Great Valentine’s Getaways: Our top 10 romantic wilderness areas

Snuggling atop Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness, Texas

Nothing is more exhilarating for me than a morning climb with my husband to reach the highest peak in the Lone Star State: Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. From this 8,749-foot peak, you can gaze across the solitude of deep West Texas, while snuggling on one of the warm, sunny rocks at the summit. You can even take a nap before heading down.

— Jennifer Dickson, Communications Manager, Washington, D.C.

Moon-watching, Rattlesnake Arch, Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, Colorado

The view of a full moon from Rattlesnake Arch is as good as it gets. In the immense darkness there, the moon is big. It is bright. It is guaranteed to warm your heart — and the heart of your sweetheart. The natural quiet lets you hear your hearts beat.

— Steve Smith, Assistant Regional Director for Central Rockies, Denver

Snowshoeing through Kenai Wilderness, Kenai National Park, Alaska

The Kenai Wilderness is ideal for some romantic snowshoeing. Follow lynx, ptarmigan, and moose tracks through the forest, with heart-stopping views of the glacier-laced Kenai Mountains. At the end of the day, you can stay in one of the refuge cabins and cozy up to a woodstove.

— Wendy Loya, Wilderness Society Ecologist, Anchorage

Hiking at Heart Lake, Olympic National Park, Washington

I recommend camping alongside Heart Lake in Olympic National Park. You can hike there on High Divide Trail, enjoying old-growth forests and subalpine meadows—and perhaps catching a glimpse of black bear or Roosevelt elk . After the trip, you can enjoy a soak in the hot springs at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. The resort is closed until late spring, so this one is a great trip to give as a gift for down the road.

— Andrea Imler, Communications Manager, Seattle

Quiet moments at Beauty Mountain Wilderness, California

Beauty Mountain is a perfect spot for pulling out your camera and imagining that you’re the 21st Century’s Ansel Adams. This wilderness deserves its name, and it’s a wonderful place to enjoy the sights and sounds with your soul mate.

— Sam Goldman, California Wilderness Coordinator, San Francisco

Sunset watching, Sunset Ridge, Breadloaf Wilderness, Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont

My wife and I enjoy hiking up to Sunset Ridge to watch the sun set over the high peaks of the Adirondacks. It’s the ideal way to wrap up a nice Vermont summer evening.

— Michael Francis, Acting Vice President for Public Policy and drafter of the bill that created this wilderness area, Washington, D.C.

Canoeing Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest, Minnesota

I have wonderful memories of paddling pristine and peaceful lakes past centuries-old pictographs that included a bull moose and several canoes. I can smell the pines and hear the ripple of the canoe paddle even today, and I swear that even the portages were a breeze. I can't imagine a more romantically isolated place.

— Dave Slater, Senior Director of Communications, Washington, D.C.

Picnicking in Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest, Alabama

My wife Kathy and I love to have a picnic in the Sipsey. We usually pick up barbeque sandwiches and iced tea from a local joint and walk about a half mile into the wilderness. The forest gets darker, quieter, cooler, and the colors change; they seem richer. When we reach the oldest part of the forest, we sit down, open the basket, and enjoy the peace and quiet that has become so hard to find these days.

— Pat Byington, Southeast Regional Senior Associate, Birmingham, Alabama

Greater sage-grouse mating ritual, UL Bend Wilderness, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana

If you’ve never watched a greater sage-grouse perform its mating ritual, you need to go have a look — with your main squeeze, of course. The male grouse performs age-old dances and songs, which can be heard up to three miles away. These guys work mighty hard to make an impression on their favorite female. The peak of mating season is in late March-early April, and the males strut their stuff about 30 minutes before dawn.

— Janelle Holden, Northern Prairie Campaign Coordinator, Montana

Hiking Dolly Sods Wilderness, Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

My wife and I are big fans of the Dolly Sods Wilderness. As you hike through it, you see cranberry bogs, gorgeous swimming holes, and vast stands of rhododendrons that stand six feet high in places. You might catch a glimpse of deer or black bear. As we drink in the beauty, we often forget that Kim’s a Giants fan and I’m a Redskins fan.

— Alan Rowsome, Conservation Advocacy Associate, Washington, D.C.

photos:
Flower. Photo by irisb477, Flickr.
El Capitan at the end of the Guadalupes in Texas. Photo by Darren Huski, Flickr.
Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, Colorado. Photo by Susan Stutzman.
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Courtesy USFWS.
Heart Lake in Olympic National Park, Washington. Photo by Arboreality, Flickr.
Beauty Mountain, California. Photo by Doug Steakley.
Breadloaf Wilderness in Vermont. Photo by dvs, Flickr.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. Courtesy USFS.
Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest, Alabama. Photo by Douglas Beard.
Sage Grouse. Photo by Albert Dickson.
Dolly Sods Wilderness in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. Photo by Jeremy Tooley.