Julie and I are working pretty hard at the moment. As such, we’re planning a week of recovery travel this fall. Normally we take either short business travel or longer, off-continent trips, so this is virgin territory for us. Here are our criteria:
- We’ll be travelling in October or November.
- Must be in North America (probably no further south than Mexico).
- Given the time of year, I think the rest of Canada is out. We’re focusing on the southern states.
- Ideally, we’d like some kind of eco-tourism lodge or cabin setup. This has its own set of sub-requirements:
- The fewer people around, the better.
- The time there must be unscheduled, but have lots of options for activities. These might include (unguided) hiking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, river-rafting, etc.
- Must be in a natural setting (hence the ‘eco’ part).
- Nothing too rustic. I want sheets on the bed and towels in the bathroom. On the other hand, it needn’t be an Aveda Spa in the woods (though, I
might consider that option). - I’d say this lodge in Honduras is a good example of what we’re after, only closer to home.
Any recommendations?
DarrenBarefoot.com 
Are you driving or flying?
If you’re driving, you’ll be able to see a lot more variety, but you won’t have as much time to just hang out.
I really love the Zion/Bryce/Grand Canyon area (Zion is probably my favorite NP).
Well, if you want the full gamut I would say Sun River, Oregon would be cool. Mount Bachelor for skiing, the Deschutes for rafting and kayaking, there also a warm springs place a little further north for a fun swim. Lots of hiking in the area and excellent paved and unpaved bike trails. Further south would be access to the lava tubes (a hike within itself). …this of course assumes you want to stay in the states. It may not be soo warm in November tho… so maybe x-country skiing is called for 🙂
I say: go to Hawaii. Specifically, Maui or the Kona area of the big island. It’s shoulder season in the travel biz and airfare and hotels are priced to move. Alternately, go to the north shore of Oahu and stay in a cabin on the shore (not too hard to find). Walk along the shore for the big surf of Sunset Beach, Waimei Bay and Pipeline, all the best places in the Beach Boys’ songs. The people watching and culture on the north shore are great and take a few days on another island to be alone. Drive all the way around the big island in a rental car and stop in at unpopulated black-sand beaches where turtles feed in the shallows. That’s what I’d do.
If you’re not adverse to spending a little money, may I suggest Ventana, in Big Sur, CA? (http://www.ventanainn.com) It has / is near excellent hiking, biking, and ocean kyaking. It’s close to Monterrey, if you get tired of the wilderness, but it isn’t too crowded. It is also the most relaxing place I’ve ever been.
Come on, you sissy, it won’t be THAT cold in Canada in October/November. Go to Cape Breton in early October and hike up in the highlands. The changing of the leaves alone would make it worth your while. Heck, you’d even be there just in time for the Celtic Colours Music Festival.
OK, I don’t really think you’re a sissy…I just want everyone to visit Cape Breton. 😉
There are some awesome eco-lodges near Moab, UT.
I second Cape Breton, but Algonquin Park in Ontario is still fairly mild and also offers spectacular fall colours.
Speaking as somebody who both lives here and hates Ontario, Ontario really is lovely in late September early October. Upstate NY ditto. Otherwise, I’d second Hawaii – I’ve been there in November and it’s still lovely, barring a few days of warm rain.
You could go to Yosemite. Late fall is an awesome time to be in the park as the crowds have all gone, the trees are turning beautiful colors, you can fish, mountain bike, hike, and ski (if the weather permits). There’s great food, good lodges, and lots to see and do. If you need more reasons check out http://www.yosemiteblog.com.
I also recommend November in Hawaii. THere are 3 big surf comp’s on the North Shore and the weather is good at that time too. Really easy to get from Waikiki too – a one dollar bus ride thru the middle of the island. I went 6 years ago and had a great time over 2 weeks despite getting the flu for a few days.
Thanks to everybody for their recommendations–we’ll take them all under advisement.
sorry i’m late to this, but, if you’re really talking “southern states” i’d highly recommend my home haunts, Asheville and the surrounding towns of western North Carolina (for God’s sake, stay out of eastern NC). I’m not much of an outdoor-adventure person myself, but i’m in the minority in that respect, and most of our tourists come for hiking (appalachian trail, blue ridge parkway, etc) rafting, etc. asheville’s an interesting place: unusual cultural background for the area because it started out as a TB sanitorium in the 1800s and drew folks from far and wide, then in the 1950s & 1960s a sort of radical artists’ colony sprang up with Jasper Johns, John Cage and such types living here. Asheville didn’t escape its depression-era debt until the 70s-80s, so it missed the mid-century building boom, and thus its lovely downtown art deco architecture remained intact. The city undertook a successful revitalization effort in the 90s, and now the place is really quite vibrant. Rolling Stone recently called it the “new freak capital of the US” — guess they caught some of our street performers. i really just wrote a little local history there; was making up for not really knowing cabins, etc to recommend.
Ok, ok…I’m super-duper late on this one, but where did you end up going? My fiance and I are planning on getting married in October and are looking for the same type of adventure for our honeymoon. We WERE thinking of travelling around Vancouver Island, just because he’s never been there and it’s so beautiful, but I can’t stop thinking about the rain. We have a fairly tight budget but still want something cozy and romantic.
Thoughts…..Suggestions?