Category Archives: Great Hikes

Escape. Relax. Evolve. Framed by vast, panoramic vistas, Relais & Chateaux designated Blackberry Mountain is an immersive experience that seamlessly blends outdoor activity, wellness and thoughtful indulgence.

Outfitted for adventure and designed for comfort, Blackberry Mountain continues the Blackberry Farm legacy of world-renowned hospitality and unwavering appreciation for the land. With 2,800 acres of land in conservation, the Mountain preserves natural wonder and offers breathtaking views—each morning, you can walk just steps from your private cabin at the crest of the mountain to watch the sun rise over the North Carolina state line and each evening, watch the sunset over Tennessee.

Soak in the splendor of this million-plus acre National Park with a guided tour by TrekTravel, a Wisconsin-based company praised for its thoughtfully planned trips, high-end bikes, and knowledgeable guides.

Over the six-day trip, you’ll pedal 165 miles and climb 9,270 feet of mountainous terrain, including a stint on iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road, which stretches the width of the park and intersects the Continental Divide, offering panoramic views of the surrounding wild country.

Read the full article on bicycling.com »

Blackberry Mountain just announced a new partnership with Trek Travel, one of the world’s leading operators of active guided trips, with a focus on cycling and multi-sport. I’ve written about Trek Travel here at Forbes before, because in addition to the standard weeklong bike trips in places like Tuscany, they offer some really unique opportunities including hardcore immersion training camps and all-women trips. The award-winning company made the 2016 Travel + Leisure Magazine World’s Best Tour Operator list, and it stands out to me because it is run by a woman, Tania Burke, and outdoes the other top tier cycling companies in terms of its very high-quality hardware, thanks to a strong relationship with one-time parent Trek Bicycles (they are now separate companies, though both are based in Madison, WI).

The standard issue bikes are considerably better than industry norms: for road riding it’s the new generation full carbon 2019 Domane SL 7 Disc, featuring Shimano Di2 electronic shifting and disc brakes, and for mountain, the excellent dual suspension Fuel EX 8 27.5 inch model. Every guest also gets another first-rate hardware perk, a Garmin Edge 1030 GPS bike computer (I use an earlier version at home) preloaded with each day’s route, so there is no looking at maps and no getting lost. For safety, all bikes have front and rear blinking lights.

Read the full article on Forbes »

If you’re looking for a new adventure, a cycling and hiking tour called “The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu” is set to roll out in August 2019. The new multi-sport trip through the heart of the ancient Inca Empire in Peru will be the first of several offerings from a new partnership established between cycling tour operator, Trek Travel, and outdoor travel company, explora.

Travelers will stay in the heart of Río Urubamba Valley with accommodation at the explora Sacred Valley property. They will cycle on Trek bicycles through towering summits that sheltered the Inca civilization, and along the waters of the Urubamba River. There will be endless possibilities for exploration along more than 75 miles of cycling and hiking, with destinations revealing colonial history and the architectural magnificence of Machu Picchu.

Read the full article on LonelyPlanet.com »

Close Encounters of the Wildlife Kind in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

 
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Last year, RewardExpert released its 2017 ranking of the Best Destinations to Explore by Bike, comparing 53 of the largest cities in the country and evaluating them on 13 key metrics across four categories: biking infrastructure, city profile, bike-share index, and biking safety. Top of the list – Minneapolis, with 170 bike share stations and 130 miles of bike lanes through Nice Ride Minnesota. Topping RewardExpert’s Up & Coming Cities list was Memphis, with plans to implement a bike-share program this year to use in the city’s already-expanded bike lanes.

Below you’ll find a dozen bicycling routes and tours around the U.S. that will you get in the saddle and traveling on two wheels. Of course, this is just a sampling of places to ride – pretty much wherever you go, there’s likely a chance to hop on a bike.

Asheville (North Carolina): Riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you’ll pedal the mountains of western North Carolina where you’ll find the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. On the Asheville to Brevard trip with Trek Travel, pass rivers and waterfalls as you ride the scenic roadways and enjoy the indulgences between Asheville, “Beer City USA,” and the mountain town of Brevard.

Glacier National Park (Montana): Named one of the best bicycling routes by several cycling publications, Going-to-the-Sun Road is not to be missed when riding in Glacier National Park. Trek Travel, which features Trek Bikes and electric assist bikes, offers a tour that highlights various areas of the park, and even includes rafting on the Flathead River. Just 25 glaciers remain in the park, and seeing them by bike gives you more time to reflect upon them.

Read on and view the gallery»

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service, and America has never been the same since. They’re the purest, most untouched places in the country. But they’re sure to touch your soul.

Yellowstone & the Grand Teton

If you have yet to visit one of the national parks, Yellowstone is the perfect place to start. Its iconic landscape, relatively flat riding, and off-the-bike excursions make it a great all-around option for your first trip to one of America’s outdoor meccas.

Visit Yellowstone >

Alaska

For those looking for a true multisport adventure, the wilds of Alaska are calling. This trip is designed for casual riders and non-riders alike with off-the-bike activities aplenty. Fly in a plane and land atop a glacier, try your hand at salmon fishing, or hike and white water raft the majestic landscape.

Experience Alaska >

This spring I had the chance to visit Joshua Tree National Park where two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together. The sky seems to go on forever and despite being in the desert, the variety of plants and landscapes is inspiring.

“If the plant bears any helpful or even innocent part in the scheme of things on this planet, I should be glad to hear of it.”

-J. Smeaton Chase

America’s national parks are also a national treasure. These vast landscapes have inspired authors, politicians, artists and nature-lovers the world over, and now our guides and guests too.

An ode to our parks by Tony Ferlisi, Guide, Trip Designer, outdoor enthusiast and friend.

Thoreau and Muir spoke of cathedrals, refuges, sanctuaries and temples;
Home to bison, bighorn, grizzly bear and salmon;

We walk in the footsteps of Eastern Cherokee, Piegan, Blackfeet, Southern Paiute and Eastern Shoshone;
While the springtime scent of basin sagebrush, blue spruce, flowering lupines and rhododendron paint the breeze;

Our hands reach out to grasp texture: Wingate sandstone, polished granite, Madison limestone, tholeiitic basalt;
Socks removed, toes dig into Appalachian clay, plunge into glacial run-off, wriggle in the desert sun;

Read names: Grand Prismatic, Going to the Sun, Weeping Wall, Wizard Island;
These places are gifted by our ancestors and borrowed from our grandchildren;

These places are a legacy, a home, a story;
These places are cherished and celebrated;

These places: our National Parks.