A summer vacation is a wonderful time to introduce your children to the great outdoors through backpacking, rock climbing, horseback riding, ATV adventuring, motocross or go-kart racing, and mountain biking.

Rock Climbing
My boys got a taste for rock climbing by rappelling at Red Rock Canyon with the Boy Scouts. Now, to keep me from climbing the walls at home, they frequent OKC Rocks at 200 SE 4th Street in Oklahoma City. Located in an old grain elevator, OKC Rocks offers climbing routes with difficulty levels from novice to expert. I have always found the facility to be well-staffed and well-supervised. OKC Rocks is open Monday-Friday from 4-10pm; Saturday from noon-8pm. They offer a variety of pass packages with very reasonable family rates. Novices can rent all necessary equipment on site. Climbing information and prices can be found at their web site or by calling 319-1400.

Horseback Riding
Horses and summer are always a great combination, and Thunderbird Riding Stables, just 13 miles east of Norman on Highway 9, is a great place to introduce your children to exploring the outdoors on horseback. The stables provide both guided rides for novices and open rides for experienced riders. All rides are $17 per person, per hour. Thunderbird also offers summer horse camps just for kids. The morning camps will be held June 5-8, 19-23, and 26-30 for $200 per child. For details about camps, call Bobby or Cindy at 321-5768 or check out their web site. Call at least two days ahead if your family wants to ride on a camp day. The stables are open 8am-4pm Monday-Friday and 8am-5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Mountain Bikes, Motocross, and ATVs
Does your family prefer wheels to hooves? Bring your two- or four-wheeled vehicles to the Stillwater Cycle Park, 6500 W 56th Street in Stillwater, and enjoy 500 acres of riding area. This park is truly all-terrain with tracks running through woods and creeks. Buy season or day passes at the Stillwater Parks, Events, and Recreation Department, 315 E 9th. Riders are required to wear helmets, and all bikes must have a spark arrester. Call 405-747-8070 for more information.

For a change of scenery, Lance Harzman of Little Sahara Power Sports invites all ATV owners to ride the dunes at Little Sahara State Park. The cost is only $7 per day per driver. Lance says there is nothing like a night ride when the moon is full. Your vehicle must meet all park safety requirements. Call 580-824-1471 or log onto their web site for more information about ATV fun and on camping facilities at or near Little Sahara.

Go-Kart Racing
Regardless of your age, Rodney Berryhill assures me there is a race for you at Norman's Oklahoma Motor Sports Complex. If you have never raced, take time to see one before you buckle into your own kart. The complex, located at 3501 S Interstate Drive, holds races twice a month on Saturday nights. Call 579-5278 or check their web site for race days. Admission is free and the atmosphere is much like that at high school football games-concessions and noisy fans. During the week, ages 10 and older may rent karts at the complex. Staffers will provide basic instruction for beginners. The complex is a popular birthday party spot, and they can accommodate large groups.

Backpacking
Do your kids love bugs and being outdoors? Backpacking might be the hobby for them. Billy and Marci Dennis of Outback Guides provide trips to Beavers Bend, Greenleaf, and Robbers Cave State Parks. They group families with same-age children together so that the difficulty of the trip is age-appropriate. Marci says that every trip is a biology and botany lesson where children are introduced to bugs, snails, shells, and mushrooms. Kids will often meet her bottle rats-baby squirrels she frequently bottle feeds on her backpacking trips. Trip dates and prices are available at their web site. Most two-day trips run about $295 per person including guide, food, and camping gear. Outback Guides can customize trips to include canoeing and kayaking. Call 918-446-5956 for further information.

If you don't find the adventure you crave listed here, explore the Oklahoma Tourism Department's web site section on activities. Whether your family wants to adventure on their own two feet, on horseback, or atop four wheels, you can find a guide, instruction, or just a place to roam free in Oklahoma.

Pam Washington is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Central Oklahoma. She and her husband Mike have been married for six years and have traveled Oklahoma with their blended family of five children.