by Jocelyn Milici, Destination Diva
Escape the madness of theme park lines and crowded cities to trees, open space, and where the wild things are. Now is the time to get in touch with your inner nature lover. Flora, fauna, cragged mountains, plus boating, hiking, and skiing all await you and other adventure travelers.
Use Farecast’s airfare prediction tools (see example graph below that compares prices within a 30-day window from L.A. to Reno/Lake Tahoe, Denver/Rockies, and Boston/Cape Cod) to find freedom from the daily grind and at the right price.
Clearly, you’ll need to rent a car once you land in these areas to get the best views and experience. But the road trip is half the fun. (If you can’t find entertaining companions, flying solo gives you a whole new perspective on life.)
The Rocky Mountains
Airport: Denver, CO
Drive west from Denver for your pick of adventures. From Rocky Mountain National Park (with over 350 miles of hiking, biking, or horseback riding trails and dozens of peaks more than 13,000 feet tall) to river rafting the Colorado or Arkansas Rivers (go for at least class 4 rapids for an adrenaline rush), to climbing 14,110-foot Pike’s Peak for panoramic views of foothills and valley, this area is a mecca for outdoor exploration. The Continental Divide Trail bisects Colorado from north to south like a giant backbone, offering plentiful hiking, bird watching, and backcountry camping opportunities. When snowfall settles on the ground, the Rocky Mountains morph into a winter wonderland with a plethora of ski resorts and runs to satisfy any snowboarder, alpine skier, or cross-country skier. Vail, Steamboat, Keystone, Winter Park, Crested Butte, Breckenridge, Aspen, Telluride are renowned mountain resorts.
Lake Tahoe
Airports: Reno, NV or Sacramento, CA
Mmmm…Tahoe. An oasis of crystal clear water surrounded by mountain peaks and forests, Lake Tahoe conjures up visions of a dreamy playground. Water sports range from sailing to kayaking to parasailing. Land treks range from alpine wilderness hikes to bike rides to gondola rides for quick-n-lazy panoramic peeks. A snow season filled with world-class slopes (Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Northstar) invites skiers to stop mid-run to soak in vistas of the blue lake expanding for miles against a perimeter of snow-dusted trees. Lake Tahoe’s rugged wilderness is coupled with manmade entertainment on the California or Nevada side year-round as well. Break from the elements to head indoors for casino action, fine dining, shopping, or simply cozy up in your hotel, vacation rental, or condo to relax before your next day of fun.
Cape Cod
Airport: Boston, MA
Cape Cod curls out from Massachusetts like a court jester’s shoe with Cape Cod Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Cape Cod National Seashore is a long narrow strip of land with numerous beaches for playing, walking, and boating. Provincetown (lively locale with art, theater, music, restaurants, shops) punctuates the strip at the tip of the Cape on Highway 6. There are plenty of outdoor places to roam including a day trip to Hyannis Port, famous Kennedy family gathering spot, and if you dabble in photography, nothing beats taking shots of the tiny, white picket fences amid golden grass and sandy shores on the Cape. There are quaint boutiques, cafés, ice cream parlors, golf courses, and a myriad of accommodations in towns along the Cape. Many ways to enjoy this classic East Coast getaway.
There are endless outdoor getaways, but these are quintessential hotspots from coast to coast.
