Farther south, planning ski trips gets a little trickier. Instead of tossing a few snowballs, the weather might throw a curve ball in the form of 55-degree temperatures.

A quiet Pennsylvania forest

"To find snow, go a little higher." That's the advice of Roger Homeyer, who leads trips in the Delaware Valley. "Here in the Poconos, it's usually a good 10 degrees colder than in neighboring Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. So we tend to have more reliable snow," says Homeyer. His favorite destination? Promised Land State Park, which offers a large network of well-marked trails on 3,000 acres of gentle terrain.

"It's a beginner-friendly area," says Homeyer. "There's nothing terribly steep, just a few short ups and downs to add some interest. Mostly, the trail weaves in and out of forests on old logging roads. It's a very beautiful park."

The park is mostly wooded with beech, birch, maple, and hemlock interspersed with a few shady pine groves and backcountry lakes. In summer, the lakes are favorites of fishermen. In winter, they're sheets of ice. "When it is cold enough you can even ski across the lakes," Homeyer says.

Move on to Washington D.C.

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