A visit to one of these lodges can change your vacation from good to unforgettable.
Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
Best new wilderness escape: Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
Why we love it: Think of Kenai Fjords as the best of Alaska compressed into 1,046 square miles (roughly a quarter of the size of L.A. County). Icy blue fjords? Check. Glaciers? Check. Whales, bears, sea otters? Check, check, and check.
Three years ago, Alaska Wildland Adventures added the only thing Kenai was missing: a nice place to stay. The lodge's woodsy main building and 16 boardwalk-linked cabins sit on the shore of Pedersen Lagoon, off Aialik Bay. Getting there requires a four-hour boat trip from Seward, which doubles as a whale-watching trip. Once there, options include guided hikes, canoeing, or simply relaxing on the porch, waiting for dinner-menu standouts that include olive oil-poached halibut and caribou medallions--and admiring how Alaska has made itself so comfortable for you.
Don't miss: Spotting otters, seals, and calving glaciers
Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine
7 Ways to Upgrade Your Yard for Entertaining
By Sunset Magazine | At Home – Mon, Jun 17, 2013 7:42 PM EDTHaving people over this weekend? Spruce up your space fast with these easy ideas.
Upgrade your yard
Upgrade your yard for entertaining
Style expert Caitlin Atkinson says, "The garden is your canvas--paint a warm, inviting picture on it." Here are some easy ways to do just that, and get your outdoor space in shape for weekend entertaining.
Dress the floor
Dress the floor
A sunny polypropylene outdoor rug adds instant warmth and defines the party space. 6- by 9-ft. Dash & Albert Diamond rug in canary and white, $298; pottedstore.com.
Want to really make your outdoor space feel like a living room? Read our Ultimate Outdoor Livingroom Guide.
Mix the seating
Mix the seating
Folding chairs in fun colors provide flexible extra seating indoors or out. Fermob bistro metal chair, $99; floragrubb.com.
Looking for more ideas? Here are some Santa Fe-inspired patio designs.
Cover the fence
Cover the fenceBotanical and marine silhouettes--made with painted steel, strategically rusted and then sealed--add a pop of color to a
Read More »from 7 Ways to Upgrade Your Yard for EntertainingAdd heat-tolerant flowers and features to your yard and enjoy their beauty all summer | Sharon Cohoon
Read More »from Top 10 Plants for Summer Color
Jerusalem sage
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)
Tall stems of these Mediterranean natives are set with widely-spaced, hooded yellow flowers.
Moisture-conserving thick, typically furry or hairy leaves are lance-shaped. Pretty planted with lavender and red hot poker (Kniphofia Bressingham Comet).
Moonshine yarrow
Moonshine yarrow
The sunny hues of this Mediterranean perennial complement the violet-blue spikes of catmint (Nepeta). Here are more of our favorite perennials.
Sally Holmes' rose
Sally Holmes' rose
A vigorous white rose, it blooms in huge clusters. If you're thinking of adding some to your garden, click here for our rose-growing guide.
Feather reed grass
Feather reed grass
Calamagrostis x acutiflora has a vertical growth habit and showy seed heads.
Rose Glow
Rose Glow (Berberis thunbergii)
The bronzy red Japanese barberry colors up best in full sun.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
A cluster from a vineyard shows the seeded, pearl-size grapes in variousHit the trail on these iconic and under-the-radar hikes through unforgettable desert, mountain, and coastal terrain.
Read More »from Top 15 Hikes
Williams Lake
Williams Lake, Taos, NM
Get an alpine start to your day on the gradual 2-mile hike to Williams Lake, at 11,300 feet in the high country above Taos Ski Valley. The trail parallels the Rio Hondo upstream to the lake. From there you can look up at New Mexico's highest point, Wheeler Peak; if you're feeling ambitious, follow the faint goat path that scrambles up the scree field on the north side of the tarn to the summit above, with views 60 miles north to Colorado.
Half Dome
Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, CA
It's on a lot of people's life list of adventures--the demanding hike/climb up 8,800-foot Half Dome. Allow at least 10 hours, and know that the last 900 feet of trail is a steep climb up the dome, with you clinging to cables for the final 400-foot ascent.
More on Yosemite hiking
Haleakala
Haleakala National Park, Maui, HI
Ranger-led morning hikes often travel through volcanicGet design and decorating ideas for children's rooms, from fun color palettes to clever storage solutions.
Kids' clubhouse
Craft a clubhouseAdhesive cork squares allow for changeable wall displays, while the round table and chairs are easy to move for games or other activities.
Create a kid-friendly work space
Not sure how to start? Here are some decorating strategies to think about.
kid-friendly work spaceAdjustable Plexiglas shelves keep everything in this workspace handy but out of the way.
Use your own heirlooms
A well-placed heirloom
To decorate with your own heirlooms, be inventive. Here, a homeowner updated the dresser she used as a kid for her own children's room by updating the handles with yellow spray paint.
The eye moves upward
Raise your gaze
Draw the eye up (and save your walls from holes) by using the tops of window- and doorframes to showcase small artworks. Color is key: See how the yellow pieces here pop against the robin's-egg blue.
Don't fear color
Be bold with color
This girl's bedroom is a cheerful orange--a happy hue on rainy days.
More on how to incorporate paintRead More »from 15 Kids' Bedroom DesignsHit the water! From beachcombing to rafting, here's where to make a splash on your next vacation.
Read More »from Top 15 Summer Trips on the Water
Rafting: Kremmling, CO
Rafting: Kremmling, CO
Though most people journey to the Grand Canyon to raft class II and III rapids, you can get on the legendary Colorado River in this town 100 miles northwest of Denver. With outfitter Liquid Descent, rafting is paired with dips in riverside hot springs. $50; liquiddescent.com.
Best time to go: For beginners, June.
Stay: Sitting at the base of the cliffs, the 10 Muddy Creek Cabins have mountain views. From $109; muddycreekcabins.com.
Beachcombing: Whidbey Island, WA
Beachcombing: Whidbey Island, WA
Moody beauty can be found year-round here, where practically every road leads to quintessential Northwest coastline. A top-notch trek lies on the west shore at Ebey's Landing. The 3.2-mile Bluff Trail descends to the rugged beach below, with Olympic Mountain vistas. nps.gov/ebla.
Best time to go: Try winter, for storm-watching.
Stay: Captain Whidbey Inn in Coupeville is 100+ years old, with throwbackHow to Create an All-family Outdoor Lounge
By Sunset Magazine | At Home – Wed, Jun 5, 2013 5:22 PM EDTA family turns its unused backyard into a place to eat, drink, and play all year | Susan Heeger
Before: a plain, old yard
A Plain, Old Yard
For Darren and Sheila Burris, life's sweetest moments unfold in their backyard over dinners with their children, Sierra, 13, and Reef, 5. That wasn't always the case; before the remodel, "there was nothing to go out to," says Darren. "The yard was spacious but plain, without much personality."
After: Space Savored
After: Space savored
To help entice the family outdoors, Los Angeles landscape designer Steve Siegrist halved the lawn-leaving enough for the kids to play on-and ditched the family's old hot tub. Then, inspired by the couple's love of the tropics and the beach (they're surfers), Siegrist built an open-air lounge and dining patio, separated by a cooling lily pond. Now, says Darren, "we spend as much time outside as we do inside."
Design: stevesiegristdesign.com
Soft Lighting
Soft lightingLow-voltage fixtures set the wall and fence aglow, helped by votives hung from the fence and
Read More »from How to Create an All-family Outdoor Lounge
Read More »from Top 15 Summer Events of 2013
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland OR, June - Early Nov
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a stunning showcase of pantaloons and farthingales, draws 400,000 visitors. The action centers on the Elizabethan stage, an eye-popping ode to the playwright's Globe Theatre.
Your theater weekend doesn't have to extract a pound of flesh--Read up on Ashland on the cheap.
SFJazz Summerfest
SFJazz Summerfest, Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA, June 14 - Oct 10
Get ready for all the funky, soulful, smooth music you can handle. At SFJazz Summerfest, top local musicians from the Bay area delight crowds every Thursday for ten weeks at a time in three separate locations. In past years, greats like the Scott Amendola quartet have played.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO, June 20-23
Mornings at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival begin with a blast of bagpipes, as campers flood the gates in a landgrab. Roughing it does have its advantages, though: Fingerpickers like Tim O'Brien are known to sneak into the8 Perfect Memorial Day Picnic Recipes
By Sunset Magazine | Shine Food – Fri, May 24, 2013 1:48 PM EDTFor perfect picnic food, pack these delicious dishes that are easy to spread out and share
Read More »from 8 Perfect Memorial Day Picnic Recipes
Sunset's complete grilling cookbook
Green Aioli
Green Aioli
Savor the season with a fast and fresh picnic of crunchy veggies with zesty aioli. Make a spread with your veggies and meats of choice to dip.
Ingredients
1 large egg (see notes)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled
About 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lightly packed rinsed fresh mint leaves, fresh basil leaves or coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup olive oil (see notes)
Preparation
In a blender or food processor, whirl egg, lemon juice, garlic to taste, salt, mint leaves, and lemon peel until well blended.
With machine running, gradually add olive oil in a thin, steady stream until all is incorporated. Add more salt to taste.
Quick Aioli: Omit the egg and oil, and use 1 cup purchased mayonnaise instead. Whirl mayonnaise with lemon juice, garlic, salt, mint leaves, and lemon peel until smooth.Find a high-altitude escape for every season at these scenic adventurelands
Read More »from Top 20 Mountain Trips
Big Sky, MT
Big Sky, MT
Fresh powder and no lift lines? It's just another day at Big Sky. It may not share the glory of the glitzy resort towns in Colorado and Utah, but with more snow and open space, this undersung skiing nirvana can rest on its own laurels. Between the town's two ski resorts―Big Sky and Moonlight Basin―there are three mountains used by an average of only 2,500 skiers per day ... it works out to 2 acres per skier. Combine uncrowdedness and lots of fluffy powder with a laid-back cowboy culture, and you've got the perfect winter weekend.
More: Big Sky winter escape
Crested Butte, CO
Crested Butte, CO
Hiking is plentiful here, but two wheels are the true star: At this birthplace of mountain biking, you'll find more bikes than people. Grab one from the Alpineer for a spin on the Lower Loop, a 10-mile network of single- and double-track trails and dirt roads. Or jump on the Upper Loop, a track east of town that
