Pack trips by one of the oldest...

Pack trips by one of the oldest operators in California will get under way soon in the Sierra. Riding, trout fishing, hiking, camping in alpine meadows. Groups will explore the John Muir Wilderness Area of the Inyo National Forest. Others will take in Yosemite/Sequoia-Kings national parks. (In early summer, mountains will be ablaze with wildflowers.) Dates: June 18 to Oct. 1. Three/14 days, $270/$1,200 (horses, meals, tents). Bring only a sleeping bag/toilet articles. Both novice and experienced riders join these yearly rides. “Doesn’t matter if someone has never been on a horse, we’ll take good care of them,” says Dave Dohnel of Rock Creek Pack Station in Bishop. Twelve riders to a group. Cowboy breakfasts/dinners. Riders brown-bag it at noon (picnics in meadows, beside alpine lakes). Earlier, other vacationers will ride into Inyo National Forest in search of wild mustangs (four days, $395) and join cowboys on horse drives, June 15-18.

Rock Creek Pack Station, P.O. Box 248, Bishop, Calif. 93515, (619) 872-8331.

Canadian Sunset: Starting in May, sunrise till sunset, passengers aboard a privately owned train will survey Western Canadian scenery on two-day excursions between Vancouver, Banff, Calgary and Jasper. In order to ensure that passengers won’t miss photo opportunities (waterfalls, gorges, rivers, forested mountains), the Rocky Mountaineer will travel during daylight hours only. The 20-week season begins May 26, continues through Oct. 10. Rates from $390/$425, including hotel accommodations in Kamloops, continental breakfasts, lunches, complimentary beverages. This is the second season for the British Columbia/Alberta excursion.

Contact your travel agent or call the Great Canadian Rail Tour Co. at (800) 665-7245.

BC by Ferry: Record numbers of passengers are expected to travel on ferries plying coastal waters of British Columbia this summer. Thirty-eight passenger/vehicle vessels (largest ferry fleet in North America) will call at Vancouver, Victoria, Earls Cove, Saltery Bay, Prince Rupert, the Queen Charlotte Islands and other destinations. (The Queen Charlottes serve as nesting grounds for hundreds of thousands of sea birds.) Between June and September, BC Ferries’ Queen of the North will do day cruises (15 hours) between Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert on the northern coast (gateway to Alaska). Cabins/day rooms available along with lounges, a gift shop, a cafeteria. Passengers traveling north from Port Hardy can overnight on the ferry in Prince Rupert, return the following day. These and other journeys listed in a free guide from BC Ferries, 1112 Fort St., Dept. L&L;, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V 4V2.

Affordable London: In a city where prices are out of sight, London’s Edwardian Hotels are infusing the budget traveler with new hope. A “Center Stage” package provides a room for two persons for as little as $380 for four nights, including a theater ticket. Guests booking six nights receive two tickets (three tickets when reserving a room before March 31). Four-night rates up to $649, depending on the choice of hotel. Six nights (double occupancy), $599/$999. The package includes round-trip transfers from either Heathrow or Gatwick airports into London, plus continental breakfasts, tax/service charges and discounts on car rentals/sightseeing tours. (Free wine with dinner.) Hotels are the Grafton, Kenilworth, Marlborough, Mountbatten, Berkshire, the Hampshire. Tickets available to London’s top shows (“Miss Saigon,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “Aspects of Love,” plus other hits). Rates in effect till May 1.

Contact your travel agent or Edwardian Hotels at (800) 331-7469 or (213) 473-8377.

House Swap: Travelers who prefer a house to a hotel can swap their home in the United States for one in Britain. Worldwide Home Exchange Club lists hundreds of Britons who are “anxious to swap with Californians,” the club president tells us. Mrs. M.J. Baer heads up Worldwide’s U.S. office with property listings in dozens of countries. Everything from a cottage in the Cotswolds to a condo on the beach in Hawaii, a town house in Manhattan or an apartment in Hong Kong. (In some cases, car swaps are part of the deal.) Listings in 34 countries. Worldwide also arranges hospitality exchanges whereby co-exchangers receive one another as house guests.

Worldwide Home Exchange Club, 806 Brantford Ave., Silver Spring, Md. 20904. In Britain, write to Worldwide, 45 Hans Place, London SW1X OJZ, England, or telephone direct to London: 011-44-071-589-6055.

Pedaling/Hiking: Hikers/bikers are being courted by American Youth Hostel Discovery Tours in the United States, Canada, Europe. Some good buys. Besides hiking/biking, AYH is booking a New York package ($65) for two nights at Manhattan’s AYH Hostel (two continental breakfasts, admission to the Empire State Building observation deck, transportation to the Statue of Liberty, plus a kit with details on budget sightseeing). Seniors welcome. For cyclers, AYH is scheduling a 44-day tour of Europe ($2,995). Hiking the Colorado Rockies (23 days) figures out to $1,475. Packages include accommodations, group-prepared meals.

For a 24-page tour catalogue, write to American Youth Hostels, Dept. 860, P.O. Box 37613, Washington, D.C. 20013-7613.

Small Hotels/Inns: The latest edition of the pocket-size paperback titled “Passport” is in the bookstores. This is a guide to Europe’s little hotels/inns (254 pages) by travel writer Beverly Beyer. Beyer names more than 850 properties in 23 European countries (Austria to Yugoslavia). Converted abbeys, monasteries, ex-coaching stops. Such rare discoveries as the little St. Simon in Paris (one of my personal favorites). This isn’t a guide for the budget-minded traveler. While prices aren’t outrageous, neither are they backpacker-cheap . “Small, reasonable hotels with character and charm” is how the author describes her discoveries. About the Agora Hotel in Amsterdam ($97 double), she writes: “This little charmer is a block from Singel Flower Market. Breakfast served in a family room overlooking a garden. Bedrooms on canal or garden side have pleasant furnishings, but like most small hotels in Holland, the Agora has no elevator.” My one criticism of Beyer’s guide concerns the relatively few hotel selections in such major capitals as Paris, London, Rome. Otherwise, readers are led to dozens of pleasant, little-known hotels of charm, both in Western/Eastern Europe.

“Passport to Europe’s Small Hotels & Inns” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Available at bookstores ($9.95) or call (800) 848-8298.

Reader Recommendations

Ireland--Julie Beiser, Northridge: “B&B; operated by Ann and Brian Culloo, Cragville, Tulla, County Clare. Close to Shannon Airport, Bunratty Castle. About $18 per person. Homemade scones upon arrival.”

France--Ray Miller, Los Angeles: “Jean-Marc Bacon Normandy Tours in Hotel de la Gare (across from the train station in the small town of Bayeaux). Charges about $20 per person for a four-hour tour. Visits to the D-Day landing beaches, Pointe du Hoc, Sainte Mere-Eglise, Mont St. Michel.”

Hawaii--G. E. Speake, Long Beach: “Reasonable prices in Waikiki for condos on the beach. Studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments with complete kitchens. Rates: $65/$260, depending on season. Waikiki Shores, 2161 Kalia Road, Honolulu, 96815, (800) 367-2353.”

Kentucky--Nancy Davis, Rolling Hills Estates: “Oakland Manor, 9210 Newstead Road, Hopkinsville. Single or double: $45 per night with continental breakfast.”

Idaho--Mr. and Mrs. Emerson MacGregor, Malibu: “Old McFarland Inn, 227 S. 1st Ave., Sandpoint, Ida. 83864. Clean, attractively furnished, delicious breakfasts. Rates: $45/$75.”

Brazil--David Beach, Los Angeles: “The Copacabana Palace, Ave. Atlantica 1702, Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. A five-star hotel on the beach. Room, daily breakfast, private bath: $59.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.