Winter Adventure Itinerary
WINTER ADVENTURE: 14-Day Itinerary
Skiers have long known New England as a go-to destination for chilly thrills. But there are so many other exciting ways to fill a winter vacation here, you’ll be planning your next visit long before you’re done.
DAYS 1 & 2: CONNECTICUT
Learn more about visiting Connecticut
Lodging ideas: Inn at Middletown (Middletown), New Haven Hotel (New Haven)
Less than half an hour from Hartford, Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort in Middletown kicks off your Connecticut winter adventure with not just skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing, but also the fast-growing sport of “ski biking,” which has thrill seekers zooming downhill on bicycle-like frames attached to skis.
If you’ve ever wanted to try ice climbing, an expert-led outing with Connecticut-based Ragged Mountain Guides will provide the tools and confidence to tackle a frozen waterfall. For even more high-off-the-ground exhilaration, head to IT Adventure Ropes Course in New Haven: The world’s largest indoor ropes course features an aerial web of swaying plank bridges, cargo nets, tightropes, and ziplines.
DAYS 3 & 4: RHODE ISLAND
Learn more about visiting Rhode Island
Lodging ideas: Atlantic Beach Hotel (Newport), Wyndham Hotel (Newport)
Rhode Island’s only ski area, Yawgoo Valley, makes its home in Exeter, just a short drive from Providence or Newport. Its 36 acres encompass a dozen trails, a terrain park, and a snow tubing park—and it’s one of the rare spots in New England to regularly offer night skiing.
Bundle up for an ocean expedition with the Newport nonprofit Save the Bay, which leads narrated seal-watching tours in Narragansett Bay throughout the winter months. You’ll enjoy terrific views of the Claiborne Pell Bridge and Rose Island Lighthouse as you learn the history of the harbor and look for Rhode Island’s state marine mammal, the harbor seal. Animal adventures continue in nearby Middletown, where the goats at Simmons Farm are your hiking companions on a 90-minute trek around the historic family-owned property. Hanging out with goats is a treat in itself, but the hike also includes a vista of Narragansett Bay from the highest privately owned point on Aquidneck Island; at journey’s end, warm up with hot chocolate at the farm stand.
DAYS 5 & 6: BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Learn more about visiting Boston
Lodging ideas: Boston Marriott Long Wharf, Boston Marriot Copley Place, Marriott Boston Quincy
New England sees its biggest and best waves for surfing in winter. Dive into the local scene with Boston Surf Adventures, which offers private and semi-private 90-minute lessons as well as three-day surf camps, with all gear included. Those who prefer milder thrills can glide and twirl on Boston Common’s Frog Pond, where ice skating has been a beloved tradition for nearly 30 years. No matter what winter activity you choose in Massachusetts’s capital city, a great way to warm back up is by cheering for one of New England’s premier sports teams when they’re in town. Catch a Boston Bruins or Boston Celtics game at TD Garden or make the short drive to Foxborough to watch the New England Patriots play.
DAYS 7–9: MAINE
Learn more about visiting Maine
Lodging ideas: New England Outdoor Center (Millinocket), Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel (Carrabassett Valley)
In planning the trip from Boston up to Maine, consider making time for a truly unique adventure along the way: venturing onto the ocean in a traditional wooden dory. Based in Belfast, Maine, a town on beautiful Penobscot Bay, DoryWoman Rowing offers lessons, wildlife tours, and full-moon rows led by owner and Registered Maine Guide Nicolle Littrell.
From there, it’s two hours inland to the New England Outdoor Center, a 1,400-acre sports mecca. Book a stay at one of its rustic cabins or lodges, and right outside your door you’ll have miles of trails for snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and fat biking. Prefer snowmobiling? NEOC has the state’s largest rental fleet, easy access to the Katahdin region’s network of snowmobile trails, and the option to book guided tours.
Maine’s ample snowfall and undeveloped terrain make it one of New England’s best spots for backcountry skiing, in which skiers and snowboarders leave the lifts behind in favor of climbing ungroomed slopes under their own steam. Try it for yourself at Maine ski resorts such as Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Sunday River in Bethel, and Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, all of which provide access to natural snowpack. Nordic skiers and snowshoers, meanwhile, can explore the trail systems at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center and the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center, as well as the 130km of trails in Bethel Village.
DAYS 10 & 11: NEW HAMPSHIRE
Learn more about visiting New Hampshire
Lodging ideas: Fairfield Inn & Suites (North Conway), Merrill Farm Inn (North Conway), Omni Mount Washington Resort (Bretton Woods), Thayers Inn (Littleton)
Surrounded by 800,000 acres of White Mountain National Forest, the Omni Mount Washington Resort is a hub for winter recreation in the Mount Washington Valley. It owns Bretton Woods, New Hampshire’s largest ski area, with 464 acres of skiing and snowboarding on 63 trails and 35 glades, while its Bretton Woods Nordic Center keeps cross-country skiers and snowshoers busy with more than 100km of trails. The resort can also connect visitors with guided adventures ranging from ice climbing to dogsledding. And don’t miss the Canopy Tour at Bretton Woods, a series of nine ziplines with stunning Presidential Range vistas.
Looking to ski Mount Washington’s legendary Tuckerman Ravine? The AMC’s Joe Dodge Lodge sits at the base of the trail to “Tucks” and other backcountry skiing spots and offers a number of staff-led guided adventures throughout the season.
DAYS 12–14: VERMONT
Learn more about visiting Vermont
Lodging ideas: Castle Hill Resort & Spa (Ludlow), The Inn at the Round Barn Farm (Waitsfield), Okemo Mountain Resort (Ludlow), Stoweflake Resort & Spa (Stowe), Sugarbush Resort (Warren), Topnotch Resort (Stowe), Sterling Ridge Resort (Jeffersonville)
Start a three-day meander through Vermont’s ski country in Stowe, in the Upper Green Mountains. A free daily shuttle runs from town to Stowe Mountain Resort, set on the slopes of Spruce Peak and the state’s tallest mountain, Mount Mansfield. Choose from four terrain parks and more than 100 trails, or indulge in ice skating, shopping, and dining at The Village at Spruce Peak. Nearby Trapp Family Lodge is home to the first U.S. Nordic center; the 110km of trails on its 2,600 acres link up to another 100km of area trails. Take a sleigh ride at the lodge or visit the on-site von Trapp Brewery. Back in town, check out more local flavor at the Alchemist Brewery and Stowe Cider.
On day two, it’s off to the Mad River Valley. Stop into the Cabot Creamery Store in Waterbury to load up on the Vermont brand’s famous cheeses, then bundle up for downhill fun at Sugarbush Resort or explore the tranquil landscape at Blueberry Lake Cross-Country & Snowshoeing Center. Reward yourself afterward with a pint from Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield.
Your last day is in the Okemo Valley, home to Ludlow’s Okemo Mountain Resort. Its 2,200-foot vertical drop gives it the most in all of southern Vermont, while its 450-foot Superpipe is the longest in the East. There’s also ice skating, a snow tubing park, and the thrilling Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster. Refuel with beer and wood-fired pizza at Outer Limits Brewing in Proctorsville and grab some tasty souvenirs from Mount Holly’s Crowley Cheese before you go.
Itinerary created in partnership with Yankee Publishing. DATTCO Coach & Tour is Discover New England’s transportation partner.
