From slogging through swamps to see the world’s most rare flora to plunging into North America’s most famed ski run, these life-affirming active adventures deserve space on your bucket list.
From South Florida to Seattle, Noble House properties are jump-offs for thrilling escapades of every complexion. We’ve rounded up a few experiences to put on your adventure bucket list – some at Noble House destinations, some just a bit further afield, some on mountaintops, and some beneath the currents.
Seeing Southwest Colorado from a Bentley [Gateway, CO]
The Unaweep/Tabeguache Colorado Scenic Byway cuts through southwest Colorado’s sunbaked frontier, snaking past abandoned mines, rushing rivers, verdant meadows, and red sandstone cliffs that climb a thousand feet above the valley floor. And when it comes to bucket list ideas, exploring this route in a vehicle that costs as much as a college education sits at the top. Rent a Mercedes SL 550, a Bentley Continental GT, or another luxury vehicle from the fleet at Driven Experiences at Gateway Canyons, then spend 133 miles cherishing every turn.
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Bombing Down Corbet’s Couloir [Jackson Hole, WY]
Even though it has been skied for half a century, Jackson Hole regulars stop and stare down Corbet’s Couloir like they’re gazing into the unknown. Wyoming’s most infamous inbounds line is shaped like an upside-down funnel and hemmed in by rock. The price of entry is a 10-to-20-foot drop-in over a cornice, a hard right away from the granite wall in front you, and a plummet into a narrow chute at a 40-degree pitch. Hold off if the snow turns icy, and smile for the gawking spectators in the tram overhead.
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Teton Mountain Lodge // Teton Mountain Lodge
Rock Climbing at Exit 32 [Seattle, WA]
Little Si – baby brother to Mount Si and alternatively named for the I-90 off ramp used to reach it – is half an hour from downtown Seattle and hosts the highest concentration of elite-level 5.13 and 5.14 climbing routes in Washington State. The steep, slick, 150-foot tall area known as World Wall I is the most popular section of the 1,576-foot crag, with forearm-burning ascents like the 5.12 Hydrophobia and the 5.13 Oval Orifice. Hike 25 minutes from the Little Si trailhead in North Bend to find it.
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Searching for Ghost Orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand [Naples, FL]
Ninety minutes from Naples, Florida, off State Road 29, a place dubbed the “Amazon of North America” unfolds across 85,000 swampy acres, a home to panthers, mink, alligators, and the Everglades’ usual cast of characters. But the crown jewels are the more than 43 types of native orchids, including the super-rare Ghost Orchid, a leafless species with spectral-white flowers that only grows in ultra-humid climes and was immortalized in the bestseller The Orchid Thief. See it up close – or at least attempt to – with an escort from the Friends of Fakahatchee, a nonprofit group that offers naturalist-led swamp walks through waist-deep waters into the heart of the park.
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Diving at the Vandenberg Wreck [Florida Keys, FL]
Eight years ago, intentionally placed explosives sent the decommissioned USNS Vandenberg to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the 522-foot, Cold War–era Navy vessel is teeming with barracuda, grouper, snapper, and other marine life, making it the second-largest artificial reef in the world – and it’s a must-visit for divers in the Keys. After the seven-mile trip south from Key West, the sights start 40 feet beneath the surface, punctuated with a coral-covered crow’s nest and a pair of giant algae-covered radar dishes that once tracked Soviet missiles.
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Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
Paddling Out at Fort Point [San Francisco, CA]
The ultimate unicorn for Silicon Valley surfers lies in San Francisco Bay: an elusive mix of weather conditions kicks up chest-high, left-breaking waves at Fort Point, right underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The postcard-perfect scene comes with costs: bone-chilling (and occasionally sharky) waters, a ragged coastline, strong outgoing tides, surly locals, and a sheer fickleness that makes the break rideable only a few times a year. The good news is that it’s just a few steps to get your shortboard from the parking lot to the waves.
