Gunnison is situated along the floor of its eponymous valley, surrounded on all sides by a much less dramatic compared to its well-to-do resort neighbor 40 minutes to the north, but still quite eye-catching high desert landscape. It serves as the seat and most populous community of Gunnison County, and is really the gateway for adventure in the southwestern slope of the state. Still, for years it has lacked the same level of recognition and reverence compared to scores of other western slope communities, including Crested Butte, Durango, Fruita, Telluride, and more. Hopefully that notion will soon be a thing of the past. 

The first thing that stands out about Big Bear is the obvious beauty of the Allegheny Front of the Appalachian Mountains. The dense forests that cover the archaic ridges and valleys along the western edge of West Virginia’s panhandle cast a hazy blue hue upon the landscape, interrupted only by the warm glow from the sun whenever it nears the horizon. Sunrises will take your breath away, and sunsets will set your soul on fire. It’s almost heaven, after all. 

As you’re driving across county lines into Pocahontas County, one thing becomes very clear: locals are hoping you’re here to play in the mountains. I mean, it literally says pretty much exactly that on an actual welcome sign. There’s a lot of open space here and not a lot of people, so the opportunities are damn near endless, particularly if you’re here to ride trails. Throughout the county you’ll find a number of epic opportunities to go up and down some of the state’s most beautiful landscapes, which include the largest forest service owned wilderness east of the Mississippi, a world class bikepark, and its adjacent backcountry.  

My first visit to the Warfield Trails of Charlemont came on the heels of a quick trip to Vermont. My good friend and photographer extraordinaire, Katie Lozancich, was keen to show me some of the trails available on the other side of the Deerfield River opposite Thunder Mountain Bike Park. Thunder has long been recognized as one of the more progressive and complete bike parks in all of North America, with its intoxicating mix of natural tech and pristine flow, as well as some of the largest freeride bike park features outside of British Columbia. It’s a destination through and through, and has cast quite a large shadow across the rest of the Charlemont and the Berkshire Mountains of Western Mass, so when Katie suggested I stop by on my way home from Vermont, I was incredibly curious about what I’d find across from the esteemed mountain playground.

I don’t know what Paradise looks like for you, but I have a good idea of what it looks like for me. It includes a beautiful coastline, some rolling and rugged mountains that jut up against the said beach, massive evergreen trees with fuzzy green trunks, and the best dirt on the planet, blanketing the forest floor. But that’s just me. Enter Gold Beach, the coastal community of 2,241 situated along the stunning southern Oregon coast. Gold Beach is flanked to the east by the Oregon Coast Range and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It’s not especially close to any population centers of note. Medford, OR is the closest city and that’s a 3+ hour drive away. The largest city in the state is 6 hours from Gold Beach. The good news is that the drive, from virtually anywhere, is going to be about as scenic as they come.