There’s no better way to enjoy Father’s Day than to disavow parenthood for a couple of days by dumping the kids with the grandparents and escaping for a romantic weekend. The secluded getaways below are high on adventure, but low on anything child-related—because kids aren’t allowed. The big drawback is that most adults-only resorts and lodges are exclusive by nature (which means they’re not cheap). But, hey, Father’s Day means splurging a little, doesn’t it?
Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur, California
Roosting on a secluded ledge 1,200 feet above the Pacific in Big Sur, the instantly makes you forget about the outside world. Its 39 contemporary-style rooms (with no clocks) among nine buildings are either set into the cliff or look into the woods, and are designed to make you feel completely alone. Rates start at $775 a night.
Best adventure: After a morning at the spa, take an afternoon trail hike among the old-growth tree stands on this 100-acre former working-ranch property.
Canoe Bay
Chetek, Wisconsin
Every element of , on the 300-acre property of a former lakeside summer camp, is intended to create once-in-a-lifetime memories for couples. Tucked comfortably in one of several bungalows designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, you’ll have breakfast delivered to your door in a hand-carved wooden box. The property offers all the activities you’d expect at summer camp—canoeing, hiking, and swimming—while some cabins have fitness equipment right there in the rooms. Rates start at $250.
Best adventure: Fishing for walleye with guides Steve Sedani and Clint Worden in the surrounding lakes of northwestern Wisconsin.
The Point
Saranac Lake, New York
Built as a summer home for a member of the Rockefeller family seven decades ago, makes its guests feel like they’ve stepped into the heyday of the sprawling Adirondack Great Camps era (even if it costs robber baron prices to stay there). This 75-acre private estate sits on crystalline Upper Saranac Lake, where the guests in its 11 rooms can swim, mountain-bike, hike, or take a ride in one of the Point’s wooden boats. Pets are allowed, but kids aren’t. Go figure. Rates start at $1,500 a night.
Best adventure: A private gourmet picnic, coordinated by the resort and set on an uninhabited island.
Triple Creek Ranch
Darby, Montana
Hidden on the side of one of the tallest peaks in the million-acre Bitterroot National Forest of Montana (and completely out of cell phone range), sets itself apart by mixing high-end luxury with retro-western style. You can fly-fish, hike, horseback ride, and play tennis by day, then retire at night to your room in one of the 23 wood-beamed, fireplace-heated guest cabins.
Best adventure: Lend a hand during a real cattle drive in the French Basin of Sula Montana.