Natural Travels

Darby, Montana – The award-winning Triple Creek Ranch, Montana’s beautiful Relais & Châteaux hideaway, is offering a five-night Mountain Romance getaway for two at a special rate of $4,060. Set in the Bitterroot Mountains against 600 acres of breathtaking Big Sky beauty, the resort has long been the favored escape for couples who appreciate a perfect balance of rest, romance and Rocky Mountain adventure. Couples will stay in a Luxury Cabin with a wood burning fireplace, living room, fully stocked bar, double steam shower and private deck with hot tub for five nights while enjoying a 20% discount and a relaxing couple’s massage. The package is priced at $4,060 with additional nights available for the discount rate of $760 nightly.

Whether couples opt to fly fish, hike, go on a trail ride, or relax in an outdoor hot tub, they will enjoy the all-inclusive luxury at Triple Creek Ranch that comes with anticipatory service, fine wines and gourmet dining. Read the rest of this entry →

Exciting news from our friends in the mountains of North Carolina: one of the state’s most notable geologic features, Grandfather Mountain, and the 2,600 acres that surround it, are now a North Carolina State Park. This popular hiking destination has been a private attraction for generations, and there were recent fears that the owners might sell out to the development craze that has swept across the North Carolina mountains. Not so. The Mile High Swinging Bridge, Museum, and Nature Park will remain, privately run but with a conservation easement that protects the land from any further change in use. Great news for conservation and for hikers!  Read the details in this article in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Fall foilage in Pennsylvania

Growing up not far from the Poconos, I enjoyed the dance of color across the hillsides each autumn, leaves turning crimson, gold, and orange on maples, oaks, beech, and birch.

A recent press release from Skytop Lodge, a Historic Hotel of America on more than 5,500 acres of mountain terrain in the Poconos, offers up a special “Walk into Fall” package for a two-night stay at the grand lodge, three meals a day, and afternoon tea to complement a guided nature walk with naturalist John Serrao to experience the height of fall foliage. More than 30 miles of hiking trails give you more reason to roam on your own, and they’ll even provide a carved hiking stick for you on check-in.

At $480 per night, it’s a romantic getaway well-suited to couples who love the comforts of a grand hotel along with their outdoor adventures. For details about this fall getaway package, visit www.skytop.com

Grassy Waters near Taylor Creek

One of my favorite annual pastimes is walking around Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest lake and the second largest lake entirely within the United States. It’s 110 miles or so around the perimeter of the “Big Water,” a rural slice of Florida where sugar cane fields and cattle ranches dominate the landscape. For nine days, we walk the “Big O” Hike, 35 feet above this ocean-like lake on the man-made Herbert Hoover Dike, which was built in the 1930s after hurricanes devastated several of the lakeshore towns. It’s a long walk on the Florida Trail with a great group of friends, and you can join us, too, this upcoming Thanksgiving week! Read about the experience...