Your Ultimate Winter Play Guide: 13 Fun and Beautiful Winter Trips to Plan Now
8. Discover the best of the hinterland
The Catamount Trail stretches 300 miles through some of Vermont’s most spectacular scenery – a wild tableau of snow-capped peaks, slides and forests. Within this area, a section near Bolton Valley ski area, 25 miles east of Burlington, stands out and provides access to some of the best backcountry skiing in New England.
Trail options are almost endless here, but consider tackling the nine-mile tour that explores the Bolton Valley with Stowe’s Trapp Family Lodge (founded by the family of The sound of music celebrity) that runs through hardwood forests perfect for tree skiing. Finally arrived at the lodge, a roasting platter with homemade pickles and an Austrian beer awaits you. Bolton Valley offers guides and shuttles as well as backcountry clinics (From $175).
Next door in New Hampshire, the Appalachian Mountain Club’s High Cabin sits at 2,700 feet in Mount Cardigan State Park and serves as the perfect home base for a few days in the snow. The 1938 cabin has one room with six beds (sleeps up to 12 total), a propane stove and a wood-burning stove to keep you warm ($169 per night per person). From there, you can hike about a half-mile to the exposed peak of 3,121-foot Mount Cardigan, or work your way up to Duke’s Ski Trail at Firescrew Mountain — one of Mount Cardigan’s three peaks — for a run that takes you up close des brings Cardigan Lodge, a full-service cabin that serves a family-style hot meal with your overnight stay (from $177).
9. Learn something new like, yes, snowkiting
Kitesurfing on snow may sound daunting, but it’s easier to learn than on the water. For the beginning you use skis, you are already standing and a light breeze is enough. Book a lesson with Kite Riders in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, on the southern outskirts of Madison.
Or drive 230 miles west to Clear Lake, Iowa; On February 18, the largest kite festival in the Midwest takes place here, where you can also book a snow kiting lesson.
Would you like to try your luck at fat biking on snow? The Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe is home to 20 miles of fat bike and cross-country trails. Rent a rig at Northstar Cross Country Center and embark on one of eight beginner-friendly routes, alone or with a guide.
East Coasters can book a guide at Water Bikes of Buffalo in New York City’s Canalside—the only place on earth where you can learn to ice bike. Imagine a bike on a carriage with wide, stable runners and a fork with skate-like runners that allow you to turn.
