USA Overview
The diverse array of active-adventure options among the USA’s 50 states offers an embarrassment of riches. At Gray & Co., we leverage our expertise and experience to cut through the noise, creating custom private active trips that take advantage of the greatest in each region.
Working our way from west to east, everyone loves the Hawaiian Islands! While staying at the Montage Kapalua Bay, on Maui, you can fill your days zip-lining, surfing, cliff-jumping, ATV riding, scuba diving, snorkeling, hula dancing, horseback riding, golfing, hiking and so much more. A one-of-a-kind visit to Pearl Harbor on Oahu island is best followed by a private lunch in the Captain’s dining room on the USS Missouri. On Kona, a swim with the gentle manta rays tops any list!
This is the summer to fly up to visit Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna, Denali to name a few. Hike glaciers, mush with huskies, kayak with whales, bear watch and flightsee over endless valleys. We can’t get enough the exclusivity and remoteness of Sheldon Chalet. Near Homer, Stillpoint Lodge and Tutka Bay Lodge feature secret coves, secluded islands, rafting otters, seals, glacier lake kayaking and more.
On the west coast of the contiguous 48, California’s Santa Ynez Valley (45 minutes inland from Santa Barbara) is home to some of the best road cycling in the United States, as well as great hiking, kayaking, golf, horseback riding and more. The 18-room Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa and Auberge Mattei’s Tavern both sit in tiny Los Olivos. Further north, there lie the more famous Sonoma and Napa Valleys (we love the Montage Farmhouse in Healdsburg) as well as the epic Yellowstone National Park (Ahwanee all the way for us!). In Oregon, the Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards are the perfect backdrop for cycling. The Allison Inn & Spa is the place to stay and relax — and eat! — here.
The Rocky Mountain States’ Wild West scenery and storied National Parks, not least the Grand Tetons, Zion, Arches and Bryce offer up plenty to explore. From luxury basecamps — such as Jackson’s Amangani, Park City’s Lodge at Blue Sky and Page, Arizona’s Amangiri — there are endless rock canyons for climbing, hiking, and biking, as well as experiences along via ferrata. Get out on Lake Powell with our expert local captains in search of dinosaur footprints and so much more.
Moving further eastward still, the Lone Star State of Texas has pockets perfect for explorations, including Big Bend National Park and Marfa, in West Texas, as well as the rolling Hill Country outside Austin.
Fans of bourbon especially love biking among the horse farms near Lexington, Kentucky, while in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, the Inn at Blackberry Farm, Southhill and Cataloochee Ranch feature country roads for cycling. That’s also true of the Twin Farms resort, in Vermont, which boasts 300 acres of wildflowers, rolling hills and smooth pavement.
Gray & Co. producers have been exploring and unearthing luxury itineraries stateside for over 15 years. Fire up the jet!
