Winter Road Trips

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to be more adventurous, take the opportunity to go on a road trip this winter! Skip the beaches and cruise ships, and hit the cold frozen pavement instead. There are a lot of advantages to taking road trips in the winter, and many beautiful and wonderful places to see. 

You probably love to get out in nature during the spring when the flowers are lovely, or in the fall when the leaves look like they were painted on the trees. But then again, who doesn't? National parks and other destinations out in nature are going to be busy for the better part of the year. Winter is the offseason, when most people shy away from the cold and sometimes scary weather. If you're not afraid of a little cold, winter can be one of the best times to get out and see some sights. You don't have to deal with crowds, and a steam snorting elk backdropped by a frost-etched ridgeline is just as pretty as some old flower.

Winter road trips aren't for the faint of heart. Be ready for road closings, sudden storms, and memorable adventure. Here are some destination ideas for a winter road trip!

• Arches National Park sits in the high Utah desert, where the stars pop out of the sky. Walking around this national makes you feel like you’re not on earth anymore. If you’ve ever wondered what the moon would like if it had a winter, head to Arches and see the countless rock arches laced with hoarfrost and covered in snow.
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is located in central Texas, and might just be one the most beautiful places you’ve never been to. A 425-foot pink granite dome rises out of the Texas brushlands to offer some unique and amazing scenery. Apparently a Spanish conquistador cast a spell causing magical ghost fires to blaze atop the stone mound.
• Glacier National Park is an obvious choice for a winter road trip. Glacier is peppered with postcard-worthy mountains, pristine lakes and over 700 miles of trail. This Montana gem covers over 1 million acres and is referred to as the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem”. As beautiful as Glacier is during the summer, it seems more appropriate to see it in the winter.
• British Columbia looks like it fell out of a fairy tale. Giant evergreens and friendly-looking mountains are reason enough to visit this amazing province. There are over 830 provincial parks to check out that offer everything lots to do including snowshoeing, birding, skiing, and hiking. If you’re looking for a long-mileage trip, this is definitely one to do.