Upper Connecticut River Valley in the Winter

With over four miles of cleared ice, this skating trail at Lake Morey Resort is the longest in the country, providing a runway for skaters to take flight into a stunning winterscape. The resort’s rental shack provides the gear needed for this one-of-a-kind adventure: Nordic-style skates, which snap onto regular cross-country boots the same way cross-country skis do. With their long, wide blades designed to travel on top of the ice instead of digging into it, they have long been a national obsession in Sweden. And after a day of gliding across the lake, surrounded by snow-covered forest and hills, you’ll understand why.

With the tagline “Keeping It Real Since 1936,” this community ski hill doesn’t look much different from when draft horses and farm tillers were used to groom the ski slopes. Whisking skiers up the broad hillside are two rope tows that are said to be the oldest continually running tows in the country. A T-bar was added in 2009, in a rare bit of “modernizing.” The attire here is more Carhartt than Patagonia, and everyone seems to know one another. Run entirely by volunteers, Northeast Slopes has the kind of small-town camaraderie that instantly wins over visitors. Well, that and the ski hill’s famous Nor’easter Burger (local grass-fed beef, caramelized onions, melted Cabot cheddar).

Woodstock is world-famous as a foliage destination, but its charms don’t fade when the leaves fall. In fact, all the elements needed for a winter getaway are right here, in one of Vermont’s oldest towns. The historic Woodstock Inn & Resort is the grand dame of local lodging options, presiding over the town green and welcoming travelers with a roaring fire. For stellar burgers, plus beers from Vermont breweries such as Hill Farmstead and The Alchemist, Worthy Kitchen is the place to be. Winter sports beckon at the Saskadena Six Ski Area and the Woodstock Nordic Center, while the shopping scene ranges from country stores (F.H. Gillingham & Sons) to modern artisans (Farmhouse Pottery). Thanksgiving and Christmas events at the living-history museum Billings Farm & Museum are like stepping into a festive time machine, and during December’s Wassail Weekend celebration you can take in the downtown sights on a horse-drawn wagon ride.