Skip to main content

The Best North American Hotels for Outdoor-Lovers

By Mike Richard Aug 10, 2021 7:07 AM

Location, location, location — for home buyers and travelers, this is what it all boils down to. For outdoor lovers, finding the right hotel to serve as a base of operations for an entire vacation’s worth of adventures is critical. To help you decide, here are four of our favorite adventure-centric hotels in North America.

Bugaboos Lodge (British Columbia)

For fifty years, Bugaboos Lodge has offered some of Canada’s best heli-skiing opportunities. Guests skip the traditional lift lines (because there are no lifts here) and instead ascend the jagged Purcell Mountains via helicopter. On any given day, it’s easy to carve a line down the mountain without seeing another soul. For guests who appreciate more relaxed pursuits, the hotel also offers plenty of modern, luxurious amenities that don’t involve waist-deep powder. There’s an on-site four-story climbing wall, a steam room, a dry sauna, more than 12 miles of cross-country trails, and a rooftop hot tub with one of the most stunning mountain views on the continent.

CMH Bugaboos Virtual Tour

Don’t miss: In summer, the lodge offers heli-hiking opportunities and professionally-guided outdoor photography workshops.

Recommended Videos

Ventana Inn (Big Sur, California)

Most sane Californians would agree that Big Sur is the most beautiful stretch of coastline in the entire state. Ventana Inn offers 62 rooms well-situated to explore the coast in almost complete solitude. The vibe is rustic and low-key, but with all the essential luxury amenities, including fireplaces, spa tubs, and private decks with stunning coastal views. But the real win for outdoor lovers is the inn’s ideal location on more than 200 acres of Pacific coastline. The property is at the intersection of 300 miles of hiking trails in the Ventana Wilderness.

VENTANA-INN,-Big-Sur — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t miss: New for 2017, the inn debuted 15 safari-style tents where guests can luxury camp amid stands of centuries-old Redwood trees.

Taylor River Lodge (near Crested Butte, Colorado)

Travelers looking to get far off the beaten path can easily get lost at Taylor River Lodge. Tucked into Colorado’s rugged and remote Taylor Canyon, this “summer camp for adults” offers all the creature comforts of home amid world-class outdoor opportunities. The nearby Gunnison River is the base of much of the property’s activities, which include kayaking, rafting, and trout fishing (there’s even a private casting pond). On-site land-based activities include hiking, a climbing wall, mountain biking, rock climbing, and archery. Rates aren’t cheap, but the $1,000-plus nightly rate (in high season) is all-inclusive with airport transfers, food, beverages, all necessary gear, and guided activities.

Taylor-River-Lodge-(near-Crested-Butte,-Colorado)- — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t miss: Every guest receives a customized itinerary designed around their preferred outdoor pursuits.

Granite Park Chalet (Glacier National Park, Montana)

There isn’t a hint of pretense or luxury at Granite Park Chalet. The biggest decision most guests will need to make is choosing which freeze-dried meal to order for dinner. The backcountry shelter is one of only two such surviving chalets in Montana’s breathtaking Glacier National Park. For more than 100 years, it’s served as the ideal jumping-off point for exploring hundreds of miles of hiking trails. Indeed, it lies at the intersection of four of the park’s most popular trails including the moderate, eight-mile Highline Trail.

Flickr-Granite-Park-Chalet — Photo by Troy Smith on Flickr Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t miss: The view from the front porch — snow-capped peaks, glacier-carved valleys, and an endless expanse of wildflowers — is literally jaw-dropping.

Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He’s kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South… Read Full Bio

Topics

Cafe Charmant, The Corner Store Crew’s Latest, Puts Food Ahead of the Scene

Clothing, Long Sleeve, Sleeve

I’ll be honest. If I weren’t a writer, there is no way in hell I could have landed a 7:15 Saturday night reservation at Cafe Charmant just a mere four weeks after its opening. The most recent jewel in the buzzy Catch Hospitality Group’s crown, the glitzy eatery is the newest IT restaurant to hit the downtown scene, so chalk it up to one of the perks of the job that I could walk in, order a drink, and be ushered to a corner table for two in under 10 minutes.

Though the state of making prime reservations in New York City may not come as a surprise to many, I’m still not able to reconcile with the current velvet rope of so many of this city’s restaurants. Sure, the 90s and early 2000’s had their Indochine, Moomba (if you remember that one, we need to grab a drink). The Waverly Inn, but for the most part, you could easily make a reservation or even walk in and wait for a table with a cocktail in hand at most popular establishments. And, let’s be honest, half the people weren’t even eating, if you know what I mean.

A tasting guide to Livermore Valley, California’s friendliest wine country

Adult, Male, Man

Livermore Valley sits in Northern California’s East Bay, where the hustle and bustle of neighboring Oakland and San Francisco give way to grassy rolling hills, big open skies, and over 40 tasting rooms. The region is home to some of the best wines I’ve tasted in the state, without the pretense and rigidity I’ve come to expect from other tasting rooms in the region.

And thanks to the valley’s marine-influenced winds, varied climate, and diverse soils, I tasted an unusually broad range of wines. Crisp whites, structured reds, and everything in between seem to be able to find their footing here.

High Society, Low Alcohol: A Trip to the Hamptons with Heineken 0.0

Ball, Sport, Tennis

After a multi-year bender of back-to-back press trips, I decided to swear off travel this past summer. The old dog was tired, and I desperately wanted to reconnect with old friends, visit family, and continue wooing a lovely lady in New York. Oh, and I needed to find time to actually write the stories I had promised publicists in exchange for gallivanting around the globe on their dime. I am, after all, a professional.

As summer raced by, my inbox swelled with tantalizing invitations. I turned them down one after the next with Spartan fortitude. A junket to the Loire Valley to review wineries? Thank you for considering me, but for the next few weeks, I’m committed to rekindling my relationship with my bed. A sailboat cruise on the Amalfi Coast? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year, but sadly, I’m in the weeds bingeing Landman.