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Five Favorite Adventures in National Parks, Hiking the Rim of Crater Lake

I call it a “Holy Shit” moment. One of those rare occurrences in travel when you round a bend and see something so stupendous that you’re shouting expletives of joy. This is exactly what happens when you reach the rim of Crater Lake. You’ve never seen water such a shade of vibrant blue, the result of sunlight pouring down on the deepest lake in America. Ringed by jagged peaks, it’s a captivating site that you’ll want to see from every available parking site. Though if you were wise, you booked a room at the Crater Lake Lodge when they went on sale July 1st for the following year. Rooms with lake view are booked, on average, 13 months in advance says Assistant General Manger Tim Mahoney. That’s not a surprise when you realize the closest lodging after the lodge is in Klamath Falls, a good 59-mile drive. Throw down your bags and take the short hike from the lodge to 8,054-foot Garfield Peak. The views below, especially to the lone island, Wizard Island, are more astounding the higher the elevation. Afterwards, relax on the back porch of the lodge in the rocking chairs and listen to the daily 4 pm lecture by a park ranger on the rugged individuals who were determined to make this special caldera a national park. You can toast to them at dinner that night while dining on bison meatloaf. 

 

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Three of My Favorite Places to Cross-Country Ski in New England

Since Boston just got walloped with another winter nor’easter, dropping more than 15 inches of snow, I thought I’d devote this week to winter adventure in New England. First up, three wonderful cross-country ski areas:

Grafton Ponds
Grafton Ponds is one of the few cross-country ski centers in New England that provides snowmaking (a 5 km loop). If there’s already decent snow coverage, head from the center’s main lodge up through the dense forest on 30 kilometers of groomed trails. Make it to Big Bear Shelter atop the ridge and your reward is a cup of piping hot chocolate and views of the village of Grafton below.

Blueberry Hill
Lost within the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, 12 miles down the road from Middlebury, is the classic Vermont inn and cross-country ski center, Blueberry Hill, celebrating its 40th season in 2011. The 50 kilometers of groomed trails include the highest run in the state, at an elevation over 3,000 feet, and gentler routes through the pines.

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation
With over 150 kilometers of trails, Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is the largest cross-country skiing network in the northeast.  Novices can opt for the easy Ellis River Trail, which borders a babbling brook as it heads into the forest, while more experienced skiers should sample the challenging Wildcat Valley Trail, a classic 1930s throwback that slides steeply down the backside of the Wildcat ski area to the town of Jackson. Or take the Groomed Trail Challenge on February 12th, where avid x-c skiers try to do as much of the network as possible in an eleven-hour day.
 

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Miami Curated, Mandatory Reading for Those Headed to Miami

If you’re headed to Miami for Art Basel this December or maybe some much needed R&R on Key Biscayne or South Beach, do yourself a favor and check out the new blog by longtime travel PR maven, Karen Weiner Escalera, MiamiCurated. Known for her impeccable taste in food, fashion, and culture when she lived in Manhattan, Escalera has now set her sites on her new home base, Miami. A recent blog divulges top 5 new restaurant openings this fall. District Miami in the Design District, offering Pan-American fare. “Think creative ceviches, lobster malanga tacos, Vermont brie and chipotle burger and pastelitos with guava and goat cheese,” says Escalera. I’m sold!

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My 5 Favorite Tanzanian Properties: Hatari Lodge, Arusha National Park

Less than a 45-minute drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport, you reach Hatari Lodge on the northern edge of Arusha National Park. While other properties, like Legendary Lodge, nestled in the coffee plantations of Arusha, might be more luxurious, Hatari is the perfect welcome mat to Tanzania because it immediately gives you the feel of being in the African bush. Rooms are spacious and you wake up to monkeys jumping on your roof, families of warthogs running across the property and magnificent views of the sun rising above Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. At breakfast on the outdoor patio, you’ll spot your first giraffes and buffalos, then go on a game drive into the park to get close-up shots of elephants, hippos, and countless flamingoes. The lodge gives you the opportunity to canoe past the hippos, but a better option is to drive up the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro for a day hike and picnic. Hatari offers 9 rooms and is adding 3 new family suites this summer. It’s the ideal spot to start your tour of Tanzania, rest after the long flight, be immersed in the wildlife, and see mighty Kilimanjaro.

 
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Head to Alaska to See the Northern Lights This Winter

Iceland is a popular destination this winter for clients as they head to the country to hike amidst the majestic landscape and hopefully view the Northern Lights. But you don’t have to cross the pond to have a chance to see the Northern Lights. Alaska offers a similar experience. On Gondwana Ecotours 7-day Alaska Northern Lights trip, guests will view the Northern Lights displays from a family-owned lodge with magnificent panoramic views. During the day there will be time to explore Fairbanks, take an exciting dog sled ride, and rejuvenate in the natural hot springs at Chena. Fairbanks is situated within a ring-shaped region around the North Pole called the auroral oval. This location offers a terrific balance of occurrence, frequency and activity of Northern Lights. Trips are limited to 12 guests per trips and cost starts at $2795 per person. If interested, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check availability on departures through March 2020. 

 
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Time to Visit Weston Ski Track

Finally, some decent snowfall in the Boston area today. They’re predicting up to a foot to 14 inches. You know what that means? Time to visit the Weston Ski Track and their 15 kilometers of meticulously groomed trails. Ski rentals are available. Located on the banks of the Charles River, they also have snowshoe trails. Spend an hour or two here and you’ll no doubt feel invigorated from the workout and winter scenery. 

 
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Ecuador, So Much More Than the Galapagos! A Stop at Cotopaxi

Guest Post and Photos by Amy Perry Basseches

On a Saturday morning in late February, my daughter and I set off for a weekend of outdoor fun in Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, home to Ecuador’s second-highest peak, about two hours southeast from Quito. This park’s namesake, the enormous 19,000-foot stratovolcano Cotopaxi, has, since 1738, erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys. The last eruption lasted from August 2015 to January 2016.
 
Our base for 2 days was the Chilcabamba Mountain Lodge, a recommended rustic hotel described as "cozy, unpretentious and charming." We loved it! Bear in mind, no one at the lodge spoke English, they are all from Cotopaxi and the surrounding area, so Sophie’s presence as Spanish translator was vital. The food and views were good, and we really liked our room, equipped with a warming stove, wool ponchos and thick duvets. We didn’t get to make S’mores at the outdoor firepit, but we did enjoy the complimentary Canelazo (a warm Ecuadorian drink concocted from sugar cane alcohol, boiled water, cinnamon, sugar, and local citrus fruit or blackberry). Chilcabamba is at 3480 metres (11,400 feet), and I suggest taking altitude sickness-prevention medicine if you visit (you can get from a travel medicine doctor ahead of time). 
 
From Chilcabamba, we enjoyed two main activities, and wished we had had time for two others:
  • Inside the Park, near the Tambopaxi Lodge, we got our horses and rode for a few hours across grassy and rocky terrain, with our guide. Unforgettable!
  • Also inside the Park, we walked around the Laguna Limpiopungo, watching a herd of wild horses, and newborn colt, graze nearby. 
  • Stargazing in Ecuador is purported to be amazing — not only are you away from light pollution in many of these natural areas, but you are at a high altitude, and, the closer you are to the equator, you can see both Northern and Southern Hemisphere constellations, perfect for the growing field of Astrotourism. It was too cloudy for us.
  • Unfortunately, we did not get to trek to the base camp on Cotopaxi, an outlook at an elevation of 4,864 metres (almost 16,000 feet). Our guide had worked for 7 years at the base camp, the José F. Ribas Refuge, which is a 40 to 80 minute uphill hike from the car park. Here, climbers can spend the night and begin their summit bid. Mountain biking is also available from the Refuge. 
Tomorrow, the Mindo Cloud Forest, a premier destination for birdwatching, hiking, butterflies, chocolate, and adventure activities (tubing, ziplining, rafting, waterfall rappelling), just two hours from Quito. 
 

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