USA
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 the greatest advantage of each region.
Working our way from west to east, we love the Hawaiian Islands for their wide variety of cultural and active experiences. While staying at our favorite high-end basecamp, the Montage Kapalua, 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. Various quick and easy island-hopping daytrips or overnights – by private jet or commercial flight – bring you to Oahu for example, for epic hikes or a one-of-a-kind visit to Pearl Harbor followed by a private lunch in the captains dining room on the USS Missouri.
Alaska’s in the headlines. With no big cruise ship crowds, this is the summer to fly up to visit the Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna, Denali, Anchorage, and McKinley. Make the most of the long days hiking glaciers, sledding with huskies, kayaking with whales, bear watching and flightseeing over endless valleys. We can’t get enough of Stillpoint Lodge’s wildlife access, the exclusivity and remoteness of Sheldon Chalet and Tutka Bay Lodge’s secret coves and secluded islands of its neighboring fjord to explore.
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. We love the 18-room Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa, in 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, as well as quaint small towns such as Carlton and Yamhill, 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 biking and hiking, including Big Bend National Park and Marfa, in West Texas, as well as the rolling Hill Country outside Austin. In the Hill Country, biking into music mecca Luckenbach is a hoot for local tunes, characters and an ice cold beer post ride.
Fans of bourbon especially love biking among the horse farms and distilleries near Lexington, Kentucky, while in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, the Inn at Blackberry Farm features quiet country roads for cycling. That’s also true of the Twin Farms resort, in Vermont, which boasts 300 acres of wildflowers, rolling hills, wandering trails and smooth pavement.
Gray & Co. producers have been exploring and unearthing luxury itineraries stateside for over a decade. Fire up the jet and let’s get crafting!
