Feature
January/February 2008

Snowy Havens

Sure these retreats are remote, but getting there is half the fun.

By Lucy Burningham

During the winter, it’s easy to start thinking like something that hibernates. The reasons not to venture outside pile up like the crusty, gray snow at the end of the driveway. But the rewards for overcoming the stay-at-home mentality far outweigh any night on the couch. Just think: with a little planning, you could find yourself skinning through a pristine forest blanketed in snow to a remote mountain cabin, where your top priorities involve eating spicy chili and unwinding in a wood-fired sauna. Check out our picks for some of the country’s best, most remote, snow-swept cabins, huts, and yurts. These charming structures don’t come with heated driveways, TiVo, or even electricity and running water, but you won’t feel like you’re missing a thing, guaranteed. Since when did a nor’easter or a few ice storms stop the fearless New Englander from heading outside? In this part of the country, not much keeps the locals indoors, especially when rolling mountains, quiet aspen groves, and dramatic panoramas await the weekend warrior.

Northeast

Brownfield, Maine Frost Mountain Yurts
Located just south of Fryeburg, a small town perched on the border between Maine and New Hampshire, two yurts sit nestled among trees on quiet, private property. Although you don’t have to trek too far to reach the sites (just a quarter-mile from where you park the car), Frost Mountain Yurts will give you a pack sled to help transport supplies (hello, extra pillow). The yurts sleep six people on bunk beds or eight when the futons unfold. A full kitchen, games, and a woodstove make returning from a day of Nordic skiing—complete with memorable views of Mount Washington—a welcome treat. And the out-the-door trailhead isn’t so bad either. Dogs welcome. $85 per night for one or two people, $15 per night for each additional person. www.frostmountainyurts.com; 207 935 3243

Jay, New York Fourpeaks
On 700 acres in the Adirondacks, host Martin Schwalbaum has built seven cabins over the years and rents them out to adventurous visitors year-round. While all cabins offer their own charms, not to mention access to beautiful wilderness, only two require visitors to hike or ski in during the winter months: Wolf’s Nest, a charming one-room cabin with a double bed, a fireplace, and a deck with sprawling views; and Ridge Camp, which includes three buildings that complete a unique getaway trifecta. Great for groups, visitors to Ridge Camp can split their time between the main building with loft bedroom, the guest shed, and the sauna. Wolf’s Nest: $525 for three days, $1,050 per week, with a maximum of two people. Ridge Camp: $650 for three days, $1,300 per week, with a maximum of eight. www.4peaks.com; 518 524 6726 Clean air, small populations, and thousands of icy lakes mean plenty of wide-open spaces for winter play. Here the coldest months of the year draw all types of hardy folk outdoors for dog sledding, ice fishing, and Nordic skiing.

Midwest

Ely, Minnesota BWCA Getaway Cabins
The official Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a protected wilderness that spans the northern border of Minnesota, comprises more than a million acres and 10,000 lakes. Nine miles outside of Ely, BWCA Getaway Cabins manages two remote cabins year-round. Both are located in a roadless area, close to the pristine White Iron Lake. The Wolf Point Cabin is surrounded by marshland that’s covered in ice during the winter (yes, you’ll have to cross it to get there). The Big Pine Cabin has a similar setup, sleeping two people in the main cabin and two in the bunkhouse. Guided dogsledding trips or snowshoeing and ski rentals can be arranged as can free help transporting gear and food. Both cabins accommodate a maximum of four people and require a three-night minimum stay. Wolf Point Cabin: $150 per night. Big Pine Cabin: $140 per night. www.bwca-getaway-cabins.com; 218 365 6385

Ely, Minnesota Log Cabin Hideaways
In the same area, just miles from the border of the Boundary Waters, Steve Lampman and Liz Schendel have been operating Log Cabin Hideaways for nearly 20 years. The family understands the beauty of remoteness and manages eight cabins, six of which are open in the winter. All are lakeside structures that lack neighbors and road access. Although in the summer visitors arrive by canoe, in the winter you’ll need skis, snowshoes, or the use of the couple’s snowmobile. (They’ll help transport supplies to and from the cabins on request.) The area offers plenty of wildlife— a moose sighting isn’t out of the question—that can be seen during a day of Nordic skiing or dogsledding. Only one cabin has indoor plumbing and electricity, but all have a propane- fueled kitchen and a wood-fired Finnish sauna. For the required three-night minimum stay, prices range from $90 to $250 per night, and many cabins can be rented at a discounted rate for an entire week. www.logcabinhideaways.com; 218 365 6045

Ontonagon, Michigan
In the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, otherwise known as the “Porkies,” forests of virgin hardwood rim Lake Superior’s shoreline on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Lake- effect snow piles up during the winter, even in the densest forests, which attracts many Nordic and alpine skiers to the region. (The park includes a small ski resort.) Within the park three basic cabins are available for winter rental for two to eight people. There are also three yurts, each of which can sleep four people, that come equipped with a basic kitchen and a deep stack of wood during the winter. Prices start at $60 per night plus an $8 reservation fee. www.michigan.gov/dnr; 906 885 5275 Cutting a huge swath through the western states, the Rocky Mountains rise in dramatic peaks and settle into peaceful valleys. It’s no surprise that such varied terrain holds the highest concentration of remote huts anywhere in the country, and that many of those getaways offer steep and deep skiing right out the front door.

Rockies

Aspen, Colorado 10th Mountain Division Huts
The most famous of all hut systems in the United States, the 10th Mountain Division Huts, named for a division of the U.S. Army based in Colorado, offer endless opportunities—think group ski weekends with friends or quiet, extended hut-to-hut backcountry adventuring. The 29 huts, connected by 350 miles of suggested routes in a wide area of the Colorado Rockies surrounding Aspen, Vail, and Gunnison, range from the Boreas Pass Section House, built in 1882 at 11,481 feet for railroad workers, to Janet’s Cabin, built in 1990, which houses 20 people at a time and has a sauna. Spend some time perusing the organization’s website, which offers photos of the cabins, route descriptions, avalanche warnings (some huts are more prone than others), GPS coordinates, and instructions for reserving a cabin. Several guide services offer trips, and visitors are encouraged to arrive at the huts under their own power (leave the snowmobile at home). Most huts house 16 people at a time, and reservations can be made on a per-person basis for $28 per night. The smallest hut accommodates three and costs $69 per night. www.huts.org; 970 925 5775

Driggs, Idaho Rendezvous Backcountry Tours
On the western slope of the Tetons, three “mountain” yurts and one “family” yurt (a larger structure that sits much closer to a plowed road) provide easy access to the Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area and Grand Teton National Park. That means a crack-of-dawn shot at some of the best backcountry skiing in the lower 48. Rendezvous Backcountry Tours offers guided trips and private hut rentals. But because of steep terrain and deep powder, the company asks that groups who opt for the self- guided experience have a few members with route-finding, avalanche awareness, first-aid, bivouac, and evacuation skills. Expect three to five hours of moderate skiing to reach the mountain yurts. More serious skiers will quickly realize that getting to the huts is just the beginning. Rendezvous can customize trips with a combination of guide and porter services, which can range from hut-to-hut tours to high Teton traverses that start at $125 per person per day for a larger group. Yurts are $275 per night on weekends and holidays for up to eight people and $250 on weekdays. Add $20 per night for each additional person up to 10 people. www.skithetetons.com; 877 754 4887

Moab, Utah Tag-A-Long Expeditions
To the east of Moab, best known for its red rock and mountain-biking and climbing ops, the La Sal Mountains rise 12,000 dramatic feet into peaks that are covered with snow nearly year-round. Untouched, especially during the winter months, the dusted range gives Nordic skiers plenty of opportunities to break trail or use existing, well-marked ones. Tag-A-Long Expeditions operates two furnished cabins on one of those Nordic ski trail systems. Each building is propane-powered and includes sleeping pads and a fully equipped kitchen. The company can help you customize any kind of trip. Feeling like saving your energy? Hire the snowcat to haul your gear. Want to use every hour of daylight to explore the La Sals? Choose an extensive route based on recommendations or opt for mellow meadow touring. Cabins: $35 per person per night with a two-night minimum stay, and a maximum of 10 people. Snowcat trip: $80. www.tagalong.com; 800 453 3292

West Coast

It’s easy to think of the West Coast as miles of dramatic coastline that rarely sees a speck of the white stuff, but head to the interior of these western states for plenty of powder and untouched wilderness.

Lee Vining, California Tioga Pass Winter Resort
At the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the Inyo National Forest, guests must ski 1 to 6 miles on moderate- to-uphill terrain to reach the cabins and the lodge at the small and charming Tioga Pass Resort, which offers buildings with electricity (read: hot showers). Staying at Tioga means easy access to some of the most magnificent backcountry skiing in the Sierra Nevadas—steep drops and open powdery bowls. Start and end the day with hearty, staff-prepared meals. Choose private cabins or dorm-style sleeping in the bunk room. Both options include three meals a day. Cabins are $145 to $160, with a maximum of six people. Bunk room: $140 per night. www.tiogapassresort.com; 209 372 4471

Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa Alpine Huts
Northeastern Oregon feels deliciously remote—no tourist towns, limited wireless coverage, and a little-known wilderness area that includes near-10,000-foot peaks. Hidden in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, three yurts create the warm, well-stocked base camps for backcountry ski adventures run by Wallowa Alpine Huts. Choose from two trips—McCully Basin or Norway Basin—each of which takes advantage of a different part of the wilderness area, providing access to different terrain and yurts. The company offers four-day weekend and five-day weekday adventures. Both packages include experienced guides who get you to the yurts in good form, then lead you into the backcountry for all types of skiing. And, of course, they keep the hot food and drinks coming. Sleeping bags, food, and dry saunas are included in the cost, so you’re responsible only for personal gear, sleeping bag liners, and beer. The shorter trips are $600 per person, and the longer ones cost $800. Groups range from five to 10 people. www.wallowahuts.com; 800 545 5537

Five Ways to have a perfect REMOTE GETAWAY

Consider how you’ll transport your gear before packing. Figure out the terrain and the distance before deciding on a pack, ski-pulled trailer, or porter service.

Find out about bedding. Some huts have heavy bedding, so you’ll need just a sheet or sleeping bag liner; others require that you bring your own sleeping bag.

Carefully consider your menu. Remember: you’re going to be burning calories and will want hearty, hot food that can be prepared fairly quickly.

Pack a treat. It’s a vacation, after all, so don’t forget wine, beer, chocolate, or anything else you consider a delicious way to end the day.

Pack light. Find out if the kitchen is fully stocked with utensils and cookware and if the cabin comes with entertainment such as games and books. Avoid bringing anything unnecessary (or heavy).

Go Lux: Remote doesn’t always mean roughing it.

At the Winterlake Lodge outside of Anchorage, Alaska (www.alaskawildland.com/winterlake-lodge.htm; 907 274 2710), on mile 198 of the famous Iditarod Trail, visitors must arrive via floatplane. Once there, guests enjoy dogsledding, cooking classes, skiing, snowshoeing, and wine tasting. A 24-hour stay is $1,000 per person, which includes air transport to and from the lodge, meals, accommodations, guide services, and gear use.

The Brooks Lake Lodge in Wyoming (www.brookslake.com; 307 455 2121) is accessible only by dogsled, cross-country skis, snowshoes, snowmobile, or snowcoach. Expect fine dining, spa treatments, and cushy beds in both the lodge and the private cabins. Rates start at $225 per person per night.

Arrive at the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort (www.royalgorge.com; 800 500 3871) just north of Lake Tahoe by ski or horse-drawn sleigh. Guests indulge in the huge network of groomed trails, not to mention the two luxury lodges, with hot tubs, saunas, ski instruction, and decadent food. Rates run from $110 to $230 per room, which includes breakfast. Other packages include lessons and trail passes.