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Girls Weekend Getaways In New England

Girls Getaway Hiking Vacation

If you’re planning a weekend away with your best girlfriends or want a short getaway for your mother and sisters, a few days in New England could be the answer. Whether the women in your life prefer hiking or kayaking on a crisp autumn day or sightseeing local quaint villages followed by a massage, you can find an escape to fit your needs here at Appalachian Trail Adventures situated in Killington, Vermont.

Located in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Appalachian Trail Adventures offers a mixture of activity and relaxation, with a focus on adventure. Bring your girls for a weekend here, and you’ll have the option of learning to rock scramble, kayaking in nearby waterways, hiking part of the Appalachian Trail, or indulging in massage therapy or reflexology. The NorthStar Lodge is located with mountain views, and you can take advantage of its outdoor heated pool after a long day on the trails. Plan a hike in the morning with an experienced guide, go for picnic lunch and, spend the afternoon shopping in the nearby quaint towns, and finish up the day with massage then dinner and a bottle of wine with your favorite women in one of the property’s two restaurants. Call 1-802-347-4343 or visit www.AppalachianTrailAdventures.com for more information. Visit here to view the article.

THE HARTFORD CONNECTICUT COURANT

Hiking and Wellness Spa

Exertion and Indulgence

Exertion and Indulgence: Appalachian Trail Adventures (ATA) offers a combination of outdoor activities and indoor pampering for adventure vacationers. ATA offers a hiking spa vacation with guided hikes in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont for all abilities. Included are daily transportation, breakfast, lunch, dinner and accommodations at the NorthStar Lodge. Rates start at $190 per night, per person. Daily a la carte options are available: massage, yoga, tennis, canoeing, cooking classes and more. For more information, visit www.AppalachianTrailAdventures.com

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Hiking Spa Stop Along the Appalachian Trail

Hiking Spa Vacation

Luxury spa service and the Appalachian Trail may not be the most obvious pairing, but Appalachian Trail Adventures in Vermont now offers a combination of outdoor activities and indoor pampering for hikers. Based in the NorthStar Lodge in Killington, Vt., Appalachian Trail Adventures offers a Hiking Spa Vacation program with guided hikes of the Appalachian and surrounding trails in the Green Mountain National Forest. Program includes daily transportation, breakfast, lunch and accommodations. Rates start at $190 per person, per night. Daily a la carte options are also available: massage, yoga, tennis, canoeing, cooking classes and more. Working with registered dietitians, the package offers daily spa menus balancing carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats. View the Hiking Spa Vacation artcle here.

THE VERMONT STANDARD

Hake a hike and more with Appalachian Trail Adventures

By Mary Lee Camp

An outdoor enthusiast, John Keough has been leading friends and family on Vermont hiking trips for years and enjoys it so much that in 2007 he decided to make it a business and founded Appalachian Trail Adventures (ATA) in Killington.

ATA is not all about hiking–it also offers kayaking in nearby waterways, exploring local caves, sightseeing tours through Vermont scenic villages and at the end of the day guests can unwind with a relaxing massage. The three season (Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day) business provides day trips as well as all-inclusive vacations and is open to hikers and kayakers of all abilities and people of all ages including children.

To keep overhead costs down and to make the program more affordable for guests, Keough partners with the North Star Lodge just off the Killington Mountain access road, the nearby Foundry Restaurant at Summit Pond and the highly rated Killington Delicatessen. ATA operates from the North Star Lodge, where overnight guests stay. The Killington Delicatessen provides picnic lunches and evening meals are held at the Foundry Restaurant.

Keough claims that partnering for lodging and dining gives him the opportunity to be with guests hiking, kayaking, caving or driving one of his four mini vans for sightseeing tours. In addition to Aeolus, the beagle pup ATA mascot, there are three full time and two part-time experienced guides, most of whom return every year to work for ATA. Keough and his crew are committed to a high level of customer service and are dedicated to bringing guests “the best small group adventure they will remember for years.”

The daily outings are flexible, depending upon desire, ability and the number of participants. Everyone, including day guests meet for breakfast at the Lodge at 7:30 to plan the day. Typically, the more energetic activities, such as hiking and kayaking will occur in the morning and the less challenging activities take place after a picnic lunch. But–the final decisions on what to do and when are made at the breakfast meetings.

Woodstock-area excursions include kayaking on the Ottauquechee river, hiking Mount Tom and Mount Peg and sightseeing–which includes comments of historical significance. ATA has been engaged by the Woodstock Inn & Resort and other wedding, convention and reunion venues for the company’s small group “adventures.”

A former Massachusetts resident, Keough is a graduate of the College of St. Joseph in Rutland with a degree in business management–that has been helpful in current endeavor. But until the founding of ATA, the lure of the mountains and outdoor adventures led him to working as a ski instructor in the winter and various summer jobs where he could hike and be on the water.

It’s not too early to sign up for a spring, summer or fall Appalachian Trail adventure. For additional information, go online at www. appalachiantrailadventures. com. To view or download a copy visit here.

GO PLAY! MAGAZINE

Hike and Biking in the Green Mountains of Vermonts

By John keough

THE PEOPLE’S PRESS

A Unique Hiking and Wellness Spa

Meriden, Wallingford and Central Connecticut’s Newspaper

Appalachian Trail Adventures (ATA) and the NorthStar Lodge are excited to announce an affordable all-inclusive fitness vacation. We know you are as concerned about your travel budget as you are about the comfort and convenience of your accommodations. That’s why we are offering the best possible spa vacation at the lowest prices. We provide guided hikes, snacks, breakfast, lunch, dinner and accommodations starting at the spectacular low rate of $197.00 per night, per person, for double occupancy, including taxes and gratuities. We offer massages, yoga and cooking classes à la carte. 

ATA is a unique hiking and wellness spa for hikers of all abilities. Offering daily guided hikes in the Green Mountains of Vermont along the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail, followed by excursions to Vermont’s scenic villages. After the hikes guests can unwind with a late afternoon yoga class and/or a massage. But the fun doesn’t stop there, after dinner a registered dietitian presents cooking demonstrations while discussing nutritional facts and myths. Unlike most spas, ATA’s owner John Keough is there daily to provide guests with personal service.

In collaboration with registered dietitians we create a delicious spa menu for those seeking healthier meals. ATA is able to cater to special dietary restrictions and offers two serving sizes. These are a weight loss portion or a hiker’s portion so our guests can have customized meals. This enables ATA to cater to couples, athletes, weight loss vacationers, as well as to all those with no dietary restrictions who seek to eat healthier. Guests will be empowered to kick start a new lifestyle, as we introduce them to several alternatives or options to choose from in order to attain better health, healthier weight and improved fitness.

THE COURIER JOURNAL

Fitness Vacations Mean Fun In The Great 0utdoors

By Larry Muhammad

Athletes, exercise buffs and families that like spending time together outdoors are taking vacations that blend fitness activities with scenic splendor, like the guided hikes by Appalachian Trail Adventures, a Killington, Vt., organizer of wellness tours.  The Appalachian tour takes visitors to the Green Mountains of Vermont along the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail, with excursions into beautiful villages. Afterward, visitors can unwind with a yoga class, therapeutic massage or water aerobics, enjoy a fine meal and then watch a registered dietitian give a cooking demonstration with nutritional information. For more information, go to www.AppalachianTrailAdventures.com

reFRESH reCHARGE reNEW MAGAZINE 

Full Spa Treatment Built On A Program Of Daily Guided Hikes

Hiking and Wellness Spa in Vermont’s Green Mountains

Get acquainted with the northernmost reaches of the Appalachian Trail with an all-inclusive visit to this “hiking and wellness spa” in Vermont’s Green Mountains. Here, you’ll find a complete program of mountain hikes (with visits to nearby villages); stretch, water aerobics, and yoga classes; and evening activities including lectures on cooking, nutrition, stress-management, and hiking. Treks are available for adults of all ages and abilities, and advanced hikers can attempt to “bag” all five of Vermont’s 4,000-foot-plus mountains with spa staffers. Other special programs include the weight-loss-focused Bad Habit Breaker Program and the Lifestyle Change Program, both of which include on-site sessions with registered dieticians. Balance your relaxing treatments with invigorating activities like canoeing, kayaking, fly-fishing, tennis, horseback riding, and mountain biking.

RUTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL

New Hiking Guide Service

By Karen D. Lorentz

John Keough recently launched Appalachian Trail Adventures (ATA), a hiking program that blends outdoor activity with a combination of ways to get healthy. “This program is ideal for anyone wishing to quit smoking, lose weight, or jump start their health kick,” he said of his new business.

The ATA program, which operates out of the local Lodge in Killington, offers guided hiking along the Appalachian and Long Trails and on beautiful trails all over the state of Vermont. “We try to add a ‘wow’ factor to the end of each hike, be it a view, a covered bridge, or a cave to explore. Then we complete the day with a visit to a Vermont village or town like Manchester, Middlebury, Woodstock, or Quechee,” Keough noted.

He describes his business as a “hiking spa,” explaining that in addition to the daily hikes, there is a health and fitness component provided by such options as a morning stretch class and afternoon fitness or yoga class or water aerobics. There’s also an emphasis on healthy eating with a spa menu provided by a registered dietician.

“Each evening we offer a movie (one is on stress management), an educational lecture (such as Vermont history and other topics), or a demonstration (on cooking, how to use hiking gear, etc.). It’s an all-inclusive vacation package with activity, meals, and accommodations that make it very appealing to people,” he said.

The Lodge offers upscale comfort with spa amenities including massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture, or cymatherapy. There is also fitness equipment, an outdoor pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, outdoor tennis courts, and a pond.

Personal trainers, registered dieticians, and tennis professionals are also available to provide personalized instruction. These options are available on an a la carte (extra cost) basis.

Keough is a graduate of the College of St. Joseph in Rutland with a degree in business management. He moved to Vermont in 1989 and has worked at a variety of jobs. He’s been leading hikes for 20 years and teaches skiing at Okemo in winter. Having worked for hiking programs for several years now, he decided to start his own business and found the charm and amenities of the Summit Lodge a good match for the program he had envisioned. Novice, intermediate, and advanced hikes are available. People can sign up for a hiking vacation of any duration as he has five regular guides and another dozen he can call on.

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Call or Text: 1-802-347-4343

Physical Address: 78 Weathervane Drive, Killington, VT 05751

Mailing Address: PO Box 394, Killington, VT 05751

Hours:  Open seven days a week from 7:00am-8:45pm