These are the ultimate American trips of a lifetime on the west coast and in the southwest - places to hike, kayak, climb, raft, bike, gape at, and savor before you die.

Grand Canyon

No geologic feature in America inspires the imagination as does the Grand Canyon. A mile deep, up to eighteen miles wide, and slashing through 2 billion years of rock, the Canyon is viewed from above by millions of visitors each year - but far fewer travel into its depths. The raft will have you go through a hundred whitewater rapids, with a motor to keep you moving so you can relax and enjoy the changing spectacle above you. Trips from premier gay outfitter Alyson Adventures start at $2,695 for 9 days down the entire 280 miles of the Colorado River (800-825-9766 www.alysonadventures.com) Get a complete list of outfitters from http://www.gcroa.org/. And if you absolutely must go without a guide, try hooking up with parties that have extra spaces on their permits at http://www.gcpba.com/.

Yosemite

Yes, hiking is awesome here. Rock climbing will give you a whole different perspective. Taking in the views from the side of cliff gives you a whole new meaning to life. One of the premier climbs is using the Lost Arrow Spire that will provide you all the thrills of a big-wall but without all the grunt work. The guides at Yosemite Mountaineering School can lead you to the top of the spire, as well as just about any other place in the park ($315 209-372-8344, www.yosemitemountaineering.com)

Mount Rainier

I can't recommend this climb enough. If you are serious about hiking, this one is on everyone's list. Mount Rainier is the highest volcanic peak in the Lower 48 and has 26 glaciers skirting the summit. Just hope you get good weather. It has ferocious winds and you must rope up due to risk of falling in a crevasse. Guides have certainly made one of America's most dangerous climbs safer. Raineer Mountaineering Inc. will take  first-time mountaineers in good physical condition to the top ($805 888-892-5462 www.rmiguides.com)

Joshua Tree

The desert is a place for religious experiences, healing, and soul searching. There is no better spot than the Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree is sacred ground.  It spreads across 80,000 acres of Southern California - where the Sonoran Desert meets Mojave. Native Americans, Mormon preachers and New Age meditators marvel in its mysteries. No matter why you come to Joshua Tree, there are plenty of reasons you won't want to leave (760-367-5500 www.nps.gov/jotr)

Hood River, Oregon

The Columbia River Gorge's fabled 20-knot winds fuel the adventure industry of this town 60 miles east of Portland. This is a mecca for windsurfers and kitesurfers. When the winds die down, residents turn to mountain biking, specifically the 12-mile singletrack Surveyor's Ridge Trail. Big Winds rents boards ($55 per day 541-386-6086, www.bigwinds.com), Discover Bicycles, mountain bikes ($45 per day 541-386-4820, www.discoverbicycles.com).

Marin County

The place where mountain biking was born is still nirvana.  One would think it was born in the desert or near a mountain resort. Surprise. It was born in Marin County, mere minutes from San Francisco. Hippies gave birth to mountain biking at this northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge in the mid-1970's when they took modified beach bikes on trails and fire roads shaded by lush groves of oak, Douglas fir, and redwood. Marin remains an ideal place for mountain biking: The trails of China Camp State Park, near San Rafael, dangle above azure San Pablo Bay. Pick up a copy of Mountain Biking Marin ($11) and a rental bike at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito (from $30 a day 415-332-3200 www.mikesbikes.com).

San Juan Islands

In Washington State, viewing the magnificent orca (unfairly dubbed the killer whale) in its native habitat from inside a sea kayak in the San Juan Islands is a can't miss adventure. Three large pods - totalling as many as 87 individual whales, some up to 90 years in age - swim in  these glacier-scoured channels with wild salmon, bald eagles, sea lions, Dali's porpoises, and the occasioanal giant gray or minke whale. You can paddle the San Juans on your own - get information from the Washington Water Trails Association (www.wwta.org). But going with Sea Quest Expeditions all but guarantees you'll have an orca encounter: They see whales on 80 percent of their trips in the peak month of July (from $65 for one day 888-589-4253 www.sea-quest-kayak.com)

Nevada

There's more to Las Vegas than hitting the jackpot. The real jackpot is experiencing the thousands of climbing routes up the Aztec sandstone spires in 197,000-acre Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, just west of Las Vegas. A must climb is up the Crimson Chrysalis, a 900-foot pillar on Cloud Tower in Juniper Canyon. (702-515-5350 www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon/)

Arizona

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument celebrates the life and landscape of the Sonoran Desert. Here, in this desert wilderness of plants and animals and dramatic mountains and plains scenery, you can drive a lonely road, hike a backcountry trail, camp beneath a clear desert sky, or just soak in the warmth and beauty of the Southwest. The Monument exhibits an extraordinary collection of plants of the Sonoran Desert, including the organ pipe cactus, a large cactus rarely found in the United States. Two scenic loop roads - the Ajo Mountain Drive and the Puerto Blanco Drive - penetrate desert country. Both are winding, up-and-down graded dirt roads. Passenger vehicles can travel them easily. The monument's campgrounds are great for stargazing and the camping fee of $12 can't be beat for this show.  ((520) 387-6849 www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm