Sick of cold weather? Try Death Valley and Furnace Creek Resorts

The spring-fed pool is just one of the luxuries at the Inn.

The fancy Inn at Furnace Creek closes May 8. If you are sick, sick, sick of winter (I know it's supposed to be spring) you can get a serious hit of heat at Death Valley National Park, CA. (see my March 2010 post for Inn details). The Inn is on the expensive side, but has long been a get away for Hollywood and business types who love history with their lodging.
The Ranch at Furnace Creek (not fancy but nice and open year round) is another option. You can go online at www.furnacecreekresort.com to make a reservation for either, but if you don't see what you want, call 1-800-236-7916 and the folks at Xanterra will help you out. If you have to wait, do! The reservation staff is very helpful.
Death Valley is 120 miles from Las Vegas and 300 miles from LA. There is a private airport at the park for private planes. 

LITTLE LODGES FOR WINTER ESCAPES

NATIONAL PARK INN

MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WASHINGTON

There’s something incredibly intimate about staying at the National Park Inn in Mt. Rainier National Park. The 25-room National Historic Landmark is part of the Longmire Historic District that includes the Longmire Museum, and the 1928 National Park Service Administration Building, which is now a Wilderness Information Center. The district is a wonderful example of national park “parkitecture.” But what might be best about the Inn and its setting is that it seems so small against the backdrop of 14,411 foot high Mount Rainier. The massive stratovolcano can dwarf just about anything!

Guests can spend their day snow shoeing (there are even park ranger led treks), cross country skiing or just hunkering down in front of the fireplace. Paradise Inn closes for the winter, so this is the only accommodation in the park open year round. (The snow park 13 miles from National Park Inn in Paradise Valley opens Dec. 18 and offers tubing, skiing, snowboarding and old-fashioned snow-time fun.)

Originally built as the Longmire Spring Hotel in 1916, the Inn burned in 1926 and the annex (now the inn) was rebuilt in 1935 and renovated in 1989. Last time I stayed there it was May, but a blizzard made me feel like it was January!

Amazingly, there are rooms available at the Inn for the holidays. The park is just 54 miles southeast of Seattle. What a place to have your Currier & Ives fix! If you’re interested in other winter stays, the mid-week, two night getaway with your second night FREE is hard to beat. The special rates begin at $110 a night, Sunday trough Thursday and excludes the holidays. A full breakfast comes with standard rooms (not specials).

If you can’t go, think of this as another gift experience. Gift certificates are available.

Call 360-569-2275 for information and reservations or www.mtrainierguestservices.com/

EXPERIENCE MT. HOOD'S SILCOX HUT

Silcox Hut's  exquisite main living/dining area.

There are holiday gifts, and then there are holiday gift experiences. Our family has always been big on experiences over things. A number of years ago, our son and his then girl friend (now wife) gave us a Christmas gift certificate to stay at Silcox Hut. Silcox Hut, you might ask? What's that? Let’s start with Timberline Lodge.

It’s said that Oregonians like to think of Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood as their collective home. And what a home it is. Built during the Great Depression as part of the WPA projects, the lodge is the state’s most meaningful and remarkable building.

Yet Timberline does not stand-alone. One thousand feet above the lodge, a mile above timberline at 7,000-foot elevation stands a miniature version of the lodge. The  stone and timber Silcox Hut was built in 1939 by the same laborers and craftspeople that created the lodge. And that’s where we were headed.

The original purpose of the hut was the upper terminus and warming station for the Magic Mile Chairlift, the second oldest chairlift in the United States. It sheltered climbers and skiers for twenty-five years, and then fell into disrepair to the point that it looked like demolition would be the hut’s fate.

But in 1985, the hut was put on the National Register of Historic Places and Friends of Silcox Hut was established as a non-profit group to restore the building. The restoration and adaptive re-use of the hut garnered numerous awards including recognition by the American Institute of Architects.

Lucky for us and any other group that find themselves in this little treasure. Groups (12 person minimum Sunday-Thrusday and 16 on the weekends and holidays) can rent the hut, settle in for unsurpassed stargazing, have dinner catered from Timberline’s superb Cascade Dining Room then bunk down in, well, bunks. And we did just that. A host is always present to show you the ropes, and if you’re lucky, tell some pretty good tales…generally about climbing Mount Hood. Serious mountain climbers still use it as a stop for hot cocoa or tea before their ascent of the state’s most climbed (and treacherous) peak.

The hut’s main level on the second floor is the living area that is a miniature of the grand lodge even featuring the “Timberline Arch” in the roofline. A big fireplace, hand-carved wooden tables and chairs make for a not exactly “cozy” gathering spot, but a beautiful one. This is where the family style dinner is served featuring veggie or meat lasagne, salad, vegetables, rolls etc. along with coffee tea and desert. It’s BYOB if you want wine. A hearty oatmeal breakfast is served here in the morning.

The night we were there it was crystal clear, incredibly cold outside and just plan stunning. We walked around the hut with snow crunching under our feet picking out the lights of Portland to the northwest and our home town of Bend over 100 miles away to the south. What a place to count the stars and your blessings.

When we were ready for bed, we crawled into our bunks (each of the six rooms is outfitted with bunkbeds---one with queen-sized bunks) and fell into a sound sleep. We were awakened by climbers in the wee hours of the morning, stopping before they made their ascent. We stayed in bed!

You can bring your own sleeping bags or enjoy their bedding for an additional $20. The package includes meals, transportation up and back to the hut either via the chairlift of snow cat. There are very nice "dorm style" bathrooms. You can also ski while staying at the hut.

2011 rates are $130 per person Sunday-Thursday and $150 Friday, Saturday and holidays. For additional information, call 503-272-3251 or go to http://www.timberlinelodge.com/silcox-hut/

I've written about Silcox Hut in Great Lodges of the National Parks and Only in Oregon, so if you're interested in more, check out those books at www.greatlodges.com or straight to amazon.com. Just writing about it again makes me want to get together family and friends and head back!

LOOKING FOR SOME OTHER LITTLE LODGES? I'll post those later this month, so keep on checking my blog!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Once in a while something happens that just does my heart good. The story of this couple is one of them. Enjoy reading this over the holidays, and Happy Thanksgiving!

DUO TAKES TOUR OF THE GREAT LODGES

http://www.issaquahpress.com/2010/11/23/duo-takes-national-tour-of-%E2%80%98great-lodges%E2%80%99/DUO TAKES TOUR OF THE GREAT LODGES

End of the year bargains at Lake Quinault Lodge

Lake Quinault Lodge 

The great lodges of the national parks are managed by various concession operators. Lake Quinault Lodge (along with Lake Crescent, Kalaloch and Sol Duc Hot Springs) in Washington's Olympic Peninsula come under the management of Aramark Parks and Destinations.
There is an end of the year deal for Lake Quinault and Kalaloch (not one of the historic great lodges) that seems too good to be true. You can stay one night at either lodge for $99 and get the second night for $20.10 between now and Dec. 30, 2010 with blackout dates of Nov. 23-26 and Dec. 22-26. 

Lake Quinault Lodge great hall fireplace.

If you're thinking it's too rainy this time of year, think again! Lake Quinault is rain forest country and the stormy weather only adds to the fun...honest! And if you're lodge bound, there is no better place to read a book than in front of the huge great hall fireplace. When you're hungry, the Roosevelt Dining Room offers good food with a Northwest twist. 

Lake Quinault rooms available during this promotion include Lakeside rooms (one king or queen or two queens with views) and one non-view Boathouse room. The Lakeside rooms are in a newer annex, and the Boathouse is a historic building. Both are easy and very short walks to the main lodge. Rooms in the historic lodge are not part of the promotion.


Reservations for both Lake Quinault and Kalaloch lodges can be made by visiting www.olympicnationalparks.com or by calling (866) 297-7367, and reservations must be made by November 30. Deposit for first night is taken at the time of booking with a refund policy seen on line. 


(Lake Quinault Lodge is featured in Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume Two.)


Photos /Aramark Parks and Destinations

Plan now for winter travel to national park lodges

         While many national park lodges in the United States close up shop when the snow falls, some throw open their doors to winter guests. Make your reservations now to get in on the fun. Here are a few of my favorites:

Travelers can escape winter at Furnace Creek Inn. Photo by David Morris

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CA
The Mission-inspired Furnace Creek Inn closes each summer as temperatures soar, but come October 8th the 1927 luxury resort reopens. This is the ultimate oasis with fresh water, spring-fed swimming pool, lush gardens, locally inspired cuisine and the kind of setting that drew the Hollywood crowd of the Roaring 20s. Guests still get VIP treatment at this intimate retreat where days are filled with exploring the park, playing golf on the lowest elevation course in America or taking part in a variety of special events at the inn. Visitors to Death Valley now have the option of being picked up at the in-park hotels and taking guided jeep tours to some of the park’s remote attractions. In cooperation with Pink Jeep Tours, guests travel to areas where high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles are strongly recommended.
Tour prices range from $65 to $165. Reservations for the tours can be made directly with Pink Jeep Tours by calling 1-888-900-4480. For those who want to explore the park on their own, Jeep Wranglers are now available for rent at a rather pricey $175 for 24 hours. You can also rent a bicycle at nearby Furnace Creek Ranch. The best part of one's stay at the inn is simply the solitude. As one park ranger said of Death Valley, "The silence is deafening." www.furnacecreekresort.com, 800-236-7916. 

The Stanley is open year round, and winter is a joy.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, COLO

Stephen King may have been inspired to write The Shining after a stay at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, but today the elegant 1909 Colonial Revival hotel is anything but creepy. Constructed by FO Stanley of Stanley Steam automobile fame, the complex of perfectly restored buildings are parts of a National Historic District. When it opened, The Stanley's East Coast elegance defied the Wild West persona that had defined the state for so long. Instead of park rustic design found in lodges like Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, the hotel offered the comforts afforded the upper class clients of the era. While many of the public rooms are beautifully restored, their uses have been altered to accommodate conferences and weddings. It's worth taking a tour, but be prepared for lots of ghost stories. If you opt for a winter visit and it's is snowy, the setting is spectacular. Get a room with a view and be enchanted by this lovely hotel.  www.stanleyhotel.com, 800-976-1377.

The lobby of Lake Quinault Lodge is the ideal place to curl up and read a book. Photo by David Morris

OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST, WA

Set along the lake shore, surrounded by one of the Western Hemisphere's three temperate coniferous rain forests is the shingle-covered shake-roofed Lake Quinault Lodge. Designed by Robert Reamer (who also gave us Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn), the lodge is located in the south central portion of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Guests gather around the massive brick fireplace for games of Scrabble and chess while they look out through floor-to-ceiling paned windows at the wonder of it all. Meals are served in the same dining room where President Franklin D. Roosevelt dined during his 1937 tour of the peninsula while evaluating the feasibility of creating Olympic National Park. The guest rooms in the lodge have recently been updated along with some historic restoration of the main lobby. Always good news! Bring your rain gear and a good book. www.visitlakequinault.com, 888-896-3827.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA

Probably the most elegant hotel in a national park is The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park, California. Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the towering stone, glass and concrete (made to look like wood) hotel was meant to draw visitors of "means" to the national park. Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service wanted to make sure that those he needed to support the parks had proper (and imposing) accommodations. The stunning hotel opened in 1927 and fabulous public rooms such as the 77-foot long Great Lounge and rustic yet formal dining room along with intimate spaces such as the Mural Room or Solarium wowed guests then as they do today. Winter hotel events include the Christmas holiday's Bracebridge Dinner, and Vintner’s and Chef’s Holidays, but nothing beats taking in the breathtaking views of the frozen Yosemite Falls, Half Dome or Glacier Point from one of the hotel’s many vantage points.

www.yosemitepark.com/Accommodations_TheAhwahnee.aspx, (801) 559-4884.

Most visitors to Yosemite know about The Ahwahnee, but one of the oldest mountain resorts in California is located just seven miles from the park’s south entrance. Built in 1879, the Wawona Hotel is part of eight New England-style buildings set on the site of old Clark Station and lodge in the park. This National Historic Landmark hotel is an ideal place for skiers headed to Badger Pass Ski Area or those who venture a cross-country ski trip whether for the day or an overnight adventure to Glacier Point Ski Hut. If you’re looking for a Currier and Ives setting in California, the Wawona Hotel is it. www.yosemitepark.com/Accommodations_WawonaHotel.aspx, (801) 559-4884.

There are numerous lodges and motels at the Grand Canyon but El Tovar is the Grand Dame of the South Rim

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ

At the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, five of the six lodges are open year-round, and many are fully booked during the summer season. The historic, 78-room El Tovar Hotel is typically the first lodge to sell out. During the months of November and December, however, there are still rooms available at El Tovar for visitors who book in the weeks ahead.  What you'll find is a low-slung, wood, and log hotel that seems to sink into the landscape along the edge of the Grand Canyon. Part Victorian-era resort and part rustic log cabin when it opened in 1905, it provided both the comforts of the established Eastern or European resorts and the excitement of the newly "discovered" Southwest. Winter is an ideal time to miss the crowds at the canyon without sacrificing the heart-stopping views found just steps from the hotel. El Tovar was redecorated, and updated for the 2005 centennial celebration, and the dining room offers some of the best food in the national parks.  www.grandcanyonlodges.com, 888-297-2757.

MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST, OR

 Six miles up a winding road on Mount Hood, Oregon, at the point where trees give way to volcanic ash, this elegant piece of soft-gray architecture looks rather unimposing in contrast to the looming presence of Oregon's highest peak. Built by the WPA during the Great Depression, this is the ultimate "ski lodge" where everything remains as it was in 1935. The lodge is a living museum featuring gigantic timber construction, hand wrought iron work, loomed textiles and mountains of personality. The Cascade Dining room offers fabulous Northwest cuisine. Since Timberline Lodge was built as a ski resort, it only makes sense to visit here in the winter. They've already kicked off the winter season with a bunch of ski pass offerings. As noted in my earlier post, you'll find about $4 million worth of improvements at this 74,000-square-foot National Historic Landmark. An added bonus is seeing the fabulous new snow entrance that replaced the ugly tunnel affair. The original design didn't take into account the mountains of snow blown into the entrance, so after much debate and many proposals here is the new winter entrance completed in 2009.  www.timberlinelodge.com, 800-547-1406.

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT

The Great Northern Railway constructed a series of massive lodges and backcountry retreats that dot Glacier National Park, Montana. Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel and Glacier Park Lodge close for the winter, but the more intimate Belton Chalet stays open. Tucked against the hillside past the west entrance of the park, the chocolate brown cluster of restored buildings was the first foray into tourist development by the railway’s president Louis Hill. The chalet opened in 1910 the same year President Taft signed a bill creating Glacier National Park. Designed by Kirkland Cutter, the chalet was brought back from near ruin and reopened in 2000. Cottages are available, but the restaurant and taproom are only open on weekends during the winter season. You won’t find crowds this time of year, but you will discover a slice of “real” Montana. www.beltonchalet.com, 406-888-5000.

Cavallo Point Lodge is the newest lodge in the national park system.

GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK, CA
 Set within the Golden Gate National Parks at Fort Baker, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito, California, is the national park's newest lodge. Cavallo Point Lodge is a compound of twenty-four historic military buildings, transformed into a combination of historic rehabilitation and contemporary construction. The one-time military post became a 350-acre national park site in 2002, and in 2008 the parade grounds and hillside became a “green” destination resort. Guests can choose from the renovated officers' residence (including the generals' house) or newly constructed guest suites and rooms. In addition, Cavallo Point offers a high-end Healing Arts Center and Spa, posh Murray Circle restaurant with extensive wine cellar, cooking classes, meditation and yoga in the former chapel, hiking and biking. Not exactly what those who awoke to revelry found. www.cavallopoint.com, 888-651-2003.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WY

Yellowstone National Park’s nine lodges close between late September and mid-October. The park's winter season begins Dec. 18th with the reopening of Old Faithful Snow Lodge followed by the reopening of Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel on Dec. 21st. They will close the first week of March. My choice would be Old Faithful Snow Lodge next door to the shuttered Old Faithful Inn. Opened in 1999, the timber and log lodge houses 100 guest rooms, a huge great room with fireplace, dining room and nooks to call your own. Half of the fun is just getting there. The interior of the park is only accessible by snowmobile, snowcoach or cross-country skis.  Once you’ve checked in, the park is yours via cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or limited snowmobile and snowcoach rides. Geysers, roaming wildlife and the stark beauty of the snow-covered landscape make it a favorite time for a visit. Winter Getaway packages include snowcoach transportation, and are available from Jan. 2 through March 7, 2011 at Mammoth Hot Springs and through March 6 at the Snow Lodge. "Trail of the Wolf" packages take you into the park to observe wildlife in the Northern Range of the park.  Winter Getaway packages may be booked by phone by calling (1) 307-344-7311 or toll-free (1) 866-GEYSERLAND (1-866-439-7375). Complete tour details are also available at the web site www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com 

For more information on the author's books and the great lodges, check out www.greatlodges.com

  

Maya Goes to Timberline Lodge

When asked if I'm doing another book or what's next, I like to say that I want to take our grandchildren to some of the great lodges and parks. You know, visit the parks and not work. So, we had just the chance with 7-year-old Maya who joined us on a trip to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon, in July 2010. As we approached Portland on Highway 84 east it looked like we would be engulfed in clouds, but as we started the assent to the 1937 WPA masterpiece that mammoth peak was bathed in late-day sunlight. The mountain seemed covered in giant swirls of frosting on a birthday cake with the top and lodge poking out of the whiteness.

"Awesome," exclaimed Maya. And, gee, it was! I never tire of coming upon these places whether it's the rim of Crater Lake, Old Faithful Geyser, El Capitan or the Grand Canyon. Yes, awesome just about covers it. With my captive audience in hand, we toured the lodge taking in every nook. Not only did Maya listen, but she took notes and did illustrations.

This visit we opted for a Fireplace Room, my first stay in one of these spacious suites. Not only was the fireplace a draw for reading in front of, but with plenty of snow outside, it made for a cozy evening. There were two queen beds, a seating area and easy access to the outdoor pool and jacuzzi just down the hall.  In addition, the bathroom had been redone as have all of  the bathrooms on the second and third floors. But new is not what this lodge is about. The original furniture (designed by Margery Hoffman Smith), and beautiful reproductions of drapes and bedspreads graced the room. (And the linens were top of the line.)
We made dinner reservations at the Cascade Dining Room, and while we could have opted for a  more casual dinner in the second floor eating area of the Ram's Head Bar, our dinner was well worth it! Our window table was the perfect place to watch the sun drop below the bank of clouds and chat about FDR, the handcrafted chairs and playing a game of finding all of the signature "Timberline arches" within eye's view. The food was delicious, service delightful and the kids' menu offered a bit more than the standard chicken nuggets and pizza slice.

Caring for this National Historic Landmark is an ongoing challenge, but this year numerous projects from painting the exterior to replacing windows are being done as part of the federal government's American Recovery Act. Summer was particularly busy, but we found little disruption during our stay at this finely operated institution.

If you go:

• Remember, this is a ski resort, so don't be shy about taking to the slopes. IF you don't ski or board, you can take the Magic Mile Sky Ride for an even better view.
• Discuss the kind of room and view you want when making your reservation. The staff is extremely accommodating. Ask if your bathroom has be renovated. The Lodge offers everything from dorm-like rooms to Fireplace Suites.
• Make your Cascade dinner reservations when you make your room reservation.
• Take a docent tour of the lodge. This is the only WPA constructed great lodge, and the history adds to its charm.
• Check out www.timberlinelodge.com for specials.
• Find Bruno, the lodge mascot. He's an adorable Saint Bernard and can be hanging out in the day lodge gift shop. It's also a handy place to purchase the stuffed variety for your grandchild.
• For more on this masterpiece, read Great Lodges of the National Parks. PBS has been re airing the television series featuring the lodge in the Pacific Northwest segment. It is very special, since the late Richard Kohnstamm, the man responsible for "saving" the lodge has a lovely segment in the program.