Three Spectacular Places to Cross-Country Ski

If you love a quiet, wintry landscape -- and a great workout -- there's not a lot that can beat a cross-country skiing vacation. Also known as Nordic skiing, this sport can get you out in nature during the wintertime in places where only those wearing snowshoes can follow --but at a speed that lets you cover a lot of ground.

You can plan an entire vacation around cross-country skiing, or combine it with a downhill/alpine skiing vacation. The latter is a common strategy, says Leslie Shor, vacation specialist at Ski.com -- which arranges many downhill ski vacations that include a day or two of cross-country skiing.

"Many people who add it on to an alpine ski vacation are looking to get into places with really beautiful scenery, where it's quiet and there's no one there -- it's a very pristine experience," she says.

Whether cross-country is the main event to your winter vacation or a side excursion, the key is to select a destination that gives you a lot of options. Strong cross-country skiers, who also have good winter outdoors skills and are willing to do their homework about avalanche conditions, have more options available to them, since they can blaze their own trails through any snow-covered area.

For the rest of us, the best destination is one that offers many different groomed trails.

Here are three great picks this season in snow country:

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo.

The neighboring towns of Aspen and Snowmass in Colorado are best known for their downhill skiing, but the area is also a great cross-country destination. With 60 kilometers of groomed skiing trails, the Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Trail System is the largest free groomed cross-country ski system in North America. It includes the Owl Creek Trail, which connects the towns of Aspen and Snowmass, and cuts through three valleys -- giving you the feeling of backcountry skiing on a groomed trail.

There are also two cross-country ski centers on the golf courses in Aspen and Snowmass at either end, as well as a trail through the North Star Nature Preserve.

Beyond the Aspen/Snowmass Nordic Trail system, there are other groomed trails that are worth checking out. In the Castle Creek Valley, 12 miles away from Aspen, is the Ashcroft Ski Area -- 35 kilometers of groomed trails, surrounded by sloping and soaring pine-covered mountains. The area includes the ghost town of Ashcroft, an abandoned mining town.

Locals frequent the Pine Creek Cookhouse, which you either cross-country ski or snowshoe to reach, to dine on Colorado's finest foods interpreted by a chef from Nepal. (Go before sunset, and cross-country ski back to your car wearing a miner's headlamp.)

Stay at The Little Nell. At the hotel's swank, yet cozy, Montagna restaurant, Chef Ryan Hardy cooks with locally sourced ingredients, some from his own farm.

Jackson Hole, Wyo.

The scenery is the thing about cross-country skiing at Jackson Hole, where you'll find 17 kilometers of groomed trails at the Jackson Hole Nordic Center -- mostly over ranch land. You're very close to excellent groomed trails in Grand Teton National Park, where you can arrange to ski with a naturalist-guide, and learn about plants, geology and how wildlife adapts to harsh winter conditions. As well, you'll have access to the trails at the southern entrance to Yellowstone Park.

Stay at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole. After a day of cross-country skiing, you'll have earned the s'mores and hot chocolate served poolside.

Park City, Utah

Soldier Hollow was the Nordic sports venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and its 23 kilometers of groomed trails are a great place to imagine your own Olympic glories, whether you're on the easier trails or on the challenging Olympic trails. Wasatch Mountain State Park offers 10 kilometers of groomed trails, with varied terrain and views of Heber Valley farms; the Mountain Trails Foundation has a map of groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails in the area.

Stay at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, where your après ski should include a serving of garlic cheese fries and a bottle of local beer at the Troll Hallen lounge.

Tips to Make the Most of Your Vacation

Think about transportation in advance: Some cross-country ski areas are accessible by public transportation, while others might require a taxi ride or a rental car to access.

Know your limits. It's obviously not a good idea to go out into the backcountry without careful research, and many groomed trails aren't consistently patrolled. Shake down your skills on a golf-course trail if you're uncertain.

Get the lowdown on the equipment you'll need here.

The Cross Country Ski Areas Association publishes an annual guide, and if you're looking for venues in the Northeast North America, check out Great Outdoor Recreation Pages' picks.

While downhill skiing isn't pet friendly, you can pack your pooch along with you on a cross-country ski vacation. Here's info about skiing with your dog -- when they're attached to you it's called skijoring.