Leave your car behind and discover the delights of fall and early winter as you journey from inn to inn by bike, foot, horse, skis, or snowshoes. After an invigorating day in the crisp air, arrive at a charming little inn where your bags await and someone else has prepared a hearty meal. Gracious innkeepers send you off the next morning with a fond farewell and a bagged lunch, wherever you may be: among fall foliage in Vermont, in the wine country of Italy, or between volcanoes in Ecuador.
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Horseback Riding in Quebec
This progressive equestrian adventure sends you on quiet trots and exciting gallops through Quebec's autumn canopies of rich crimsons and glowing yellows. On Hidden Trails' Appalachian Inn-to-Inn Ride, intermediate riders follow old railway beds and cross over Appalachian streams on beautiful black Canadian, Appaloosa, and Quarter horses. Expect to ride five to seven hours each day, alternating between wide, open spaces and dense forests. Picnic in an old sugar shack, ride on a covered bridge, and explore rural roads through farmland, past rushing rivers and sparkling lakes.
En Route: Each private rural guesthouse and chalet along the way captures the charm of the region's history. Here you'll enjoy hearty Quebecois cuisine each night around a common table with your fellow riders. Sitting by a fireplace or soaking in a hot bath is especially satisfying after the day's ride.
Cost: $1,395 for an eight-day trip. This includes accommodations at inns and guesthouses, all meals (except on the last day in Quebec City), and five days of guided horseback riding. Departs September 20.
Horseback Riding in Quebec
This progressive equestrian adventure sends you on quiet trots and exciting gallops through Quebec's autumn canopies of rich crimsons and glowing yellows. On Hidden Trails' Appalachian Inn-to-Inn Ride, intermediate riders follow old railway beds and cross over Appalachian streams on beautiful black Canadian, Appaloosa, and Quarter horses. Expect to ride five to seven hours each day, alternating between wide, open spaces and dense forests. Picnic in an old sugar shack, ride on a covered bridge, and explore rural roads through farmland, past rushing rivers and sparkling lakes.
En Route: Each private rural guesthouse and chalet along the way captures the charm of the region's history. Here you'll enjoy hearty Quebecois cuisine each night around a common table with your fellow riders. Sitting by a fireplace or soaking in a hot bath is especially satisfying after the day's ride.
Cost: $1,395 for an eight-day trip. This includes accommodations at inns and guesthouses, all meals (except on the last day in Quebec City), and five days of guided horseback riding. Departs September 20.
Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park
Nine years ago, Rocky Mountain National Park turned a bit European. That's when one couple, inspired by an inn-to-inn hiking holiday in England, created 42-mile Walter Tishma Way from Estes Park to Allenspark. Every six to 11 miles along the route is another inn, where your luggage and a bagged lunch for the next day await you. The trail is named after a local legend, famous for summiting Longs Peak 113 times. Cooler days and golden Aspen foliage make this trip ideal in fall. In winter, try Estes Park's inn-to-inn trip on snowshoes.
En Route: You'll take in views of the Colorado fourteener Longs Peak, Lumpy Ridge, beautiful meadows, and a waterfall. Climb over Storm Pass to the higher elevations, where moose and other wildlife sightings are common.
Cost: $890 per person, double occupancy, for a five-night trip; $790 for a four-night trip. This includes inn stays with breakfast, sack lunches on hiking days, luggage transfer, and a celebration dinner on the last night. Self-guided departures are available through September.
Trans-Andean Trekking to Machu Picchu
Peru's dry season lasts through October, with warm days shining down on beautiful green hills and farmers gathering potatoes and quinoa in their fields. The touring crowds of July and August have gone. It's an ideal time for the Machu Picchu Inn-to-Inn Express Trek, a challenging high-altitude excursion from inn to inn in the Peruvian Andes. With a local guide, you'll walk among the icy peaks that feed the Amazon and see Salkantay, the highest mountain in this range and the most sacred in Inca mythology. Traverse various landscapes, from peaks to cloud forests, before arriving at the legendary site of Machu Picchu.
En Route: By day, a local guide offers insight on this region, which was the center of the Inca civilization. At night, you'll stay at luxury mountain lodges with Jacuzzis, fireplaces, and international and Peruvian cuisine.
Cost: $2,990 per person, double occupancy, for a seven-day trip. This includes an expert local guide, a cook, five-star accommodations, and meals. Several departure dates are available through December.
Hiking or Biking in Vermont
Skip the leaf-peeping traffic jams and take a hiking or biking foliage tour on the back roads of Vermont, in the epicenter of New England's country-inn territory. The rich autumn hues and the smell of wood-burning fireplaces are sensory delights as you pedal quiet roads with mountain views or navigate award-winning hiking trails in Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. Country Inns Along the Trail's self-guided tours let you set the pace from inn to inn, and they transport your luggage so it's waiting for you at the next stop.
En Route: See vibrant little villages with farmers' markets and harvest fairs, browse mom-and-pop shops, tour wineries and microbreweries, and get inspired at artists' galleries. The inns, set in beautiful 19th-century homes, welcome you with fires crackling in the hearths and interesting activities that range from goat cheese-making workshops to quilting classes.
Cost: $425 per person, double occupancy, for a two-night fall hiking trip; $925 per person, double occupancy, for a four-night fall cycling trip. This includes inn stays, bikes, breakfast, dinner, maps, and luggage transfer. Dates and itineraries are flexible.
Cycling Across Italy
Fall is harvest time in Italy, and this Ciclismo Classico Bike Across Italy tour gives you the chance to roll through lush, hilly landscapes and see the harvest process (grapes in September and olives in October) firsthand. Starting at the Adriatic and ending at the Tyrrhenian Sea, the coast-to-coast route passes through Le Marche, Umbria, Lazio, and Tuscany. With cool autumn wind on your cheeks, you'll see charming rural hilltop towns, stopping to sample farm-fresh cuisine and, of course, wines in every region on this intermediate-level trip that covers 35 miles per day.
En Route: Take guided walking tours of Assisi, Urbino, and Orvieto. Visit castles and ancient abbeys. Explore Italy's largest cave and see an Etruscan settlement. Fall is flea-market season, a great opportunity for interaction and cultural immersion.
Cost: $5,195 to $5,395 per person, double occupancy, for the 11-day trip. This includes a bike and all gear, inn stays, daily breakfast, eight dinners, two lunches, and several cultural activities. Departures are September 19 and October 3.
Hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore
You can easily tack on this inn-to-inn hiking tour as a pre- or post-trip when visiting San Francisco. Only a 30-minute drive from downtown, the rugged wilderness of Point Reyes unfolds as you walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and along sandy beaches before ascending rocky headlands above the pounding surf. The point is a popular place for bird-watching, and this trip is scheduled during the massive fall migration. Listen for the endangered Tule elk to bugle in October, the rutting season.
En Route: Hiking six to 11 miles per day, you'll visit the Cowgirl Creamery for a cheese tasting, tour the 1870 Point Reyes Lighthouse, and venture out to the stunning Chimney Rock that overlooks barking sea lions on the beach below. You'll stay at the boutique-style Villa Montes Hotel in San Bruno and the old-California Point Reyes Seashore Lodge in Olema.
Cost: $2,345 per person, double occupancy, for a six-day trip. This includes all stays, all meals, park entrance fees, round-trip shuttles, and trip leaders. The tour runs October 19 to 24.
Hiking a Pilgrimage Route in Southwest Ireland
One of Ireland's best-loved coastal walking routes is most dramatic in fall. The Sheep's Head Way pilgrimage walk introduces you to the ever-shifting moods of the wind and sea along the country's wild western coast. This guided Top of the Rock tour starts at the Sheep's Head lighthouse, then leads to Dunmanus Bay's views of uninhabited islands, whales, and dolphins. Explore the heritage town of Bantry before turning inland and heading through mountains, valleys, and dairy-country pastures. You'll end up at the chapel on the lake at Gougane Barra, the site of St. Finbarr's early Christian retreat and a popular pilgrimage destination for prayer.
En Route: See the historic Bantry House mansion, which is still owned by the family that built it in the 1690s. The Bronze Age stone circle at Kealkill and the ruins of Carriganass Castle are other highlights. Stay in farmhouses and taste artisan-produced food.
Cost: Approximately $750 per person, double occupancy, for a seven-day trip. This includes inn stays, breakfast, bagged lunches, dinners, and luggage transfers. Departure is September 19.
Ski Touring in France and Switzerland
When fall gives way to winter's snowy blankets, hit the Jura Mountains and make fresh tracks in one of the least-explored pockets of the Alps. The Grand Traverse of the Jura Ski Tour begins in St. Croix, Switzerland, and ends 88 miles later in Giron, France. You'll follow Nordic cross-country ski trails for 12 to 20 miles each day, passing through villages set against the main Alps range. Known colloquially as le pays qui respire (the country with breathing space), this sparsely populated area is a delicious slice of authentic Alpine life, unspoiled by downhill ski resorts.
En Route: Ski a large section of the world-famous Transjurassienne cross-country ski race course, and visit Les Rousses, home of the French National Nordic Ski School. You'll stay at a mixture of small hotels and French-style gites, some with shared accommodations.
Cost: $2,090 per person, double occupancy, for a seven-night trip (land only). This includes inn stays, a professional Nordic ski-instructor guide, breakfasts, six lunches, one dinner, and luggage transfer. Departs January 18, February 1, and February 22, 2015.
Volcano-to-Volcano Trekking in Ecuador
Extend the season's warm days with a trip to the equator. The Mountain Guardians Lodge-to-Lodge Trek explores the tops and bottoms of four volcanoes along Ecuador's popular "Avenue of the Volcanoes." Reach an easy summit on the first day and get your first glimpse at the trip's final goal: snow-covered Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes. On this route, the Ecuadorian Andes mountains are surprisingly accommodating, making for an adventure that's accessible to most. You'll see the colonial center of Quito, Cotopaxi National Park, wild horses, and countless freshwater springs.
En Route: Your certified mountaineer guide explains the area's environmental and cultural influences and shares insight on the local rural economy. Experience Andean life, learning about the cowboys of the Andes and meeting farmers along the way. At each day's end, receive a warm welcome at a classically Andean lodge.
Cost: $1,596 per person for a four-day trip; $3,300 for an eight-day trip. This includes a certified mountaineer guide, meals, inn stays, and luggage transfer. Departure dates are flexible.
Cycling in the Hudson Valley
This quick there-and-back route between two B&Bs weaves through the valley that influenced America's first major art movement, the Hudson River School, and its famous 19th-century American landscape paintings. After an overnight and a homemade breakfast, you'll set off from the stately Caldwell House B&B in Salisbury Mills and bike about 21 miles along country roads and winding trails to the Pine Bush House B&B in Pine Bush. Spend the night and enjoy breakfast before you return.
En Route: Horse farms and vineyards spread out in front of you. Stop along the Shawangunk Wine Trail and tour a massive network of underground cellars dug in 1839 at Brotherhood Winery. More than 100 sculptures are set among the hills and woodlands at Storm King Art Center, one of the world's most renowned sculpture parks.
Cost: $400 per couple. This includes two overnights, two breakfasts, and luggage transfer. Bike rental is $40 per day, per bike. The self-guided Caldwell House tour runs through November 5.
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