From Slides to Rides – Seven Springs Summer Adventures Keep Growing
Let’s rejoice, parents. Our kids can’t look at their cellphones while zipping down a mountain-bike trail at the same time. Ditto for ziplines, white water rafting, and a bushel of other outdoor adventures during summer at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. You may know Seven Springs for its awesome reputation as Pennsylvania’s best family ski resort, but the summer is just as packed with bonding blasts, if not more so. And, just like winter, you can dine, alpine slide, or cruise about Laurel Highlands on a Segue from one single affordable family clubhouse, your resort accommodation.
Even by summer alpine resort standards, the options at Seven Springs are dazzling. The Cortina chairlift leads to the Alpine Slide, a 1,980-feet descent gentle enough for any kid who can manage the handbrake. You can always pop into an inner tube for a little downhill tubing, an adventure that’s especially good for the youngest set. The fifty-foot Alpine Tower is a great resource for building trust and encouraging family members to extend their limits. More than a typical high-ropes course, the Alpine Tower is part jungle gym, part rope swing, and all challenging fun for the entire family.
The scenic Chairlift Ride offers a mellow journe, for grandparents perhaps, through the broadleaf trees and up the mountain. Take a picnic or just hike about while taking in amazing views of the surrounding mountains and village below. Disc golf provides another “all-inclusive” family activity, meaning anyone from five and beyond can take part. A great way to get exercise, take on the disc golf course then stroll over to Seven Springs Golf Course for another eighteen. Junior golfers are encouraged to play that championship course as well.
You don’t have to chase discs or golf balls to get your walk on. You can travel deep into the woods directly out your door in every direction on designated hiking paths. The ambitious don’t want to miss a few clicks on the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail that runs right through the resort. Hike up to 2,700 feet for one of the Northeast’s iconic vistas.
The Bear Run Nature Reserve provides another multigenerational opportunity, hosting 20 miles through upland forests and a direct view into Youghiogheny River gorge. Nearby, the Powdermill Nature Reserve meanders through 2,200 acres of varied habitat, including streams and ponds occupied by dozens of nesting bird species and plenty of critters. You can also go grab a waterfall at Linn Run State Park.
The entire family can make a splash on a set of hydrobikes. Zip like a skeeter bug across the pond while casually burning calories. Let the races begin; the faster you go the more refreshing it is. Paddleboats offer the ideal vessel for traversing with all ages across the lake. Unlike at most lakes nestled in the valley, the dock for the paddleboating lake is reached by a chairlift above the mountain bike tracks. If it’s your abs you want to work, try a couple hours of standup paddleboarding. “Supping” is one of the fastest growing trends across the adventure world, so come see what all the buzz is about.
The water turns frothy not far away in Ohiopyle, site of some of the Atlantic States’ finest Class III-IV whitewater rafting. Nature provides this roller coaster through channels, around whirlpools, and over gentle riffles where the entire family takes a collective deep breath while reveling in the team paddling required to traverse the Lower Yough River. Rushing water takes on a different meaning at Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic masterpiece, Fallingwater, an opportunity to show the kids just how cool architecture can be. A Seven Springs package also includes a visit to Wright’s Kentuck Knob design, less known but no less elegant in its seamless fusion within the landscape.
Travel back to terra firma and rent cross-country mountain bikes to explore more than 20 miles of trails around the resort. Teenagers who discover mountain biking will never look back, a good thing as they zip, phone free, around the resort’s single-track trails. Trails of a different sort await those brave enough to ascend the climbing wall, a 24-foot edifice that just screams for energy release. Speaking of energy, don’t miss a little paintball to settle the score with friends and family in a harmless and adrenaline-filled way.
You don’t have to pull the trigger or pedal through the single track if you want to explore Seven Springs. Segue Tours take the effort out of traversing the region. You can also visit Seven Springs Stables for a one-hour horseback riding tour through the dense forests of the Laurel Highlands. Wagon rides are also available, another fantastic activity for all generations.
The family adventures don’t set with the sun either. Take the whole family uphill for the Mountaintop Campfire, where you can count out constellations while roasting marshmallows over the open flame. There’s no better way to finish off a day spent riding, paddling, and laughing.
Summer
- Wine Festival, Aug 24-26
- Autumnfest, Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7, 13-14 & 20-21
Perhaps the best feature of all at Seven Springs is, once you’ve arrived, how little you have to travel for so much adventure. Families of every size and configuration can discover a suitable summer package and kids under 11 years old always stay free. Two- to three-night stays receive discounts and resort credits up to $600! From hotel rooms to condos to full house rentals, there are ample accommodations, whether you’re a young family, have tweens and teens, or have brought three generations to play in the Laurel Highlands.
It’s unusual to find a resort that offers more activities than a typical summer sleep-away camp, but that’s exactly how Seven Springs rolls. Better still the All-Day Adventures Bracelet allows infinite trips on most of the aforementioned activities as well as bowling, Eurobungy, and trips to the pool. When you consider that all the restaurants are open, your kids haven’t thought about digital entertainment in days, and everyone’s getting plenty of outdoor exercise, it’s easy to see why a Seven Springs Mountain Resort holiday resides just this side of heaven.