This river tour, hosted by Lindblad Expeditions, focuses on the region’s nature and history. You’ll head east, following the return journey of Lewis and Clark’s famed 1805 expedition, from Portland, Oregon, to Clarkston, Washington (one guess who the town’s name after). Your vessel: the National Geographic Sea Bird, a small ship with 31 guest cabins. Stephen Pruett-Jones will lecture about the region’s wildlife, including another kind of travel by waterway: “The Columbia River is the starting point for the annual migration of spawning salmon.”

About the guide: Pruett-Jones, a U. of C. professor since 1988, flies almost as much as the birds he studies. An evolutionary biologist specializing in avian behavior, he’s been a guest lecturer on trips to destinations ranging from Iceland to New Zealand. Pruett-Jones is also quite familiar with the Pacific Northwest — he and his wife will soon move to Washington State, where he’ll continue to research for the university even in his retirement from teaching. “It’s a magical place,” he says. 

Bring: Binoculars. Pruett-Jones invites travelers to join him in birding; he expects to see at least 50 species on this trip.

Watch for: The Columbia River basin, which you’ll cruise into on the third day. “It’s kind of like the Grand Canyon of the Pacific Northwest,” Pruett-Jones says. Its impressive sights are made by both Mother Nature (Multnomah Falls) and humans (Bonneville Lock and Dam).