Entering The Cornice, a pizzeria that is the only restaurant still open in Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s village at 8 p.m. on a Friday night in mid-March, is like slipping through a portal to an earlier era, one before hot honey and figs were toppings. The pitchers of beer, serviceable pies, parents ignoring kids, kids ignoring parents, and Foosball all jibe with what I’ve always heard about the resort: It’s got a throwback, no-frills ethos, like Utah’s Alta or New Mexico’s Taos. At a time when resorts are adding ski butlers, pop-up Veuve Clicquot bars, and $35 poke bowls, the atmosphere is refreshingly unpretentious.

The base-area parking lot I walk through the next morning reminds me of the resort parking lots of my youth. Which is to say, it feels a lot like tailgating. People have set up folding chairs and are sipping coffee and Monster Energy drinks as they gear up. Mediocre classic rock, like bad movies on planes, is better at altitude, and as we queue up at the Solitude lift, everyone—whether 7 years old or 70—is feeling the playlist, which is heavy on the Steve Miller Band and Bad Company. The vibes are great all day long: Alex and I ski the trails off the village lifts before heading to the west-facing backside, where the afternoon sun has softened the snow. We lap the aptly named Happiness Is run before being seduced by the scent of burgers wafting from the Sunset Grill.

Of all the Tahoe resorts, Kirkwood is the most isolated. There’s only one way in and out: State Route 88, formerly the main Gold Rush route and Mormon Emigrant Trail. If it dumps, this two-lane road closes. You do have to work a little harder to get to Kirkwood, and once you’re there, skiing is all there is to do. This dynamic has helped keep the resort a bit of a secret. By 4 p.m. the mountain and the village are quiet. We make the five-minute drive to the restaurant at Caples Lake Resort, which opened in 1939 at the site of a former trading post. It’s cozy, with a big stone fireplace and views over the frozen lake. The food is so tasty and the atmosphere so inviting that we come back the next evening on our way out of town.

There’s something joyful and optimistic about crossing into a different state: “The People of Indiana Welcome You!” “Welcome to Maine, the Way Life Should Be.” Crossing state lines on skis is an even bigger rush. Heavenly Mountain Resort, which overlooks the southeastern corner of Lake Tahoe, is the only American ski resort that straddles two states. I spend a good chunk of my morning, embarrassingly, taking videos of myself skiing past the “Welcome to California” sign, with its bright yellow poppies, and the Nevada one, with its pensive forty-niner. Heavenly is massive, with base areas in each state and 4,800 skiable acres. On Ridgerun, a wide intermediate trail with unobstructed views of the lake, I have the distinct feeling that if I keep going, I’ll eventually swan-dive into the water. Palisades has stunning views, but Heavenly’s are next-level.

The resort gondola drops us in the lakefront town of South Lake Tahoe, California. A mere block away, on the other side of Stateline Avenue, is the town of Stateline, Nevada, with its string of high-rise casinos. It’s wild to see the stark difference between what are essentially two sides of the same town, and even more so to see a Harrah’s and a Bally’s against such a pristine natural backdrop. For many, skiing all day and gambling all night is a winning combo, but I’m happy to head to the Desolation Hotel, on the California side, a design-forward, sustainably built boutique property that seems novel for Tahoe, where nondescript rental condos rule the day.

Cara gathers a group of OAS’s volunteers and adaptive athletes at Crux Fermentation Project, for a communal sunset. Dogs—including her own deaf pup—outnumbered people. I met Ryan Barbee, an adaptive mountain biker and fellow spinal cord injury survivor who had, like Cara, also moved to Bend because of how free it made her feel. She greeted me with trail dust on her wheels and a pint in hand. “The first thing you need to know about Bend is the community,” she said, gesturing to the crowd, where wheelchairs and mountain bikes blended in. “And OAS is the heartbeat of it.”

The food scene in Bend is also wonderfully ambitious. One standout is Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, the new venture from brothers Brian and James Malarkey, who recently returned to their home state with a vision to bring a slice of ranch life into the heart of town. Set around a wood-fired oven, the restaurant has canvas tent dining, a lively outdoor patio, live music, and a menu that leans into their ranch-to-plate philosophy, with beef and produce sourced from their nearby Tumalo Ranch. Think high-quality steaks and hearty, unfussy food served with a generous dose of Oregon hospitality.

And just like the food, Bend’s music scene hits all the right notes. Later, I rolled into Hayden Homes Amphitheater, a performance venue on the Deschutes. Leon Bridges was serenading a sun-drenched crowd beneath a sherbet-orange sky while I sat comfortably in the accessible seating area, surrounded by a joyful sprawl of dancing hikers, hipsters, families, and fellow disabled folks—totally smitten.

Inclusion can be an elusive feeling for disabled people, hard to define, harder still to find. As I cruised home past the Craftsman bungalows and ponderosa pines that lined the streets, I caught myself not just longing to return but imagining a life here, and even after just a few days, feeling like I already belonged. On my final day, I sat with Geoff in his home talking about the creation of his ground-breaking chair. “A wheelchair chair powered by people?” he said. “That could only come from Bend.” I nodded in agreement, now finally in on the secret.

Where to Stay

The Oxford Hotel is an eco-luxury boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Bend; it’s ideal for walking or rolling to nearby shops and cafés. For a modern, pet-friendly place to stay, check out Element Bend. It’s located just off of Pioneer Park and very close to the Deschutes River, which winds through the city. Just outside town you’ll find the Tetherow. This upscale resort is tucked between forest and fairway. Stylish, accessible accommodations, and mountain views make it a peaceful retreat after a day spent outdoors.

Where to Eat and Drink

The lively downtown outpost of Thump Coffee is a community hub for coffee lovers—it’s step-free and just the spot for either a quick on-the-go espresso or a slow morning spent with a cardamom latte and a flaky pastry. Drake, a downtown bistro, serves American comfort food with fresh, local ingredients: the deviled eggs, burger, and seasonal cocktails are must-orders. A globally inspired restaurant born from a food truck, Spork is now one of Bend’s most popular spots and loved for its street food fusion and a laid-back vibe: don’t miss the spicy pork noodles. Wood-fired mains, creative cocktails, and live music in the dining area make Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge a standout for dinner. The riverside Deschutes Brewery is the original Bend brewery and still the most iconic, serving a large selection of craft beers and tasting flights alongside pub classics in a relaxed, accessible setting. Crux Fermentation Project, a beloved brewer-owned spot with panoramic mountain views, has a rotating menu of small-batch beers, food trucks, and a lively, accessible outdoor lawn. Check it out at sunset.

Ski season in the western United States and Canada doesn’t look like it did a decade ago. Despite the fact that climate change has made snowfall far less predictable, resorts have never been more crowded. This is partly because so many of the region’s best mountains now accept the multi-resort Epic and Ikon passes, making it cost-effective to spend more days at more destinations, and also because the COVID-era uptick in the sport has endured. Long lift lines and packed runs, as well as sold-out slope-adjacent hotels, are now the norm.

Not surprisingly, increased skier circulation and expanded amenities top the list of improvements for many resorts. Utah’s Deer Valley has launched its East Village project, a massive multiyear undertaking that will more than double its existing terrain. Skiers this season can experience a taste of the 3,700-acre expansion, including three new chairlifts and 300 more skiable acres. At Montana’s Big Sky Resort and farther north at British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb, new six- and eight-person chairs will trim minutes off wait times—no small thing when temperatures can dip into the teens. Colorado’s Cooper Mountain, and Utah’s Alta Ski Area and Snowbird resort, along with Idaho’s Sun Valley, have also added new lifts.

In addition to shortening lines, some new chairs are bringing skiers to formerly hard-to-reach terrain, another way resorts are trying to disperse the crowds. In Alberta, Lake Louise Ski Resort opened up the previously boot-pack-only West Bowl terrain via the Pipestone Express lift. At BC’s Sun Peaks Resort, the new West Bowl Express, three years in the making, will transport skiers to the mountain’s highest skiable terrain. Expanded amenities are also popping up across the West, including more on-mountain restaurants and lodges as well as more places to stay nearby, like the 381-room Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, which debuted in November, and the long-awaited 63-room inn at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort, which will open later this winter. This season millions of eager skiers and snowboarders are ready for the next powder dump. Happily, the resorts of the West are too.

This article appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.

If you’re curious about winter camping, here’s some great news for you: A night under the stars can be done safely and comfortably, in any climate. Even January. Plus, camping in the off-season can yield its own array of fun perks, like crowd-free trails, easier access to top camping sites, and snowy season activities like cross-country skiing and fat tire biking.

Of course, camping in the snow (or chilly desert hills) comes with its own unique set of challenges. So we’ve compiled a list of essential winter camping gear and expert tips to prepare you for winter car camping in nearly any scenario, even if you’re a total newbie. (Let’s leave the winter backpacking and ski touring to the pros.) We have advice on the best winter camping tents, tips on base layers and ultra-warm jackets, and a how-to for decking-out your regular old sedan for a night in the frigid forest. Consider this your winter camping checklist—whether you’re planning on snow camping near Jackson Hole or just trying to stay warm in Utah’s Zion National Park.

Read on for our favorite winter camping tips and gear suggestions.

In this article:

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

How to pick a winter campsite

Check park websites early. Many national park campgrounds (most reservable on recreation.gov) are closed during winter, which means your favorite overnight haunt could be inaccessible. Plus, popular and ordinarily warm-weather escapes like Death Valley, the Florida Keys, and Big Sur often fill up months in advance, so be sure to get your camping ducks in a row well ahead of time.

Research average temperatures. Do your research on what sites are like in the winter, look into local average temperatures, and book early when you find what you want. Just because a campsite is open doesn’t mean that it will be comfy—what’s open is generally an indicator of plowed roads, more than anything.

Private campgrounds are more likely to stay open all year. HipCamp, often touted as the Airbnb of camping, is a great resource for finding unexpected gems on private land during the off-season.

Pay attention to the weather

Expect the unexpected. Moderate climates, like those in Big Sur, get the lion’s share of their rainfall from December through March, and even arid hot spots like Joshua Tree can see nighttime temps in the 20s in December and January. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best—and have a plan B in case your destination shows treacherous weather at the last-minute that you aren’t prepared for.