MOUNTAINWyoming + Montana, Bike Car-Free in YellowstoneApril in
Yellowstone National Park could be a cyclist's dream: the second largest national park in the lower 48, closed to visitor traffic but open to bikes. Or it could snow. If the roads are clear, however, from April 1 to 17 you can pedal from Yellowstone's west entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs—"really fun," understates cyclist and park employee Tammy Wert, "if you know what
it's like the rest of the year" (that is, SUV-to-RV bumper-to-bumper). If weather skunks your ride, do some car-based wildlife-watching—wolves, elk, deer—between the north and northeast entrances where roads are open to autos (
nps.gov/yell).
Arizona, Duckie Down the Verde Think of the Verde River put-in, just 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Phoenix, as a Narnia-like portal to true wilderness. "The farther you go, the deeper you get, until you're in a canyon with sheer walls 300 to 400 feet high [91 to 122 meters high]," says Alex Mickel, owner of
Mild to Wild Rafting & Jeep Trail Tours. A consistent 100 cfs flowing through April on Arizona's only designated Wild and Scenic River ensures a mix of Class II and III rapids interspersed with calm stretches, making the Verde perfectly suited to self-paddling in an inflatable kayak, or duckie ($475 for a three-day trip;
mild2wildrafting.com).
Idaho, Climb Massacre Rocks
Direct access to the basalt cliffs that rise above the Snake River in southeast Idaho requires a paddle across a slow-moving section of the Snake ($5 an hour for kayak rental from
Massacre Rocks State Park;
idahoparks.org). Otherwise, it takes some tricky backroads to reach what local climbers call "5.11 heaven." But with more than 600 climbs to choose from, you'll find slices of 5.8-to-5.9 heaven too (
isu.edu/outdoor/climbing). The park has cabins ($45) and ten miles (16 kilometers) of hiking routes, including remnants of the Oregon Trail.
EAST
Virginia, Bag Old Rag
Now, just because 50,000 hikers a year bag 3,291-foot (1,003-meter) Old Rag Mountain doesn't mean it's a walk in Shenandoah National Park. "It's a four-wheel-drive hike," says Andy Nichols, director of Shenandoah Mountain Guides—"not for the faint of heart." Plan on employing all available limbs and your healthy ticker on a rough, steep scramble up Yosemite-style granite slabs in the course of climbing 2,380 feet (725 meters) on an all-day, 7.2-mile (11-kilometer) loop hike ($100, including guides and lunch;
shenandoahmountainguides.com). From the top, "you can easily see a hundred miles in any direction," says Nichols. Locals call April "Old Rag Season" for two reasons: (1) Sunshine and blue skies will grace most ascents, and (2) airborne pests and poison ivy won't. The best trailhead is at Weakley Hollow, a 20-minute drive south from Sperryville, where the
House on Water Street B&B is a civilized base camp ($170;
thehouseonwaterstreet.com).
North Carolina, Raft a Reprieved River"Dewatered" is the most ignominious of descriptors for a river. But such was the fate of western North Carolina's Cheoah until three years ago. Now, after nearly
30 years of dormancy, the power gods grant life to the river 19 times a year (including most weekends in April and May) with dam releases that create the most exhilarating nine miles (14 kilometers) of whitewater in the East. "It's a dream come true," says Lee Leibfarth, Cheoah River manager for
Nantahala Outdoor Center. "It's the most unique and exciting river I can imagine rafting." It's also definitely not for first-timers: Nonstop technical action through Class IV and V rapids requires deft participation from every paddler. NOC guides it and offers packages that include cabin lodging right on the banks and a second day on the Chattooga River, a mellower run that meanders through rhododendron-covered highlands ($655;
www.noc.com).
Georgia, Explore a Legendary GorgeLook skyward for a moment before you take on any of the 5.8-to-5.12 climbs of
Tallulah Gorge's quartzite walls—there are dozens of multipitch routes to try. (Take a moment, too, to pay homage to Karl Wallenda. Up there, a thousand feet (305 meters) above the sometimes raging Tallulah River, the high-flying high-wire master crossed one of the South's most spectacular gorges in 1970—at age 65. Yowser.) Pick up a free climbing permit at Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center and make the short hike to the climbing wall. Once there, look down: If you go on either of the first two weekends in April, chances are dam releases that happen twice a year—once in the spring and again in the fall—will bring the two-mile (three-kilometer) heart of the gorge to life, and local 'yakkers will come out in flotillas to run the whitewater. Make sure to look around as well to spot persistent trillium blossoms. The blindingly white flowers don't bloom anywhere else in the world ($16 for a campsite;
gastateparks.org/info/tallulah).
PACIFICWashington, Paddle Nisqually Peace
Bald eagles strafe brackish water. Mount Rainier looms white in the distance. Playful seals flirt with your prow. Kayaking Puget Sound's Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge can feel like gliding into an REI catalog (side effects include a sudden craving for new gear). An undeveloped river delta rife with tranquil waterways that slither across salt marshes, mudflats, and open grasslands, the
Nisqually River Delta is home to river otters, raccoons, deer, harbor seals, and, in April, thousands of migrating birds (
fws.gov/nisqually).
The Inn at Mallard Cove is a 20-minute paddle away and such a fan of the refuge that it supplies free boats to guests ($135;
theinnatmallardcove.com). Otherwise, rent one
at
Boston Harbor Marina ($45 a day;
bostonharbormarina.com) or go in on foot—Nisqually's Brown Farm Dike Loop Trail runs 5.5 miles (8.8 kilometers) through the heart of the refuge and leads to an observation tower that overlooks it all.
California, Ride High Above the TideThis ain't roughin' it. While the Pacific coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz is always stunning, in April, hills greened by winter rains and splashed with spring wildflowers make ideal pasture for Cross Country International's Tennessee Walking horses. CCI's five-night California Northern Coast Trail Ride sets you up in a suitably quaint B&B base camp for one ride that overlooks rugged coastal bluffs and Pigeon Point Lighthouse, another amid the sky-high conifers and waterfalls of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and a third directly
on the wild, wave-battered beach. In between, not-so-rough riders are treated to seafood repasts and a complimentary mid-trip massage for the saddlesore ($2,325;
equestrianvacations.com).
Alaska, Ski Late, Ski OftenIn the time it takes to fly and drive to a signature ski area to watch the snow melt, West Coast natives can jet up to Anchorage and be on the slopes at
Alyeska an hour after touchdown ($50;
alyeskaresort.com). Alyeska boasts 15 hours of daylight and as much as 400 inches (1,016 centimeters) of snow in April. That means skiing well into the evening hours Thursday through Sunday—without lights. Plus no altitude woes: The mountaintop is less than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) high. Though fabled for difficult runs of the Warren Miller–location ilk, Alyeska has lately regeared itself to mortals: 70 percent of its runs are now beginner/intermediate. Hotel Alyeska ($149) puts you at the foot of the hill—and will wake you, upon request, should the northern lights appear during those brief hours of darkness.
CENTRALIndiana, Ride and Dive France ParkMidwest mountain bikers have few better places to get their blood flowing than
France Park, just west of Logansport—i.e., smack in the middle of the state's northern half. A four-mile (six-kilometer) perimeter trail hooks up with another 6.5 miles (10 kilometers) of interior loops—many of them rolling singletrack—creating potential for a variety of gyrations through leafing-out woods while skirting old quarries, cliffs, and a green patch of prairie. Watch for wild turkeys, bald eagles, and deer along the way ($1.50 for a day pass, $13 for a campsite;
francepark.com). Between rides you can fling a Frisbee on the park's 18-hole disc golf course. The next day, arrange for a guided scuba dive in the amazingly clear waters of the Old Kenith Stone Quarry. The spring-fed pool is a popular spot for new divers to get their open-water certification while communing with a variety of fish, including a six-foot spoonbill sturgeon ($10;
divingden.com).
Oklahoma, Dance With ChickensListen: That bizarre thumping and cackling means that wild prairie-chickens are in the thick of their April mating rituals, courting with outlandish displays of fowl ballet. Voyeurism is best done very early—just pull off the preserve road and cock an ear; you can hear them a mile away.
The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve north of Pawhuska in north-central Oklahoma is also home to a herd of 2,500 bison, which are best observed from your car (
www.nature.org). Approach the beasts and "they may run away—or they may run over you," says preserve director Harvey Payne. Better to stretch your legs on the 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of trails that snake into the prairie from preserve headquarters. Make a weekend of it by bedding down at the Inn at Woodyard Farms ($70; +1 918 287 2699). In Pawhuska, grab a bison burger at Bison Joe's.
Arkansas, Challenge the OuachitaA spring weekend in the Ouachita Mountains can be slow-paced or fast: Float lazily on the Ouachita River or mountain bike one of the state's (if not the country's) best ATB trails. Or both. Set up HQ at
RiverView Cabins; the lodge owners will rent you a canoe and shuttle you upstream for an amble down the clear-water river beneath dogwoods and tall slate bluffs ($115 a night, $45 for canoe rental;
riverviewcabins-canoes.com). Less than two miles (three kilometers) away is the 38-mile (61-kilometer) Womble Trail, site of the
Ouachita Challenge on April 5 and 6 (
ouachitachallenge.com). Otherwise, the epic trail is all yours for out-and-back riding on designer singletrack.
Parkside Cycle in Hot Springs rents bikes ($25;
parksidecycle.com).
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