Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa provides a private beach and access to the lake so you can do just that. As for biking, the Whitefish Trail is 43 miles of flowy singletrack, with a trailhead two miles from downtown. If you make a purchase from our site, we may earn a commission. The community (population 2,800) sits at the mouth of the Copper River on Prince William Sound, surrounded by glaciated peaks that are protected byChugach National Forest. Up in Montana's Rocky Mountains, you'll find Bigfork, a town that borders Flathead Lake, the biggest lake in all of Montana. A former mining town from California's Gold Rush days, Sonora can be found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The Salmon River helps carve the towns boundaries, offering immediate access to fly-fishing and Class IV rapids. Small towns and wide-open landscapes are great places to be. 13. This criminally underrated Rocky Mountain town combines a good-time spirit and endlessly charming Old West-styled downtown with that serene forested landscape that Idaho is known for, all. The town welcomes seasonal hikers with microbreweries, a downtown of artisans and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in its own backyard. And Bentonville (population 49,467) has taken advantage of that feature, building more than 300 miles of singletrack in the past decade. A former mining town and railroad hub, it has since expanded to 25,000 residents, who relish the four seasons of adventure in their backyard. Along with most of the town, the Harry Packer Mansion Inn boasts historic Victorian architecture from its location in the heart of town. All-ages will get a kick out of the scenic Mt. Related: 7 Reasons to Quit Your Job & Become A Ski Bum: With so much to keep you happy and healthy in Bend, its hard to blame them. The tiny town of Terlingua, with a population of 50 or so, sits on the boundaryof the park and has a killer bar in the Starlight Theatre Restaurant, a couple of other dining options, and some beloved stone ruins. The resort gets all the love (and rightfully so), but dont overlook Snow King, which serves as a pre- and post-work ski workout for locals, or Grand Targhee, 45 miles away, which has just as much to offer mountain bikers during the summer as it does skiers in the winter. READ THIS NEXT: 10 Best Cities in the U.S. for Outdoor Adventures. Founded by Swiss immigrants who thought it looked like their alpine homeland, New Glarus is a little Switzerland in the heart of the heartland. America's 50 Best Small Towns in the Mountains By Lissa Poirot, updated on December 13, 2022 Getty Images Small towns and wide-open landscapes are great places to be. The Limelight Hotel has become one of Sun Valley's most popular hotels, aiming to bring its guests into the surrounding outdoors with bicycle rentals and adventures. But Stowe is equally known for its ski slopes, so don't rule out a winter visit. While you should trek scenic paths like the Glacier Gorge Trail, don't miss out on spending time in the charming downtown area. At just $104,553, the cost of a single-family home is $80,000 less than the US average. Called Utah's "Swiss Alps," this area was settled by Swiss immigrants who designed homes in alpine style and created world-class Nordic skiing. 5. Try a stay at Jacksonville Inn, housed in an original mining-town building with eight rooms. Taos, New Mexico. In the North Georgia Mountains, this "Apple Capital of Georgia" is found at the southernmost end of the Appalachian Trail. If it looks familiar, it is because this home was the model for the haunted mansion at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland! Located right in the heart of town is the 45-room Historic Taos Inn, nicknamed the "Living Room of Taos." 3. But this isn't roughing it in the least. Were only human and maybe we put too much stock in an empty trail, a tasty IPA, and a great breakfast burrito. It's known for its vineyards and orchards, so you can expect to savor tasty food and wine during your trip. Check out Stacker's list of the 25 best small towns on the West Coast, according to Niche's 2021 Best Places to Live study. A visit to this New Mexico mountain town will have you meeting and mingling with artisans and craftsmen in an array of galleries and shops. And, when the state's longest pedestrian trail, Palmetto Trail, completes, it will end in Walhalla. Durango doesnt register as a ski destination, but locals have Chapman Hill, a two-rope-tow affair that rises from downtown, and Purgatory, a 1,605-acre resort that boasts the largest cat-skiing operation in the lower 48. You can even take a free gondola ride to the top of the mountain to participate in the aprs-ski environment without ever hitting the slopes. Alabama's quintessential mountain town is Mentone, which is set atop Lookout Mountain and filled with charming spots, including the Wildflower Caf, Mentone Log Cabin Village, and Mentone Arts and Cultural Center. Meanwhile, Leadville, elevation of . Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Robert Mullan/Shutterstock Positioned along the central California coast, Carmel-by-the-Sea is as quaint and charming as its name makes it out to be. However, Bar Harbor should be more than just a stop on the way to the park. Crescent Hotel and Spa is a member of Historic Hotels & Spas of America and has served as the leading hotel for the town since its opening. The Cal Poly Pomona Outdoor Adventures program includes classes and trips, such as hiking to the famed Bridge to Nowhere in the San Gabriel Mountains. The state is as wild as it gets in the lower 48, and Stanley, in the center of the Sawtooth Valley with its 10,000-foot namesake peaks, is the ultimate tiny base camp. This wild Wyoming town puts visitors in a perfect location to explore Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Jacksonville is such a small town that your accommodation options are limited to intimate inns and B&Bs. . Nicknamed "America's First Spa," Berkeley Springs is only 90 minutes from Greater Washington, D.C., and provides a host of full-service spas built around the hot springs as well as shops and dining that bring the city-folk to town. Some of the towns on this list are so damn awesome that theyresuffering from side effectslike crowded trailheads and ridiculous home prices. Downtown is delightful and supports its small population of 100 (make like a local and grab a breakfast burrito from Stanley Baking Company),but if you want some glitz or lift-served downhill, Sun Valley Mountain Resort is just an hour south. Use this ranking to plan a future trip, and vote for your favorite towns below to have a say in next year's list. Farmers markets, boutiques, museums and art galleries are also sprinkled throughout the town. Deep within the Lehigh Gorge this Victorian-era mining town serves as a hub to the area's hiking trails that lead to some of the state's most beautiful waterfalls. With the highest point in New Jersey, Montague Township is the best town in the state for mountain views. There are 450 miles of trails surrounding Park City, earning it one of the few gold-level Ride Center designations from IMBA. Sun Valley is where the world's first chairlifts were installed in 1936, helping to cement its status as a modern ski resort destination. Within the town are tasting rooms of North Georgia wineries, restaurants, shops and entertainment encircling a town square all utterly charming. It's not hard to find quaint, quirky towns on the ocean in BC, a province with nearly 26,000 km (16,000 mi) of Pacific coastline, some 40,000 islands, and distinctive laid-back West Coast culture. As far as you can get from major centers of civilization in the Midwest, this former mining outpost (population 100) sits on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, flanked by thelargest of the Great Lakes on one side and the rocky ridgeline of Brockway Mountain on the other. Travel When it's warm, hiking and biking trails are plentiful. The West Coast of the United States - also known as the Pacific Coast, the Pacific Seaboard, and the Western Seaboard - is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean.The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, but sometimes includes Alaska and Hawaii, especially by the United States Census Bureau as a . Its alpine stylings make for a fairytale setting, and it's home to a Nutcracker Museum with thousands of nutcrackers. 10 Best West Coast Beach Towns. While many hotels in Harpers Valley are run-of-the-mill chains, Hillbrook Inn and Spa is a delightful five-building, home-styled bed and breakfast, situated on land that was originally owned by George Washington. A tandem of blue-ribbon rivers (the Provo and the Weber) keep anglers entertained, while every hiking trail seems to lead to a different high-alpine lake. Just because you're in the boonies doesn't mean you'll feel like you are when you stay at the refined Penn Stroud Hotel in the heart of town. The resort features a saltwater pool, spa, dining and all the modern conveniences of any resort on this list. Climbers flock to Cathedral Ledge for long multi-pitch routes, and hikers have 800,000 acres of national forest to explore outside town. More peaceful than its counterparts, Wears Valley is considered the "Jewel of the Smokies.". Visitors flock here to traverse Mammoth Mountain's 150 ski trails and take advantage of its cross-country skiing paths, tubing park and snowmobiling excursions. Whether you're skiing, hiking or just traveling for the views, mountain vacations provide an air of excitement and adventure. Hiking trails can be accessed right from the front door. Check with the CDC and the U.S. Department of State before traveling.). Couple that with six downhill ski resorts within a half-hour drive; restaurants and cafes such as the Thompson House Eatery and Frontside Coffee Roasters; and plenty of lodging options, including the . Mountain bikers in the know love Crosby for its 30 miles of trails through the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, which passes through Crosby. Hotel Telluride offers you a basecamp for your adventures while lending the feel of a European chalet. Its tough to say if Bozeman is a fishing town or a skiing town, a boating town or a mountain-biking town. This is a place where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane walked the once-dirt streets in the late 1800s dodging horses and bullets. Enjoy Southern charm with a stay at the Ellijay River House Bed and Breakfast. This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content. Soak in the views from the eight-passenger Cloudsplitter Gondola. Filled with B&Bs, the village is welcoming whether you're on skis or off, making it ideal for a four-season getaway with the White Mountain National Forest serving as a backdrop. Excellent tree runs, bowls, chutes, glades, and gullies. Either of those outdoor attractions would be reason enough to call Whitefish home for a weekend or a lifetime, but its the nuances between the obvious gems that make this area of the northern Rockies so damn compelling. The budget-friendly property provides breakfast in the morning and campfires in the evening near cookout grills, so you can get away from it all without really getting away from it all. During the summer, the mountains in this section of the Sierra Nevada are lousy with climbing, notably the tall granite slabs seen at Donner Summit and closer to Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe. Its architecture is more Victorian than mining camp, the food scene is legit, and the summer is punctuated by big events like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Telluride Blues and Brews. This luxurious resort is returning to its Gilded Age beginnings and expanding with one- to three-bedroom suites, a swimming pool and an onsite restaurant. In this tiny mountain town, you'll discover classic Bavarian architecture and restaurants serving German favorites like schnitzel, soft pretzels and, of course, beer. If you visit, catch the young (and young at heart) racing outdoors during the annual Spudman Triathlon. Stay at a classic Montana lodge at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, which is both rustic and elegant at the same time. Located 20 miles from much larger Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake is the perfect summer mountain escape for families who desire a more intimate backdrop for their water sports. As for the town itself, expect a college-educated-cowboy vibe, thanks to the presence of Black Hills State University. When travelers aren't zipping down Stowe Mountain Resort's runs, they can go ice skating, try snowshoeing or ride the property's gondola. 1. There are also many hiking options well-suited for beginners, such as the leisurely and scenic East Glacier Loop Trail. Hood River, Oregon. Yeah, you know about the antler arches, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, and Corbets Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Considered a resort town less than an hour from Anchorage, Girdwood rests in the Chugach Mountain Range and was once called Glacier City. Even the restaurant is Swiss with schnitzel and fondue options prominently featured. This small town offers 350 acres of hiking trails within its Lily Mountain Nature Preserve. Idaho Falls / Courtesy of Nicholas and Yin-Ying Sushkin under a CC 4.0 license. You'll be enveloped in a European-style property and served high-end, locally sourced meals at the boutique hotel's Restaurant 17. Located in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas, Mammoth Lakes is less than a 6-hour drive from most major cities in California. Cambria is a picturesque town complete with tall pine trees and jagged coastline, located on California's Central Coast. A visit here wouldn't be complete without a daytrip to nearby Kenai Fjords National Park, where glaciers and wildlife are plentiful. #1 in Best Mountain Towns to Visit in the USA For a mountain getaway the whole family will enjoy, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is an ideal destination. A visit to this Colorado mountain town is worth a trip, no matter the season. Often referred to as the birthplace of skiing in North America, North Conway's deep ski history is reason enough to consider it one of the best ski towns in the U.S.. 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