BEND, Ore. – Wanderlust Tours will offer its first Moonlight Snowshoe Tours of the season on Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10, 2011. And Starlight Snowshoe Tours are available every Saturday night that is not a full moon.  Bonfire on the Snow snowshoe events are planned for evenings throughout the winter holidays, including December 17, 23, 26, 28, 30 and 31.  All evening tours run from 7 to 11 pm, except for the New Years Eve Bonfire on the Snow, which runs 9 pm to 1:30 am to ring in the New Year at the bonfire.

Moonlight Snowshoe Tours invite guests to snowshoe by the light of the moon, to discover the Cascades with the bright moonlight reflecting off of the white snow, and to look for signs of animals in their nocturnal wonderland.  Taking guests off trail and into remote snowy forest, Wanderlust Tours’ naturalist guides bring the forest alive with vibrant natural and cultural history interpretation along the way, and top the trip off with hot chocolate and marshmallows.  No experience is necessary.  The tour cost is $65 per person and includes professional guide, transportation, snowshoes, instruction, and hot chocolate.

            Bonfire on the Snow participants embark on a short snowshoe tour with a Wanderlust Tours naturalist guide to a quiet spot in the snowy forest to bask at a glowing bonfire in the middle of an amphitheater hand carved into the deep snow.  In small groups, participants relax around the fire enjoying local bakery desserts and hot drinks while guides share fun facts about the forest, its animal life and the night sky.   The event cost is $75 per person ($85 for New Year’s Eve) and includes professional guide, transportation, snowshoes, instruction, hot drinks and desserts.

Starlight Snowshoe Tours take place under the light of Central Oregon’s starry sky from the elevation and darkness of the High Cascade Mountains and allow guests to get off trail, away from the light of the city, learn about the constellations, watch for shooting stars and listen for the hush of the nighttime forest.  No experience is necessary.  The tour cost is $65 per person and includes professional guide, transportation, snowshoes, instruction, and hot chocolate.

            Half-day Snowshoe Tours, Shoes Brews and Views beer tasting snowshoe tours, and Desert Cave Tours are also available daily at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.  Bend Brew Bus brewery tours are available daily at 1:30 pm.  Half-day tours range from $45 to $65 per person. 

All snowshoe tours take participants off-trail into remote snowy forest.  Children 8 years and older are welcome on Snowshoe Tours, 5 years and older on Cave Tours, and adults only Brew Bus Tours. 

            Wanderlust Tours, specializing since 1993 in taking small groups into remote natural areas while maintaining a low impact on the environment, was awarded the OSU Austin Excellence in Family Business Award in 2007.

            For information and reservations, call (541) 389-8359 or (800) 962-2862 from outside Central Oregon, or go to Wanderlust’s web site at http://www.wanderlusttours.com/Moonlight_&_Starlight_Snowshoe.htm?m=51&s=391.