I always wanted a treehouse growing up. Who didn’t? There’s something magical about the idea of a tiny cabin, vaulted above the ground and surrounded by strong trees, where you could peek out the window and find yourself at eye level with birds and branches. I envisioned sleepovers in the backyard with friends and secret meetings where my siblings and I could look out over the neighborhood or watch squirrels scramble up close by.

While I never got that treehouse as a kid, I can rent one for the night now if I want. From a lookout tower with a wood-fired sauna in Idaho to a sleek cabin with volcano views in Washington to an architect-designed treehouse on a pond in New York, these nine grown-up-worthy treehouse vacation rentals—which are all built to avoid harming the woods around them—will help fulfill your wildest childhood dreams.

Score Views of Mount Adams From This Modern Treehouse in the Columbia River Gorge

Location: White Salmon, Washington

Price: From $280 per night

You’ll come for the view of 12,281-foot Mount Adams at sunset through the 18-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows in this modern, sleekly designed treehouse vacation rental, which sits in between three hearty Douglas firs near the town of White Salmon, Washington, across the Columbia River from Hood River, Oregon. This 500-square-foot pet-friendly cabin comes with minimalist Scandinavian furnishings and maximalist amenities, like an outdoor shower, on-the-ground fire pit, and coffee-making equipment of the highest Pacific Northwest-approved quality. Cell service and TVs don’t exist here. The place sleeps up to six in a private bedroom and an open sleeping loft equipped with two queen beds.

Don’t Miss: From here, you’re just 15 minutes from the in Hood River, a prime spot for mountain biking, and even closer to the windsurfing and kiteboarding that the Columbia River Gorge is famous for. Otherwise, hike to a waterfall like or and end the day with nachos and live music at , a local’s favorite pub in White Salmon.

Spare No Comforts in This Studio Treehouse in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Location: Travelers Rest, South Carolina

Price: From 379 per night

The small town of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, 25 minutes outside of Greenville, is as charming as it sounds. And this thoughtfully designed treehouse on a quiet 16-acre property in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the sweetest place to call home while you’re there. The studio-sized treehouse sleeps two in ultra-comfortable accommodations, complete with an outdoor shower on the back deck and yoga mats for morning stretching. At night, you’ll hear the resident owl, named Betty, hooting a welcome. This treehouse has a two-night minimum, is available for long-term stays, and intentionally doesn’t come with WiFi, though it does have cell service.

Don’t Miss: You’re just 10 minutes from downtown Travelers Rest, where you can ride bikes along the , a 28-mile multi-use pathway. The hiking trails in are 20 minutes away, and there’s wine tasting and an outdoor sculpture park at , five minutes down the road.

Sleep 40 Feet Off the Ground in a Far-Out Lookout Tower in the Forested Midwest

Location: Bradleyville, Missouri

Price: From $295 per night

You’ll drive two miles down a gravel road to reach this remote two-story lookout tower, which is located about 20 minutes outside the tiny outpost of Bradleyville, Missouri. (The nearest grocery store is 30 minutes away, so pack supplies.) This one-bedroom treehouse-style tower was built to resemble the historic fire lookout towers once used to spot fires in rural areas. Two such remaining towers still exist around the , 15 minutes away, which has 32 miles of hiking trails. This is the kind of Airbnb that comes with a welcome basket and a hand-written note from your hosts, making you feel right at home when you arrive. Put your belongings into a winch-operated luggage elevator while you climb the 40 stairs to the top level. Too windy? There’s a cellar storm shelter you can hide out in until the bad weather passes. Nice amenities include upgrades like plush bathrobes, a telescope for night stargazing, and a rock-lined hot tub. Plan to unplug: There’s no TV or WiFi.

Don’t Miss: About an hour from the tower, you can dine on farm-to-table ingredients or take a workshop on soap making or floral bouquets at in Ozark.

Take a Detour on Your Highway 1 Road Trip to Stay at This Magical Treehouse Along the Pacific Coast

Location: Watsonville, California

Price: From $696 per night

You’ll park your car and meander on foot down a wooded pathway before arriving at this picturesque one-bedroom treehouse vacation rental, suspended in a grove of redwoods outside the town of Watsonville, California, known for its plethora of artichoke farms. The bathhouse at this treehouse has its own separate building, accessible via vaulted plank from the main cabin. The house comes stocked with board games and has sliver views of the Pacific Ocean from the wraparound deck. The popular beaches of Santa Cruz and Monterey aren’t far, or stay close and take a stroll on the sand dunes at .

Don’t Miss: Farm stands are abundant in the area. Buy an olallieberry pie or pick your own apples or strawberries at or stop into the shop for fresh artichokes or artichoke dips and sauces, depending on the season. Hike the five miles of woodland trails or spot sea otters by kayak on the wetland waterways of the . rents kayaks and leads guided tours.

Explore Glacier National Park from this A-Frame Treehouse Nearby

Location: Columbia Falls, Montana

Price: From $341 per night

You might never want to leave the comfortable confines of this two-bedroom A-frame cabin that’s suspended in the trees 10 minutes outside Columbia Falls, Montana. That is, until you realize you’re just 30 minutes from the west entrance to Glacier National Park. This well-appointed treehouse is situated on a 5-acre forested property that’s also home to a second neighboring treehouse, but both are positioned to preserve a sense of privacy. In the winter, you’re just 15 minutes from skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort. In the summer, head to Whitefish Lake and the charming lakeside town of Whitefish or go for a scenic drive or hike in Glacier National Park.

Don’t Miss: During peak season from June through September, you’ll need a to drive Glacier National Park’s famous Going to the Sun Road, but it’s worth it for the views along this scenic mountain roadway. In the warmer months, park at the Logan Pass trailhead to hike a section of the 11-mile , which goes point to point along the Continental Divide past the , a historic, romantic backcountry lodge within the national park.

Disconnect at this Architect-Designed Treehouse in the Catskills

Location: Woodstock, New York

Price: From $500 per night

This 500-square-foot tiny house is situated on a private wooded property 15 minutes from the town of Woodstock, New York. Designed by architect Antony Gibbons as a whimsical family escape for these Airbnb hosts, this unique, stilted, stand-alone cabin has massive windows that look out into the Catskill Mountains and to the on-site pond. The quarters are quaint: A lofted, open-air bedroom sleeps two. Pick up bagels and coffee at the in Woodstock to have on hand. In the winter, there’s downhill skiing and an uphill policy at , a 30-minute drive away.

Don’t Miss: From spring to fall, tackle the 6-mile hike to the , which starts just up the road, or take the short but scenic walk to. There are plenty of lakes and swimming holes to jump into in the area, but why bother going anywhere else when you have a swimming pond in the backyard of your treehouse vacation rental? A wood-fired cedar hot tub awaits you on the edge of the pond. There’s no cell service or WiFi.

Enjoy a Wood-Fired Sauna at This Lookout Tower in Remote Backcountry

Location: Fernwood, Idaho

Price: From $271 per night

This structure wasn’t built to look like an old fire lookout tower—it actually is an old lookout tower. Originally built in 1959 atop a peak in eastern Washington, it was relocated to western Idaho in 1983 and completely remodeled as a year-round no-frills guest house in 2018. It’s surrounded by 13 acres of forest land on Crystal Peak outside the tiny hamlet of Fernwood, Idaho. In the summer, you can drive to within 50 feet of the lookout, but you’ll need an all-wheel-drive car (the road in is pretty rugged); in the winter, you’ll need to ski tour, snowmobile, or catch a lift from the caretaker’s off-road vehicle for an additional fee. There’s no bathroom in the lookout; you’ll need to climb down the ladder to the ground level to use the outhouse.

Don’t Miss: You’ll likely spend your days wandering around the hut—you can forage for huckleberries or morel mushrooms—then light up the wood-fired sauna, located on its own deck.

Bring Your Family to This Cozy Treehouse in the Foothills of the North Georgia Mountains

Location: Dahlonega, Georgia

Price: From $294 per night

You wouldn’t guess you’re just an hour north of Atlanta when you settle into this peaceful abode built around a massive oak tree. For families or groups, four people can sleep in bunks and a queen bed stacked in various nooks and this treehouse vacation rental comes with kids’ books and toys if you’re bringing little ones. There’s a short nature trail out the door. Three other vacation rental cabins sit on the same 7-acre property, but they’re well spaced apart from each other.

Don’t Miss: Downtown Dahlonega, a few minutes away, is listed on the National Historic Register as the site of one of America’s first gold rush towns. You can learn more about the area’s history at the Visit the 729-foot high waterfall in or hike the 8-mile that connects to the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail near its southern terminus at Springer Mountain.

Ski Sunday River from This Chalet in the Trees

Location: Woodstock, Maine

Price: From $470 per night

You’ll sleep 20 feet off the ground in a 300-square-foot tiny house designed and built by The Treehouse Guys, made famous on a DIY Network show. This cabin, in Woodstock, which can sleep up to four in two small, lofted spaces, is surrounded by maple and hemlock trees and just 10 minutes from the town of Bethel, Maine. It comes stocked with a record player, a ukulele, and a hot tub. The hosts call this pad The Ski Haus for a reason: Skiing at is less than 15 minutes away and skiing and summertime lift-accessed mountain biking at is just five minutes away. Or don’t leave the grounds: You can reach seven miles of hiking and snowshoeing trails from this treehouse vacation rental within the surrounding 634-acre Bucks Ledge Community Forest.

Don’t Miss: There’s ice skating midwinter on North Pond, a short walk from the treehouse, or in the summer, the place comes with access to paddleboards and kayaks.

Megan Michelson is an award-winning journalist who covers travel and the outdoors for a wide range of publications, including șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, from her home base in Tahoe City, California. She’s always dreamed of staying in a treehouse—even from childhood—and can’t wait to hit up these spots on her 2025 vacation list. She’s recently written about the coolest off-grid Airbnb in Colorado, how this woman pulled off buying a one Euro home in Italy, and these 10 vacations that might even help you live longer.Ìę

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I’ve tackled sections of the Pacific Crest Trail—backpacking, day hiking, and trail running—but to think of taking months off to complete all 2,650 miles of this trail, which climbs mountain passes and traverses remote California, Oregon, and Washington, feels overwhelming. A long-distance walk, on the other hand, feels more manageable, like something any of us could pull off, given some time. They mostly involve days and weeks rather than many months, and are at more consistent elevations.

I’m not talking about a mountainous thru-hike where you plan out food caches and sleep on the ground. I’m talking about a meandering or purposeful walk that goes on for days, weeks, or maybe months. A big commitment, yes. A physical feat for sure. A mental and emotional pilgrimage of sorts. But not so strenuous that most people couldn’t do it, building up their mileage.

These long walks, on byways and moderate terrain, are more like scenic tours of spectacular landscapes, or adventurous journeys through cities and forests. They are not so much to be completed as experienced.

And I think they’re the most beautiful in the world.

1. Best Urban Trail

Empire State Trail, New York

It took four years to link up and complete the entire , one of the longest multi-sport pathways in the United States, officially finished in late 2020. The route runs 750 miles across the state of New York, from New York City north to the Canadian border and from Albany west to Buffalo. Three quarters of the trail is on off-road pathways. You can walk on converted rail trails through the Hudson River Valley, stroll beside the historic Erie Canal, or move through wetlands and fields along Adirondack Park and Lake Champlain. Eventually the trail will include a 200-mile greenway across Long Island; construction of the first 25 miles of that section begins this year.

Pick a section of this largely urban route, which is also popular with bicyclists, and walk it one direction, then hop on a train back to where you started—Amtrak stations are located in 20 towns and cities along the way. Find community with others traveling the trail or seek tips on good trailside lodging or camping from .

Don’t Miss:Ìę ÌęMore than 200 craft breweries dot the Empire State Trail, in an aggregate known as the . Get a brewery passport and pick up stamps at the places along the way to earn rewards like a T-shirt or cooler bag. In the Hudson Valley, spend a night at (from $195), which has cabins, canvas tents, and a cedar sauna just a short walk from the trail.

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2. Best Pilgrimage

El Camino de Santiago, Spain

Each year, over 300,000 people embark upon sections of this legendary pilgrimage, on a network of trails dating back to pre-medieval times and roadways that vary from cobbled to paved. The most popular route is the Camino Frances, a 500-mile pathway that starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, and takes travelers about four to five weeks to walk, passing through the Pyrenees mountains and La Rioja wine region, La Meseta arid range, and through eucalyptus forests into Galicia and Santiago itself. The Camino Portugues, heading up the northern coast of Portugal is another top choice, stretching between 140 and 380 miles depending on your starting point, and crossing through fishing villages such as the UNESCO Heritage Listed cities of Lisbon and Porto. No matter which route you choose, all roadsÌęon the Camino lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, where the remains of the Apostle Saint James the Great are allegedly buried.

You can walk the Camino year-round—the most popular season is mid-summer—but aim for spring or fall for mild temperatures and fewer crowds, and be aware that many lodges and albergues close in winter ). offers guided walks on the Camino through Portugal and Spain lasting from a week up to 22 days (from $1,436), or, if you’d rather go on your own, has self-guided options (from $718).

Don’t Miss: Once you reach Santiago de Compostela, head to the Pilgrim’s Office for your official stamp of completion, having received a pilgrim’s passport from your entry point to be stamped along the way. Bagpipes will be playing nearby as you enter the gates of the holy Santiago de Compostela.ÌęThe cathedral has a Pilgrim’s Mass at noon and 7:30 p.m. daily; go early if you want a seat. On , await the ancient ritual of the swinging brass Botafumeiro, or cauldron, which is filled with incense and coal and so heavy eight men are required to move it.

3. Best Waterfront Route

Stockholm Archipelago Trail, Sweden

Opening in October 2023, the 167-mile connects new and existing pathways across 20 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago, the largest archipelago in Sweden and home to over 30,000 islands. To walk the whole thing, you’ll need to use a series of public ferries and private boat taxis. You can also pick a section and just walk a few islands at a time; each has an average of about nine miles of trails. You’ll travel along gravel roads, forest paths, and beaches, and through remote fishing and farming communities.

Along the way, camp or stay in hotels or B&Bs. offers a seven-day, self-guided journey on the trail (from $1,095) in spring, summer, or fall that includes lodging in locally owned hotels, luggage transfer, and daily routes that max out at about nine miles.

Don’t Miss: On the island of Tranholmen, a celebrated chef named David Enmark opens up his home to diners every Friday night—. Or visit the island of Furusund, which contains about five miles of trail and is site of a famed 19^th-century summer resort, now a 16-room boutique hotel: the (rooms from $121), which welcomes guests who arrive by boat or on foot.

4. Best for History Buffs

Lycian Way, Turkey

Traversing the rocky Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, the 472-mile Lycian Way winds through the ancient maritime republic known as Lycia. Mountains rise from the turquoise sea as the route follows old roads, footpaths, and mule trails through long-gone civilizations. You’ll pass by lighthouses, beaches, historic sites like Roman amphitheaters and rock tombs, and lagoons over underwater ruins of sunken cities that can be toured by boat.

Most people take on just a section of the Lycian Way. has five- to 14-day guided tours (from $1,187) that include lodging and luggage transfer, or leads seven-day treks (from $995) with an English-speaking guide. Best to do this historical walk in spring or fall, from February to May or from September to November to avoid the high heat of summer.

Don’t Miss: °ŐłÜ°ù°ì±đČâ’s illuminates Lycia’s ancient capital city of Patara after dusk, making it a magical place to explore by night. Best lodging on the trail: the (from $240), built in 2005 on a hillside, has glass windows, viewing hammocks, and saunas overlooking the Aegean Sea.

5. Best for Conservationists

John Muir Way, Scotland

Not to be confused with California’s more demanding John Muir Trail, the is a relatively new route (established around 10 years ago) that stretches coast to coast across Muir’s home country of Scotland. This 134-mile walk begins in the western waterfront town of Helensburgh, where quotes from the famed Scottish-American environmentalist mark a commemorative stone bench. The trek ends around 10 days later in the eastern seaside town of Dunbar, where Muir was born in 1838.

On the way, you’ll walk through the cobbled streets of the capital city of Edinburgh, along the shores of , and by the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift in central Scotland. has self-guided itineraries (from $1,827) for the entire route, including accommodations.

Don’t Miss: Stay in (from $417), a restored 16th-century castleÌęjust off the trail 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The trail’s eastern terminus is at Muir’s birthplace, a humble three-story home in Dunbar that’s now a historic and free to visit.

6. Best for Self-Reflection

Shikoku Pilgrimage, Japan

This circular walk across the Japanese island of Shikoku visits 88 temples and sacred sites where the Buddhist saint known as KĆ«kai is thought to have trained in the 9^th century. The entire route is about 745 miles—mostly using roads, but also on select mountain trails—and takes around six weeks to walk. Or you can choose just a section.

The traditional approach starts at the first temple, Ryƍzenji, in Tokushima prefecture and proceeds clockwise until you reach the last temple, ƌkuboji, in Kagawa prefecture. Many pilgrims dress in traditional attire, including a white cotton robe, scarf, and straw hat, and carrying a walking stick; they also carry pilgrims’ books, to be stamped after worshipping at each temple. leads an eight-day tour of the pilgrimage (from $2,303), where you’ll walk up to eight miles daily with an English-speaking guide, staying at guesthouses and temple lodging.

Don’t Miss: One of the hardest temples to reach is number 21, Tairyuji, or Temple of the Great Dragon. You can ride the tram to reach this mountaintop temple or hike to the site on a steep three-mile trail through limestone rocks and an ancient cedar forest. There you’ll climb a marble staircase leading into the temple gates and visit a bronze statue of KĆ«kai meditating.

7. Best for Wildlife Spotting

Yuraygir Coastal Walk, Australia

The 42-mile point-to-point leads through the beaches and bluffs of Yuraygir National Park in New South Wales. You’ll start in the village of Angourie and follow the sign-posted track, as trails are called in Australia and New Zealand, south to the red-tinted cliffs of Red Rock. Most people take four to five days to do the whole route. Along the way, you’ll spot turtles and whales, swim in the Pacific Ocean, and walk through coastal headlands and the biodiverse Solitary Islands Marine Park.

Spend your first night on the trail camping at the , which is only accessible on foot. Or if you’d prefer sleeping in a bed, book a guided walk that includes shuttles to trailside properties like (from $234) or (from $125). leads a guided five-day walk of the trail (prices vary according to group size and season) for private groups from November to April that includes luggage delivery, boat and bus transfers, national-park fees, and accommodations. If you’d rather go it on your own, you can base out of the family-owned in Wooli, and the owners will arrange for lifts to the trail each day (from $499, including lodging and hiker shuttles).

Don’t Miss: Stop into the beachfront , about halfway through your route, for a sausage roll or pizza. Spend some time at the and estuary, a breeding site for endangered shorebirds including the pied oystercatcher and beach stone-curlew. The trail along the Station Creek estuary is lined with scribbly gum and corkwood trees, and if you’re lucky, you’ll spot an Australian crane or coastal emu.

8. Most Adventurous

Te Araroa, New Zealand

New Zealand is known for its stellar tracks, and , also called the Long Pathway, is the country’s most ambitious trail project yet. It’s a 1,900-mile journey crossing the length of New Zealand’s North and South Islands, from Cape Reinga at the north end to Bluff at the southern tip. The trail itself climbs mountain passes, crosses verdant plains, and travels through small cities and remote villages. Roughly 2,000 people walk the whole trail each year, taking between three and six months. Most hikers go north to south, starting around October, which is springtime in New Zealand. If you don’t have that kind of time, pick a section or a single island; the South Island is considered the more challenging of the two due to its more mountainous terrain.

While this video shows a Te Araroa thru-hike, some choose a section or decide to hike either the North Island or South Island. The South Island is more remote and considered more difficult, the North Island route longer but with more road walking. (Video: șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű TV) Ìę

Before you go, ($34) to receive the latest maps and a Te Araroa walker-information packet. Buy a (from $110) for access to over 70 Department of Conservation-managed backcountry huts and campsites along Te Araroa. The trail also has Ìęto help you plan and navigate, and the trail notes for each section give details on the route and where to stay and resupply. Or you can book a guided 12-day trip with (from $8,595) and let the outfit take care of the logistics, including hotel bookings.

Don’t Miss: On the North Island, you’ll climb the extinct volcano of Mount Pirongia and descend to the valley below, where you’ll walk by the glowworm-studded , which are worth a stop; you can see the illuminating glowworms in their grottos by boat. On the South Island, spend a night at the 12-bunk, first-come, first-served near Wanaka, which has stunning views from the porch overlooking the Motatapu Valley and a nice swimming hole in the adjacent creek.

9. Best Way to Explore Indigenous Cultures

Vancouver Island Trail, Canada

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is a rugged and densely forested place, and the 500-mile is among the most challenging routes on this list. The trail goes from the capital city of Victoria on the southern end of the island to Cape Scott on the northern tip, crossing rocky beaches and through lush rainforests and territories sacred to First Nations tribes, including the Songhees in the south and the Tlatlasikwala to the north. The trail is broken up into seven distinct sections, from paved pathways through urban areas to logging roads, hiking trails, and rail trails. Each section takes around five to 10 days to walk—or you can spend two months doing a complete thru-hike. Some sections of the trail are still being completed and not well marked, so plan on some skilled route finding or that’s better delineated. If you’re walking the trail northbound, you’ll end in , where the Cape Scott Lighthouse has been shining light for mariners since 1960.ÌęÌę

Don’t Miss: Book a cabin or pitch a tent at the First Nations-owned , between the northern towns of Port McNeill and Port Hardy. At the center of Vancouver Island, you’ll walk through Strathcona Provincial Park, British Columbia’s oldest park, dotted with high-alpine lakes and jagged snow-capped peaks. The , on the outskirts of the park, has eight seasonal campsites and a sauna.

10. Best New Trail

Camino de Costa Rica, Costa Rica

You’ll walk from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean on the 174-mile-long , or the Costa Rican Way, which was inspired by Spain’s El Camino de Santiago. This relatively new trail—established in 2018 by the nonprofit Asociación Mar a Mar—travels through coffee plantations and rainforests, over the Continental Divide, and among tiny villages that rarely see tourists. Plan on around 16 days to hike the whole thing.

The trip starts on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, in the town of Barra de Parismina, at the base of Tortuguero National Park, known as a nesting ground for leatherback turtles. It ends in Quepos near Manuel Antonio National Park, filled with coral reefs and white-sand beaches. Stay in guesthouses, campsites, and hotels along the way. You will want to hire a guide, as much of the trail is sparsely marked. leads guided hikes ranging from eight to 16 days (from $1,675) that include meals and stays at local homes and guesthouses.

Don’t Miss: In the Orosi Valley, stay at the (from $59), which has private casitas and rooms close to the trail. In the town of Orosi, you can visit Iglesia de San JosĂ© Orosi, the oldest church in Costa Rica, dating back to 1743, and its Religious Art Museum, and the .

11. Best Paved Trail

Paul Bunyan State Trail, Minnesota

Most popular with cyclists, the Paul Bunyan State Trail is still a great long walk for those who want a paved, accessible pathway. The route begins at in Brainerd and ends 115 miles later at in Bemidji, home to a famous giant statue of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe. This is the longest continuously paved rail-trail in the country, moderate in grade throughout as it follows the former Burlington Northern Railroad, abandoned in 1983. You can camp at and Lake , or stay in hotels in the various trail towns along the way.

Don’t Miss: You’ll walk through the town of Hackensack, where every September chainsaw carvers turn hunks of wood into art in the annual Chainsaw Event. The (from $89) in the town of Nisswa has rooms and lakefront cottages steps from the trail on Lower Cullen Lake. In Pequot Lakes, stop into the trailside for a scoop of ice cream.

12. Best for Foodies

Cinque Terra, Italy

Cinque Terre or “Five Lands” refers to five coastal towns—Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore—over the the Ligurian Sea, all linked by about 75 miles of hiking trails. The most popular route is the Sentiero Azzurro, known as the Blue Trail, which is less than 10 miles and can be done in a day. You can start in Monterosso or Riomaggiore and work your way in either direction, passing through lemon groves and walking staircases directly down to the sea.

For a more expanded tour, consider five- or eight-day self-guided hiking trips in Cinque Terre, where you’ll stay in curated hotels, dine on pizza and gelato from locals’ favorite spots, and ride trains to reach new trails each day. If you’re hiking on your own, be sure to check the for updates on closures (landslides have closed sections of the trail), and grab a (from $7 a day) for access to the two paid hiking trails—from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia—and for use of the bus lines within Cinque Terre National Park.

Don’t Miss: Climb the stairs to Doria Castle, a medieval fortress near the village of Vernazza, to see the remains of one of the oldest surviving towers on the Liguria coast. The five-room guesthouse (from $208) in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Vernazza makes for a good midway stop on your hike.

13. Most Accessible

Cotswold Way, England

The is a quintessentially English experience, where you’ll walk from the historic market town of Chipping Campden, once a busy center for traders, to the steps of the Late Medieval church of Bath Abbey, crossing through farmlands, country parks, and beech woodlands. Stop and admire fields full of sculptures or study English Civil War sites. This well-marked 102-mile trail can be traveled in either direction, taking between seven and 10 days. has both guided and self-guided walks (from $1,154) ranging from between seven and 12 nights, where you’ll sleep in limestone cottages and guesthouses.

Don’t Miss: Climb the hill to the Broadway Tower, an 18th century tower within a 200-acre estate of parkland offering expansive views across the valley; enjoy afternoon tea at the Tower Barn CafĂ© afterward. The trail also passes by , home to some 30 species of endangered butterflies, and , a historic garden filled with seasonal flowers and a lavish mix of Classical, Gothic, and other architecture.

Megan Michelson is an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor and avid traveler who once lived in England for a year and went on a lot of long rambles through the countryside. She recently wrote about trips that may help you live longer and her favorite new backcountry hut in Colorado.

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Traveling itself is believed to help boost longevity, but what if your next getaway had even more long-term benefits?

Picture a reboot that’s good for you. We’re not talking about rigid health camps—we all deserve to enjoy our hard-earned vacations, after all—but rather, trips to beautiful places where mindfulness, wellness, community, and longevity are top priorities.

Wellness travel is booming. Between 2020 and 2022, wellness trips grew by 30 percent annually, according to research by the Global Wellness Institute, which also reported that in 2022, 819.4 billion wellness trips were taken in the U.S. and internationally, making up about 7.8 percent of all tourism.

Clearly, these types of vacations are resonating, with good reason. These are my 10 favorite wellness trips in North America.

1. Soak in Natural Hot Springs

Ojo Caliente in New Mexico

Soaking in natural hot springs makes for easy relaxation and rejuvenation. Mineral baths have been shown to reduce stress, lessen joint pain, improve circulation, and naturally detoxify. At , a spa resort in northern New Mexico, you can soak in any of nine communal pools (with minerals like lithia and iron), which include a mud bath and a silent pool, or book a private tub. Access to the steam room and sauna come with your stay, and you can add on yoga classes or spa treatments like sound healing or anti-inflammatory massage.

Dating back to 1868 and located amid desert cliffs near the banks of the cottonwood-lined Rio Ojo Caliente, the place is one of the country’s oldest health resorts, and open for both overnight and day use. Lodging options include adobe suites with hammocks on the patios or restored vintage trailers. (Day passes for the pools start at $45; rooms from $239 a night.)

Ìę2. Check Into a Wellness Resort

YO1 in Monticello, New York

You’ll get personalized treatments and a custom therapeutic plan when you book at , an Ayurvedic longevity resort that opened in the Catskills in 2018 with a focus on Eastern medicine and holistic therapies. This place is for dedicated self-care travelers looking for a total reboot, a concentrated wellness plan, or programs designed to treat specific issues like stress, depression, diabetes, infertility, or insomnia. Visit for the day or stay for a week.

Not sure where to start? Try the three-night wellness program, which includes individual consultations, mud baths, and acupuncture. You’ll stay at a 131-room lodge overlooking Baileys Lake on a 1,300-acre property in pine forests and surrounded by hiking and biking trails—all just two hours from New York City. Access to an infrared sauna, hot tub, group meditation, a reflexology walkway, fitness room, and Olympic-sized swimming pool are included. (Day pass, which includes meals and all-day programming, for $500; overnight accommodations start at $185.)

3. Stay In a Communal șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Lodge

Campfire Ranch Little Sugar in Bella Vista, Arkansas

If community is what you’re after, consider , a new adventure lodge opening in or around May 2025 with out-the-door access to 40 miles of world-class mountain-bike trails surrounding Bentonville, Arkansas, with singletrack loops over rolling hills and through stands of redbud, dogwood, and mulberry trees. The eight-room lodge comes with access to a communal fire pit, outdoor cooking space, gear storage, bike-wash stations, and breakfast service. Campfire Ranch’s adventure concierge can help plan your outings and connect you with local bike rentals and guides. Rent a single room or, if you’re with a group, book out the whole place. (Rates from $250.)

4. Run In Another Country

Aire Libre in Mexico City

, cofounded by Mauricio Díaz, a world-class ultrarunner from Mexico, specializes in transformational running and hiking retreats all over the world, from Costa Rica to Japan. These retreats focus on the intersection of movement, mindfulness, culture, and sustainability, enabling participants to connect with themselves and the landscapes and cultures they’re exploring.

The company’s ($1,800, including meals, lodging, and guiding) is a four-day running adventure where you’ll jog through Mexico City along the gravel trails of Viveros de Coyoacán park and the plazas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico campus. You’ll also leave the city to run trails across the volcanic landscape of the Continental Divide, then experience a guided indigenous temazcal ceremony in a sweat lodge. By night, enjoy communal meals and lodging in boutique hotels.

Ìę5. Spend Four Days Doing Yoga

Esalen in Big Sur, California

Even if you’re not a dedicated yogi or a holistic-retreat kind of person, you’ll love being on the jagged cliffs of Big Sur at , a nonprofit retreat center and educational institute with a heavy yoga focus. You can do a self-guided exploration (read: stay on your own with limited formal instruction) or sign up for the center’s two- or four-night workshops on topics like hypnotherapy, storytelling, or astrology. This is the kind of place where your cell phone doesn’t work, so you might as well stash it away and focus on movement, nature, and real-life connection.

When you’re not learning about your conscious intentions, you can hike the trails within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park amid 300-foot redwood trees, oak, and chaparral, and see an 80-foot waterfall plummet into the sea. You can also wander the beaches of Big Sur, or bathe in Esalen’s famously clothing-optional hot springs above the roiling Pacific Ocean. Accommodations range from bunks in communal rooms to private yurts overlooking the Pacific. (Rates from around $950 for multi-day workshops, including lodging, meals, and programming. Scholarships available.)

6. Sit in a Sweat Lodge Under a Full Moon

The Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina

You could come to the to stay in a well-appointed cottage and eat farm-to-table meals with ingredients sourced on site. Or you could make a trip here into a more broad-based wellness excursion. Just under 40 minutes from Asheville and situated between the verdant Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains with a view of Mount Pisgah, this health sanctuary has five energy vortexes (places believed to be centers of energy currents with spiritual effects), holistic spa treatments, an outdoor labyrinth for walking meditation, and a meditation tower.

The resort recently partnered with, a Cherokee wisdom keeper and ceremonialist from the Qualla Indian Boundary in the Great Smoky Mountains, to build a sweat lodge on the 85-acre property, where he hosts ceremonies on each full and new moon. Overnight accommodations include one-room lofts or three-bedroom homes, depending on your group size. (Rates from $399.)

Ìę7. Go Forest Bathing

Southall Farm and Inn in Franklin, Tennessee

Not all spas are created equal. ’s spa goes above and beyond, incorporating botanical ingredients and mindfulness in sessions like energy healing and detoxifying treatments to develop a deeper connection to self and nature. This working farm on a 425-acre plot in Tennessee has a 62-room lodge plus 16 private cottages that opened for guests in 2022. You can add treatments like sound-bath meditation, forest bathing, or a wellness consultation, depending on what you’re looking for. More than seven miles of hiking and biking trails surround the farm, and there’s canoeing and fishing on the private Lake at Southall. Or take guided tours of the orchard and apiaries that are home to some 8 million bees. (Rates from $695.)

8. Build Something With Your Hands

Yestermorrow in Waitsfield, Vermont

This place isn’t a spa resort in the standard sense, but for people who find learning new skills and using their hands to build things are perfect ways to unlock a deep sense of fulfillment. is a green design-and-build school in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, with a small campus offering day classes and overnight lodging in the Green Mountain National Forest with its lakes and mountain hikes. You can take courses on building a coffee table, sustainable treehouse design, harvesting your own lumber, or basic carpentry. Classes last from two days to two weeks (with certification programs that go longer). Healthy-meal plans plus lodging—dorms, cabins, or camping—can be added to your tuition. (Lodging from $10 to $55 a night; courses from $260, scholarships and sliding-scale tuition available.)

9. Surround Yourself with the Ocean

Pebble Cove Farm in Orcas Island, Washington

Getting to is the first step: You’ll need to take a ferry to reach Orcas Island, part of the dreamy San Juan Islands in upper Puget Sound, 100 miles north of Seattle. Once you’re here, you’ll settle into a cozy cottage overlooking a quiet bay at this farm and animal sanctuary that hosts guests and offers wellness retreats. The inn rents out kayaks and paddleboards and has a garden and apple orchard you’re welcome to wander through. Rescued farm animals like horses, chickens, pigs, and goats, adopted from elsewhere, reside here. The garden and farm animals are closed off from November through April, but the cottages are open year-round. (Rates from $300.)

10. Ski With New Friends

The Ski Retreat in Palisades Tahoe, California; Sun Valley, Idaho; Breckenridge, Colorado

You want to spend a weekend playing outside in snow-covered mountains, but not to deal with figuring out logistics or finding a group of friends to go with. We get that. Enter , a women’s getaway in places like Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley, or Breckenridge for groups of six to 12. These trips, numbering five this winter, are about connection, friendship, relaxation, and play—without having to plan a thing. Your three-night retreat includes lodging at a slopeside cabin, morning yoga, gear demos, chef-prepared group dinners, fireside chats, art classes, and ski and snowboard adventures for a wide range of abilities. (Rates from $550 for local residents not including lodging; from $1,190, including lodging.)

Megan Michelson, an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor, lives in northern California. She’s hoping her occasional habits of drinking tea, practicing yoga, and sleeping 10 hours a night will lead to a long and healthy life. She recently wrote for us about buying a 1 Euro (yes, as in one dollar) home in Italy; how to travel to ski, hike, and bike in Jackson, Wyoming, on the cheap (hard to believe, but she knows of great deals); and why she and her family traded traditional Thanksgiving options for Campsgiving. Her list of great outdoor festivals extends into May 2025.

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UPDATE: Late on January 7, Park City Mountain Resort and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association announced that they reached a tentative agreement for a contract that will extend through April 2027. “The tentative agreement addresses both parties’ interests and will end the current strike,” reads a joint statement from both parties. “Everyone looks forward to restoring normal resort operations and moving forward together as one team.” șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű will continue to provide ongoing coverage of this story.

Labor negotiations continued on Tuesday between Vail Resorts and the union representing ski patrollers at Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort, owned by Vail Resorts. This is the second day of negotiations this week amid an . Around 200 Park City ski patrollers walked out of their locker room on December 27, during the resort’s peak holiday season, to form a picket line in their fight for higher wages and better working conditions.

“Negotiations have been dynamic and fluid, with things changing rapidly,” says Teddy Zerivitz, who’s on the executive board for Park City Mountain Resort’s ski patrol union. “We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We love our jobs, and we want to be back out there. Once we have a fair contract, our skis are in our cars and we’re ready to get back to work.”

Since last April, the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, the labor organization representing ski patrollers at Park City Mountain Resort, has been asking the ski area’s parent company, Vail Resorts, for an increase from $21 to $23 an hour for new patrollers and higher compensation for more experienced patrollers, as well as enhanced benefits and educational opportunities. (Veteran patrollers currently earn 35 percent more than entry-level patrol, according to Vail Resorts.)

Vail Resorts agreed to 24 of the 27 contract items the union requested, but negotiations stalled. The patrol union filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, citing that Vail Resorts refused to bargain and engaged in coercive behavior. During the strike, the patrol union has urged locals and visitors not to spend money at Vail-owned properties. As of last week, shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. fell by 6 percent. A has raised over $260,000 to support the ski patrollers.

In a written on January 6 by Park City Mountain Resort Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh, she wrote, “First, please know; we care deeply about the work of our ski patrol; we have invested a lot in them and will continue to. Second, they are asking for much more than $2/hour [more]. In fact, on the day they went on strike, their demands equaled $7/hour more. Finally, you should know that we have come to the table with compelling offers.”

Over the holidays, the strike significantly impacted operations during one of Park City’s busiest weeks of the year. Typically, Park City Mountain Resort operates with around 100 ski patrollers working on any given day; currently, they’re managing with what one patroller estimated to be around 30 or 35 patrollers. Guests waited in long lift lines and skied crowded runs due to limited terrain.

“Park City or Vail Corporation didn’t notify any of us or any customers who had reservations that they were in negotiations,” says John Fuqua, a Park City local who recently moved with his family from Jackson Hole and works at a local hotel restaurant. “People spend tens of thousands of dollars to come here, and it ruined a lot of vacations.Ìę The lifts didn’t open until 10 or 11, and we sat in line for hours. This year has been different from past years and we’ll probably ski elsewhere next year.”

Currently, 26 of the resort’s 41 lifts are operating, and about a third of the mountain’s 350 trails are open. that the reduced terrain was due to lower-than-average snowfall and the patrol strike. This week, the mountain opened an additional 51 trails.

“I know the experience at the mountain over the peak holiday period was frustrating for our skiers and riders,” Walsh wrote. “This was not the holiday skiing and riding experience anyone wanted, and we know that. But what we are doing is opening the terrain we can safely open with the people we have each day during the strike.”

Throughout the strike, Vail Resorts has recruited ski patrollers from other Vail Resorts properties to replace the workers on strike. A ski patroller from another Vail-owned mountain told SKI that that has impacted patrol dynamics at their mountain: “We’re still opening all the terrain we can and operating with a full staff, but some of our supervisors have been called away to help at another mountain, which adds work for the rest of the team,” said the patroller, who asked not to be named.

Vail Resorts says that operations haven’t been impacted elsewhere. “We haven’t had any operational impacts at our other resorts related to the Patrol Support Team,” Sara Huey, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, told SKI. “It’s been business as usual, and our other resorts have had great holiday seasons.”

On December 31, four ski patrol unions from Vail Resorts properties—including Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone, and Park City— addressed to Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch that cited: “Through the company’s tactics of pressuring coercing, and intimidating skilled patrol leaders to travel to Park City to join the ‘Patrol Support Team,’ you caused irreparable harm to both your patrol labor force and patrol management across all affected resorts. By removing local leadership from their resorts without notice, you failed to provide these patrols proper leadership at the height of the busiest time of the year.”

The letter added that a lack of local leadership has a “huge negative effect on morale, how our teams effectively manage risk for ourselves in the field, and keep a safe experience for the guests that visit our resorts.”

Though more ski patrols have unionized in recent years, no ski resort has seen a strike like this in decades. The United Mountain Workers, a union that first organized in 2003, now represents some 1,100 ski and bike patrollers, lift mechanics, and other resort staff from ski areas, including Park City, Big Sky, Loveland, Stevens Pass, and Steamboat. The union has more than doubled in size over the last six years. This week, Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin ski patrol will vote to decide on becoming part of the union.

As negotiations continue, the outcome of the Park City ski patrol strike could have ripple effects across the ski industry, influencing labor relations at resorts nationwide. For now, with busy holiday weekends like Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the horizon, Park City skiers must navigate reduced terrain and longer lines while the patrollers remain steadfast in their fight.

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What if we told you you could buy a home in a quaint Italian village for less than the price of a cappuccino? The fine print, of course, is that the house you’ll get will essentially be a collapsed set of walls. It will need major construction to be livable, and it’ll take much longer than you’d expect (read: years, not months) to get that remodeling done.

Municipalities across Italy have been joining the so-called 1 euro ($1.05 in U.S. dollars) house program for years now. It all started back in 2008 when art critic and TV personality Vittorio Sgarbi, then the mayor of Salemi in southern Sicily, got the idea from a friend to offer Salemi’s most rundown, abandoned properties in its city center for 1 euro in an effort to revitalize the town, which had been hit by an earthquake decades earlier and left in shambles.ÌęÌę

Since then, the concept has taken off in over 30 municipalities across northern and southern Italy, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as a way to entice buyers to restore dilapidated structures. There’s no all-encompassing website for the program and information about these houses is hard to come by—each municipality has its own listings and local realtors are the best way to track those down.

This has a map of where some of these discounted houses can be found, there’s aÌę for those who’ve bought homes or are thinking about it, and the town of Mussomeli in Sicily, a hotbed of the 1 euro house program, has aÌę.

But we wanted to know, what is it actually like to buy one of these homes? So, we called up Rubia Daniels, a 50-year-old Brazilian who has spent the last 30 years living in Berkeley, California, where she works in renewable energy. In December 2018, Daniels heard about the 1 euro homes in Italy—a country where she has ancestors and always dreamed of living—and promptly got on a flight to Palermo, Sicily. She bought three properties for 1 euro each in Mussomeli in 2019. That was just the beginning of her saga. These are her words.ÌęÌę

After I heard about the 1 euro homes in Italy, I started researching different towns. I reached out to a realtor, and they replied immediately. Three days later, I booked a plane ticket and a rental car, and I was on my way. When I got to Mussomeli, a place I had never been before, it felt like I was coming home. I come from a small town in Brazil, where people are kind and everyone tries to help each other out. Mussomeli felt the same way. When people ask ‘How are you doing?’ they really mean it.

One of the reasons I picked Mussomeli over other towns is because you don’t have to leave to get what you need. Everything is there: furniture makers, ceramic suppliers, window stores. When I was researching areas, I would see that some towns didn’t have a bank, or a pharmacy, or a hospital. I know some people who bought houses in very isolated areas, where you have to drive a long way to get supplies.

The realtor I called only spoke Italian, but I understood enough of the language to get by. My realtor was with me the whole time, showed me around, and was very welcoming. That was 2018 so things are different now. Many realtors speak English, or you can request one who works with English speakers. When I did my first tour of 1 euro houses, it was just me and a bunch of houses to see. But as time progressed, people from all over the world started going there looking for these homes. Now it is a very international community. I know Koreans, Russians, Americans, and Argentinians who all bought a home in Mussomeli.

I was looking for high ceilings and a bigger home. Some houses were in better condition, but they were too small. Some were fully collapsed. You’re basically getting the house for free, so you take what you can get. The cost? It was actually 1 euro. But of course there were other fees. I had to pay the realtor fee, which was 500 euros back then and more now. I had to pay for the deed, which was 3,500 euros. Total, I spent 4,000 euros to get the keys. I bought three houses and closed on them by June 2019, six months after I had first visited. I returned to Italy with five suitcases full of tools, a generator, and my husband and brother-in-law from Brazil, who were ready to start working on the first house.

The roof on the house had fully collapsed. It was three floors, about 1,800 square feet, and from the bottom floor, you could see the sun coming through the roof. We had to do everything from scratch. The new roof went in first. We had to demolish everything and clean it up—that alone took a long time—before we could start remodeling. I worked for a full month rebuilding walls and the roof. Then COVID hit Italy and for two years, we couldn’t return. Construction stopped. The house just sat there.

In 2023, we returned to Italy and began work again. We redid the bathrooms and the kitchen, put in all new tiles and floors. My home will soon be finished, six years after I purchased it. Once we are done with the first home, we will start on the other two. My sons will manage those projects. One may become a restaurant with a house on top, and the other might be a wellness center to give back to the community.

The contractors there are so booked, you have to wait your turn. You have to remember there are 300 houses in a small town all being repaired—many of those are also 1 euro homes—and there aren’t enough workers to get it all done. I manage the contractors from overseas with help from translators and FaceTime. You can arrange everything over the phone, from furniture delivery to painting to curtain installation.

You must understand that Sicily is an island and people operate on ‘island time’. The work is going to get done, but Italians don’t live to work. Everything takes longer. They say they’re coming today to do the job, but that doesn’t mean they’re really coming today. They will come at some point. Sometimes, you have a new contractor who comes in and says, ‘The other guy did everything wrong. You have to demolish this and start from scratch.’ It costs more, but that happens everywhere.

So far, I have spent 38,000 euros in repairs and remodeling. I’m expecting to spend another 12,000 euros to finish. So, it’ll be about 50,000 euros total. But everything in the house is new. I have new plumbing and electrical. For that amount of money in the U.S., you can buy a car. It got me what is now a brand new house in Italy. I go to Italy three times a year to see how much progress has been made.

I’m going to retire there, that’s my goal. That will be my home base. From there, it’s a quick flight to London, Paris, or Istanbul. The air is clean. I can drink the water. The food is produced locally. It’s a much nicer quality of living and a much lower price than where I currently live. My goal is to retire there in the next 15 years.

Many of these houses became abandoned during World War II, and the towns are trying to revitalize them. It’s a way of bringing the town back to life. It’s working. It’s vibrant now. There are more young families, businesses are booming. The people are welcoming and happy. If you’re not from Italy, then you need what’s called a codice fiscal, a tax identification number for foreign citizens in order to purchase a house. It’s an easy process. You go in person and fill out a form to say which house you are buying. You’ll use that number to open a bank account or pay people. If I decide to stay in Italy for an extended time, I am going to apply for my Italian citizenship.

There are still 1 euro houses for sale in Mussomeli. It’s not as big an inventory as when I was first looking, but you can still buy a house for 1 euro. Don’t think everything will be free. Know that the houses may be fully collapsed. Walk around the town, interact with the neighbors. That should help you make your decision. If you’re someone like me who gets excited about a project, then this is for you.

Megan Michelson is an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor who recently took a trip to Italy, where she kept looking over her shoulder for homes for sale for 1 euro. She’s also recently written about how to visit Jackson Hole on the cheap, reviewed the coolest Airbnb in Colorado, and how to find incredible ski lift ticket deals.Ìę

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Ski trips shouldn’t be relegated to the rich and even richer. We all deserve to go powder chasing midwinter without dissolving our bank accounts. But these days, finding a budget way to ski requires serious homework. You can always venture away from the headliner areas to smaller, less crowded local ski hills that want to entice visitors through budget deals, but you may have to sacrifice quality of terrain and convenient lodging. Or you could go early or late season, but that means gambling on snow conditions.

So, what if you want to go big—like, say, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in mid-winter—but not spend big? It’s tricky but not impossible. Here’s how to visit a popular, world-class destination like Jackson Hole on a ski-bum’s budget. It’s also a great destination year-round, for hiking, biking, climbing, boating, fly fishing, and camping.

Getting to Jackson Hole, Wyoming

To reach Jackson, Wyoming, located at the base of the Teton Range, you can drive, fly, or take a bus. If you’re coming by car, it’s four and a half hours from Salt Lake City, Utah, or eight hours from Denver, pending road and weather conditions. offers bus routes into Jackson from Salt Lake City, Boise, or Las Vegas starting at $75. The Jackson Hole Airport has nonstop direct flights from 12 major U.S. cities, including Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, and Newark, but flights aren’t exactly cheap. United Airlines does offer an and $400 flight savings if you bundle lodging and airfare (deadline is by November 30, so save the idea for another year).

From the airport, hop a public bus or taxi into town. Don’t bother renting a car. Parking at the ski resort starts at $18 a day, so your best bet is to take the local ($3) from town or the Village Road Transit Center, and you’ll be dropped at the base of in Teton Village.

Lift-Ticket Deals in Jackson

If you can make it here early season, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has a weekendÌęfrom December 6-8: show up wearing denim, and you can ski Saturday for $25 or get a three-day lift ticket for $199, plus half-priced gear rentals at and . Another great deal is that early or late season (November 29 through December 19 or March 17 through April 13), season passholders from any other ski area in the world can receive a 50-percent-off at Jackson Hole. Have an ? You can come midwinter and have up to seven days with the full Ikon Pass; five days with the Base Pass Plus (which has select blackout dates), . Otherwise your best option is to buy tickets online well in advance for the lowest rate (they start at $218 a day).

The best deal for skiing here isn’t at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort; it’s at , the town ski hill, which has big steeps and steep discounts. This is a much smaller ski area—500 acres compared to Jackson’s 2,500 inbounds acres—but its convenient location in town and minimal crowds make it a worthy destination, especially on a powder day. Single-day lift tickets start at $95, or with a $30 uphill ticket you can skin up under your own power and ski back down. The other hidden gem? , a 2,602-acre powder mecca just over Teton Pass, 45 miles or about an hour and 10 minutes from Jackson, where you can score a half-day ticket for $132. run from Jackson to Targhee and start at $199, which includes your lift ticket.

Hire a Backcountry Guide or Take a Lesson: Info But Sorry, No Discounts

There’s no discount way to book a ski lesson or hire a backcountry guide. You’ll pay a premium for these services. At Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, full day for experienced skiers start at around $379 (excluding lift ticket) per person. Resort for those just getting started skiing or wanting to progress to the next level start at $250 a day. If you’d rather not originate at the ski area, you can hire an AMGA-certified guide from for a tour of the terrain off Teton Pass or in Grand Teton National Park starting at $265 a person.

Find Cheap Lodging in Jackson

If you want to stay at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for the closest access to the lifts, your best budget option is (from $49), located right in Teton Village, which has both shared bunks and private rooms, plus a ski-tuning space, game room, and basic kitchen supplies.

Otherwise, stay in town—12 miles away—and you’ll have your choice of a few wallet-friendly accommodations. has newly renovated rooms starting from around $177, and . The (from $55) has pod-style bunks, free coffee, and storage lockers for stashing your gear. And the recently redone (from $160) has hot tubs and firepits, an on-site burger joint, and a walk-through or drive-through liquor store that also sells breakfast burritos in the morning.

Affordable Food and Drink Here

If you’re on the mountain or staying in Teton Village, prices for food and drink aren’t cheap, so you’ll want to know where to look, and you can always pack a PBJ in your pocket. Start with a cup of high-quality espresso from the take-out window at , next to the Mango Moose. The , at the gas station across the parking lot from the team in Teton Village, has a food truck out front and grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches and burritos. Mid-day or after skiing, hit up inside the Snake River Lodge for a $9 hot dog or tacos, or the , one of the most classic aprùs ski bars ever, which has $6 pizza by the slice. For fuel on the mountain, ride the tram to the top of Rendezvous Peak, take in the view of the Tetons from the observation deck, then pop into for an $8.25 house-made waffle with brown-sugar butter or Nutella. (Trust us, it’s worth every penny.)

In town there are lots of options for dining out, but many of them are pricy. Buying groceries at Albertson’s will save you. For other options, has tasty burritos from $11 or $6 tacos. Up a flight of stairs from Town Square, you’ll find , which slings thin-crust large pies starting at around $17, or pick up a $5 slice from .

With locations in downtown Jackson and, seven miles away, the town of Wilson, is a locals’ favorite for no-fuss coffee and bagel sandwiches (a naked bagel costs $1.50). And the best breakfast burrito in town is served until 2 p.m. out of a take-out window on Glenwood Street called , where for $12 you can get a massive burrito that’ll feed you for two meals.

Other Cool Outdoor șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍűs Here

It’s $5 to skate in the or on the (through the famous elk-antler arches) if you have your own skates (or $18, including the entry fee, to rent skates).

You’ll need to cross-country ski, snowmobile, or dog sled to reach , located south of town on Granite Creek Road, which is closed in the winter. It’s a 19-mile round trip ski to get there, but that’s the least expensive option ( rents Nordic skis from $40 a day; entry into the hot springs is $12) for this memorable day. Otherwise, you’ll need to throw down for a guided snowmobile trip ( leads them starting at $231) or a dogsled outing ( has full-day trips to the hot springs from $460).

It costs nothing to cross-country ski or fat bike along , a locals’ favorite trail that’s groomed in the winter and is a great biking and hiking trailhead in the summertime.

Another excellent year-round option is the short multi-use in the nearby town of Wilson.

Pro Tip

Here’s a fun way to be a conscientious visitor to the area, while scoring a discount: Support Jackson Hole’s community radio station, KHOL 89.1, with a of $60 or more, and you’ll get a member-benefit card for discounts to heaps of local businesses, including $2 off a burrito, 10 percent off Philly cheesesteaks at , 15 percent off at , 10 percent off at classes at , and free cross-country ski rental for two people at (that alone is worth $80).

Megan Michelson is an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor who loves skiing but not how expensive it is. She prefers the strawberry waffle from Corbet’s Cabin, and her favorite line at Jackson Hole is the very steep and very fun Tower Three Chute off Thunder Chair. Other recent articles by Michelson include “Why My Family Replaced Thanksgiving with Campsgiving,” about a great decision; a description of a tiny, remote backcountry hut, “This Is Hands-Down the Coolest Airbnb in Colorado”; and, more help with costs, “Shred This Colorado Mountain for $11 a Day—Plus Other Incredible Ski-Resort Deals.”

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A couple years ago, my husband, Dan, and I were trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving. Go to my mom’s house, an hour away, for dinner? Fly back east to visit his family for a few days? Invite friends over for a Friendsgiving feast? Every option sounded stressful. “What if we just ditched all that and went camping somewhere warm instead?” I offered.

The idea of enjoying the holiday outside, instead of spending it indoors cooking and making small talk with distant relatives, sounded appealing. So that’s exactly what we did.

It’s not that I hate turkey and mashed potatoes. Or that I don’t like my extended family. But camping with my kids is the best quality family time we have. And, as we quickly learned, the long Thanksgiving weekend is an ideal time to enjoy incredible U.S. campgrounds without throngs of people. That’s why we’ve given up the notion of a traditional Thanksgiving—and all the emotional and literal baggage that goes along with it—and spend the holiday camping instead.

That first year, we drove our camper van from our home in Tahoe City, California, down to the sleepy central coast and , 15 miles west of San Luis Obispo. At 8,000 acres, Montaña de Oro is one of California’s largest state parks, with over and mountain biking as well as a picturesque beach that’s walking distance from the campground and seven miles of shoreline. In the summer months, the park’s 47 campsites book up quickly, but in November, it’s relatively easy to score a site.

On Thanksgiving day, we spent the morning surfing mellow waves at Cayucos Beach and the afternoon hiking the four-mile Bluff Trail, accessed right from our campsite. We bought crab cakes from a local fish shop and green beans and squash from a roadside farm stand, so dinner was easy and delicious. I made a caramel-banana pie (from a recipe I tore out of șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű magazine) in a cast-iron pan over the fire. That evening, we FaceTimed our families from the picnic table, and they were thrilled to see us having a good time. Nobody’s feelings were hurt that we weren’t there.

Later that night, some kids at the site next to ours started kicking the soccer ball around and invited our two to join. Suddenly, we had friendly neighbors. They were the Petersens from a town not far away, and they go camping every Thanksgiving. They’d roasted a turkey all day in their Dutch oven over the campfire, while a second cast-iron pot was filled with potatoes and stuffing. (I took notes for my next Thanksgiving camp menu.) They welcomed us over for dessert, so we brought our pie and sat around the fire chatting amiably.

Our first Campsgiving was a success.

Last year we decided to camp with friends in Moab, Utah, over the holiday weekend. Arches National Park was surprisingly quiet—trails were empty once you got away from the parking lot—and we had the slot canyons of the all to ourselves. (I reserved self-guided tickets for the Fiery Furnace for the four of us one week in advance.)

Finding an empty first-come, first-served campsite in , nine miles south of the park’s visitor center and close to the town of Moab, was easy. We just drove around until we spotted one we liked that was empty. Temperatures got down into the thirties at night, but it was nothing that s’mores around the campfire, a down jacket, and a flask of whiskey couldn’t fix.

This Thanksgiving, we’re again camping on California’s central coast, and guess who we’re camping next to? Yep, our new friends, the Petersens. They’re bringing the Dutch oven and the soccer ball; we’re bringing the pie. It’s going to be great.

Tips to Having an Equally Wonderful Campsgiving

Thanksgiving shouldn’t be something you dread. In a , 85 percent of those surveyed said they’ve lied or come up with an excuse to get out of attending a family holiday. And in 2023, the American Psychological Association that 38 percent of people are more stressed during the holidays (only 8 percent of respondents said they felt happier). Why are we doing this to ourselves? My advice is to go pitch a tent in nature somewhere instead.

Here are a few things I’ve contemplated when planning our family’s annual late-November camping trip.

Consider the Weather

Camping this time of year can mean you’re in for cold temperatures and variable weather, depending where you’re headed. If this doesn’t sound appealing, head south to warmer climes or rent a camper van or an RV so you have an indoor option if a storm rolls in.

is a great place to start for peer-to-peer camper-van or RV rentals, or check out for high-end Sprinter vans, with pick-up locations across the country. Usually, you can get better rates on these rentals during the colder seasons, too.

Book a Campsite in Advance

Campsite availability in late November is pretty wide-open—it’s much easier to book a popular site now than during the summer. That said, it’s still wise to make a reservation ahead of time if you’re headed to an in-demand spot.

Also keep in mind that many campgrounds close for the winter, so be sure to check that your campsite of choice is open before you get on the road. is the booking site for national park campgrounds, while sites like , , and are good resources for finding public and private campgrounds. I like for occasions when we’re looking for dispersed campsites on public lands.

Set the Scene

You can make a campsite festive with a few thoughtful additions. A tablecloth and picnic blankets draped over the benches can be a nice touch. Your holiday centerpiece can be pine cones or driftwood collected from around camp.

Remember that it gets dark early in November, so pack headlamps, solar-powered string lights, or LED lanterns to brighten up your campsite. I like these to hang from tree to tree and this rechargeable to set on the table.

Cook a Memorable Campfire Feast

There are no rules about what to whip up over your Thanksgiving camp stove. Anything goes. But you might keep it simple to maximize your day outdoors exploring.

I like to prep meals at home before we leave. These turkey meatballs are easy to make both at camp or ahead of time, and here’s a one-pot stuffing bowl that’s a cinch to put together. You could cook soup or chili at home and reheat it over the fire or stove. Or a box of pasta or mac and cheese and some tinned fish will get the job done, too.

Dessert can be marshmallows on a stick, or if you want to get fancy, check out these camp-friendly recipes for sweet potato pieÌęand apple crisp.

Finally, for a festive fall cocktail, I like this cranberry spritz (make the cranberry simple syrup in the recipe at home in advance).

Megan Michelson is an șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor. S’mores are one of her favorite foods.Ìę

The post I’ll Pass on Thanksgiving. Give Me a Camping Trip Instead. appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Here’s what you need to know about , a cozy, no-frills hut that’s rented out via Airbnb in the Front Range of Colorado: it’s the most magical place to spend the night, and it’s not at all easy to get to. Sure, it’s less than an hour drive west of Denver to reach the former mining town of Silver Plume, on the edge of Interstate 70. But in the wintertime, you’ll ditch your car at an I-70 exit and either ski tour, snowshoe, or ride in a vintage snowcat three miles on a snow-covered road to reach your overnight destination. In the summer months, you can drive a rugged U.S. Forest Service road in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the cabin.

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Raven’s Nest Provides a Front-Row Approach to Stunning Terrain

The Location: Raven’s Nest is situated at the base of two iconic Colorado 14ers, Grays and Torreys, with summertime trail access just out the door. In the winter, ski touring or snowshoeing into the surrounding backcountry is your best bet. Mid-winter, there’s low-angle tree skiing around the hut. Come springtime, depending on conditions, you can push into the high alpine terrain, with 3,000-vertical-foot lines on some of Colorado’s most notable descents, like the Dead Dog Couloir or the Emperor Couloir, both off 14,267-foot Torreys Peak.

“We get some guests who ask if they can drive out and ski Keystone for the day, but that’s really not doable,” says Darcee Mond, your Airbnb host who owns the hut with her husband, Eben. Eben and Darcee, both avid backcountry skiers, are the founders and head coaches for the freeride program at Loveland ski area, just 15 minutes up the highway, and they will be the first to tell you where to find the best snow in the area.

Why Is This Colorado Cabin So Special?

I’ve stayed at Eben and Darcee’s other properties—they manage several Airbnbs nearby—and I appreciate their personal yet no-nonsense approach to Airbnb hosting. Everything in their homes is handmade, thoughtfully designed, and built with purpose. The Raven’s Nest—named after their youngest son—is no different, though it’s much more minimalist and off-the-grid than their . I’ve got a booking to stay at Raven’s Nest this winter to take my kids on their first-ever hut trip into the backcountry. (Eben will take you and your gear up to the hut via snowcat for an additional fee.)

Rustic Features Lead to a Super-Cozy Stay

The Specs: This is not a fancy, full-service kind of place. “We send two full pages of information about checking in and instructions,” Darcee says. “We try to make it very clear what you’re getting into.” You pack in your own sleeping bag. You clean up when you leave. You’ll cook on a classic cast-iron stove or patio grill, use a simple tank toilet, and you’ll need to boil water from the neighboring creek for drinking water. The hut has two bedrooms, and you can sleep up to nine in bunks and beds. These are cozy quarters; consider that when you’re planning your guest list. There is no electricity, no running water, definitely no WiFi.

It’s got the same ethos as Colorado’s better-known 10th Mountain Division Huts: Chop your own firewood for the wood-burning stove, clean up after yourself, and enjoy the hard work it takes to get there because the view from the front porch is glorious. The difference between this place and a 10th Mountain Division hut is that you’ll have it all to yourself and it’s considerably easier to score a booking.

The History: The hut itself used to be a bare-bones cabin made of plywood. Eben would ski tour into the area and he noticed these run-down structures and thought, this could be something. So, he found the owner of the cabin, offered to buy the place, and in 2021, the Monds began rebuilding. From their own travels as lifelong skiers, Eben and Darcee designed their hut modeled after an Italian refugio or a Canadian alpine hut. Since they wanted to share the backcountry experience with others, they opened it as an Airbnb last year.

Why We Think This is the Coolest Airbnb in Colorado

The Winner: Don’t stay here if you want luxury accommodations, spacious quarters, or a coffee shop next door. But if you’re looking for a true getaway—the kind of quiet, out-there spot where stories are made, where hard work is rewarded, and where the backyard is literally a pair of mountains that reach toward the stars—then you won’t find a better spot in Colorado.

Know Before You Go: Raven’s Nest rents starting at $300 a night and has a two-night minimum.

Contributing editorÌęMegan Michelson is an award-winning journalist who covers travel and the outdoors. She recently helped us compile our list of travel hacks you can’t live without, as well as the best outdoor festivals, and how to find last-minute campsite reservations.

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According to the National Ski Areas Association, the average price of a day lift ticket last winter was $192. This winter, many major U.S. resorts will charge well over $200 a day. Rates at places like Park City, in Utah, and both Palisades Tahoe and Northstar, in California, will have peak prices over $260 for the day.

While most ski areas try to entice repeat visitors with deals on season passes, including combined passes like the Ikon Pass, Epic Pass, and Indy Pass, which get you access to dozens of resorts, what if you only plan to ski a couple of days per season? You’ll need to purchase a lift ticket.

But if you know where to look and you plan ahead, you can ski for less than the price of a burger in the base lodge this winter. Here’s how to pull that off.

Purgatory Ski Resort’s Unbelievable Lift-Ticket Deal

At , outside Durango, Colorado, you can shred for as little as $11 a day if you buy tickets online in advance for select early- and late-season deals—and these days are going fast. Purgatory first implemented this low-end ticket rate last winter, a drop from $39 the year prior.

Purgatory opens for daily operations on this Saturday, November 16, and currently, tickets are on sale for select days throughout late November and early December for under $25; though prices are variable and go up with demand. Midwinter, you can still ski Purgatory midweek for as little as $45 if you buy now, and by late March and early April, prices will drop again to as low as $11 a day on select days. (Ticket pricing will fluctuate depending on availability, but these prices are current as of press time.) Purgatory plans to stay open through April 27.

“We are very conscious that the cost of skiing is one of the greatest barriers to the sport. We wanted to make a deal that was almost too good to believe,” says Dave Rathbun, general manager of Purgatory Resort. “For people who are willing to change their behavior and buy tickets early and come when we’re not as busy, they will be rewarded with these lower costs.”

Quick Tips to Score Super Cheap Lift Tickets

In general, you can find the best lift-ticket dealsÌęonline ahead of time. The earlier you book, the more you save. Walking up to the ticket window the day you plan to ski is still possible at most ski areas, but you’ll pay a premium price. For a better rate, plan weeks—or even months—ahead. Here are some other great deals we’ve come across for this season.

How to Ski at Jackson Hole for $25—and Other One-Off Resort Deals

, Wyoming, is hosting its second annual Ski in Jeans Day on Saturday, December 7, and if you show up wearing jeans, lift tickets cost just $25, or a three-day ticket for that Friday through Sunday is $199 (a three-day ticket can cost upward of $768 midseason). Also at Jackson Hole, a new Kids on Snow event scheduled to run December 13 to 15 will allow kids ages 12 and under to ski free the entire weekend.

Some resorts have regularly scheduled weekly discount tickets. , just south of Reno, Nevada, which opened for the winter on November 8, sells two lift tickets for the price of one on Tuesdays and offers a discount of around 20 percent off for locals who live within an hour’s drive on Sundays.

, in Washington, has a Wicked Wednesday deal, chargingÌę $73 (down from $94 on a standard day) or $44 if you only plan to ski the beginner terrain. on the Idaho-Montana border sells two tickets for $75 on Thursdays, and you can also ski for free if it’s your birthday.

Last winter, , in Colorado, offered free lift tickets for those who participated in a blood drive on a set day in March at the resort. The ski area plans to hold that event again this winter but no date has been set yet.

Discounts Are Available for Select Groups at These Ski Hills

Most ski areas offer discounts for kids, seniors, and select groups like military personnel. But some resorts have expanded such offerings this winter. Most of the following discounted tickets can be purchased at the walk-up window, but again, your best bet is to secure the lowest rate ahead of time by booking online.

, east of Grand Junction, Colorado, has also reduced lift-ticket prices this winter to provide some economic relief to its guests. Adult midweek tickets were reduced from $99 to $89 a day, with weekend tickets dropping from $109 to $99. You can also buy half-day tickets for the afternoon starting at $69 (reduced from $74), or tickets that just access beginner terrain from $54. Again, all of these deals must be purchased online and in advance. Guests will also notice cheaperÌęfood pricing, expanded free learn-to-ski programs, and added discounted tickets for students and active and retired military.

, in Washington, gives a 20 percent discount to teachers, military, first responders, and medical personnel on midweek tickets.

, in Michigan, has Thank You Thursdays, where members of the military, educators, emergency medical workers, and service-industry staff can receive $38 lift tickets (normally priced between $41 and $96) or $15 night-skiing tickets (normally $19 to $45).

, in Vermont, has reduced rates for state residents and offers $45 midweek tickets.

The Bottom Line: Ski-Resort Ticket Deals Are All About Timing

The best way to score a deal on lift tickets is to go during less busy times. Show up on a holiday weekend in January or February and you’ll pay top dollar. Instead, head up to the hill midweek, early or late in the season, or during afternoon or evening hours. , in Idaho, has a $20 twilight lift ticket if you buy it online at least a day in advance or $40 if you walk up to the window; that gets you access to two lifts from 3 to 7 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays. Normally, day lift tickets start around $120.

The , in Washington, sells night-skiing tickets (hours are 4 to 9:30 P.M.) for $40; afternoon tickets for $58, or twilight tickets (starting at 2 P.M.) for $59. , in Utah, has afternoon, night, or twilight lift tickets starting at $51.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor Megan Michelson is an avid skier based in the Lake Tahoe area.

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First, a confession: I don’t usually like wearing sunglasses while running. And I run a lot. I test and review sunglasses for șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, but most sunglasses kind of suck for running. They fog when you get sweaty, or they jostle around, or they’re too heavy and overbuilt. Many lenses—even the ones billed as transition lenses—are too dark for trail running through dimly-lit forests or on early-morning missions with fickle light (which is when I tend to get my miles in).

So, for years now, I’ve run without eye protection. But on longer runs or mid-day outings in bright sun, I’ve started to notice serious eye fatigue. My legs are holding up fine at mile 20, but my eyes are cooked, which makes seeing trippable hazards in the trail even harder. All of which led me on an exhaustive hunt to find the perfect running sunglasses. I tested a whopping 51 pairs of sunglasses over the last nine months (perk of the job!) and I ended up finding the unicorn I was looking for: the Julbo Density.

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Julbo Density Sunglasses

Bottom line: These sporty, barely-there shield sunglasses excel in changing light, thanks to a lens that adjusts on the fly. You can wear them for a wide range of activities and light conditions.

Pros and Cons
⊕ One of the most lightweight, minimal sunglasses we tested
⊕ Expansive field of view and absolutely no fogging
⊕ Comfortable fit, stays put
⊗ Not as durable as other glasses; frame could snap if tossed around

Lens: Comes with either Julbo’s adaptable photochromic lens, called Reactiv, or a non-photochromic, less expensive option called Spectron.
Frame shape: Shield
Fit: Large
Weight: 20g

To help me test sunglasses, I gathered a team of Lake Tahoe, California-based multi-sport athletes, who were tasked with wearing a variety of shades while doing every outdoor pursuit they could think of. Afterward, they filled out extensive feedback forms with their input. You can see the sunglasses that rose above the rest in our complete review.

I wasn’t alone in my love of the Julbo Density. Some testers even argued over who got to wear the shades on their next testing outing. “These were a contentious pair of glasses in our house,” said Jessica Hamilton, who tested alongside her husband, Goran. “They were used every day of the two weeks we had them.”

Between 13 testers and across three seasons, we took the Density out Nordic skiing, backcountry skiing, hiking, mountain biking and road cycling, climbing 14ers, playing soccer, and biking to pick up our kids from school—but it was trail running where they really shined. In part, that’s because of the lightweight, understated design. “You hardly know you’re wearing them,” one tester said. Another added, “The frame and lens shape were great for keeping out the wind. Mostly, I was impressed with how light they are.”

Thin rubber temples glide over your ears with ease and stay put, while a streamlined frame just along the top of the lens cuts down on bulk. The lack of frame along the bottom of the glasses also made them great for looking down while navigating technical terrain: There’s nothing to obstruct your view.

Breezy ventilation and a big field of view come naturally with this lens shape and size. There wasn’t even a hint of fog inside the lens, even wearing a hat and hood during high aerobic output activities. It’s definitely an oversized lens—it worked best on our testers with larger faces. If you have a smaller head, you might be better off choosing the , which has similar lens tech and style but in a more petite shape.

The Density comes with lens options. You can spend less and get Julbo’s perfectly-good Spectron, a versatile polycarbonate lens that’s durable but doesn’t adapt to changing light conditions. Or you can spend about $80 more for Julbo’s photochromic Reactiv lens, a worthy splurge if you plan to use these in variable light conditions (which is pretty much everywhere, no?).

Forgive me while I gush a little over this lens. It is what sealed the Julbo Density as my top, and only, choice for trail running. Julbo’s Reactiv transition lens technology has a solid reputation amongst cyclists, but until this test, my running friends and I hadn’t discovered this beauty yet. The lens tints darker as you move into brighter light and clearer if you’re in a dimmer place. With road or trail running, the light is always changing, and the lens usually keeps up. Since running is slower than biking or skiing, it allows even more time for the lens to transition. “The shift in tint doesn’t quite adjust fast enough on speedy downhills to make as much of a difference, but it made a big difference on slower uphills,” one tester said.

On low-light days on forested singletrack, the lens was never too dark—no need to lift the shades onto your head; the lens just transitioned to a clearer tint. “Incredible transition precision with clarity in harsh sun and flat light,” said one tester. “I’m super impressed.”

The Density is definitely a sporty look. You might as well have a sign on your forehead that says, “I crush miles.” One tester wrote, “They’re a bit too much of a vibe for the casual outing.” But for endurance athletes—especially runners—looking for a trusty new pair of shades with impeccable optics, this is it.

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