Trip notes
Washington DC Atlanta New York City Philadelphia Augusta Boston
GETTING THERE
Virgin Australia and partner Delta Air Lines fly from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to New York City and Boston via Los Angeles.
Walking there
The 3,524-kilometre Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north. It’s threaded with hundreds of side trails that can be accessed by road and walked in tandem with stays at good lodgings, particularly in New England where the trail intersects many towns.
See The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (appalachiantrail.org) and the Appalachian Mountain Club (outdoors.org).
STAY
Troutbeck This newly remodelled 18th-century estate in New York’s Hudson Valley has hosted naturalist John Burroughs and writers Mark Twain and Henry David Thoreau. It’s an easy drive to the Ten Mile Hill hike at Bull’s Bridge. 515 Leedsville Rd, Amenia NY, +1 845 789 1555, troutbeck.com Briarcliff Motel The Brady Bunch house meets colourful Scandinavian cheeriness at this revamped roadside motel. Stay here for access to Mount Greylock. 506 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, MA, +1 413 528 3000, thebriarcliffmotel.com
Built in the early 20th century, the last remaining White Mountains grand hotel was once the summer playground of railroad barons from New York and Boston. It has 200 rooms and suites, a golf course and, allegedly, occasional visits by the ghost of one of its original owners. Take a daytrip to the imposing Mount Washington – there’s a popular cog railway to the top if the hike is too challenging. 310 Mount Washington Hotel Rd, Bretton Woods, NH, +1 603 278 1000, omnihotels.com/hotels/ bretton-woods-mount-washington
Adair Country Inn Expect flocked wallpaper, floral bedspreads and no-fuss country food such as bowling ball-sized popovers, a cross between a croissant and a Yorkshire pudding. Stay here to access the Lonesome Lake Hike. 80 Guider La, Bethlehem, NH, +1 603 444 2600, adairinn.com
Forget everything you think you know about hostels; this welcoming, woodsy log cabin run by Justin and Melanie Steele holds pop-up dinners with local chefs and stocks Maine-brewed craft beers.
Make this your base for hiking to Horns
Pond and other trails in the Bigelow Ranges. 3004 Town Line Rd, Carrabassett Valley, ME, +1 207 237 0088, hostelofmaine.com
There can be few better places to wash off the wilderness than the Plaza, which had a $130-million renovation in 2017. The adjacent Strip by Strega does upscale steak and seafood.
50 Park Plaza at Arlington St, Boston, MA, +1 617 426 2000, bostonparkplaza.com
Chef Joel Viehland crafts his sourdough pizze from a 30-year-old starter and tops them with local heirloom tomatoes and house-made burrata. 3 Maple St, Kent, CT, +1 860 592 0404, orehillandswyft.com
A little bit of New York in the Berkshires backcountry. This hotspot is packed day and night. 178 Main St,
Great Barrington, MA, +1 413 528 5050
No reservations here, but the short-rib and brisket burgers or the artery-plugging lobster mac-andcheese are worth the wait. 20 Railroad St, Great Barrington, MA, +1 413 528 9345, 20railroadpublichouse.com
On the banks of the tumbling Ammonoosuc, this former 18thcentury gristmill serves fancy flights – the spicy Belgian-style Erastus is our pick – and wood-fired pizza. 18 Mill St, Littleton,
NH, +1 603 444 4800, schillingbeer.com
Owners Heidi Donovan and Tony Rossi source seafood from the Gulf of Maine and meat, eggs and vegetables from their own farm.
8252 Carrabassett Rd, Stratton, ME,
+1 207 246 0016, coplindinnerhouse.com