Weekend Getaways
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Weekend Getaways: Freedomland U.S.A.
Twelve trips—tailor-made for right now—in the land of outdoor opportunity
Text by Christopher Percy Collier Map by Mijael Seidel
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MOUNTAIN
Scream Downhill, Colorado
Not since Sir Isaac Newton have gravity's effects been so eloquently displayed: Pikes Peak Mountain Bike Tours (www.bikepikespeak.com), based in Colorado Springs, shuttles riders to 9,200-foot (2,804-meter) St. Peter's Dome overlook inside Pike National Forest then points them down—some 3,000 vertical feet (914 vertical meter) ($60, including bikes). "It's 99 percent downhill," says PPMBT owner Dylan Scott. The 18-mile (29-kilometer) trail, built during the gold rush, passes through four tunnels, one creek, and the occasional posse of wild turkeys.
Earn a Billion-Star Review, Montana
The Royal Tine Camp Cook School, in Philipsburg, is Le Cordon Bleu for the Gore-Tex set. Its four-day master class in Dutch oven baking and open-pit sautéing ($800; www.campcookschool.com) begins May 30 at the school's 12,000-acre (5,856-hectare) ranch in the Sapphire Mountains, 90 miles (1,445 kilometers) south of Missoula. "We customize the program to fit your type of camping," says instructor LeRee Hensen. During downtime, cast for cutthroats, ride the ranch's 30 horses, or contemplate your next menu—served with a side dish of stars.
Roll More Than Dice, Nevada
There aren't many sure bets in Vegas. But Bootleg Canyon (www.bootlegcanyon.org), an exquisitely crafted network of bike trails in nearby Boulder City, is money in the bank. "I really went out of my way to make something special," says creator Brent Thomson, who modeled routes after the downhills of a ski resort. The 35-mile (56-kilometer) system runs through a volcanic obstacle course of benches, bridges, and retaining walls, every mile of it rated. Hit Ginger (a controlled triple black diamond), which includes a 72-degree downward drop. Too extreme? Stay on Girl Scout (green), Par None (green), and Mother (blue).
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WEST
Hang Ten on Land, California
Even in southern California, surfable waves can be few and far between. Not so at Wave House (www.wavehouse.com), a new surf park on San Diego's Mission Beach where ten-foot (three-meter) synthetic curlers are formed at the flip of a one-megawatt switch. Shred anytime ($40 an hour) or drop in on May 12 for the first day of the Flowrider Summer Series. Judges will choose the top performers to compete in the international championships, held at Wave House in September. The contest entry fee is $40. Watching the wipeouts is free of charge.
Scout a New Bloom, California
The wildflowers at newly designated, 27,245-acre (11,026-hectare) Cache Creek Wilderness (www.blm.gov/ca/ukiah/cachecreek.html) in northern California turn over faster than you can say Lessingia filaginifolia. "Things change rapidly here," says BLM interpretive specialist Larry Ames. "There could be shooting stars and Indian warriors blooming one day, and western buttercup and lupine the next." See the Technicolor display by hiking down five-mile (eight-kilometer) Redbud Trail, which ends at commercially rafted Cache Creek. For a follow-up, amble down 5.5-mile (9-kilometer) Judge Davis Trail, which offers views of one of the country's last herds of free-roaming tule elk.
Get Lost—and Found, Washington
Playing castaway is an overnight affair with Chris Mitchell, owner of Secondwind Sports. His guided kayaking trips into the wilds of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge ($120 a day; www.secondwindsports.net) depart from Long Beach Peninsula, out of the small town of Nahcotta, in southwestern Washington. From there, you'll paddle the west side of Long Island through a gauntlet of bamboo poles staking out private oyster farms and stop for the night near a forest of western red cedar at boat-access only Smoky Hollow campsite. Want to fashion a telephone à la the professor on Gilligan's Island? String together two of Willapa Bay's prized oyster shells—after slurping down what's inside, of course.
CENTRAL
Float Bluffside, Indiana
Sugar Creek, a 90-mile (145-kilometer), clear-running stream in central Indiana, gets its name from the maple trees that line its banks. But its sweetest asset is a mile-long (two-kilometer-long) promenade of 300-foot (92-meter) riverside bluffs. Put in at Crawfordsville ($30 a day per canoe, including shuttles; www.turkeyruncanoetrips.com) and glide 16 sandstone-lined miles to a campsite in Shades State Park. From there, it's 12 miles (12 kilometers)—beneath a series of covered bridges—to the take-out at Turkey Run State Park.
Bike the Best, Missouri
Bold claims have been made of the Berryman Trail, a formidable 24-mile (39-kilometer) squiggle through the bumpy Ozark wilderness ("the best mountain bike trail east of the Rockies and west of the Appalachians" is one oft-heard kudo). But here in the Show-Me State, the proof is in the pedaling. Knock out the entire loop by clipping in at the Berryman Campground. "It's like a roller coaster from there," says Ferrell Brown, manager at Big Shark Bicycle Company, in St. Louis ($50 a day for rental; www.bigshark.com). Tackle the trail in one four-hour push or stay the night at Brazil Creek.
Explore Your Devilish Side, Wisconsin
"There are more than 2,000 climbs at Devil's Lake," says Todd Stowell, owner
of Apex Adventure Alliance, which leads climbers to the quartzite bounty at Devil's Lake State Park ($65 a day; www.apexadventurealliance.com), 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Madison. "It may be the best climbing spot in the Midwest." Beginner? Clip in at Stetners Rock, Misery, or Cleopatra's Needle. More experienced? Head up the CCC Trail along east bluff. In the middle? Grab slab at the railroad amphitheater, where you can climb at lake's edge.
EAST
Paddle Backwater Bliss, Georgia
Go with the flow. That's the modus operandi on the Altamaha River, a ribbon of blackwater that courses through southeastern Georgia. Water levels change drastically with the tides (rising and falling as much as nine feet [three meter]) and precipitation (the river drains one-third of the state). Slide into a sleek longboat during high tide at Altamaha Regional Park with SouthEast Adventure ($250 for a two-day guided trip; www.southeastadventure.com) and glide ten miles (16 kilometers) to Lewis Island and a campsite in thousand-year-old cypress stands.
Run the Jungle, New York
Ask any New Yawkah: The Big Apple is best viewed at a run. And for those who don't know Broadway from Bowery, there's City Running Tours, a Manhattan-based guide service that will meet you at your hotel anytime, day or night, and lead you through the concrete jungle ($60 for the first six miles [ten kilometers], $6 each additional; www.cityrunningtours.com). Opt for the Uptown Run, which starts in Central Park, heads north on Amsterdam Avenue, goes along Riverside Drive into the Bronx, and cuts back across on Harlem's Malcolm X Boulevard (8.3 miles).
Hike, Eat, Repeat, Tennessee
Backpacking never tasted so good. Blackberry Farm, a 51-room lodge ($795, including meals; www.blackberryfarm.com) tucked in the Tennessee hills alongside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has put an alfresco twist on its award-winning cuisine, arranging custom guided overnight backpacking trips. "I want the guests to be part of the experience," says owner Sam Beall. Routes into the rhododendron-studded wilds stretch six to eight miles (10 to 13 kilometers) and end with a meal of venison sausage, wood-roasted chicken, and collard-and-farrow stew.
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