3alarmer

...you would probably like ice skating.

Seattle Forrest

Everyone I've talked to who's gone snowboarding has a lot to say about winding up on their ass. I've never tried it. Seems like it would be harder to control, like a unicycle vs a bike. With two skis, it's pretty easy to do what you want. Nothing is more intuitive than a stem Christiana.

Split boarding is a thing now.

Seattle Forrest

Sounds like the Pacific Northwest isn't in your plans, but if you decide to come this way I'll lend you my PLB. I won't need it in December.

BenzFanatic

Thank you, that's terribly kind of you. Plans could change. I am waiting a couple of weeks to book anything just to make sure there's not a major resurgence of COVID and to attempt to persuade a couple of friends to come along.

Seattle Forrest

This is a wonderful place to stay, in a small town. Your group can rent a cabin with a private hot tub over the river, it's nice to sit in with snow coming down. Entertainment is fat biking, skiing (Nordic, downhill, uphill, helicopter served backcountry), snow shoeing. If you're willing to put the work in, you can get into the national park.

I'll be in town in late December celebrating my birthday.

RubeRad

Hey how'd you get that video of me?

BenzFanatic

Looks very charming, thanks. I'm definitely keeping Washington on the short list. Always wanted to try a fat bike too.

3alarmer

...tell me that doesn't look like fun.

Seattle Forrest

This is downtown Winthrop in December. I go every year for my birthday. There are a lot of great places, but I keep coming back here. It's wonderful in every season, but I love snow, and they get a lot of sunny, crisp winter days.



This is downtown Mazama in December. You can get a latte nearby at the Mazama Store, one of two stores in the whole town. This is the next town over, one of three in the valley.



Burn scars are lovely. This one is on the way to Loup Loup. You can drive through here, I think there's fat biking through the ghost woods.



The restaurant at the Sun Mountain Lodge is excellent, you don't have to be a guest to eat there, and Sun Mountain is full of trails.



Fat bikes are allowed on the groomed ski trails up to the Rendezvous Huts and to other phenomenal views. You can reserve these huts. They're spaced about every five miles along the trail, you can do a multi day ride from Winthrop to Mazama staying at the huts, you can even get a snowmo to carry your gear for you. (The shop that rents fat bikes will store excess gear, and believe it or not it's safe to leave in your car at the trailheads that serve this area too.)



You can rent a snowmobile and go up here when conditions allow. It's a good ski tour, and the snomos compact it enough to fat bike as well. Obviously, the road is closed in the winter, the pavement is several feet down. They put highway construction on hold until a suitable poet could be brought in and capture the place in verse - what else is there to say?



This is the Rivers Edge which is my top choice in the valley. Nobody can see you in the hot tub. It's only half covered; when the snow flies you can get out of it, or you can sit on the Chewuch side and let it cool you down. The cabins have multiple bedrooms, full kitchens, and laundry, making for a great home base. Short walk into town.

RubeRad

That all looks amazing!

I'm going to share The Rendezvous Huts | Hut to Hut Skiing & Mountain Bike Riding in the Methow Valley with my wife, we very well might plan a trip in the next year or two

ooga-booga

don't remember seeing where the "friends in the southwest" actually live...but if i had three weeks of vaca in dec to crush and i wasn't a weather wimp
(guilty), i'd be awful tempted to stay in the southwest and sample a hatful or intimately know two or three areas. maximize your alone riding time vs dealing with airports
with likely delayed/cancelled flights/connecting flights that time of year. colder temps may mean road/area closures depending on the weather. you may be better
off planning on the southern climes (san diego/la or tucson/phoenix or las vegas/zion and modifying your trip based on forecasted conditions. it's a 2 hr drive from san diego
to la with no traffic. it's a 6 hr drive from san diego to phoenix/tucson/las vegas. it's an 8 hr drive from san diego to zion np. la to vegas is 5 hours with some traffic. la to zion is 6.5 hours.
la to phoenix about 6 hours. la to tucson about 7.5 hrs. las vegas to phoenix is 5 hrs and las vegas to tucson is about 6.5 hrs.

with all the above areas mentioned...by the time you drive to the airport, check in, wait around, board, depart, fly, land, disembark, collect luggage, exit airport via shutttle or rental car...
it's about the same amount of time spent vs just driving to the next destination.

DiabloScott

I took a half day of windsurfing lessons and maybe traveled a total distance of 100 meters. Then I was the most tired and sore as I've ever been for a week.
Pull yourself up, pull the sail up, grab the boom, fall off, repeat.

Seattle Forrest

I love the Methow! If you ping me in advance, I'll probably come out for a few days to meet you. Maybe get dinner to celebrate your Rendezvous traverse. I'll take you hiking, too, I maintain a 7 mile section of the PCT just outside of Mazama, it's one of the most beautiful stretches of trail you'll ever see.

Late May through early July and October are the best times to visit (if you don't love snow). The wildflowers are mind blowing. And we have a tree - larix lyalli the alpine larch - that you'd swear was an evergreen until you saw the needles turn gold and then fall off. I spend all my free time in October on larch marches and rides.

Most of the spring wildflowers are balsamroot, lupine, paintbrush, mariposa lily, stuff like that. These are glacier lilies at Harts Pass. This is about an hour from Winthrop. (I won a calendar contest with this photo.)



This is the PCT immediately north of "my" section.



This is my section.



These are the larches. They look better in sunlight, but you take what nature gives you. The needles are soft like kitten fur!

Seattle Forrest

Road cycling requires a lot of fitness, but very little skill. That's what makes other sports so much fun. Hard to learn, so rewarding and satisfying to take part in once you get the basics down though.

RubeRad

I appreciate the offer -- if we ever get up there, I will take you up on it!

BenzFanatic

They are outside of Dallas. I'm thinking after touring the Nat'l Parks from Yosemite, south/east through vegas, etc, I'll fly from Albuquerque to save a day of driving.

3alarmer

....it's not exactly close to Dallas, because it's down on the border. But the Big Bend national park on the bend of the Rio Grande is one of the more memorable spots to visit, parkwise, in all of Texas. AS a bonus, you drive down through Alpine on your way. If you rent a car to do it, get something with plenty of ground clearance, like an SUV. You don't really need 4 wheel drive to go to a lot of interesting spots in the park, but you do need ground clearance if you want to leave the paved roads in there.

BenzFanatic

I finally booked my trip, and this is pretty much exactly what I decided on. Dallas for a few days with friends, flying to vegas, driving/staying at Zion, and driving to the rest. My only problem is that I'll only have 3 full days to wander the parks. I had some unexpected medical bills and decided I should probably keep the whole trip to about a week. However, I could extend it a day or 2 without hurting the pocket book too badly. I do have an additional week off of work.

Any suggestions on what to prioritize? I figure I could potentially drive through Vermillion Cliffs and Grand Canyon in the same day, but sunlight is somewhat limited. I definitely want to spend a full day hiking at Zion. Grand Staircase also looks pretty darn neat, as well as Glen Canyon. I could probably persuaded to drive over to Canyonlands if it's a must.

Thanks!

ahsposo 

Be aware you will need reservations in advance for entry to many sites due to the current situation.

Lemond1985

Don't forget Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park, just south of Yosemite. Take Highway 180 which connects to 198. This is right in my backyard. The high country trails are usually open by June, but you need a permit to camp. It's a nice enough drive and less crowded than Yosemite. Late time i tried to go to that place, I sat in my my car waiting in a line for two hours, that did not move the entire time, and I never even got in.























You need to hike a few hours to see the high country, maybe 2 1/2 hours from the road. These shots were taken around 9000 feet.

BenzFanatic

Thank you for the reminder. Looks like National Parks are pretty free of restrictions for the time being. I'll definitely keep an eye on it.

I've shortened my trip unfortunately, but thanks for the suggestions and pictures. Yosemite and Sequoia are definitely on next year's short list.

clemsongirl 

sounds like a good trip.....Zion and when open the smaller Bryce (an otherworldly feel) for views and hikes and then I stay in Moab for that areas many hikes, on/off road rides, the very close National Parks (Arches/Canyonlands) and a lot of other areas for eye-orgasms/photos especially Arches…..and good people, food and calm. A favorite get away for me!!!

genec

For eye candy, nothing beats the colors of Zion, but for unusual, check out burbling mud pots of Yellowstone... not to mention the geysers.

The cold season will soon shorten this trip though.

Seattle Forrest

Do the Angels Landing trail in Zion. I think it connects to the rim trail but it's been a long time for me.

ooga-booga

you don't list where you are flying out of to head back home...and perhaps you're keeping it open...but let's assume you're flying out of las vegas back home.

i don't recall seeing a post where you mentioned bringing/renting a bike or not so i'll assume you are and aren't.

zion np is approx 2 hrs away from las vegas. highest recommendation as it is arguably, my favorite np. relatively compact and muscular. great bang for the buck.
pack the hiking boots. most people hit the main canyon/unit but the kolob canyon section/unit just off the 15 fwy nw of the main canyon/unit is awesome as well
and sees a fraction of the main canyon visitation. main canyon has a splendid, relatively easy 6 miles one way, great pavement road to cycle. otherwise, zion is tough/more
extreme to cycle...mtb, gravel or road. zion is more of a hiker's park.

death valley np (furnace creek which is the main, populated area) is approx a 2 hr drive from las vegas. death valley functions as either a hiker or biker park. dvnp's m.o. is
that it is the largest national park in the lower 48. it. is. huge. if you cycle it, definitely recommend the drag from furnace creek to badwater and back (roughly a flattish 38 miles)
which has a must ride/stop artist's palette as a side trip (add 7 miles and 2,000 ft of tough el gain but a great road/side trip) and the short, 7 mile round trip from furnace creek up to zabriskie point
and back. if you're hiking, golden canyon (eventually connects to zabriskie point if you go far enough), artist's palette and ubehebe crater hike are all awesome. extra credit bonus hike/walk...
just across the road/ca hwy 190 from the artist's palette turnoff is a nondescript sand dune/hill with varying colorations. it is called ventifact ridge. if you're remotely into geology,
it's a dorkfest. many of the (mostly volcanic) rocks on the ridge have been scoured by the wind and are incredibly pitted/shaped on a small scale..triangle rocks for example.
stopping at badwater is also very cool. a big salt flat and the lowest place in the western hemisphere. if you go, take off your shoes and walk barefoot across the salt flat as far as you want once you leave the boardwalk.
you might elicit a few stares but trust me, it's very primal, connecting and easy. pity those that didn't/haven't done it.

grand canyon np (north rim) is close 1.5 hrs drive from zion np but the north rim usually closes mid-october because it's at just under 8,000 ft. south rim (most visited) is open all year round but is a real
expedition as a day trip from zion/las vegas area. if you ever get a chance to hit the north rim when it's open-take it. love love the north rim for cycling/hiking.

vermillion cliffs area is sweet but is a definite hiker's area along with needing permits for some of it. driving past it is impressive but there is a definite lack of info/accessibility. if you go, know what you're doing
and your honest limitations.

grand canyon-parashant national monument and grand staircase national monument...4wd recommended. utah hwy 12 passing from bryce canyon np is a northeasterly way to capital reef np is
a quintessential western highway. if you have time...do it.

bryce canyon np is about 1.25 hrs drive from zion but in december, it should be pretty shut down. much of the park is above 7,500 feet so snow will close it to cars/bikes. cross country skis?

mojave national preserve is about 1.5 hrs drive south from las vegas and has lots of open space and is very...western. lean and mean. cycling is good but few roads. hiking is decent but spaced far apart.

closer to las vegas, you've got red rock canyon (red rocks) state park which is, like a 12 min drive west from dtown. great hiking and cycling-wise, there is the 30 mile loop.
valley of fire state park is about a 30 min drive north of dtown on the 15 fwy. both highly recommended for cycling/hiking as well.

canyonlands np is fantastic but pretty far away from las vegas. not an issue if you're enroute to denver to fly back home but otherwise...it (and arches np and moab) is a destination in its' own right.

word of advice if driving through the death valley/vegas/zion area...never let your gas tank get below less than half full. distances are vast and services/provisions are frequently equally so.
gives you a chance to stretch-right?

word of advice if cycling in the death valley/vegas zion area...constantly stay topped up. distances are vast and services/provisions are frequently equally so.
gives you a chance to stretch-right?

thinking it's going to be a lean rain/snow year this winter in the west so you may have good success navigating, whether it be by bike, auto or on foot.