Summer Getaways to Spice Up Your Relationship
For outdoorsy couples, traditional vacations of sipping on margaritas at an all-inclusive resort or crusing to Ensenada just might not cut it. Instead of your usual Moab campout or another mountain biking trip to Fruita, put these seven adventurous summer getaways for couples on your radar.
From yoga wellness retreats to wilderness backpacking and grown-up summer camps, you’ll stretch your limits and have fun—all while bonding with your boo. Space is limited on all these activities so book ASAP!
1. Camp BC
@ Tahoe City Basecamp, California; May 25-28
From camp bingo to writing workshops to coffee-fueled bike rides, this adult summer camp weekend is one rad way to kick off summer. Head to Tahoe City for Memorial Day weekend (May 25-28) to take part in Camp BC, a grown-ups only summer camp at Basecamp Hotel with no curfews, cool counselors, and plenty of booze.
The Great Indoors Room at Basecamp Hotel
There are even specialty workshops on meditation, sunset sailing, and guided tours of Lake Tahoe. All perfect ways to bond with your other half. Bunk rooms are all taken for the weekend, but you can still snuggle with your sweetie in king-size suites and the Great Indoors Room, which will really make you feel like you’re at camp. The best part of the whole thing? Earn 15 merit badges during the weekend, and earn a FREE two-night stay at Basecamp Hotels. See the camp schedule and start preparing now.
Sailing Lake Tahoe with Camp BC.
2. Fjallraven Classic
Copper Mountain, Colorado; June 27-29
The Fjallraven Classic has long been a European event, but it came to the USA in 2016 and is back and bigger than ever for 2018. Bring your partner and your backpacking gear along for this multi-day hiking and camping adventure traveling 37 miles through the wilderness.
Using a map, you’ll navigate from the start at Tennessee Pass to the finish at Copper Mountain, camping at designated areas along the way and receiving passport stamps at each checkpoint. At the finish line, cold beer, a finisher medal, and a celebration await! Registration includes transportation, backcountry permits, freeze-dried food, use of a bear canister, water filter bottle, and much more. So you’ll just need to bring the basics like tent, sleeping bag, and clothing.
Pursuit Series kayaking. Photo Credit: Jason Hatfield
3. Pursuit Series
Hunter Mountain, New York; June 29-July 1
Bear Valley, California; August 10-12
If you’re anything like me, you want to learn to master every outdoor activity but don’t have a clue where to start. At Pursuit Series, there are activities for introductory adventurers and experts. Plus, all the equipment is provided. It’s a whole lot like summer camp, but with happy hours, gear demos, and nightly socials.
Small group activities let you focus on learning, and you can try your hand at mountain biking, fly fishing, rappelling, and backcountry cooking. If your sweetie wants to branch off, that’s cool too. You can pick your own schedules and join up just for activities you both love.
Nighttime brings fireside s’more roastings, happy hours, and farm-to-table dinners where you can hang with other campers or regroup with your honey. If you’re still not exhausted after a day outdoors, join in on nighttime trail runs, photography clinics, and stargazing.
Pursuit Series Village, Photo Credit: Clare Healy
Pursuit Series is a great way to increase your outdoor confidence with clinics on helpful topics like first aid, how to pack a backpack, and basecamp cooking. Camp together at Pursuit Series’ affordable Bring Your Own Tent sites, or glamp it up in fancy safari tents with comfy king beds.
Whether you choose Northern California’s Bear Valley or Upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains, this three-day event is one exciting way to become an outdoor adventure ninja.
4. And She’s Dope Too Couples Retreat
Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho; July 12-16
And She’s Dope Too is an Ogden, Utah-based organization that typically focuses on trips and clinics for women, but this summer they’re hosting a Couples Retreat in the Sawtooth Mountains that neither of you will forget. You’ll hike over high mountain passes into the heart of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, passing lakes, wildflowers, and rugged, untouched scenery.
You’ll hike 5-10 miles each day while carrying your own 30-40 pound pack and spend the last day at a private natural geothermal hot spring to unwind after four days of trekking. Perfect for couples who want to backpack but aren’t experienced.
Paddleboarding at Lake Tahoe
5. Wanderlust Festival
North Lake Tahoe, Nevada; July 19-22
Who says yoga retreats are just for the ladies? Bonding over fitness, music, food, and fun is great for couples too, and this multi-day retreat at Squaw Valley is the perfect relationship reset. The setting of Wanderlust Festival is spectacular: picture towering peaks teaming with wildflowers and glistening Lake Tahoe below. From mountain meditations and stand up paddleboarding to rocking concerts and bike excursions, you can make a Wanderlust weekend as thrilling or relaxing as you like.
Hiking above Lake Tahoe
For a more rustic (a.k.a. fun) experience, add on tent lodging on the mountain at High Camp. You’ll have access to showers and bathrooms so you won ‘t even miss the creature comfort of home.
Red Mountain Resort Pool. Photo Courtesy of Red Mountain Resort
6. Relaxation & Outdoor Recreation Retreat
Red Mountain Resort, St. George, Utah
Looking to stay in the state of Utah but still experience something new? Book a couple’s trip to award-winning Red Mountain Resort in St. George, adjacent to stunning Snow Canyon State Park. Everything this resort does focuses on wellness from well-thought, nutritious cuisine to pampering spa treatments and exciting outdoor adventures.
Hiking in Snow Canyon State Park near Red Mountain Resort. Photo Credit: Melissa McGibbon
Pack your schedules with lava tube hikes and stand up paddleboarding sessions, or keep it cool and lounge at the pool and try restorative treatments like Himalayan Salt Massages and Cranial Sacral Therapy. Red Mountain’s hiking program is the largest resort hiking program in the Continental U.S., and you won’t run out of places to explore in neighboring Snow Canyon.
Sunset at Quail Creek State Park in St. George.
Once at the Resort, all your meals are included so you can focus on wellness and relaxation instead of where to eat. Red Mountain Resort is the perfect escape for couples who don’t want to plan or pack a ton of gear, but still want to have a wonderful time outdoors.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs in summer. Photo courtesy of Strawberry Park Hot Springs.
7. Luxurious Hot Springs Escape
@ Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Think Steamboat Springs is just for winter ski vacations? Nope! This Colorado mountain hotspot is a come-for-the-winter-stay-for-the-summer sort of destination with all kinds of adventures for summer getaways from hiking to biking to hot spring soaking.
Tube the fast-flowing Yampa River to cool off by day, or hike to 280-foot Fish Creek Falls–just a short drive from downtown. The Boat’s best mountain biking is found on Emerald Mountain where the singletrack trails and cross-country trails are top rated.
Warm up by night in one of town natural mineral hot springs found in Steamboat. For an in-town, family-friendly experience, visit Old Town Hot Springs, which features multiple soaking tubs, a larger warm pool, and a waterslide.
For a rugged, adults-only adventure, take a rugged road out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. (If your car isn’t all-wheel or 4-wheel drive, don’t chance it. Book a Sweet Pea shuttle to get you to the springs.) After dark, swimsuits are optional, but it’s so dark in this remote location that you won’t see much of anything anyway. Come before sunset if you’d like to look around and soak sans nudity.
Strawberry has a heated changing area, lounge chairs, multiple soaking pools with varying temperatures, and river access if you need to jump in for an ice cold cool off.
Photo courtesy of Moving Mountains
And when it comes to where to stay, Moving Mountains is the way to go. This family-owned luxury rental company specializes in Steamboat homes and rooms for groups big or small. Rent a slopeside one-bedroom suite at privately-0wned One Steamboat Place through Moving Mountains and gain access to resort amenities like pools, spas, game room, and a spacious room setting with a kitchen and spacious living for if you plan to stay in and cook. Moving Mountains even offers grocery shopping and catered chalet service if you want to take all the guesswork out of dining.
A typical room at One Steamboat Place. Photo courtesy of Moving Mountains.
No matter where you go for your adventurous summer getaways, take your honey along and it’s bound to be a great time.
