You’ll find lists of all our reviews on the Reviews, Indiana, and Madison pages.Make Winter PlansWinter is the best time to go play outside. The crowds are gone. The rates are low. And destinations are hungry for tourists so they’re offering special events and packages. Here are our tips for finding the best that winter has to offer.Best all-around winter offerings: True Adventure Sports in Ft. Payne, AL. True Adventure keeps up a pretty full schedule of rappelling, rock climbing, caving, and more all winter. Use the Google search box to learn more or go to our DeSoto State Park review to find out about other area attractions.Cool winter stuff on an occasional basis: All the destinations we review offer unique winter activities. Among the best are those offered at Patoka Lake in south-central Indiana. Google the Lake and click on their home page (it’s the URL with in.gov in it) where you’ll find links to their special events listings. The photo is from their Eagle Watch in January. Check out our review of Patoka Lake. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky also is worth checking out for winter activities.Best winter road riding: West Texas. The climate is warm, but not hot, and skies are often overcast. This is perfect for those who transition out of colder parts of the country and eventually go home again as it minimizes the risk of sunburn and creates less climate shock while still providing pleasant riding conditions. It’s hilly enough to qualify as spring training but they’re friendly hills, even if you’ve been off the bike for a while. There are actually two parts of west Texas worth visiting, separated by an expanse best left unvisited. The first area is that around Marfa and Alpine and can include a side trip to Big Bend National Park. Check out the Mystery Lights in Marfa. Sul Ross University exerts some influence on Alpine, so the dining and other essentials are better here than you might otherwise expect in a small Texas town. The second area is the triangle formed by Camp Wood, Uvalde, and Leakey (pronounced LAKE-ee). Big Oak River Camp, set right on the banks of the Nueces River, makes a great base of operations. The no-man’s land to avoid is that stretch of nothing in between with Sanderson smack-dab in the middle.Best winter mountain biking: It’s a tie. Northern Alabama is an excellent choice. Oak Mountain State Park has always had a decent trail system but with recent efforts they’re elevated it to IMBA Epic status. There are at least another half-dozen trail systems in the northern part of the state; DeSoto, Monte Sano, Munny Sokol in Tuscaloosa and nearby Lake Lurleen are among our favorites. And it’s not hard to get to the trails in north Georgia, such as Pinhoti. As with road riding, Texas makes an excellent destination. We’ve had the website for Flat Rock Ranch in Comfort bookmarked for several years but have yet to ride there.Best winter hiking: Three recommendations here. First, read our review of the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky. Second, check out Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, Indiana (pictured at right). Third, there is no bad time to visit the Tennessee part of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (pictured below). Camp at Bandy Creek Campground if the weather’s decent or stay at Tobe’s Motel in Oneida if you want a shelter upgrade. A minor upgrade. Oneida, including Tobe’s, is locked in an ugly time warp and the rooms still provide the best the ‘70s had to offer.
