At Red Cliffs Lodge, the iconic Colorado River and rippling Castle Creek come together—an aquatic intersection that leads to adventure in every direction. Rafters can cut through canyon country near Moab where the Colorado is mellow and welcoming, or ride roiling rapids in Westwater Canyon. Nearby slot canyons make for excellent canyoneering, with exhilarating rappelling routes down into...

This luxurious backwoods inn is small but mighty. It has just nine rooms, but each is adorned with its own unique New England flair, like the Allagash Suite in tribute to the 92-mile-long Allagash Wilderness Waterway (connected to Moosehead Lake by way of the even longer 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail). The warm, earthy room has vintage paddles and antique oars on the walls and the bed...

The splendid "high peaks" region of upstate New York has been an epicenter for wilderness play since the late 1800s, when Theodore Roosevelt visited and extolled the area's priceless natural resources. Outdoor recreation soon became a cornerstone of the area's economy and character, and it remains so today.

The active-minded Adirondacks hub of Saranac Lake, just seven miles from Lake...

You'll find a lot of classic Minnesota in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and Bearskin fits the bill of the classic Minnesota family lodge. The lodge acts as a concessionaire for the nearby forest service campground, so tenting (or RVing) there has some perks that many national forest campgrounds don't—access to the lodge's vast trail system, for example, or a solar-powered...

Past guests boast of Blue Mountain B&B proprietors' Brady and Elaine Anderson-Wood's hospitality—and they downright rave about their cooking. The couple's mouth-watering breakfasts often include huckleberry sourdoughs, crab crêpes, tomato-herb soufflés, homemade preserves, and cinnamon rolls, to name a few. Guests dining on one of the many garden decks also savor big views of...

Take a sunset soak in the gurgling, 100°F mineral pools after a hard day's play, set against a backdrop of aspens and the rocky relief of the San Juan Range, and you'll wonder why the mining town of Dunton Hot Springs (elevation 8,700 feet) was ever abandoned. Luckily the 19th-century log cabins, set on 1,400 wildflower-studded acres, were restored by local craftsmen in the mid-1990s'...

Every guest's first view of the remote Bugaboo Lodge is from above, as you approach via helicopter. From that vantage point, the lodge appears as a mere speck surrounded by the breathtaking, roadless wilderness of British Columbia's rugged Purcell Mountains. Upon closer inspection, it's an extravagant base camp at the epicenter of some incredible alpine adventure. Before going inside, guests...

Owner John Caton says the best thing about his über-luxe tent resort in British Columbia is that being there is like stepping back in time. The lodge is located within the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine rainforest. The nearest sign of civilization is 30 minutes away in the seaside village of Tofino. When guests land at...

When word spread that Papoose Creek Lodge in southwestern Montana was shutting down in late 2007, the eco-lodging community gasped that the first of the country's luxury green resorts was closing its doors. But the mourning was short-lived when it was announced that the nearby private residence of Papoose Creek's founders, Roger and Cindy Lang, was being remodeled and renovated into a lush...

The lavish Nimmo Bay Heli Resort is a dream come true for founders Craig and Deb Murray, and no less than paradise-found for their guests. From the moment visitors step off the resort's helicopter—after a jaw-dropping transfer along British Columbia's central coast—reality is redefined. A surging waterfall, originating from neighboring Mount Stephens, provides the perfect backdrop...