Sequoia Romance Package: Brisk Kisses

Chilly temps mean snuggles inside the Wuksachi or John Muir Lodges.

STATION WAGONS AND SUNSHINE: It's funny how national park getaways got paired up with, in many minds, the summertime and station wagons and sunshine and school being closed and the stretch from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day. True, that's what many a brochure depicted back in the '50s, '60s, and the 1970s, and driving for a canyon or mountain or famous river in the heat of the hottest time of year became an American rite of familyhood. But the not-so-secret secret, one that's been true since there have been national parks (and for thousands of years prior), is this: The parks are still there come the brisker days of autumn, and when winter snows fall, they fall on the same branches and trunks and boulders we photographed in July. What's changed? The second not-so-secret secret is this: The national parks are a mite quieter after summer wraps. This could be because school is back in session, or possible snowfall can deter all but the hardiest of campers, or the wintry outdoors are best enjoyed in smaller increments, due to weather. Some of the lodges of Sequoias and Kings Canyon National Parks are very much, 100%, super into the idea of visitors finding the magic in this colder time, and the fun in bundling-up among the behemoth trees. There are specials to support such off-season adventuring, too, specials such as...

A ROMANCE PACKAGE, which is a deal that involves either a stay at the Wuksachi Lodge or John Muir Lodge, a bottle of hello/get cozy/enjoy house wine, some chocolate truffles made locally, a pair of souvenir glasses for that wine, and fifty bucks to spend on dining on the property of your choice. There are actually a number of fantastic packages and events happening around the parks in the colder months, like a Night Sky Package, but we point out the Romance Package because, like the national parks being a summer thing, romantic trips are often portrayed as the dominion of beaches and hammocks and palm trees. Maybe, partially, yes, for sure, but let us also pinpoint the loveliness of cuddling up with a serious BFF on a chilly night or holding his/her hand beneath some of the planet's largest living things. In short, stealing away to a national park, especially one at a higher, brisker elevation, in the winter, for a canoodle-heavy getaway, dispels two set beliefs that some travelers still adhere to: Parks are for summer roadtripping and romance is made for the beach. Turn both beliefs upside down, this November and December, wanderlust-y lovebirds.

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