Fitness First
Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
For a tangible outcome, good intentions must lead to actions. If your goal is to get fit and healthy this year, there is no better way to start than with a visit to Rancho La Puerta, or the Ranch, as it is affectionately known to the 65 percent of guests who return, year after year.
The morning air is clean and crisp, so plan on waking early and starting the day with a hike. Try the challenging Roadrunner Trail Run, a Five-Mile Lowland Trail Run, or the Seven-Mile Mountain Breakfast Hike, or opt for the gentler breakfast hike that leads to Rancho Tres Estrellas, a lovely 3.5 acre organic farm (one of the first at a spa), which provides a tremendous culinary resource to the Ranch’s talented chef. There is a new organic juice bar, Tierra Alegre (“Joyous Earth”), where guests can enjoy seasonal, organic cold-pressed juices and smoothies, also sourced from the farm.
The Ranch, with over 60 fitness classes and activities at any given time, now offers specialized men’s fitness, adventure and spa programming. After breakfast, plan a morning of classes ranging from yoga and Pilates to Ropes Gone Wild—a high intensity, low impact, full-body workout. You’ll want to spend as much time as you can at the spa, where the treatments are top-notch. Try one of the new wellness services, like Reiki, Reconnective Healing, Somatic Experiencing, with a focus on spiritual grounding. And don’t miss the inspiring weekly talk by Deborah Szekely, who co-founded the Ranch 75 years ago, and recently launched Wellness Warrior (wellnesswarrior.org), a nonprofit whose mission is to promote and advocate for healthy, sustainable living.
The Ranch activities are state-of-the-art, in a remarkably low-key and comfortable environment. You will sweat side by side with incredibly interesting people, and are guaranteed to make a few good friends during your stay. rancholapuerta.com —Rona Berg
Trek For Transformation
Mountain Trek, Nelson, British Columbia
Mountain Trek, a weeklong, all-inclusive rustic fitness retreat just outside Nelson, B.C., isn’t just your run-of-the-mill weight-loss camp. (Though you will lose weight.) Instead, it’s a mind/body campus for making life changes, communing with nature, reconnecting with your inner athlete, learning the basics of good nutrition and sleep habits, and taking on new challenges. And, it helps if you love to hike, and enjoy the outdoors.
Upon arrival, guests check in to the cabin-like lodge, replete with individual rooms fashioned with comfy duvets, a spa, LED sauna, a yoga and fitness center, and an outdoor firepit and Adirondack-style chairs framed by Kootenay Lake. There are no phones and no televisions. But there is plenty of daily activity: guided Nordic hikes with backpacks and poles (guests are divided into four groups based on fitness level) ranging from moderate to the strenuous ascent to the 6,533-foot Idaho Peak, to easy, woodsy trails accessible via ferry.
A typical day begins at 6 a.m. (with a gentle knock on your door), followed by a small smoothie, a one-hour yoga class, breakfast, foot care prep for hiking, a three- to four- hour hike (lunch is carried in your backpack), and an afternoon lecture on topics from sleep hygiene to fitness and metabolism. After a short break, dinner is served, followed by an evening exercise class, and the grand finale: a massage. Guests can also opt to take a day off and read a book, or take a short walk to the Ainsworth Hot Springs for rest and relaxation.
Mountain Trek’s Program Director, Life Coach, Lead Guide and former Park Ranger, Kirkland Shave, was originally hired to teach survival and wilderness skills. From there, he became a yoga instructor and hiking guide. “I want more and more people to fall in love with nature, fall in love with their bodies and reconnect on mind/body,” says Shave. “It’s the root of change.” mountaintrek.com —Jennie Nunn
In Living Color
Red Mountain Resort & Spa, Ivins, Utah
Framed by red rocks in just about every hue from copper to crimson, Red Mountain Resort is a great getaway for mind, body and spirit. Located in Southwest Utah, the 55-acre outdoor campus offers a wide range of fitness and wellness classes each week (guided hikes in nearby Zion National Park, horseback riding, sunset rappelling and nature walks in Snow Canyon).
At the serene sanctuary, other activities include lunch with a local Shaman spirit guide, meditative walks on the property’s labyrinth, photography classes led by a professional photographer and cooking demonstrations. For outdoor adventure seekers, check off a bucket list challenge and sign up for the Angels Landing excursion (4.8 miles; $195 including lunch), with a hike to the infamous 1,488-foot rock formation in Zion National Park with panoramic views of Zion Canyon. Then, read a book while you lounge by the outdoor swimming pool, take a dip in the whirlpool or soothe tired and achy muscles with new Himalayan salt stone massage at the on-site spa. redmountainresort.com —Jennie Nunn
Wilderness Watch
Turpin Meadow Ranch, Jackson, Wyoming
It may be hard to improve upon a fireside massage in your cabin while snow is falling outdoors on the frozen Buffalo Fork River, in the magnificent Teton mountains. But add in a program of vigorous backcountry skiing, snow-biking, dog sledding, a wintry wildlife tour of Yellowstone National Park—or even on-site yoga or a visit to the fitness center—and the day is just about perfect.
Built in 1932, Turpin Meadow Ranch, a dude ranch 45 miles outside of Jackson, WY, was recently restored by former alpine Olympians Nancy and Hans Johnstone. The couple’s love of winter sport shines brightly as they provide nearly 10 miles of groomed Nordic ski track and a fleet of snowmobiles for guided tours along the Continental Divide Trail—the longest continuous wilderness snowmobile trail in the lower 48.
The incomparably beautiful terrain offers plenty of summer fitness fun, too. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, remote and expert-guided fly fishing, bird watching and easy access to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks make Turpin an invigorating two-season escape. (Check for spring and fall closure dates.) turpinmeadowranch.com —Bill Giebler