The Colorado and Green rivers. Jackson Lake beneath the Tetons. These bodies of water offer some of the best paddling experiences, in some of the greatest settings in the National Park System, and you can experience them in 2016 with your fellow park travelers during a trip with National Parks Traveler. What better way to mark the centennial of the National Park Service?

Through the Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument/Kurt Repanshek

Gates of Lodore, Dinosaur National Monument

The fun begins in June, when we join Holiday River Expeditions for a four-day float on the Green River through the Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument in northeastern Utah/northwestern Colorado. We'™ll let the licensed guides lead us through Disaster Falls, Hells Half Mile, and the other rapids. They'll provide natural history interpretation, and cater to us with three sumptuous meals a day.

But once ashore, noted national park historian Dr. Alfred Runte, who consulted for and appeared on the Ken Burns/Dayton Duncan documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, will lead campfire discussions about the National Park System. 

The scenery in this part of Dinosaur National Monument is outstanding. The Green River has cut a cleft in the Uinta Range at the Gates of Lodore. Further downstream is towering Steamboat Rock, and swirling Whirlpool Canyon. We'™ll see ancient rock art, be doused by a waterfall, enjoy the perfect swimming hole, and hike to a point hundreds of feet above the Green River. Wildlife includes bighorn sheep, deer, great blue herons, and various raptors.

This is the perfect trip for families with youngsters at least 8 years old. There'™s plenty of river time, as well as time for hikes or simply relaxing with a good book as the Green flows by. Meals range from blueberry pancakes or made-to-order omelets for breakfast, wraps and deli sandwiches for lunch, and steaks, fish, or chicken for dinner. Special dietary needs can also be easily handled with enough notice.

We'™ve reserved June 18-21 for Traveler readers. Pricing is $950 per person. To reserve your spot, call Holiday River Expeditions at 1-800-624-6323 and tell them you' want to be on the Traveler trip. Or, book online at Holiday's website by picking the Lodore Canyon trip for June 18-21. Space is available for 18-22 travelers.

With the craggy Tetons overhead, keeping an eye on the waters of Jackson Lake can be a challenge/O.A.R.S.

Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park 

In late-July we'll take a break from the white water...and replace it with the gloriously jagged skyline of the Tetons in Grand Teton National Park. We'll spend two days paddling on Jackson Lake with guides from O.A.R.S., followed by a mellow rafting trip down the spectacular Snake River.

Beneath towering Mount Moran, our base camp for Days 1 and 2 is secluded on Grassy Island in Moran Bay, on the far side of the lake. This island provides us with a more restful, even contemplative, exploration of Grand Teton. There'™s a lot to see. Make the short trip across the small bay and hike up Moran Canyon, explore the western shoreline by kayak, fish for a trout dinner, or head out after dark for a moonlight paddle. Take your sketchpad and, like Thomas Moran, try to capture the mountain that bears his name. The late-19th century painter brought his colorful visions of Yellowstone and the Tetons back to the halls of Congress; you can take yours home to rekindle memories of your adventure year after year.

The paddling, the campfires, and falling asleep under the stars to the rippling lake waters all combine for the perfect outing to get youngsters and teens hooked on the outdoors, not another video game or Facebook post.

On Day 3, we'll float down the legendary Snake River with O.A.R.S. Drifting downstream from the put-in near Pacific Creek in river rafts, we might spot an osprey perched overhead, or pulling a fat trout from the Snake. River otters frolic along this stretch of the river, while moose, pronghorn antelope, and bison roam the river banks.

This trip, scheduled for July 22-24, is priced at $729 for adults and $619 for youths aged 4-17.  To book your seat, contact O.A.R.S.'s Wyoming Adventure Consultant, Ashley Sozzi. Her direct line is 209-753-4800 or 800-346-6277 ext. 4800. There's room for 11 park travelers.

Some of the West's best whitewater can be found in Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, as this shot from our 2015 trip proves/Patrick Cone

Cataract Canyon, Canyonlands National Park

After shoving off into the Colorado River from Potash just upstream from Moab, Utah, we'll spend six days drifting through one of the most mesmerizing landscapes in America. There will be days when we drift through calm pools and stretches of river, and a day of busting through some of the most renowned white water in the Southwest. For those calm days, we'll break out the Stand Up Paddleboards to test your agility and core muscles.

This trip, during southern Utah's typically warm and glorious early fall weather, is set for September 26-October 1, 2016. It will be guided by the professional river runners from Holiday River Expeditions. They'll provide natural history interpretation, and cater to us with three sumptuous meals a day, beginning with lunch the first day and ending with lunch on the last day.

Each day after the sun goes down, Kevin Poe, the National Park Service's original "Dark Ranger," will take us on a tour through the starry skies overhead. With the "new moon" in phase during this period, the skies should be particularly well-suited for star gazing.

This trip will take you through some of the most remote, rugged, and amazing landscape of the Southwest and, arguably, the Lower 48. It was a favorite of Edward Abbey.

"We load the boats, secure the hatches, lash down all baggage, strap on life jackets, face the river and the sun, the growing roar of the rapids," Abbey wrote of one of his encounters with Cataract Canyon. "First Brown Betty, then Ben Hur and Capsize Rapids, then the Big Drop and Satan's Gut. Delightful names, and fitting. We feel the familiar rush of adrenaline as it courses through our blood. We've been here before, however, and know that we'll get through. Most likely. The odds are good."

This six-day trip is perfect for lovers of white-water, red-rock, and the Southwest. Families with enthusiastic and adventurous youngsters at least 8 years old are welcome. Meals range from blueberry pancakes or made-to-order omelets for breakfast, wraps and deli sandwiches for lunch, and steaks, fish, or chicken for dinner. Special dietary needs can also be easily handled with enough notice.

Pricing is $1,200 per person. To reserve your spot, call Holiday River Expeditions at 1-800-624-6323 and tell them you'™d like to be on the Traveler trip. Or, book online at Holiday's website. Space is available for 18-22 park travelers.