23 Cozy Winter Lodges for a Snowy Getaway

High in the Canadian Rockies, Emerald Lake Lodge won’t provide you with email, cell service, or in-room TV. Instead, it gives you deep, soft snows on a 13-acre peninsula jutting out into Emerald Lake. In the main lodge—a hand-hewn timber structure that dates back to 1902—you’ll play pool by the fireplace, drink at an oak bar salvaged from a 19th-century Yukon saloon, then sup on dishes like duck breast and hazelnut risotto. When it’s time to turn in, you’ll sleep in one of 24 two-story cabins, each with a balcony and stone fireplace. Local activities include cross-country skiing, downhill at nearby Lake Louise, and ice-skating on Emerald Lake.

[bookit_button text="Emerald Lake Lodge" price="From $115" url="https://crmr.com/emerald/"]

Built in 1885 as a Croatian dance hall, the downtown digs for Scarp Ridge Lodge now make a way more luxe midwinter escape. One of the plushest winter lodges in Colorado is a seven-bedroom, 13,500-square-foot pad that comes with a personal chef and world-class wilderness guides on call. Rooms are rustic and refined, warmed by reclaimed wood and built-in sound systems. Each morning, local outfitters ferry you to the West Elk Mountains, where fresh tracks are guaranteed as Scarp Ridge has private access to 1,000 acres of ski terrain. After, warm up in the lodge’s indoor saltwater lap pool or rooftop hot tub beneath starry skies.

[bookit_button text="Scarp Ridge Lodge" price="From $15,000/up to 10 people" url="http://elevenexperience.com"] 

Perched at the top of 268-foot Snoqualmie Falls, Salish Lodge is less than 30 miles east of Seattle but feels a world away. The lodge’s Attic restaurant ($$) has breathtaking views of the falls, usually dusted with snow in December. The rooms are outfitted with fireplaces as well as deluxe bathrooms with either large soaking tubs and/or oversized showers. For something truly sweet, the lodge’s apiary produces honey used in everything from herb scrubs in the spa to the beer served in the Attic.

 

[bookit_button text="Salish Lodge & Spa" price="From $229" url="http://salishlodge.com"]

Prime real estate two miles from the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, Tenaya counts with 75 acres on which to hike, bike around on fat tires, ice skate, snowshoe, hang in hot tubs and saunas, and a myriad of other wintry activities. The lodge itself is a beaut—with its stone fireplaces, mahogany leather furniture, and wood-clad interiors—but its the forested grounds that keeps families coming back year after year. The new Explorer Cabins make it even easier to soak in all the natural blessings of this iconic national park lodge. The lodge is closed due to COVID-19 concerns through Jan 6, 2021. [bookit_button text="Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite" price="From $175" url="http://tenayalodge.com"] 

Just 5 1/2 miles from the stellar skiing at Teton Village, the cabins at Fireside Resort have all the wintry musts—fireplaces, pillow-top mattresses, and decks big enough for snow gear—in a compact, eco-conscious package. The siding is reclaimed snow fencing from Interstate 80; the hardwood floors are made from Douglas fir deadwood; even the ceilings are recycled barn wood. The 25 cabins are close together, but they’re so well designed, with a glass doorway and high windows that let in lots of light, that your neighbors seem to disappear once you step inside. For extra privacy, they’re angled to maximize views of the woodsy property. The resort supplies firewood and s’mores kits for use at the shared campfires. When you’re ready to reenter civilization, free ski shuttles run on the hour.

[bookit_button text="Fireside Resort Jackson Hole" price="From $199, 2-night min." url="http://firesidejacksonhole.com"]

Picture an incredible day on the slopes, followed by dinner in the locavore Narrows restaurant ($$$), then retiring to your room to watch snow fall on frozen Payette Lake. About 100 miles north of Boise, Shore Lodge is just a shuttle ride from the small, family-run Brundage Mountain Resort and complete with a new spa, heated saltwater pools—one outside in a private garden—and a small movie theater primed with popcorn and Casablanca.

[bookit_button text="Shore Lodge" price="From $149" url="http://shorelodge.com"]

The Wild West goes glam at The Ranch at Rock Creek, about 1 1/4 hours southeast of Missoula. Feeling sporty? We won’t rattle off the full list of snowy activities but will note that they include Percheron-led sleigh rides. Lazy? There’s no shame in whiling away the hours with a book and a hot toddy by the crackling fire in the Granite Lodge after a massage at the spa. It’s anything but cheap, but given the winter fantasies you can fulfill here—any sport you could dream up, celestial cuisine and endlessly flowing wine, all on one of the prettiest riverfront spreads in the state—it gets trip-of-a-lifetime status. Local activities include cross-country skiing, downhill at nearby Discovery Ski Area, ice-skating, and sleigh rides. From $900/person all-inclusive;

[bookit_button text="Ranch at Rock Creek" price="From $900/person all-inclusive" url="http://theranchatrockcreek.com"]

Alta Lodge is a “see you again next year” kind of lodge, where die-hard skiers and friends have been returning since 1940 for the range of slopeside accommodations and the feel of a traditional skiers’ lodge (no TVs, but boot driers in every room). Hearty breakfasts and four-course dinners are included in all room rates, plus one-hour pre-ski yoga classes. And the best perk is ski-in, ski-out access to Alta’s legendary steep runs and fresh powder. [bookit_button text="Alta Lodge" price="From $333" url="http://altalodge.com"]

It takes a 4-mile trek on cross-country skis, amid endless Sierra views, to reach this mellow backcountry lodge. Your reward: a stove-heated room—one of four in the lodge (there’s a bathroom-less cabin too)—and a veritable Americana museum to browse post-sledding. And just 40 minutes down the road, you'll reach one of the best ski resorts in the West for Olympic-level (and eco-friendly) skiing.

[bookit_button text="Lost Trail Lodge" price="From $230/person; 2-night min." url="http://losttraillodge.com"] 

Cross mountain cool with the romance of a Paris apartment, and you get Park City’s Washington School House. The boutique hotel occupies an 1889 schoolhouse with 16-foot-high ceilings and limestone walls. The former classrooms are now 12 rustic-chic suites with reclaimed barn wood floors set off by crystal chandeliers, down-feather beds, and Pratesi linens. Soak in the heated pool terraced into the hillside, or have cocktails in the stylish ski lounge, then amble into downtown, just a few hundred yards away.

[bookit_button text="Washington School House Hotel" price="From $505" url="http://washingtonschoolhouse.com"] 

About 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks, one of the coziest winter lodges in Alaska has dogsledding and an amazing ice museum. It also offers prime viewing for the aurora borealis. In the height of winter, there is a 90 percent chance you'll see the northern lights if you stay three nights or more. So settle in for a long weekend, where you'll spend days cross-country skiing, ice skating in a pond, and touring the backcountry from inside a warm snow coach. At night, even if the light show is delayed, you'll be wowed by the starriest of skies.

[bookit_button text="Chena Hot Springs" price="From $209" url="http://chenahotsprings.com"]

Many of the hand-built cabins at Lone Mountain have been around since the lot was established as a cattle ranch in 1915. With 50-plus miles of trails, it also has some of the best cross-country skiing in the States. Nearby downhill runs are tops, too. The food? So good, neighbor Ted Turner has dined here. It's served in a handsome lodge, where you'll meet other travelers who—along with the longstanding staff—will become friends when you return on annual visits. [bookit_button text="Lone Mountain Ranch" price="From $350, including meals and some activities" url="http://lonemountainranch.com"]

When one of the West’s most iconic resorts undergoes a major redo—only its second since opening as the country’s first destination ski lodge in 1936—you can’t help but hold your breath. But the revamped Sun Valley locale, which opened in June 2015, manages to be both modern and classic, maintaining the intimate, elegant feeling that’s always made it special. The 148 outdated guest rooms were remodeled into 108 larger rooms, all with bigger bathrooms and soaking tubs and some with fireplaces. (The south-facing rooms with balconies have the best views.) Book a suite in the main lodge, or opt for more space in the one- to three-bedroom lodge apartments next door. Check out the lobby’s framed portraits of former guests Ernest Hemingway, Marilyn Monroe, and Gary Cooper posing in ski pants, as well as a campy group screening of Sun Valley Serenade, the 1941 movie starring Norwegian Olympic figure skater Sonja Henie.

[bookit_button text="Sun Valley Lodge" price="From $289" url="http://sunvalley.com"]

Set near the western edge of the Alaska Range, Winterlake Lodge is about as far away as you can get and still revel in cold-weather comforts. Five log cabins and the main lodge overlook a mile-long lake, frozen in winter. The vibe is rustic; the highlights, being so remote and in the remarkable care of the Dixons. (Carl was recently named one of the world’s top five wilderness guides; Kirsten is a Cordon Bleu–trained chef.) Join them for dog-mushing courses or a cooking class. Winterlake is also a checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail, which means a front-row seat as dog teams dash by.

[bookit_button text="Winterlake Lodge" price="From $5,345/person, all-inclusive" url="http://withinthewild.com"]

In the shadow of the Cascades, Mountain Home's two private cabins make quintessential winter adventure hideouts—the kind that celebrates nature’s ruggedness while providing luxurious ways to experience it. Since the steep road to the resort (perched 1,000 feet above Leavenworth) is impassable when it's covered in snow, the only way up is by private snowcat. Once you arrive at your snowy aerie, you can spend days enjoying 30 miles of ski and snowshoe trails, then at night sleep in an artisan-built pine king bed. Winter rates include breakfast, lunch, and nightly four-course dinner.

[bookit_button text="Mountain Home Lodge" price="From $689" url="http://mthome.com"] 

Stretched across 6,000 acres, Suncadia welcomes guests to its inn, condos, and the showstopper piece, the lodge. Modeled after lodges found in national parks, the comfy, 254-room locale delivers a bring-the-kids-and-dogs winter vib. Hop between cross-country skiing, ice-skating, and sledding on the steep lawn with the snowy Cascades as a backdrop.   [bookit_button text="The Lodge at Suncadia" price="From $228" url="http://suncadia.com/"]

From a distance, it’s True Grit. Up close, true Ritz. At first glance, Dunton Hot Springs, in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains southwest of Telluride, gives off an aura of pioneer simplicity. But the Old West was never this posh. Dunton’s new life springs from German entrepreneur Christoph Henkel, who transformed the 125-year-old mining town into a high-end resort. The 13 guest cabins blend rustic with insanely comfortable. The former saloon/dance hall is now the dining room, serving mostly regionally sourced food. Two cabins are devoted to spa treatments. Guests tend to be adventurous and interesting. Expensive? Yes. But where else do you get your own town? Local activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dogsledding on-site; downhill in Telluride, 1 1/2 hours away.

[bookit_button text="Dunton Hot Springs" price="From $630, including meals" url="http://duntonhotsprings.com"]

The Family Room at the Basecamp Hotel in Lake Tahoe is like something a kid would dream up: ladders climbing to twin bunks facing a big flat-screen TV, paired with two queen beds topped by wool camp blankets. It’s one of 74 rooms in this modern, edgy remodel of an old-style motor lodge within walking distance of the slopes at Heavenly Mountain Resort. For aspiring young cold-weather campers, The Great Indoors Room comes with an indoor tent, faux-fire pit, woodsy wall mural, picnic table, and glow-in-the-dark ceiling stars. Outside, the playful spirit continues, with communal firepits for roasting s’mores. [bookit_button text="Basecamp Hotel" price="From $99" url="http://basecamptahoecity.com"]

You won’t find this anywhere else on Lake Tahoe: Across the road from the downhill runs of Homewood Mountain Resort, an intimate six-room inn that feels like your very own home. Or, well, like the woodsy-elegant waterfront home of your very wealthy friend. You know, with flickering gas fireplaces, slate-stone bathrooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows (in your room and at the downstairs restaurant-bar) that reveal every glorious ripple of Tahoe and the peaks beyond. Pad around in slippers, if you like—lots of après-skiers do, as they sidle to the bar for a Bloody Mary. Local activities include reduced-rate skiing and snowboarding at Homewood, as well as cross-country skiing and ice-skating nearby. [bookit_button text="West Shore Cafe & Inn" price="From $159" url="http://westshorecafe.com/"]

Overlooking a stretch of the Metolius River in Central Oregon, about 150 miles southeast of Portland, House on Metolius served as a private retreat for the Zehntbauer family (who helped create the Jantzen swimwear line). Today it’s a perfect place to stage that get-away-from-it-all family retreat or Big Chill–style friends’ weekend. The lodge is wonderfully understated, and you pretty much have the run of the place for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter fly-fishing; there’s downhill skiing at beginner-friendly Hoodoo Ski Area, about a half-hour away. Or just hang out in front of a crackling fire. The setup: 200 acres, an eight-room main house with big views of Mt. Jefferson, and four of the five vintage cabins available in winter.  [bookit_button text="House on Metolius" price="From $219" url="http://metolius.com/"]

Few hotels can top the magical mountainside location of Aspen’s Little Nell in winter. You can see the slopes of Aspen Mountain above the hotel’s cozy courtyard at the edge of downtown. Either way, roll out of bed and right onto the Silver Queen Gondola. Guest rooms and suites are modern but plush with sumptuous king beds, leather armchairs and ottomans, gas-log fireplaces, and flat-screen TVs. Indulge in The Little Nell’s warm winter service, ranging from your own ski concierge to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as skiing the mountain before it opens in the morning. [bookit_button text="The Little Nell" price="From $413" url="http://thelittlenell.com"]

It’s rare to find a historic lodge that feels cushy by today’s standards, but the 35 studio to three-bedroom cabins at Tamarack Lodge are comfortable hideaways with kitchens, fireplaces, firewood-stocked porches, and iPod docking stations tucked amid the requisite knotty-pine paneling and plaid. They’re great for families with young kids—think timeless but indestructible, with sturdy coffee tables for games. The best part? Having your own cabin in the snow means enough space for kids to be kids. Build snowmen and launch a snowball fight before heading to the lakefront dining room and putting your feet up near the fire. The lodge has temporarily suspended reservations and will reinstate them when the state's stay-at-home order is lifted. [bookit_button text="Tamarack Resort" price="From $119" url="https://www.tamaracklodge.com"]

Combine the feeling of swaying in a hammock with a treehouse and a warm cabin—and you have Vancouver Island’s Free Spirit Spheres. The 10-foot-wide structures bob like Christmas ornaments among the boughs, and “even in winter, a sphere is a warm place,” says founder and builder Tom Chudleigh. Made from cedar or Sitka spruce, the spheres have electric heat and built-in beds big enough for two. Hanging-bridge ladders grant you access—the spheres are 10 to 15 feet above ground—and circular windows look onto the forest. The best perk? You can fall asleep swaying in the breeze.

 

 

[bookit_button text="Free Spirit Spheres" price="From $142" url="http://freespiritspheres.com"]