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experiencelifemag.com
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Latitude Adjustment
Feeling frozen out of your favorite outdoor activities? A warm-weather
paddling, climbing or cycling getaway and a change of scenery may help
you beat the winter blahs.
By Sarah Tuff |
December 2008 |
Fat-Tire Fun
Wet and Wild
Rock Star
Cold Comfort
The Hidden Bonus
More Undiscovered Destinations
For years, the long winters of the northern United States kept rock climber
Todd Goss on indoor climbing walls instead of natural rock faces. Goss grew up
in Chicago, where the average January high is a chilly 25 degrees, and then
lived in Maine, where up to 7.5 feet of snow falls each year. His favorite sport
had seasonal limits, and by January, he was usually itching to get back
outdoors. So instead of waiting for the snow to melt, he hit the road. When
he discovered St. George, Utah — where the sun shines 300 days a year, where
climbing-perfect temperatures of 50 to 70 degrees grace the town January through
March and where limestone routes dominate the sprawling landscape — Goss knew
he’d discovered a little-known, but prime, climbing location. “Walking into
the Cathedral at Welcome Springs for the first time, and realizing the potential
climbing experience it offered the community, was especially inspiring,” says
Goss of one St. George climbing area. Hooked by the desert beauty and low-key
vibe, Goss moved to the Utah town in 1992. Now the owner of Paragon Adventures,
he shows outsiders the wintertime delights of the warm-weather wonderland.
St. George is hardly the only spot for an outdoor adventure sans long johns
and wooly mittens. Throughout the southern United States, undiscovered paddling,
rock-climbing and mountain-biking destinations offer the adrenaline fix the
snow-bound crave when the mercury dips below zero.
Fat-Tire Fun
If the
only terrain your mountain bike sees in the winter is a dusty basement, you
might consider a furlough to southern Arizona, where single-track trails
spider through the Sonoran Desert. “The sun is almost always shining,” says
Martha Lemen, president of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. “It’s pure
heaven to be outside when the rest of the world is freezing.” Thanks to the
biking at 4,000 feet in the Santa Rita and Patagonia mountains, the tiny, artsy
border town of Patagonia (pop. 881) has become an outpost for riders. Rent bikes
at Broadway Bicycles (www.broadwaybicycles.com) and hit the
Kentucky Camp Trail, a 38-mile figure-eight loop that connects to the 750-mile
Arizona Trail between Mexico and Utah. The Kentucky Camp’s scenery and fun
terrain have earned it an “Epic” designation by the International Mountain
Biking Association. Later, bring your binoculars to Patagonia-Sonoita Creek
Preserve; the Nature Conservancy site is one of the best in the country for bird
watching. The longest off-pavement trail in the United States is the
2,714-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which runs through the Old West
town of Silver City, N.M. Here, you’ll find consistently sunny skies,
temperatures in the 60s and trails that loop around former mines. Gila Bike and
Hike (www.silvercity.org), a local outfitter, can help make sure you’re
ready to roll through some of the surrounding 3 million acres of the Gila
National Forest. For tropical two-wheeling, consider Ocala, Fla., home to
the Santos Trail System. The 42-mile network has trails for all abilities,
including the sprawling Vortex Pit free-ride area, with its dirt jumps and
20-foot drops. Check out the Santos Trailhead Bike Shop (www.santosbikeshop.com) and the
campground right at the trails.
Wet and Wild
If the water in your region seems to come in only two forms —
snow and ice — this time of year, you may be particularly drawn to a
warm-weather spot such as Hattiesburg, Miss. Surrounded by the Okatoma Creek,
Black Creek, Wolf River and Escatawpa River (all of which are lined with camping
spots), Hattiesburg has become a paddling playground in the winter, when
temperatures reach into the 70s. “Hattiesburg is located near some of the
finest streams for canoeing,” says Larry Estes, the 51-year-old president of the
Mississippi Outdoor Club. “The area has outfitters and several streams that make
it helpful for people who don’t have their own boats, and water quality on many
of the streams is also better than other parts of the state.” At Soggy
Bottom (www.soggybottomcanoe.com),
rent a canoe or kayak for just $20 a day. It includes a shuttle to your put-in
spot and a pick-up spot on the peaceful Black Creek, which Congress has
designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Soggy Bottom also leads hiking
adventures on a 40-mile trail through the De Soto National Forest. Back in
Hattiesburg, you can wind down with a walk along the 39-mile Longleaf Trace
Trail, a Rails-to-Trails conservancy project. Pining for a white-water
adventure? Make for San Marcos, Texas, where the San Marcos River remains a
constant 72 degrees year-round and offers Class I to III rapids. Right in
town, the recently constructed Rio Vista Falls Park is a training area for
Olympic kayakers — and a school for rookie paddlers, too. “We even have lights
in the evening so that you can paddle until 1 a.m.,” says Michelle Kvanli, a
competitive kayaker who runs the Power Olympic Outdoor Center (www.kayakinstruction.org) and offers
lessons for all levels. “San Marcos has everything you need while maintaining a
small-town feeling,” she says. “We call it San Marvelous!” In Beaufort, S.C.,
kayakers can glide through the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto (ACE) Basin, a
350,000-acre undeveloped estuary on the East Coast. “In winter, the spartina
grass in the salt marsh turns a wonderful russet color, and bald eagles begin to
breed,” says Kim Gundler of Beaufort Kayak Tours (www.beaufortkayaktours.com).
Alligators, blue crabs, shrimp and even bottlenose dolphin keep paddlers company
on these quiet journeys.
Rock Star
Climbers suffering from a case of cabin fever will find welcome
relief in the scenic town of Ojai, Calif., whose bouldering problems and routes
of 5.5 to 5.11 difficulty remain relatively undiscovered. Ian Potter,
who leads rock-climbing tours throughout Ojai Valley and Ventura County (www.hikingojai.com), calls it “friendly
rock,” touting the interplay of light and shade that makes climbing comfortable.
“Some areas are near water so you can go for a swim after rappelling from 80
feet,” he says. “And [the rock face] is so safe, you can drop a Suburban from
the anchor systems.” Ojai is also a balmy base camp for hiking, biking and
trail running in Los Padres National Forest or for sailing on Lake Casitas.
A bit closer to home for East Coasters is the mountain town of Boone, N.C.,
where climbers can explore the Pisgah National Forest year-round. Practice your
moves on the 30-foot climbing tower at the Footsloggers store (www.footsloggers.com) before
venturing on a multipitch trip up Looking Glass Rock with Rock Dimensions
(www.rockdimensions.com), which also
offers underground caving trips. Or, to see what inspired Todd Goss to
relocate to St. George, Utah, sign up for a rock-climbing class with Paragon
Adventures (www.paragonadventure.com), whose
guides have the inside scoop on more than 1,500 red-rock routes and teach
everything from basic skills to lead-climbing seminars.
Cold Comfort
Need a reason besides the cold to plan an escape? Small U.S.
towns can be much more wallet-friendly than their big-city and Caribbean
counterparts, says Justin Bergman, a senior editor at Budget Travel
magazine. “To keep a trip even cheaper, join a bike shop’s weekly ride
instead of hiring a guide, and kayak on rivers close to town instead of driving
a car to a far-off destination,” he suggests. So, while the northern
half of the country is busy shoveling and scraping, you can be challenging
yourself on an anti-winter adventure — by simply adjusting your latitude.
Sarah Tuff is the coauthor of 101 Best Outdoor Towns: Unspoiled Places to
Visit, Live & Play (Countryman Press, 2007); she writes from Shelburne,
Vt.
The Hidden Bonus
If you’ve landed in a town known for, say, mountain biking, chances are there
are plenty of other adventures going on, too — from outdoor-oriented sports to
festivals, shopping and live music. How can you find out what else is happening?
“Walk around, get your bearings, and find a local coffee shop or bar and ask
people,” suggests Justin Bergman, a senior editor at Budget Travel magazine. “Or
just look out for free local magazines, bulletin boards and posters — in smaller
places, that’s [often] how people get the information out.”
More Undiscovered Destinations
Cycling
Hot Springs, Ark. — To try the Womble, a 39-mile single-track
trail tracing the Ouachita River, rent bikes at Parkside Cycle: 501-623-6188; www.parksidecycle.com. (For more on Hot
Springs, see “Total Immersion” in the November 2008 archives.) Boulder City, Nev. — This is your base camp for
mountain biking the 35-mile Bootleg Canyon Trail. All Mountain Cyclery:
702-453-2453; www.allmountaincyclery.com. Cullman,
Ala. — Check out 15 miles of mountain-biking trails at Chigger Ridge, the
3.5-mile trail at Sportsman Lake Park and the 6-mile Hurricane Creek trail.
Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce: 256-734-0454; www.cullmanchamber.org. Paddling
St. Mary’s, Ga. — This seaside town is the gateway to paddling
the Cumberland Island National Seashore. Rent
kayaks or take a tour from Up
the Creek: 912-882-0911; www.upthecreektrips.com. Apalachicola,
Fla. — Kayak or canoe through the 246,000-acre Apalachicola National Estuarine
Research Reserve, or island-hop along the Florida Panhandle. Journeys of St.
George Island offers guided trips and rentals: 850-927-3259; www.sgislandjourneys.com.
Pismo Beach, Calif. — For sea kayaking through caves and along cliffs, in
addition to gliding past beaches and rock formations, contact Central Coast
Kayaks: 805-773-3500; www.centralcoastkayaks.com. Rock Climbing
Prescott, Ariz. — Granite Mountain Outfitters has maps to
warm-weather climbing routes in the Granite Mountain Wilderness Area:
928-776-4949. Oahu, Hawaii — Yep, Hawaii’s got rock climbing, too, with
routes from 5.8 on the North Shore of Oahu, including a 90-foot wall. Contact
Patagonia at 808-637-1245 for more information. Baymon, Puerto Rico — More
than 131 routes have turned this tropical island into a rock-climbing
destination. Contact the Puerto Rico tourism board: 800-866-7827; www.gotopuertorico.com.
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Latitude Adjustment
Feeling frozen out of your favorite outdoor activities? A warm-weather
paddling, climbing or cycling getaway and a change of scenery may help
you beat the winter blahs.
By Sarah Tuff | Head Out Department,
December 2008 |
Fat-Tire Fun
Wet and Wild
Rock Star
Cold Comfort
The Hidden Bonus
More Undiscovered Destinations
For years, the long winters of the northern United States kept rock climber
Todd Goss on indoor climbing walls instead of natural rock faces. Goss grew up
in Chicago, where the average January high is a chilly 25 degrees, and then
lived in Maine, where up to 7.5 feet of snow falls each year. His favorite sport
had seasonal limits, and by January, he was usually itching to get back
outdoors. So instead of waiting for the snow to melt, he hit the road. When
he discovered St. George, Utah — where the sun shines 300 days a year, where
climbing-perfect temperatures of 50 to 70 degrees grace the town January through
March and where limestone routes dominate the sprawling landscape — Goss knew
he’d discovered a little-known, but prime, climbing location. “Walking into
the Cathedral at Welcome Springs for the first time, and realizing the potential
climbing experience it offered the community, was especially inspiring,” says
Goss of one St. George climbing area. Hooked by the desert beauty and low-key
vibe, Goss moved to the Utah town in 1992. Now the owner of Paragon Adventures,
he shows outsiders the wintertime delights of the warm-weather wonderland.
St. George is hardly the only spot for an outdoor adventure sans long johns
and wooly mittens. Throughout the southern United States, undiscovered paddling,
rock-climbing and mountain-biking destinations offer the adrenaline fix the
snow-bound crave when the mercury dips below zero.
Fat-Tire Fun (Back to Top)
If the
only terrain your mountain bike sees in the winter is a dusty basement, you
might consider a furlough to southern Arizona, where single-track trails
spider through the Sonoran Desert. “The sun is almost always shining,” says
Martha Lemen, president of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. “It’s pure
heaven to be outside when the rest of the world is freezing.” Thanks to the
biking at 4,000 feet in the Santa Rita and Patagonia mountains, the tiny, artsy
border town of Patagonia (pop. 881) has become an outpost for riders. Rent bikes
at Broadway Bicycles (www.broadwaybicycles.com) and hit the
Kentucky Camp Trail, a 38-mile figure-eight loop that connects to the 750-mile
Arizona Trail between Mexico and Utah. The Kentucky Camp’s scenery and fun
terrain have earned it an “Epic” designation by the International Mountain
Biking Association. Later, bring your binoculars to Patagonia-Sonoita Creek
Preserve; the Nature Conservancy site is one of the best in the country for bird
watching. The longest off-pavement trail in the United States is the
2,714-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which runs through the Old West
town of Silver City, N.M. Here, you’ll find consistently sunny skies,
temperatures in the 60s and trails that loop around former mines. Gila Bike and
Hike (www.silvercity.org), a local outfitter, can help make sure you’re
ready to roll through some of the surrounding 3 million acres of the Gila
National Forest. For tropical two-wheeling, consider Ocala, Fla., home to
the Santos Trail System. The 42-mile network has trails for all abilities,
including the sprawling Vortex Pit free-ride area, with its dirt jumps and
20-foot drops. Check out the Santos Trailhead Bike Shop (www.santosbikeshop.com) and the
campground right at the trails.
Wet and Wild (Back to Top)
If the water in your region seems to come in only two forms —
snow and ice — this time of year, you may be particularly drawn to a
warm-weather spot such as Hattiesburg, Miss. Surrounded by the Okatoma Creek,
Black Creek, Wolf River and Escatawpa River (all of which are lined with camping
spots), Hattiesburg has become a paddling playground in the winter, when
temperatures reach into the 70s. “Hattiesburg is located near some of the
finest streams for canoeing,” says Larry Estes, the 51-year-old president of the
Mississippi Outdoor Club. “The area has outfitters and several streams that make
it helpful for people who don’t have their own boats, and water quality on many
of the streams is also better than other parts of the state.” At Soggy
Bottom (www.soggybottomcanoe.com),
rent a canoe or kayak for just $20 a day. It includes a shuttle to your put-in
spot and a pick-up spot on the peaceful Black Creek, which Congress has
designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Soggy Bottom also leads hiking
adventures on a 40-mile trail through the De Soto National Forest. Back in
Hattiesburg, you can wind down with a walk along the 39-mile Longleaf Trace
Trail, a Rails-to-Trails conservancy project. Pining for a white-water
adventure? Make for San Marcos, Texas, where the San Marcos River remains a
constant 72 degrees year-round and offers Class I to III rapids. Right in
town, the recently constructed Rio Vista Falls Park is a training area for
Olympic kayakers — and a school for rookie paddlers, too. “We even have lights
in the evening so that you can paddle until 1 a.m.,” says Michelle Kvanli, a
competitive kayaker who runs the Power Olympic Outdoor Center (www.kayakinstruction.org) and offers
lessons for all levels. “San Marcos has everything you need while maintaining a
small-town feeling,” she says. “We call it San Marvelous!” In Beaufort, S.C.,
kayakers can glide through the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto (ACE) Basin, a
350,000-acre undeveloped estuary on the East Coast. “In winter, the spartina
grass in the salt marsh turns a wonderful russet color, and bald eagles begin to
breed,” says Kim Gundler of Beaufort Kayak Tours (www.beaufortkayaktours.com).
Alligators, blue crabs, shrimp and even bottlenose dolphin keep paddlers company
on these quiet journeys.
Rock Star (Back to Top)
Climbers suffering from a case of cabin fever will find welcome
relief in the scenic town of Ojai, Calif., whose bouldering problems and routes
of 5.5 to 5.11 difficulty remain relatively undiscovered. Ian Potter,
who leads rock-climbing tours throughout Ojai Valley and Ventura County (www.hikingojai.com), calls it “friendly
rock,” touting the interplay of light and shade that makes climbing comfortable.
“Some areas are near water so you can go for a swim after rappelling from 80
feet,” he says. “And [the rock face] is so safe, you can drop a Suburban from
the anchor systems.” Ojai is also a balmy base camp for hiking, biking and
trail running in Los Padres National Forest or for sailing on Lake Casitas.
A bit closer to home for East Coasters is the mountain town of Boone, N.C.,
where climbers can explore the Pisgah National Forest year-round. Practice your
moves on the 30-foot climbing tower at the Footsloggers store (www.footsloggers.com) before
venturing on a multipitch trip up Looking Glass Rock with Rock Dimensions
(www.rockdimensions.com), which also
offers underground caving trips. Or, to see what inspired Todd Goss to
relocate to St. George, Utah, sign up for a rock-climbing class with Paragon
Adventures (www.paragonadventure.com), whose
guides have the inside scoop on more than 1,500 red-rock routes and teach
everything from basic skills to lead-climbing seminars.
Cold Comfort (Back to Top)
Need a reason besides the cold to plan an escape? Small U.S.
towns can be much more wallet-friendly than their big-city and Caribbean
counterparts, says Justin Bergman, a senior editor at Budget Travel
magazine. “To keep a trip even cheaper, join a bike shop’s weekly ride
instead of hiring a guide, and kayak on rivers close to town instead of driving
a car to a far-off destination,” he suggests. So, while the northern
half of the country is busy shoveling and scraping, you can be challenging
yourself on an anti-winter adventure — by simply adjusting your latitude.
Sarah Tuff is the coauthor of 101 Best Outdoor Towns: Unspoiled Places to
Visit, Live & Play (Countryman Press, 2007); she writes from Shelburne,
Vt.
The Hidden Bonus (Back to Top)
If you’ve landed in a town known for, say, mountain biking, chances are there
are plenty of other adventures going on, too — from outdoor-oriented sports to
festivals, shopping and live music. How can you find out what else is happening?
“Walk around, get your bearings, and find a local coffee shop or bar and ask
people,” suggests Justin Bergman, a senior editor at Budget Travel magazine. “Or
just look out for free local magazines, bulletin boards and posters — in smaller
places, that’s [often] how people get the information out.”
More Undiscovered Destinations (Back to Top)
Cycling
Hot Springs, Ark. — To try the Womble, a 39-mile single-track
trail tracing the Ouachita River, rent bikes at Parkside Cycle: 501-623-6188; www.parksidecycle.com. (For more on Hot
Springs, see “Total Immersion” in the November 2008 archives.) Boulder City, Nev. — This is your base camp for
mountain biking the 35-mile Bootleg Canyon Trail. All Mountain Cyclery:
702-453-2453; www.allmountaincyclery.com. Cullman,
Ala. — Check out 15 miles of mountain-biking trails at Chigger Ridge, the
3.5-mile trail at Sportsman Lake Park and the 6-mile Hurricane Creek trail.
Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce: 256-734-0454; www.cullmanchamber.org. Paddling
St. Mary’s, Ga. — This seaside town is the gateway to paddling
the Cumberland Island National Seashore. Rent
kayaks or take a tour from Up
the Creek: 912-882-0911; www.upthecreektrips.com. Apalachicola,
Fla. — Kayak or canoe through the 246,000-acre Apalachicola National Estuarine
Research Reserve, or island-hop along the Florida Panhandle. Journeys of St.
George Island offers guided trips and rentals: 850-927-3259; www.sgislandjourneys.com.
Pismo Beach, Calif. — For sea kayaking through caves and along cliffs, in
addition to gliding past beaches and rock formations, contact Central Coast
Kayaks: 805-773-3500; www.centralcoastkayaks.com. Rock Climbing
Prescott, Ariz. — Granite Mountain Outfitters has maps to
warm-weather climbing routes in the Granite Mountain Wilderness Area:
928-776-4949. Oahu, Hawaii — Yep, Hawaii’s got rock climbing, too, with
routes from 5.8 on the North Shore of Oahu, including a 90-foot wall. Contact
Patagonia at 808-637-1245 for more information. Baymon, Puerto Rico — More
than 131 routes have turned this tropical island into a rock-climbing
destination. Contact the Puerto Rico tourism board: 800-866-7827; www.gotopuertorico.com.
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