Fishing Saskatchewan

With the added costs of guide service, floatplane flights, and fancy meals, fly-fishing in the northern lakes of Canada has become as prohibitively expensive as yachting in the Caribbean. Cost averages $400 to $500 per day. That's why we're telling you to dispense with the guide and cook your own meals.

George Lake Camp Outfitting (406/644-2297, georgelake.net/) will fly you and your buddies 81 miles north of the airport in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, on a floatplane to your final destination of George Lake. You'll be staying at one of their cabins on a sand beach smack-dab in the middle of a 4,000-acre lake and its slew of uninhabited coves, bays, and islands. There's no need for a guide in these waters. All you have to do is grab one of their 14-foot aluminum boats and soon you'll be reeling in trophy-size northern pike that can reach lengths of 50 inches. There's also lake trout, or if you want to try your luck hooking walleye, take a short trail to an adjacent lake. The five-day, four-night cost for accommodations, flights, and use of boats is $750. You're in charge of food and tackle.

Horseback riding Alberta

One of the best ways to savor the rugged beauty of the Canadian Rockies is snug in a saddle atop a horse. GORPtravel (877/440-4677, gorptravel.com/) features a five-day, four-night trip in Banff National Park, where you'll ride 10 to 15 miles a day and then spend the night at rustic lodges, one of which has been in operation for more than 60 years. Each of the lodges has hot water for showers, and hearty meals.

The ride starts at Martin Stables outside the town of Banff, about an 80-mile drive west of Calgary, Alberta. From here, you'll trot along the glacial-fed waters of Bow River and Healy Creek to the Sundance Lodge. Deep in the heart of the Rockies, you'll continue on the historic Strom Pack Trail, all within view of the majestic Sundance Range. Elevations rise to 8,100 feet as you make your way to your next accommodation, Halfway Lodge. Cost of the five-day trip, including meals, lodging, horses, and guides, starts at only $690.

Multisport in British Columbia

A little more than an hour's drive from Lake Louise in Alberta is British Columbia's far less frequented Kootenay National Park. Not yet as big a name in America as Banff or Jasper, Kootenay has that same Canadian Rocky splendor: hanging glaciers, the limestone Marble Canyon, soaring 11,000-foot summits, and natural mineral pools at Radium Hot Springs. It's not surprising that this majestic backdrop was once home to fur traders and Native Americans.

Kootenay Wilderness Tours (877/659-7665, kootenaywildernesstours.ca/) has taken advantage of the region's history to provide activities that utilize aspects of Native American culture to hopefully feed both body and mind. On their six-day, five-night Rocky Mountain Basic Trip, guests will learn traditional wilderness skills while horseback riding; white-water rafting; fishing for cutthroat, rainbow, and bull trout in the streams; or visiting the largest hot springs in the Canadian national parks system. Depending on your interests, you design an itinerary with the guides. You'll be spending the nights not in a tepee but in cabins at a new, secluded mountain lodge just outside of the park. The drive from Calgary is approximately two-and-a-half hours. Budget Travel readers get a $200 reduction in cost, down to $654. Also ask about their other trips, including Backpacking Is Wild and the Spirit Walker.