Whether you’re looking for soft adventure or a spine-tingling, in-your-face experience, you’ll find it in the deserts of the American West. From hot-air ballooning and stargazing to mountain biking and off-road exploring, the desert offers the perfect setting for teambuilding and morale enhancement. Here’s a peek at some ideal oases for amazing attendee exploits.
Beautiful Balloons
If your group wants to really rise above the crowd, try hot-air ballooning, and one of the best places to soar is Albuquerque, N.M.
“Due in part to its 310 days of sunshine each year, unique weather pattern known as ‘the Albuquerque Box,’ and the fact more balloonists reside here than any other part of the world, the city is recognized as the hot-air ballooning capital of the world year-round,” says Tania Armenta, chief operating and marketing officer for the Albuquerque CVB.
The most popular place for ballooning is the northwest part of the city where Balloon Fiesta Park and the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum are located.
“Balloon pilots often touch the surface of the Rio Grande River with the bottom of the basket,” Armenta says.
During October, groups can develop a program in conjunction with the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, the world’s largest hot-air balloon festival. More than 850 brightly colored hot-air balloons dot the skies during the nine-day celebration.
High Tee
With their lush, carpet-like fairways framed by sand, rock formations and indigenous vegetation, desert courses are both challenging and memorable.
“When playing golf and building a relationship with a colleague or a business client, it helps if the experience is unique,” says Tom McCahan, director of golf operations at the Boulders Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. “At the Boulders, the extraordinary natural setting in the shadow of the unspoiled 12-million-year-old boulder formations is truly inspiring.”
The Boulders’ two 18-hole championship layouts, designed by Jay Moorish, are renowned for their gigantic boulders and stunning cacti dotting the terrain, providing the quintessential desert golf experience.
Desert courses are different because laws require that only a limited amount of the acreage can be irrigated. Consequently, the courses are more dramatic with distinct contrasts between verdant, green fairways and the rugged desert landscape.
Scottsdale’s other desert layouts popular with groups include TPC Scottsdale, Troon North and The Phoenician.
Saddle Up!
Known for its hot springs, sprawling resorts, opulent spas, upscale shopping and desert golf courses, Palm Springs, Calif., has an enviable luxury lifestyle.
A unique way to fully appreciate the stunning natural surroundings is by hiking, biking or scheduling a horseback tour.
“Horseback riding in the desert has been popular since Hollywood discovered Palm Springs in the 1930s,” says Mary Jo Ginther, director of the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism. “The beautiful landscape of Indian Canyons and the towering San Jacinto Mountains make this activity a must-do for any visit to Palm Springs.”
One of the more popular areas to ride is Indian Canyons, an area settled centuries ago by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians. Many traces of their communities exist today and horseback riders see rock art, house pits and foundations, irrigation ditches, dams, reservoirs, trails and food processing areas.
Ginther suggests using Smoke Tree Stables to lead the expedition, an experienced company adept at working with groups and specializing in rides through the Indian Canyons.
Biking Bonanza
Moab, located in southern Utah 30 miles east of Canyonlands National Park, bills itself as “home to the greatest mountain biking on the planet.”
Riders weave through magnificent canyons, rock formations and mesa tops in this biking wonderland.
While highly skilled riders are drawn to Moab, the area is also great for beginners.
“The trail system is graded much like a ski area with green circles for easier trails, blue squares for intermediate and black diamond for expert,” says Michele Hill, a spokesperson for the Moab Travel Council.
For experts in your group, the most famous challenge is the highly technical Slickrock Bike Trail, an exceptionally difficult 9.6-mile trail.
Novices will enjoy trails in Dead Horse Point State Park, which has easier trails like the Intrepid, offering views of the Colorado River Canyon, and the Raven Roll, a 1.7-mile-long straightaway on a hard packed surface. Other trails popular with novices include Hurrah Pass and Chilkoot Pass in the Klondike Bluff Area.
Visitors can purchase a trail map for $3 at local Moab bike shops. For groups, there are several outfitters that rent bikes and offer guided bike tours on various trails.
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Tucson Trails
Five mountain ranges surround Tucson, Ariz., providing hundreds of miles of hiking trails to explore terrain that varies from the rugged, cactus-speckled variety to areas with groves of pine and aspen trees.
Better still, for those who don’t have time to leave the city, there are several engaging urban trails available for groups.
Highlighting Tucson’s menu of hiking trails is The Loop, which encompasses 55 car-free miles of trails around Tucson popular with hikers and bikers; Rillito River Park Trail, an 11-mile trail that meanders through Tucson’s north side; and Santa Cruz River Park Trail, a paved trail that includes part of the Anza National Historic Trail.
Stunning Stargazing
Some of the darkest skies in southern California are at Joshua Tree National Park, located about a 45-minute drive east of Palm Springs.
With a spectacular high desert wilderness setting, the 792,000-acre park gives astronomy-lovers a chance to see the stars. For many, it’s an opportunity to view the Milky Way for the first time in their lives. It is best seen on a moonless summer night.
The recommended areas for stargazing at Joshua Tree include Cottonwood, Pinto Basin and Keys View.
In addition to stargazing, there are a variety ways to enjoy the desert surroundings such as hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature walks and birding.
Canyon Panoramas
Set in western Colorado, about an hour drive southwest of Grand Junction, Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa allows your group to enjoy the desert in a luxurious, multi-amenity environment.
For action-seekers, a UTV (utility terrain vehicle) tour is especially rewarding. A UTV is a combination of an ATV and a pickup truck, with rollover protection.
“You gain over 2,000 feet in elevation to see breathtaking views of the canyons and along the way guests are educated about the history, geography and culture of Gateway,” says Mandy Oberholzer, manager of adventure services at Gateway Canyons.
If you’re looking to ratchet up the intensity, the resort’s Driven Experiences program offers guests a chance to drive hard-charging, 435-horsepower Pro-Baja trucks after completing classroom training with professional instructors.
Gateway Canyons Resort has a 72-room lodge, 8,778 square feet of total meeting space and an array of amenities such as a spa, horseback riding stables, auto museum and three restaurants.
Dune Racing
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.
SunBuggy Fun Rentals in Las Vegas has a fleet of desert racers, which are custom-built off-road vehicles that look like classic dune buggies. They’re specifically designed to handle the rough and tumble desert terrain without a hitch.
With a fleet of more than 140 seats, everyone gets a lot of drive time in Sun Buggy’s corporate programs and competitions.
Drivers have more than 15,000 acres of off-road desert terrain to frolic in and competitions are structured to cater to individual group needs and wants.
Flagging the buggies, operating the timing gear and cheering for the drivers can involve group participants who would rather watch than drive.
