9 Epic Guys' Trips to Quench Your Collective Thirst for Adventure
Rounding up all your buddies for communal guys' trips you’ll be telling your future grandkids about never gets any easier as the years pass. But that just means that the time to stop putting it off—and pulling it off already—is now. Whether it's an after-the-fact bachelor party or a spontaneous road trip with your favorite friends, one thing's for sure. It's time to grab your clubs, carabiners, and trail runners—and go conquer the world together.
From golfing and ogling at cars on the Cal-coast to climbing your first cliff, mountain biking, fly-fishing, and premium whiskey sipping, here are nine unforgettable guys’ trips to send your boys packing.
Off-"Roadeoing" in Texas Hill Country.
Courtesy of Horseshoe Bay Resort
Hills and Thrills in Texas Hill Country
Horseshoe Bay, TX
You can’t go wrong introducing your best friends to Texas Hill Country. Perched on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and the south branch of the Colorado River, make Horseshoe Bay Resort your HQ for adventure. The golf is superb, the spa divine, and the Whitewater 360 Sports Club is the place to watch whatever game is on, thanks to 16 flat screen TVs.
Sure, you could spend your whole break without leaving the resort and its three golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, but we recommend getting out and about to raise a glass at Bear King Brewing Company in nearby Marble Falls and watch the sun set over a fine meal at Bay View Restaurant & Bar in adjacent Cottonwood Shores.
You’ll also want to reserve some time for Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo, a four-hour off-road thrill ride where you and up to three friends can explore Texas Hill Country from behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco. It’s led by a trail guide on Ford’s impressive course, and starts at Grey Wolf Ranch, a few miles from the resort. We’d be remiss if we didn’t steer you towards Horseshoe Bay Nature Park for birdwatching (yellow-billed cuckoos and black-bellied whistling ducks if you’re lucky) and a scenic half-mile loop trail. In Horseshoe Bay, you’re just a tad over 50 miles from Austin, but the gnarly terrain makes you feel like you’re in a whole other world.
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain
Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
Saddle Up in Arizona's Sonoran Desert
Marana, AZ
Did you know that Tucson is the birthplace of the "dark sky movement?” Marveling at stars aside, these parts have a lot to offer for you and your favorite fellas. Located about a half-hour outside of Tucson and surrounded by the Tortolita Mountains, you’ll find your taste of the West at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.
First, let’s talk tee time. A mile down the road from The Ritz, you’ll find The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which offers players 27 holes of championship golf divided up among three courses, each designed by American golf legend, Jack Nicklaus. Suitably fatigued from the blazing sun, quench your thirst and hunger at The Golf Club’s Cayton’s Restaurant, which serves up a heck of a Friday fish and chips with house fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce and a dizzying array of regional craft beers any day of the week.
Then, you’ll also want to get out on those glorious mounts. You’re in luck, as Arizona’s only Forbes-Five-Star Resort has mountain and electric bike rentals, as well as guided hikes (our picks are the cactus discovery hike or the night hike). Of course, you’re on vacation, so we won’t judge if you want to just sit by one of the three pools with cabanas all day, either. Seeing as you’re in this stargazers’ nirvana, however, we will judge you if you don’t head out on one of the property's nighttime stargazing experiences, complete with state-of-the art telescopes led by expert astronomers.
If you’re hoping to go the dude ranch route, swap the five-star hotel stay for one at the White Stallion Ranch. Located on some 3,000 acres bordering Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, you can get the competitive juices flowing as you all enjoy horseback riding, cattle work, shooting, archery, cowboy singing, line dancing, trick roping, and a weekly rodeo. There’s also fat-tire e-biking, basketball, and tennis, plus a spa and fitness center if you need to rejoin modern times.
Choose from cliffside homes, yurts, and luxury suites at Sagecliffe Resort & Spa.
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Music and Mayhem in the Pacific Northwest
Wenatchee, WA
If you’ve always wanted to see a concert at The Gorge with the right company, now’s the time to plan ahead for the 2025 season, which runs from late May through the end of September. Whenever you come during the warmer months, don’t be fooled into camping on-site beside the amphitheater (unless you want to deal with rowdy beer pong players at all hours). Instead, spring for a stay at Sagecliffe Resort & Spa, the amphitheater’s next-door neighbor where you can choose from “Cliffehouse” homes, yurts, suites, and more.
Or, count sheep in Wenatchee, the closest hub to the Gorge, just shy of an hour northwest. Lodging isn’t fancy (think Residence Inn Wenatchee and Hilton Garden Inn Wenatchee) but you’re going to be outdoors for most of your time in the Columbia River Valley. Known as the “Apple Capital of the World,” Wenatchee has cideries aplenty, and some breweries, too, and several standout restaurants like The Wild Huckleberry and Sweetwood BBQ. When you’re not stuffing your face, bike or walk the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, go mountain biking, kayak the Columbia River or climb the Icicle Canyon-Trundle Dome.
Sign up for an incredible day of climbing in the Catskills.
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Climb and Hang Glide in New York's Catskills
Ulster County, NY
Just 100 miles north of New York City and a world apart, Ulster County is your launchpad to the Catskills—a majestic, historic landscape of forested preserves, hiking trails, and untold adventures.
Post up at the much-hyped Wildflower Farms in Gardiner, where you can play tennis and crash at the Thistle spa for massages and hot tub/ saltwater pool soaks. About 25 minutes away, mid-19th century Hudson House in West Park is a must-visit tasting room, equipped with a distiller that uses water from an onsite artesian well connected to a Catskill aquifer. They don’t call the Catskills home to the “champagne of drinking water” for nothing, and this special H2O imbues the craft spirits with a unique taste.
In terms of high-octane fun, sign up for an incredible day of climbing—the rock, ice, and mountain variety—with Alpine Endeavors, or log a backcountry drive with Northeast Off Road Adventures.
For the biggest high of all, check hang gliding off your bucket list at Ellenville Flight Park, or unleash your best joint caveman screams tandem skydiving at Skydive the Ranch.
Downhill mountain biking at Aspen Snowmass.
Tamara Susa
Fly-Fish and Cycle in Colorado's Rockies
Snowmass Village, CO
When the powder falls in a few months, Aspen’s neighboring Snowmass Village is a top skier’s paradise. The better-kept secret: It’s every bit as exceptional for big mountain adventures in the summer and fall for guys' trips.
Rally up the fellas at Roaring Fork and Fryingpan rivers for a fly-fishing trip in designated “Gold Medal Waters'' (according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife). You can also trek or pedal along award-winning hiking and biking trails. During the crowd-light shoulder season in September, the Golden Leaf Half Marathon Trail Run is a must-do destination race, featuring 980 feet of elevation gain and a 1,712-foot descent over the visually stunning course.
Make it easy by booking the “Adventure Escape” group experience though Viceroy Snowmass—which will send all of you casting along the Roaring Fork, golfing at the Aspen Golf Club, four-wheeling Smowmass’s backroads on Polaris RZRs, and surf ‘n turfing at Toro Kitchen & Lounge.
For a final thrill, visit The Lost Forest—an adventure park that’s home to the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, zooming through over a mile of forest at nearly 30 mph.
Keeneland Race Course
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Gallop and Sip Bourbon in Kentucky
Lexington, KY
Horses and bourbon. Those two pastimes might not always go so great together, but geographically they do in historic Lexington—a.k.a. “The Horse Capital of the World—conveniently situated in the birthplace of bourbon.
First, the horses. In late summer/early fall, head to the elite equine playground that is the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland Race Course. You don’t need to be a high-bidding horse dealer to feel the palpable energy on these hallowed grounds. Or in October, attend the Keeneland Fall Meet, which runs October 4-26 this year. There are over 400 horse farms in the area and many of them welcome visitors, including Claiborne Farm—where Queen Elizabeth II dropped by (twice). Book a custom private tour for your buds with Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farm Tours.
Now, the whiskey. You’re in the birthplace of America’s only native spirit, so it’s time to put the lagers aside and hit up a few spots along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. You’ll find several of the most picturesque, historic distilleries right in Lexington, a town famed for its limestone-filtered, calcium-rich waters that give the local whiskey here a purity and flavor like nowhere else. It’s also said to give Kentucky horses stronger bones (the water, not the whiskey).
Round out your itinerary in kayaks or canoes by booking a paddling adventure with Canoe Kentucky and running the Kentucky River Palisades. Blow off steam from a year of pandemic lockdowns via zipline—whooshing 185 feet above the forest floor with Boone Creek Outdoors.
Book your room at 21c Museum Hotel, centrally located in the heart of the city’s downtown district. Then grab a drink with friends at nearby Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. (it's about a 20-minute walk) or walk three blocks from the hotel to Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint for that fabled combo
Choose your own wall in Billings, Montana.
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Pull on Your Waders in Montana
Billings, MT
For fans of the greater outdoors, Montana’s Big Sky Country has it all—from hiking, climbing, and backpacking in A-list national parks to perfecting your 10-o’clock-2-o’clocks in the country’s prime fly-fishing zone.
Take your collective thrills straight to the river on a guided tour with Adventure Whitewater, which begins in the Beartooth-Absaroka wilderness and flows along the not-so-still Stillwater River into Yellowstone. The trout, of course, will be there too, and you’ll be in capable hands with the fishing gurus from Billings-based outfitter East Rosebud Fly and Tackle.
In Billings, indulging after all that activity will naturally lead you and the boys along Montana’s only walkable beer trail. The Billings Brew Trail features six breweries, a cider mill, and two distilleries on a 1.5-mile trail in the city’s historic downtown. In other words, pace yourselves.
Call it a night at The Northern Hotel, an iconic lodge which needs no introduction in town. Dating back to 1904, this welcoming four-star gem reopened in 2013—claiming best-hotel-in-town local street cred for eight years running.
The Glen House is leaf-peeping central near Mount Washington.
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Hike New England’s Gustiest Hill in Autumn
Mount Washington, NH
Never mind that Mount Washington State Park’s namesake peak once measured a record-breaking wind speed of 231 mph (on April 12, 1934) atop its notoriously gusty summit and is known for some of the most erratic weather conditions you’ll find anywhere. It’s gorgeous here in the fall, and you boys can handle a little wind.
Up the leaf-peeping ante at The Glen House, near Pinkham Notch, two miles north of the Wildcat ski area at Mount Washington. Set at the mountain base, it’s right near the famous Auto Road that leads to the 6,288-foot summit and is said to be America’s oldest man-made attraction—dating back to the mid-19th-century stagecoach era.
But, rather than four-wheel your way to the summit, lace up to the affiliated Great Glen Trails Center across the road—a launchpad for Mount Washington hikes, as well as bike trips, and half- or full-day whitewater kayaking tours in and around the park.
Follow up your summit push with a healing saltwater soak in The Glen House’s indoor pool.
Ogling at Monterey Car Week
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Roll Through California's Monterey Car Week
Monterey, CA
One of the world’s most spectacular coastal drives stretches between Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula on California’s central Pacific coast. But the inspired auto experience doesn’t stop there for big-time car fans—preferably with golf clubs in the trunk.
Monterey’s pin-up community of Carmel-by-the-Sea and its famed neighboring golf mecca, Pebble Beach, is quite the ocean-adjacent scene whenever you’re here, but brace yourself for endless muscle car views at August’s annual Monterey Car Week. That’s when you get to check out some of the coolest, craziest rides at one of the world’s top auto events—accompanied by races, live music, Michelin star-caliber dining, and amazing oceanfront views.
Map out a few half-day trips to golf at iconic Pebble Beach, then hit the nearby Raceway at Laguna Seca, or experience one of California’s best whale watching spots right off the Monterey shores. Be sure to cruise along famed 17-Mile Drive from Pacific Grove to Carmel-by-the-Sea, touted as one of the most scenic coastal drives in America.
Check in at the comfy and convenient Embassy Suites Monterey Seaside, and be sure to cap off your Cal-coast adventure with one last gorgeous drive north along Monterey Bay with a final photo-op at nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, a 40-acre grove of towering, old-growth redwood trees.
