

We are excited to offer a special one-time French Pyrenees self-guided hiking and historic Tour de France adventure from July 18 - 28, 2010.  Book now in order to secure accommodations for this trip.  For more information, please go to our Pyrenees page.  

We also offer “public,” guided departures.  We are excited about our 2010 schedule of guided trips, which includes: 

Snowshoeing in Connecticut (Day Trip on February 7 and February 13, 2010)

Celebrate Spring!  Steep Rock Reservation Connecticut Day Hike (March 28, 2010)

Inn to Inn Snowshoeing in Stowe Vermont (March 5 - 8, 2010)

Hiking and Touring in Sicily, A World Apart (May 15 - 24, 2010)

Whistle Stop Walk on Redding, Connecticut's Hidden Greenway (June 26, 2010)

Haute Route Trek (July 9 - 18)

Hiking Austria and Bavaria (July 15 - 22) Just Added and Back by Popular Demand

Hiking the Best of Switzerland:  Bernese Oberland and Engadine (September 20 - 27)

The Cumbria Way England (September 24 - October 1) NEW!

Fall Foliage Hiking in Vermont (October 12 - 18)

 

Our enthusiastic integration of the rich cultural aspects of the landscape in which we walk makes us unique in the adventure travel business. Nothing compares to walking back through time in Europe and New England. Most of our daily walks incorporate historical, literary or cultural aspects of our host country by:

• Following ancient paths,
• Incorporating brief readings, and
• Including a visit to a significant landmark or museum

Here are sample outings from some of our trips that illustrate our cultural, literary and historical emphasis:

Other culturally oriented possibilities include trips that combine hiking with attendance at music festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival or the Salzburg Summer Music Festival.

Click below for photos from previous trips, client feedback, and Deborah Lewis’ biography.