Retreat Into Nature

Since vacations are for taking a step back from day-to-day life, take advantage of your time off this summer and retreat into nature. Follow our suggestions below or blaze your own path. Whatever you do, spend your trip enjoying the environment — and be sure to unwind, decompress and unplug along the way.

Moab: In the Land of Extremes
Moab is hard to get to. But hauling it from a distant airport — Las Vegas, in my case — is worthwhile, not only because of the destination’s otherworldly beauty, but also for the geological diversity that haunts and amazes during the drive: mammoth mountains, precipitous canyons and rivers plunging through gorges.

The town itself isn’t much — T-shirt stores here, Mexican restaurants there, motels marking the main drag — but it’s sandwiched between two of our country’s preserved treasures, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. These two parks offer some of the best hiking trails and most spectacular views of nature in the world. Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park, is a must-see for visitors of any experience level. The hike is short (two miles), but steep, so get ready to work those calves. The view of Delicate Arch, at the end of the hike, is breathtaking, making any scrambling up the trail’s slick sandstone well worth it.

Experienced hikers, on the other hand, should head to the Syncline Loop at Canyonlands. Why the park is called Canyonlands becomes obvious a few hours into the hike, as sharp red walls rise above the trail and one canyon leads to the next, on
and on. Sometimes you’ll hike through massive round boulders; other times you’ll need to be on the lookout for sharp crags jutting into the trail.

About halfway through the eight-mile hike, you’ll be greeted with the Island in the Sky, a brilliant geological feature offering many photo ops. But no matter what, pay attention to pylons guiding the path and bring lots of water on this trip. (You can thank me later for the water tip, as you make your way to the top of false peak after false peak, trying to get out of the canyons.)

Moab Adventures is a one-stop shop for other extreme activities, including rock climbing, rappelling, canyoneering and rafting on the Colorado River. Trip leaders will bring you to hidden local gems like Corona Arch in your search for outdoor thrills.

The store also rents mountain bikes to ride on nearby Slickrock Trail, a mountain biker’s paradise, hailed as some of the best terrain anywhere for off-road cycling. To call it a trail, though, is a bit deceiving. It’s more like round-topped sandstone hills that grip a mountain bike’s tires. Riding can be strenuous, not to mention dangerous, when you’re riding up and down, up and down, with unending hard slopes under your wheels.

Bald Head Island: A Different Kind of Beach
Escape the boardwalks, chain stores and tattooed tourists with a beach trip to Bald Head Island in North Carolina. A photo of the island’s South Beach, with its long stretches of sand and homes on stilts, make Bald Head look like many other shore destinations on the East Coast. But Bald Head’s special qualities include a diverse natural landscape, tons of outdoor activities and, best of all, no cars. Visitors can rent golf carts and bikes to navigate the island after disembarking from the ferry that leaves from the town of Southport.

Once you’re on island, you can lay low at tranquil South Beach or head to East Beach for larger waves, suitable for surfing and boogie boarding. The island’s country club offers golf, tennis and swimming for the family — but watch out for alligators in nearby bodies of water.

Want to get even closer to nature? Take a stroll through the Maritime Forest Preserve, where beautiful Spanish moss climbs up ancient oaks. Or check in with the Bald Head Island Conservancy and schedule a visit to see endangered loggerhead turtles. The turtles lay their eggs in May and June and the little hatchlings emerge from their shells and waggle their way to the Atlantic in August and September.

Fishing is big on Bald Head Island, and there are lots of ways to do it. The easiest way is to bring your rod to one of the beaches and surf fish. You can also charter a boat from one of the outfitters and go searching for the giants of the deep. Or why not rent a kayak or paddleboard and go fishing or crabbing on the marshes around Fishing Creek?

With so much to do, it’s helpful to have a guide. The luxury vacation company Natural Retreats has a host of them. Not only will their people help you nail down accommodations, they have a team on site to take care of all your needs. Natural Retreats runs trips to destinations all over the world, but Bald Head Island is their top trip this summer.

Primland: View from the Treetops
Want to spend a few days living in a luxury treehouse? How about riding a horse or an ATV through verdant pastures? Have you ever contemplated playing 18 holes in the mountains or disc golf in the wilderness? Or just climbing tall trees in the Blue Ridge and stargazing from a mountaintop?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Primland is the vacation destination for you.

Primland is an eco-friendly luxury resort nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, almost as far south as you can go in Virginia, and it’s the perfect place to take a break from the speed and anxiety of city life.

The resort has been lauded in the Washington Post, Town & Country, Golf Magazine and many other publications — and for good reason. Primland is one of the most dynamic yet secluded resorts in the country. The 12,000-acre resort is well stocked with magnificent mountain views and out-of-the-box outdoor activities. With upgrades to the classic resort offerings, like golf, swimming and spa treatments, this resort provides a country escape both luxurious and contemporary.