I booked the Mt. Hood Moonlight Snowshoe experience for my partner's birthday & it was phenomenal! The location was gorgeous, especially in the moonlight. We also really appreciated the effort the host went to in order to serve refreshments. Overall it was a fantastic way to spend an evening! read more

Rare Earth Adventures - White River West Sno-Park - Hiking Near Me - Troutdale, Oregon

I had a great time on this trip. I had signed up in 2019 and with covid and a foot injury I was finally able to take this trip in 2022. REA was very easy to work with for each of the issues. I am very appreciative of all the help they gave me. They wanted me to be well and comfortable with my decisions. The hike itself was all I had hoped for. I wanted to learn the ropes of backpacking. And even though I was farther along in my knowledge then when I signed up in 2019, I still learned a ton. Alexis was our guide and she was always ready, willing and able to answer any questions we had. And we had a lot of questions. Alexis knew what she was doing and gave her knowledge freely. The views were spectacular. The campsites both nights were right on a lake. The hike was hard but doable for this 65yr old. Highly recommond. read more

I recently undertook the two day, one night winter hiking trip on Mt St Helens. It was booked quite spontaneously by a friend and I agreed to tag along. I had none of the equipment needed but everything was thought out and we were advised what was needed ahead of time. Whenever I had a question, Travis would reply within the same day with an answer. In addition to buying the things I needed REA lent me everything else that I needed free of charge which I was very thankful for. The group we were with all seemed to bond well with one another for the brief time we were there. I had no expectations for what was to come, but it sounded like something I'd really enjoy. Throughout the process Travis and Brandon were excellent, I couldn't have asked for more friendly, helpful and instructive blokes to guide us. My only criticism would be that the trip was too short, it would have been really nice to have had an extra night on st Helens and have more exposure to camping. It was still an excellent experience and I would recommend it to anyone. I really hope I can get on board with their Crater Lake trip, as that seems like the next logical step to what I did, as a beginner with very little hiking experience. I would definitely only want to do this with Travis and Brandon though. I felt extremely confident and at ease with their knowledge and experience. read more

Rare Earth Adventures - Travis working hard to help set up another one of the group's tent. - Hiking Near Me - Troutdale, Oregon

My boys and I went on a great climbing trip with Misha. She did an amazing job of challenging each person at the level they were at. She was a very patient and supportive teacher who was really good at engaging even the shyest people on the trip. It was a fun day and this company also makes safety a priority. Truly a top notch company. read more

Rare Earth Adventures - Hiking Near Me - Troutdale, Oregon

Had an awesome 4 day on the PCT in August 2019. REA took excellent care of us. We had a great group and the best guide ever! Cody, you rock. We are novice hikers and felt this trip was totally doable. If you've ever wanted to do a small portion of the PCT, these are the people who can get you through it! So awesome! Don't miss your chance! read more

My husband and I went on a super awesome surfing excursion with Rare Earth Adventures. Our guide (Travis - manager!) gave us a ride from Troutdale out to Newport. We picked up surfboards & wet suits and hit the beach for our quick intro to surfing lesson. By the end of the day, our full group (four newbies) had ALL managed to stand on our boards. We camped across from the beach (tents provided too!). Travis grilled a great dinner, provided a hearty breakfast, and we rounded on the weekend with a solid second day of surfing. Overall, this trip was awesome. Travis managed to knock his front tooth out on the second day out but kept positive vibes for the rest of the weekend - major kudos for not letting that get him down! We got a bit of insight in to the company just through talking with Travis, and Rare Earth Adventures is definitely a company anyone in the area should support. If we ever make it out to the area again (almost guarantee we will), we'll ABSOLUTELY book another tour through them. read more

Rare Earth Adventures allowed me to have an incredibly life changing experience by climbing Mt. Adams (the second highest peak in the PNW) as my first ever mountaineering trip. I was part of a team raising money for a specific breast cancer research project through a non-profit organization Climb For Hope. As a young breast cancer survivor who loves adventure, I was concerned I would never be able to attempt a trip like this due to physical limitations and fears. Rare Earth not only made this possible, they are a major reason why I succeeded. Julie and Brandon were excellent guides. Prior to the trip they were available to talk me through questions and concerns. I had to borrow all of the equipment necessary for the trip, when Julie saw that none of the available packs fit me correctly, she brought me her very own pack to borrow and it fit like a glove. On the mountain, whether it was by standing next to me, lending a helping hand, or talking me through difficult moments, both Julie and Brandon helped me conquer all of my fears and challenges safely. They have great skill, patience, and professionalism. They love what they do and they approached everything with great care and love on our trip. They very clearly hold a special place in their hearts the Climb For Hope and work hard to help the non-profit organization raise funds through adventure like the one I experienced. read more

Rare Earth Adventures - Hiking Near Me - Troutdale, Oregon

This is an excellent adventure group. The guides demonstrate they have found the work they love and are not "working." The guides were excellent with the kids in my group. Rare Earth Adventure helped our group build snow shelters. They taught us how to build an igloo and a snow cave- that really worked! I am definitely going to attend another future event organized by them. read more

Was told over the phone that there would be no snow for the trip. Was the given the option to move the date. Being that I don't live in Portland, this wasn't an option for me. We agreed over the phone to cancel the trip altogether for a refund. Got charged for the trip anyway. If a guide company is willing to lie and steal a measly 75 dollars, then that company isn't worth the time. what a joke read more

I went on a moonlight snowshoe excursion with Rare Earth Adventures last winter. It was amazing. In fact, it opened me up to an entirely new hobby that can get me through the winter months. It was nice to be able to try it out before investing in my own equipment. They were knowledgeable, friendly and fun. In fact, one of them forgot their own snow shoes and gave us the entire tour wearing regular boots. Talk about commitment. I highly recommend them. read more

I went on a winter camping/snowshoeing weekend trip. I had the best experience from start to finish. Before and after booking, Travis was very responsive to all my emails. This was my first time snowshoeing and I had a great time! Our guides Jimmy and Brandon were very helpful with putting up and taking down the tents. They were also absolutely entertaining the whole trip! read more

Rare Earth Adventures - I promise there's a tent under there. Mt. St. Helens. - Hiking Near Me - Troutdale, Oregon

Bought this adventure for my boyfriend. Per him: Travis was an amazing instructor and guide. Had the most fun in ages. The beaches we went to and surfed on were AMAZING! Would highly recommend the whiskey and waves adventure. Helped him to ride his first wave and feel confident to surf again in the future. Wish we could give him 10 stars. Would book another adventure with Travis in a heartbeat. read more

My husband and I had an overnight climbing excursion with Rare Earth. It was tons of fun, challenging, exciting, and over all two days well spent. Brandon was very knowledgeable. He made all levels of climbers feel comfortable and successful as they improved in skill and knowledge. I would recommend Rare Earth for anyone looking to start or improve their climbing skills. read more

Fun! First time snowshoeing and the equipment was fine. Some shoes have the plastic straps and others have the webbing. Don't step on your clown feet as that will cause falling. If you have your own trekking poles with plastic snow baskets they work just fine. The Mt St Helens day trip is a workout. It is uphill, rest for lunch and then back down. You need to be in pretty decent shape although the group ranged from younger marathon-types to people old enough to be their parents. The group stretched out along the way but regrouped frequently for pictures, snacks and shedding/adding of clothing. The dress-in-layers thing is no joke. A single (no cotton) top is plenty while you are going uphill but an insulated jacket and gloves was much appreciated during lunch. You can go from hot and sweaty to cold really quickly once you stop moving. This was a great intro to snowshoe as it covers a variety of terrain including powder, snow mobile flattened trail, uphill, downhill, slopes above creeks and tree holes and climbing up good-sized snowdrifts. If you are looking for a leisurely stroll in the woods then this is probably not the right trip for you. The guide carries wine, snacks, mats to sit on, etc. It would be nice if they upgraded their vehicles but, otherwise, a good time was had by all. read more

A terrible experience. We took a snowshoeing hike. We got no instruction on how to put on the equipment or how to use it. My 5'2" wife was given poles that were above her shoulders. When she complained, the guide said that the pole length made no difference. Wrong! The other 3 people in our group had used snowshoes before and were marathon runners. Although we are daily walkers, we were left behind. When they stopped and we caught up, the guide started up again. Almost all of us had equipment breakdowns. Then the final part of our hike was uphill for 20 minutes. Even the marathoners were exhausted. The next day I had broken blood vessel under my big toe and it is still there 2 months later. I called and emailed customer service without getting a response until days later. read more