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From the Eastern Front
Mountain Summer Fun for the Whole Family
By Mitch
Kaplan
 Sadly,
the snow season wanes. Most resorts that haven't already closed will do so after
this coming weekend. (With the notable exceptions of Sunday River, closing May
1, and Killington, which should once again remain open until Memorial Day.) After
that, I'm afraid, there's nothing left to do but - think summer! So, traveling
south-to-north, here are some of our favorite eastern summer ski resorts.
Snowshoe, WV: There
may be more going on here in summer than in winter. The Outpost Adventure Park
features a climbing wall, miniature golf, BMX biking, a skate park, sand volleyball
and a playground. Snowshoe Mountain Outfitters offers sporting clays, fly fishing,
a lakefront beach, and boat rentals. Not enough? How about hiking, bungee, paintball,
horseback riding, carriage rides, rock climbing, disc and extreme and regular
golf, wakeboarding and water-skiing, nature programs, whitewater rafting, caving
and guided Hydrotraxx Amphibious ATV tours. Whew!
Camelback, PA: Camelback
becomes Camelbeach with one of the nicest water parks anywhere. Kahuna Lagoon
is a brand-new wave pool, and there are eight water slides, an adventure river,
bumper boats, the Camel Cove family activity pool and miniature golf. Day camps
offer arts and crafts, nature and environmental programs, organized games and
activities, hiking, mini-golf, tennis and swimming lessons.
Jack Frost/Big Boulder,
PA: The other Poconos "big kid" goes summertime crazy with swimming, boating,
fishing, horseback riding, bicycling, hiking and more. Motocross and paintball,
too, plus a bunch of music festivals.
 Seven
Springs, PA: The western PA giant specializes in weeklong summer day camps,
but daily activities include paddle boating, an Alpine Slide, hayrides, children's
crafts for ages 5-12, scenic history tours, campfires and guided nature hikes.
Weekly day camps feature fishing, boating, treasure hunts, arts & crafts, Slipe-n-Slide
and swimming, First Aid, team-building, paintball, rock climbing, camping, biking,
natural water slides, whitewater rafting, bowling, mini-golf and horseback riding.
There are soccer and tennis camps, too.
Mountain Creek, NJ:
Water, water everywhere - 26 rides, slides and pools, plus the Gravity Skate Park
for skaters and freestyle bikers. And, there's mountain biking, nature programs,
hiking and a ton of music happenings.
Waterville Valley,
NH: Few places are more family-friendly. Here, you can hike, golf, peddle
in the Mountain Bike Park (with more than 30 miles of marked, well-maintained
trails), play in the skate park, or go paddle boating, kayaking or swimming at
Corcoran's Pond.
Smuggler's Notch, VT:
The king of family winter resorts equals itself in summertime. Tons of activities
of all sorts, and fantastic five-day, weekend and weeklong family vacation packages.
The list of stuff is too long to list here.
Ski Plattekill, NY:
Fun and funky Plattekill becomes the mountain biking capital of the east.
 Sugarloaf
USA, ME: Oh my. The forte here (besides award-winning golf) are the Outdoor
Adventure Camps, mountain biking, custom family adventures with a Maine Master
Guide, moose watching adventures and the brand new Carrabassett Valley AntiGravity
Complex, where you can bounce on trampolines, defy gravity at the skate park and
climbing wall, or just play basketball or indoor tennis.
Mt. Tremblant, Que:
First, there's more golf than you could play in a summer. Then add the ongoing
Tremblant Parades, strolling musicians and public jesters, children shows, circus
workshops, strolling theatre, arts and crafts workshops, concerts, campfires and
a chance to practice your French.
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