Ski season has all of the après aura. The clunky boot dancing while you reach for your first cold one after a long day on the mountain. Your legs still screaming as you recap every run that went wrong and right. It’s earned its reputation as the ultimate après season.
However, one thing that not enough people talk about is that the same ritual exists in summer. One caveat, you just did it in trail runners and not ski boots, and in the right towns, the scene is just as dialed in.
That said, here are three towns doing the summer après hike scene just right.
Lake Tahoe — The Deck, The Lake, The Lager You’ve Been Thinking About Since Mile Six
Best après hike spots Lake Tahoe
Tahoe needs no sales pitch. The lake sells itself. What people underestimate is how well the outdoor culture here transitions out of ski season. If you want it, the infrastructure and the bar scene are there for the specific kind of people who show up to both.
Well below the Tahoe Rim Trail which sits 8,000 feet up is a town that has been perfecting the cold-drink-after-hard-effort equation for decades. Sunnyside Resort on the west shore is where deck life take on a new meaning. The view will make you feel like the climb was the plan all along. Oh wait, it was.
This is boots-still-on Après energy, just with Altra Lone Peaks instead of K2s.
Don’t skip: The East Shore Trail is short, accessible, and ends close enough to Incline Village that you have real options for the back half of your afternoon.
Bozeman, MT — The Après That Doesn’t Need to Explain Itself
Bozeman Montana summer hiking après
Bozeman is one of those towns where the outdoor lifestyle is ingrained into what people do. The Bridger Mountains are right there to the north. The Gallatin Range frames the south. Therefore trails are always within reach and there are plenty of bars worth reaching after it.
Bridger Ridge is the benchmark. The trail is long, exposed and demands the kind of effort that justifies your post hike order. If you have less time on your hands, the M Trail above town gets it done without wrecking your body.
Wherever you start, Bozeman Brewing Company is where it ends. Not because it’s the trendiest option, because it’s the right one. The Bozone Amber has street cred. It has earned it over time and is the post-trail answer to you soreness. The patio there fills with people who made the right decision to show up there that day and nobody is pretending to be somewhere else.
That’s the whole Bozeman Après thesis: no performance. Just the drink you earned, in the town that has been earning it for years.
North Conway, NH — New England’s Most Underrated Après Scene
North Conway NH White Mountains hiking après
may have the distinction of being one of America’s great ski towns. However, let’s be honest, in the summer it gets lumped in with the outlet shopping crowd. That’s their problem, not yours. Get past the strip and into the White Mountains and you will see that there is much more to the area. There, you’ll be dealing with legitimately serious terrain: Cathedral Ledge, the Moat Range, Mount Washington. And all are close enough for a day trip if you are looking to suffer voluntarily.
Tuckerman Brewing Company anchors an après scene that runs quiet but deep. Being named for the legendary backcountry ravine on Washington’s east face should tell you exactly where these people’s priorities are. The patio/front field after a long trail day has the specific earned-it energy. It’s the kind of hype that makes outdoor drinking taste better than it does anywhere else.
The Shannon Door is the locals’ Irish bar with no further explanation needed. Order whatever’s on draft and try their pizza. It’s sneaky good.
The North Conway edge: This town hasn’t been over-designed for tourism. The hiking culture is real and the après reflects it without trying to brand it. That’s increasingly rare and worth the drive.
About the Author
Rich Stoner is the founder of the après-ski lifestyle clothing and media brand, All About Après. He is also the co-host of the Après All Day Podcast. No stranger to the ski and après-ski scene, Rich has been a long time contributor for many publications on topics like skiing, travel, gear, beer and food. However, his passion is on the slopes and enjoying good times with good people. You can find him perfecting his craft carving turns and drinking beers in the Green Mountains of Vermont. @allaboutapres