The Limelight Hotel has become one of Sun Valley's most popular hotels, aiming to bring its guests into the surrounding outdoors with bicycle rentals and adventures. To play up on the fun, the inn hosts Murder Mystery weekends and other events surrounding its supposed hauntings. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. Hotel Telluride offers you a basecamp for your adventures while lending the feel of a European chalet. The town itself has its own trails, waterfalls and gardens to explore. California's 11 Most Underrated Mountain Towns. Think: fresh air, rugged trails, the smell of marshmallows roasting over an open fire and cozy cabin rentals. Beautiful Boone, North Carolina, is easily one of the most popular NC mountain towns to visit. Bryson City, North Carolina Education Images/Getty Images This town is a gateway to the Smokies, and there are lots of access points to Great Smoky Mountains National Parkas well as parts of the Appalachian Trailin and around Bryson City. The upscale shopping, ritzy resorts, award-winning dining and aprs scene really set this legendary resort town apart from the rest. Sun Valley is hailed as the birthplace of resort skiing in North America. Need to tick off a bucket-list adventure? Today, it remains one of the most sought-after spots to hit the slopes in the country. But you dont need to get in your car to get radical; Spearfish Canyon, with its thousand-foot-high limestone walls, begins just outside downtown and runs south for 20 miles through the Black Hills, offering endless climbing, mountain-biking, and hiking options. Everybody comes together for a beer downtown, blessed with too many breweries to count. The residents of Bryson City know they are lucky to have the mountains surrounding them along with the Tuckasegee River for fishing, kayaking and rafting. Within steps of the Snake River, the hotel features an outdoor pool and onsite dining. You'll feel as if you've stepped back in time at this grand hilltop property that still offers a taste of its historic offerings. When you're not shopping and dining, you'll be in the mountains, especially when Breck gets covered in powder come wintertime. The Copper is both a means of transportation and entertainment. Featured Review: Current Resident says Overall a pretty decent place to live!MoRa is a nice up and coming community and the businesses moving here are all pretty nice. Of the 66 U.S. cities with a. But in the past ten years, mountain biking has taken prominence, with more than 100 miles of singletrack creating a prime network for cyclists, earning Chattanooga a silver-level Ride Center recognition from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). You can soak in the springs in the bathhouses known as the Jefferson Pools, aptly named for Thomas Jefferson who would come here to soak in the rich mineral waters said to improve health. This trip will take you approximately 590 miles and requires more than 11 hours of drive time. Join Outside+ to get access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. Telluride is one of the boom towns of the Colorado Rockies that managed to reinvent itself as an upmarket alpine and ski destination. Mountain bikers in the know love Crosby for its 30 miles of trails through the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, which passes through Crosby. Diversity. The resort gets all the love (and rightfully so), but dont overlook Snow King, which serves as a pre- and post-work ski workout for locals, or Grand Targhee, 45 miles away, which has just as much to offer mountain bikers during the summer as it does skiers in the winter. Stowed away in northern Vermont, this small town is nestled in a valley at the foot of Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state. BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA First, you have the quaint village, loaded with New England charm and underpinned by a farm-to-table ethos. Perched on the northern side of Black Hills National Forest and hugging the Wyoming border, Spearfish is an hour and a half from Badlands National Park in one direction and an hour from Devils Tower, one of the countrys finest trad-climbing destinations, in the other. This is a spa town that has welcomed guests since Colonial times to enjoy its hot springs. By Lissa Poirot, updated on December 13, 2022 Getty Images Small towns and wide-open landscapes are great places to be. Inside are rustic stylings befitting its mountain location. Does it have solidbreweries and aprs food? Bar Harbor is the perfect home base for exploring Acadia National Park. All this exploring will no doubt work up your appetite, and youll find Durangostacked with surprisingly eclectic food (get the Southwestern sushi roll at Rice Monkey), while the brewery scene is exactly what youd expect from a world-class mountain town and includes one of the O.G. Here's a short list of candidates poised to become the South's Next Great Mountain Town. But the unique culture it evinces is as vibrant as the adventure. Population 38,127. From a 22-mile bikeway to nearby rafting and hiking, the town is filled with places to kick back and enjoy some Southern charm. 13. But instead of the crowded touristy lodges and casinos that steal a bit of South . The town of roughly 2,500 residents is situated in a steep . In between trips to the bathhouse, be sure to check out the boutiques, art galleries, museums, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Thorncrown Chapel. Davis is not large. Stay at a classic Montana lodge at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, which is both rustic and elegant at the same time. Catch a boat upriver to see Childs Glacier, which drops ice chunks into the water with alarming regularity, or cast a line and try to hook some salmon. A tandem of blue-ribbon rivers (the Provo and the Weber) keep anglers entertained, while every hiking trail seems to lead to a different high-alpine lake. Along with most of the town, the Harry Packer Mansion Inn boasts historic Victorian architecture from its location in the heart of town. This small town surrounding Jackson Creek was originally a mining town that started the Oregon Gold Rush. Nested at the foot of Mount Mansfield, Stowe is a quintessential New England town and everything youd want in a Vermont getaway. One of the last of the grand resorts that were once the summer playgrounds of the wealthiest citizens of New York and Boston at the turn of the 20th century, the Omni-owned Mount Washington hotel is an old-school hideaway. Some of the towns on this list are so damn awesome that theyresuffering from side effectslike crowded trailheads and ridiculous home prices. (Corny, but its true!) Between the blasts of crisp alpine air and the breathtaking scenerydense forests, towering peaks, and postcard-perfect main streetsa mountain escape promises a true recharge. When on the land of the Navajo, consider a stay in a wigwam at the Wigwam Motel. Since 1883, the Sagamore has served as the grand dame of Lake George, sitting pretty on its own private island in the lake. Thayers Inn dates back to the 1850s when it was Thayer's White Mountain Hotel. These are the best small mountain towns with populations under 10,000 people. Thats totally accurate. Just outside of town, youll find trails and the famous mile-high swinging bridge. A former mining town from California's Gold Rush days, Sonora can be found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Maybe. This is a place where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane walked the once-dirt streets in the late 1800s dodging horses and bullets. Lake Placid is surrounded by the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, home to hiking trails galore as well as Wallface, an 800-foot granite cliff with some of the best climbing in the state, located in the deep wilderness of Indian Pass. As far as you can get from major centers of civilization in the Midwest, this former mining outpost (population 100) sits on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, flanked by thelargest of the Great Lakes on one side and the rocky ridgeline of Brockway Mountain on the other. The Berkshires has long been a place of respite for Manhattanites longing for the countryside. Stroll along its tourist-friendly sidewalks in the heart of town for shopping and dining, and make your way to the museum that celebrates Lake Placid's history as host of two Winter Olympics. Bush. Nestled at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains and the national park of the same name, Gatlinburg is your entryway into the 520,000-acre park and its miles of trails. Offering 12 rooms in what was formerly a grist mill, the inn overlooks the grist mill waterfall and mill pond. Deep within the Lehigh Gorge this Victorian-era mining town serves as a hub to the area's hiking trails that lead to some of the state's most beautiful waterfalls. But Bozemans true gem is Hyalite Canyon, a multisport, four-season destination just 15 miles from town, where trails lead from easy-access campsites to mountain meadows in the summer. When you think of mountain towns, one of the first that comes to mind is Aspen, Colorado. Great Barrington, part of the greater Pittsfield area, is one of the best towns when it comes to Western Massachusetts escapes, particularly because it doesn't shut down after the summer, and guests keep arriving for its Butternut ski slope. Add a rejuvenating trip to the New Age mecca of Taos to your shortlist. Surrounding the town is the George Washington National Forest of the Allegheny Mountains with a tiny town that may not offer too much to do but serves you well when you visit. All you need is some sweet tea and a good book. Within the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont, you'll find Manchester. Serving as a rest stop for travelers between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Carolina Low Country, this stopping point certainly offers rest and reprieve. But you can find epic skiing all over. Vonore, TN Homes, Townhomes, Condos: $139.9K - $2.8M Lots: $20K - $595K The undulating vistas of the Smoky Mountains make for an idyllic backdrop to life at Rarity Bay on Tellico Lake. learn more about the affiliate process here. You can stay at the 78-acre Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, just steps from the village town. The views from the Blowing Rock peaks for which this small town is named will blow you away. Many of the mountain west states have diverse geography. Plus, there are pet-friendly properties, so you can bring your pooch on your hikes. As the most-visited national park in America, Gatlinburg is ready and able to accommodate all who come with entertainment, restaurants, shops and accommodations that don't involve sleeping in a tent. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! These charming mountain towns have something for every type of traveler. Home to the Norman Rockwell Museum, you can see how Rockwell was inspired by his hometown in Western Massachusetts. Yellowstone National Park, 70 miles south, can been seen ona day trip. Besides conquering advanced runs (or bunny hills if thats more your speed), be sure to visit the pedestrian-friendly village and the Sun Valley Museum of Art. And while thats certainly an accurate characterization, it leaves out the likes of Hamburg. Where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet within the Appalachian Mountains you can find the historic town of Harpers Ferry. And Bentonville (population 49,467) has taken advantage of that feature, building more than 300 miles of singletrack in the past decade. 17 Coziest American Mountain Towns Snuggling up in America's best mountainous regions Up in the mountains, the air is fresher and the views are better. When snow covers the ground, its all about embracing the untouched terrain and making your tracks. Is Lake Placid a tad too touristy? For the best views of the 4,393-foot . Neighborhood in Charlotte, NC,. Dine in the dining room, the inn's tavern or on the front porch overlooking Chester and feel its charm. Choose from the land or sea adventures (there's skiing nearby), and pop into Cordova's cultural center and museum. During the winter, those trail systems become a hotbed of cross-country activity. Scrambling up Bell Rock is a must, as is traversing Devils Bridge and spending time at the pools and caves of Devils Kitchen. Instead, it welcomes visitors with open arms and loads of backcountry appeal. The 12 Most Charming Small Towns in South Carolina. Hike the trails that bisect the 106,000-acre Chattahoochee National Forest, go white water rafting on the Ocoee River, cast a line in the trout-filled streams and ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The wooden 14th-century . (Chair lifts were actually installed back in the 1930s.) A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Mirror Lake Inn has won awards for its service and accommodations, and you won't be disappointed in this pampering place. The town is surrounded by the Black Hills for outdoor explorations. Crosby Lofts provide ride-in and ride-out access to the trails and is beloved by riders. There arent a lot of secrets in Jackson anymore. Since 1773, the Red Lion Inn has been providing lodging to guests of Western Massachusetts. 5 /21. Winter brings the chance to try snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Seriously, you can ski right into town hereand not just some manufactured ski-resort village but an actual community. Your jumping-off town to the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George awaits on the lake with the same name. You can destress with a steamy soak morning, noon or night. And did we mention all of the beer gardens? Try the Country Inn, which first opened to visitors in 1933 and offers 70 guest rooms and suites. Choose to sleep in the two-story farmhouse, a restored log cabin or one of two pine/cedar cabins while you enjoy the quiet of the Central Kentucky hollow. You can enjoy the heart of town with a stay at the Everett Hotel, a landmark of Bryson City's historic district. Filled with B&Bs, the village is welcoming whether you're on skis or off, making it ideal for a four-season getaway with the White Mountain National Forest serving as a backdrop. If it looks familiar, it is because this home was the model for the haunted mansion at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland! The Ozarks arent known for towering peaks, but dont mistake their muted summits for humble terrain; the landscape is rugged, especially if youre on a mountain bike. Out of the water and off the peak is the small town to enjoy a drink with newfound friends. North Bend's main peak, Mount Si, beckons hikers, and the area's lakes and rivers are great for rafting and fishing. The Best Western Plus Burley Inn and Convention Center is one of the largest hotels in the tiny town.