Yosemite in Winter

It's a trip you won't soon forget. With spectacular waterfalls, sky-high sequoias, scenic overlooks and enough hiking trails to sate the most avid of outdoorsmen, Yosemite National Park is one of the shining gems of the national park service.  

Established in 1864 as a state park (it became a national park in 1890), this 1,189-square-mile park about the size of Rhode Island includes 263 miles of roads, 800 miles of hiking trails and nearly 240 species of birds, 80 species of mammals and 1,400 species of flowering plants.

The park attracts nearly 3.5 million visitors each year, but the best time of year to see its beauty unfold is during winter. Winter is Yosemite's "secret season," boasting mild temperatures, smaller crowds and lots of snow-filled fun. Lodging is more readily available, and wildlife -- like coyotes, mule deer, raccoons and even the occasional bear -- are easier to spot when the leaves are off the trees.

Here are 10 reasons to love Yosemite in the winter.

1. Photography Walks
Experience the beauty of Yosemite in the company of a professional photographer and guide provided by the Ansel Adams Gallery. Walks range from 90 minutes to two hours and take snap-happy participants along a flat or slightly elevated one-mile route. 

2. Skiing at Badger Pass Ski Area
With 5 lifts, well-groomed runs and quick access to the slopes, Badger Pass has been a family favorite ski destination since opening 1935. Eighty-five percent of Badger's slopes are beginner and intermediate level, including several runs perfect for first-time skiers. Kids age 4 to 6 can get a crash course in downhill skiing with the Badger Pups Program. 

3. Chefs' Holidays
This annual culinary series is a favorite of foodies far and wide. Enjoy 1 of 8 savory weekend-long sessions with Click Here!">Click Here!">cooking demonstrations, behind-the-scenes tours, chef receptions, and a 5-course gala dinner served by tapered candlelight and paired with complementing wines in The Ahwahnee's majestic dining room. 

4. Theater at Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
Get a glimpse of Yosemite's history with live theater in the evenings by resident actors, Lee and Connie Stetson. Performances rotate approximately every other month. Tickets are available at any Tour and Activity Desk. 

5. Snowshoeing
National Park Service naturalists lead snowshoe walks several days a week from the Badger Pass ranger station. There is no rental fee for these walks, but there is a small maintenance fee. For those interested in exploring on their own, snowshoes may be rented from the Yosemite Cross-Country Ski School Center or from the Yosemite Mountaineering Center at Curry Village when conditions permit.

6. Cross-country Skiing
Beginning cross-country skiers find the 25 miles of machine-set track at Badger Pass a great way to start, while 90 additional miles of marked trails leave plenty of room for exploration for advanced skiers. Skiers may rent striding, skating and Telemark equipment at the Yosemite Cross-Country Ski School Center. 

7. Ice Skating
Curry Village's outdoor skating rink offers guests the pleasure of ice-skating under the shadow of 2 of Yosemite's most dramatic sites -- Half Dome and Glacier Point. Rental skates are available, as well as a warming hut, cubbies for shoe storage and hot drinks and snacks. For non-skaters, there's a large area right near the rink with a warm fire pit where guests can gather, watch the aspiring Kristi Yamaguchis and sip hot chocolate. 

8. Indian Cultural Program
Demonstrators interpret the customs of Yosemite American Indians at the Cultural Exhibit located at the Yosemite Museum (next to the Visitors Center), where visitors are educated about Miwok traditions, such as food preparation, obsidian-knapping and basket-weaving. 

9. Ahwahnee Historic Tours
Take a step back in time through the magnificent halls, great rooms and grounds of The Ahwahnee Hotel. Learn the story behind the architecture, design and the people who influenced the building. 

10. Fireside Scrabble at The Ahwahnee Hotel
Few things are more relaxing that sitting with a glass of wine and a game of Scrabble near the giant stone fireplace at The Ahwahnee Hotel. After a day of exploring the Valley, there is no better way to take off the winter chill than to socialize with new friends and soak up the historical charm of the hotel's high timbered, great public spaces. 

Winter Wonderland, New Hampshire

Not every winter-weather lover can be a pro on powder, and non-skiers in search of wintry pursuits will happily find a whole lot to love on the right coast, in New Hampshire.

The Granite State is as close as you'll get to the Wild West, back East. Moose munch grass by the side of the road, and the streams teem with trout. And come winter, the state turns into an all-out snow-white wonderland, with smoke curling from nearly every chimney and snowmobiles criss-crossing abandoned country roads like ice-bound water bugs.

Herewith, our 10 favorite ways for diving into winter in New Hampshire: lift tickets largely optional.

Snowmobiling
Thousands of miles of snowmobiling trails navigate New Hampshire's backcountry. The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation Trails Bureau has a great Web site for planning your route, with countless cabins and bed-and-breakfasts located along the state's main snowmobiling corridors so visitors can literally do a snowmobiling road trip of the region. The Great North Woods region offers the most pristine terrain, and snowmobilers can even cross the international border into Canada from Pittsburg, NH (don't forget your passport).

Ice Harvesting Demonstrations
During the 1800s in New England, the harvesting of natural ice from lakes and ponds was big business -- ice was shipped and sold to hospitals, dairies, meatpacking factories and other establishments, primarily as a means for keeping food cold (it wasn't usually consumed). And while the natural ice business has largely died out in the age of subzero freezers, it still lives on in a few small New Hampshire towns. To try your own hand using historic ice-cutting tools to harvest a block from a frozen pond, visit the Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm in Tamworth during the February Winter Carnival and Ice Harvesting Festival.

Snowshoeing
If you can walk, they say, you can snowshoe (take it from someone who's utterly uncoordinated -- this sport really is a cinch). Most of New Hampshire's alpine resorts and cross-country skiing areas allow snowshoeing and offer equipment rentals and guided tours. On a clear winter day, it's hard to think of a more fun way to burn a few calories than traipsing through a silent forest full of pine trees hanging heavy with snow. For an otherworldly experience, bundle up and bring a loved one along for a full moon or stargazing snowshoe tour.

Sleighing
Dashing through the snow in a 1-horse open sleigh is as romantic as it sounds -- especially when you can dash back to a beautiful hotel with an open fireplace and schnapps or hot chocolate at the ready. The Mount Washington Hotel, dating to 1902, is the most historic and beautiful place to base yourself in the White Mountains. Let the concierge arrange your sleigh ride; that way all you have to do is show up when you hear those bells jingle.

Ice Fishing
New Hampshire's summertime fly-fishing frenzy takes a turn for the arctic come winter, when ice fishing takes over as the state's reel pastime. In the Great North Woods, bitterly cold temperatures in the dead of winter leave most lakes and ponds topped with a foot or more of ice. And while most bodies of water are fair game for ice fishing, certain spots designated as trout ponds or dedicated fly-fishing areas are off-limits. For a crash course in the sport, consider the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's 'Let's Go Fishing' Program, which offers ice fishing classes in January and February.

Dog Sledding
Iditarod on the brain, but a trip to Alaska not exactly on the radar? No worries. You can get your mush on -- and get eye level with Alaskan huskies out in the snow -- during a New Hampshire dog-sledding tour There are tours in the White Mountains near the border with Maine. And the Sunny Grange Bed-and-Breakfast offers a package where you can learn the practicalities of harnessing and anchoring the dogs before heading out into the woods for a 5.5-mile run.

Snow Tubing
Most of New Hampshire's alpine ski resorts offer snow tubing for those who want the thrill of a downhill descent -- sans the skis or snowboard. At Loon Mountain you can do your tube runs under the moonlight. And Great Glen Trails, just off the Mount Washington Auto Road, is a good place to go with the whole family; there's no lift to ride, and it's an easy walk up the very user-friendly tubing hill.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway
Skis aren't necessary for a near-peak experience on New Hampshire's highest mountain, Mount Washington. The Mount Washington Cog Railway uses a coal-fired steam locomotive to take riders up New Hampshire's highest peak; imagine climbing a ladder aboard a train, and you've got an idea of how the ride feels. While the train doesn't run to the absolute summit during the winter months, you'll reach Kroflite Camp at 4,100 feet, just below the tree line. Be sure to bring a camera and dress for the elements -- there's an observation deck on high, with panoramic views.

Winter Festivals
Talk about higher education -- Dartmouth University kicked off what would turn into a statewide winter tradition when it held New Hampshire's first Winter Carnival in 1911. The university stills holds its bash every February, with bonfires, human dog--sled races, polar bear swims and lots of co--ed revelry. Other winter carnivals take place across the state in January and February in towns such as Franconia, Laconia, Keene and Somersworth, as well as in the Mount Washington Valley.

On New Hampshire's Foodie Trail
Fireside with a filling feed is a good place to find oneself after a hard day on the hill. And New Hampshire, with its rural roots and affinity for farmers markets, wants not when it comes to gastronomical highlights. Join in the Click Here!">Click Here!">cooking classes at the Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm in Tamworth, where your oven is an open hearth and the menu is harvested from ingredients grown on-site (baked acorn squash and bread pudding with maple syrup are a few of the tasty preparations you might whip up). For New Hampshire-style comfort food, start your day with blueberry buckwheat flapjacks at the legendary Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill. And for oenophiles, the Seacoast Winter Wine Festival in New Castle is one of New England's top wine gatherings, with Click Here!">Click Here!">cooking demonstrations and indulgent vintner dinners -- warms you up just thinking about it.