Monument Rock on Pennsylvania’s Standing Stone Trail. (StandingStoneTrail.org Photo)
Fact is, summer goes by fast. To make the most of it, plan out your adventures now before the season escapes you. To help you get started, here’s a list of great trips and adventures to tackle in every state in the Northeast.
Maine
Paddle the Allagash Wilderness Waterway – For one of the most remote wilderness experiences in the Northeast, explore this 92-mile, state-protected waterway in northern Maine. You’ll see few signs of civilization, plenty of bald eagles soaring overhead, and you’ll likely have to share the river with a moose or two.
New Hampshire
Hike the Bondcliff Trail – All the motivation you should need to want to do the Bondcliff Trail is summed up in one line from AMC’s White Mountain Guide: “The views from this trail are unsurpassed in the White Mountains.” The trail will challenge you, but the amazing scenery with few signs of civilization is sure to make it one of your most memorable hiking experiences. You could do a day trip up Bondcliff itself (4,265 feet), but at more than 9 miles one way, it’s a stretch. Instead, make it a multi-day trip. Continue on the Bondcliff Trail as it summits Mount Bond (4,698 feet) and Mount Guyot (4,580 feet), perhaps camping a night at the Guyot Campsite.
Bondcliff, New Hampshire (Wikemedia Photo)
Vermont
Mountain bike the Northeast Kingdom – With more than 100 miles of some of best singletrack on the East Coast, the trails of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom are revered by mountain bikers. With rolling hills, twisty singletrack and steep climbs, all surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscape in the East, these trails have something for everyone.
Massachusetts
Go Whitewater Rafting on the Deerfield River – Flowing through the northern Berkshires, the Deerfield River is surrounded by breathtaking scenery. But you might not even notice it when you’re navigating adrenaline-pumping Class IV rapids. Several outfitters (such as CrabApple, Moxie and Zoar) offer kayaking and rafting trips on the river. And, for those who want to go slow enough to appreciate the scenery, they offer lower-octane, family-friendly trips, too.
Rafters and kayakers navigate the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. (Wikimedia Photo)
Rhode Island
Learn to Surf – Deep down, everyone wants to be a surfer. Make this the year that you embrace your inner Kelly Slater and finally ride a wave. One of the Northeast’s best surf scenes is in Newport, Rhode Island. There you can learn to surf from the folks at Rhody Surf (and then celebrate your new surfing skills with food and drink along the Newport waterfront).
Connecticut
Mountain Bike the Quiet Corner – Really, how could you NOT want to explore a place called the “Quiet Corner”? The northeast region of Connecticut got its name for being much more rural than other areas of the state. That natural beauty makes it a gem for mountain bikers in southern New England, as it’s home to several parks and forests with great mountain bike trails.
New York
Hike the Trans-Adirondack Route – Established in 2013, the Trans-Adirondack is a new addition to the Northeast’s roster of long-distance hiking trails. At 236 miles long, it traverses some of the wildest sections of New York’s Adirondack State Park, including five wilderness areas and eight wild forests. Along the way it encounters just three small settlements.
New Jersey
Kayak Delaware Bay – A natural gem in southern New Jersey, Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River and is fed by many small rivers and streams, several of which are protected. The bay’s shores are lined mostly by salt marshes and mudflats, with only small communities on the shores of the lower bay. Look for porpoises near Cape Island, and, if you time it right, you’ll see tons of horseshoe crabs.
Pennsylvania
Hike the Standing Stone Trail – This roughly 80-mile trail is part of the Great Eastern Trail. Following scenic ridgelines in Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Fulton counties, the Standing Stone Trail offers backpackers the chance to enjoy dramatic scenery, plenty of wildlife, and to challenge themselves over rugged terrain.