High-altitude resorts across America provide ideal venues for family group vacations. The following tips will help you orchestrate a memorable trip
Mountain destinations are filled with gorgeous vistas, fresh air, and a wealth of activities and adventures for all ages. These fun-filled locations are some of the most beautiful places for family vacations and multigenerational getaways. While snowy landscapes and skiing often come to mind, picturesque mountain destinations offer an ideal spot for family vacations at any time of year.
If you’re dreaming of a family gathering in the mountains, here are some tips and ideas to help you plan an epic reunion or multigenerational trip.
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Tips to Get Started Planning Your Reunion in the Mountains
Choose Your Season And Start Planning Early
Weather and seasonality are key factors for many activities in mountain destinations. Summer mountain vacations offer escapes from sweltering weather and tons of outdoor fun, including hiking, biking, and a wide variety of water sports. Autumn’s arrival brings crisp air and spectacular fall foliage, making it a popular time for leaf-peeping family mountain getaways.
During the winter, mountain resorts turn into snowy wonderlands offering exhilarating outdoor sports such as skiing, snowboarding, skating, and tubing. When considering your family reunion date, keep your group’s desired experiences in mind, and plan ahead for the best availability and prices. Some mountain resorts offer attractive lodging rates during off-season times of the year.
Establish Your Budget
Setting a budget for a multigenerational vacation or family reunion can be challenging. It’s essential to understand all the costs involved and discuss them with your group. Determine each family member’s budget range early in the process and find a limit that’s acceptable to the entire group. Make sure to include key expenses such as lodging, meals, drinks, activities, venue charges, transportation, entertainment and other costs.
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Look for mountain activities that everyone can enjoy together. (Photo credit: Park City Chamber/Bureau)
Identify Your Group’s Needs, Interests And Trip Goals
Selecting the perfect mountain destination for your family reunion depends on your group’s budget, ages and activity preferences, accessibility issues and goals they want to accomplish. Planning the trip together and talking about expectations in advance is essential. Since all mountain destinations will not be an ideal match, survey your family group at the outset to determine their requirements and develop a list of priorities.
Seek out vacation destinations in the mountains with a wide array of appealing activities and attractions to keep all generations happy and entertained. Have each family member mention one thing they’d like to do on your trip and find some activities the group can do together. Take your family’s age ranges into account if specific amenities are critical for your group’s vacation enjoyment, such as kids’ programs and snow sports. If your family is celebrating a particular occasion, talk about considerations for dining locations and other special events.
Evaluate Potential Locations and Experiences
Successful family reunions require catering to all generations. It’s key to choose a destination in the mountains that will make everyone happy. Ease of travel, accessibility and transportation costs are key factors in selecting a mountain destination reunion location.
Many mountain destinations in the United States are outstanding choices for family reunions and multigenerational trips. Some of these include Colorado Springs, Colorado and Garrett County, Maryland. Talk with all family members to evaluate possible locations, review your group’s interests, and decide what works best for your needs and budget. A good travel advisor can help with this process.
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Memorable restaurants like the Kanu dining room at Whiteface Lodge are perfect settings for family celebrations. (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)
Research Available Lodging, Dining And Amenities
Mountain destinations vary in types of places available to stay. Find out what kinds of accommodations are available within your budget and where they are located. Many resorts and hotels offer special group rates and discounts.
Review your group’s preferences and requirements and match them against the available lodging options. If onsite dining is important for family celebrations and events, check with each property to learn what venues are available for your group. If family members have food allergies or special needs, make sure the resort can accommodate them.
Identify the amenities resorts offer for your family’s age groups and determine any age restrictions for programs and attractions, such as kids’ clubs. Some mountain resorts are well-suited for families with young children, while others are ideal for groups with teens and young adults. Great activities, entertainment, and venues for parents and grandparents are also key.
Mountain destinations offer fun-filled opportunities for family bonding. (Photo credit: Park City Chamber/Bureau)
Create A Balanced Schedule
Mountain destinations offer many attractions that family members can enjoy, both together and apart. Craft a family reunion schedule with a combination of group events and solo time for individual activities. While the goal of your reunion is to bond and create lifelong memories, it’s important to remember that people need a break from shared activities – and each other.
Kids and teens need time to burn off energy, hang out together and recharge. Likewise, parents and grandparents need their own time for personal space during the trip. Build periods of free time into your schedule when everyone can relax and pursue their own interests.
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The historic Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa offers popular activities for all generations. (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)
FAMILY-FRIENDLY MOUNTAIN HOTELS
Mountain resorts are excellent choices for destination reunions and multigenerational family trips. Destination Reunions has rounded up a variety of superb mountain resorts and hotels offering year-round activities for all ages and interests. If you’re looking for additional options with different types of attractions and experiences, here are several properties to consider.
Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa – Whitefield, New Hampshire
Set on 1,700 acres amid New Hampshire’s picturesque White Mountains, Mountain View Grand Resort dates back over 150 years and is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. The resort caters to families and multigenerational groups with a wide array of activities and outdoor adventures, including hiking, mountain biking, golf, pickleball, tennis, swimming and movies. Families particularly enjoy the resort’s Activities Center and the engaging programming at the property’s Mountain View Farm, where kids can gather fresh eggs and meet the resident llamas and goats. During the winter months, cross-country skiing, snow tubing and ice skating are available. Families can choose from 141 spacious rooms and suites and plan to visit nearby attractions, including Story Land, Santa’s Village and the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
The Ahwahnee Hotel – Yosemite Valley, California
The Ahwahnee is a memorable destination hotel for multigenerational vacations and family reunions. Built in the 1920s, the stunning lodge is often called “one of the crown jewels of national park lodges.” Ideally situated at the east end of Yosemite Valley, The Ahwahnee provides a perfect home base with beautiful views of Half Dome, Glacier Point and Yosemite Falls. Guests at this historic lodge can take advantage of Yosemite National Park’s many attractions, enjoying hiking, biking, fishing and touring opportunities via the park’s convenient shuttle bus system. The Ahwahnee’s magnificent public spaces and dining areas provide lovely backdrops for family photos. A variety of rooms, suites and cottages are available for family groups.
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Set in the Adirondacks’ High Peaks region, Whiteface Lodge is an attractive choice for family getaways throughout the year. (Photo credit: Whiteface Lodge)
Whiteface Lodge – Lake Placid, New York
Whiteface Lodge is located near the shores of Lake Placid and surrounded by six – million-acre Adirondack Park. Constructed in the classic style of Adirondack Great Camps, the all-suite mountain resort is ideal for family getaways. Whiteface Lodge’s luxurious accommodations are available with multi-bedroom configurations and full kitchens, private balconies, and fireplaces. The award-winning resort’s flagship dining venue, Kanu, is ideal for group meals and family celebrations. Whiteface Lodge offers a wealth of activities and amenities for families, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a movie theater and bowling alley, sports courts, fishing, and nightly campfires and s’mores. The resort’s complimentary Kanu Kamp kids club and Canoe Club beachfront watersports area operate at select times. During the winter season, families can enjoy onsite ice skating as well as downhill skiing and snowboarding at nearby Whiteface Mountain.
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado – Santa Fe, New Mexico
If you’re looking for a different kind of destination mountain retreat, Santa Fe offers a unique combination of immersive cultural experiences, stunning scenery, and family- friendly attractions. The luxurious Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado makes it easy for families to forge lifelong memories together in this enchanting setting. Set in the Sangre de Cristo foothills where the Rocky Mountains begin, the resort features a wide range of activities for family groups, including swimming, mountain biking, golf, yoga, complimentary guided hikes, jeep tours, and enriching excursions to Native American sites. During the winter season, the Four Seasons Resort’s Ski Santa Fe package and Ski Concierge service make winter sports experiences fun and hassle-free. Families can select from a choice of spacious accommodations and multiple venues for group meals, including the resort’s signature Terra restaurant with its beautiful outdoor views.
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Mountain destinations offer vacation rental homes and condominiums with scenic views. (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)
FOUR-SEASON VACATION RENTALS IN TOP MOUNTAIN DESTINATIONS
Some family groups prefer renting vacation homes for their family reunions and multigenerational getaways. There are a number of year-round mountain destinations filled with family-friendly adventures and an extensive array of vacation homes and condominiums. Here are a few popular mountain destinations with a wide variety of vacation rental properties to explore.
Park City, Utah
With mountain ranges towering over 9,000 feet, families can reach new heights in Park City, Utah’s largest resort. The Olympic destination offers a wide variety of year-round activities for family members of all ages, and the views are spectacular. While skiing and snow sports reign supreme during the winter months, summer ushers in opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, swimming, scenic gondola rides and other pursuits. Check out the many vacation rentals for families in this beautiful mountain location.
Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada
Stretching across two states in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake Tahoe is a sought-after destination for family groups. The area offers nearly a dozen ski resorts and the largest alpine lake in North America, making it a popular choice for family vacations in every season. With approximately two million yearly visitors, the Lake Tahoe region has a wide variety of resorts and vacation rentals. Explore vacation rentals for family reunions and multigenerational trips here.
Keystone, Colorado
Long known as one of the country’s most kid-friendly ski destinations, Keystone spans three mountains with over 3,149 acres of skiable terrain and options for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. There are also plenty of off-slope activities for family members and an extensive array of vacation rentals to please families of all sizes. Keystone is also a treat in the summer months, with hiking, mountain biking, golfing, horseback riding and other engaging activities to keep families busy.
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By Nancy Schretter, Contributing Editor
Header Photo Credit: Park City Chamber/Bureau
