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Escape the cold in a cleanly updated cabin at Turpin Meadow Ranch.
(Photo: Courtesy of Turpin Meadow Ranch) |
Escape into the wilderness at Turpin Meadow Ranch (from $265, breakfast included), a lodge and Nordic ski center about 45 miles north of downtown. It’s worth the hike to this former dude ranch, which reopened in January 2014 after a two-year revamp by two former Olympic skiers. You won’t find televisions and cell service is spotty, but there’s access to miles of groomed trails for Nordic skiing and fat biking. One- and two-bedroom log cabins have been gut-renovated and kitted out with gas-lit stoves and Pendleton blankets, and the lodge restaurant serves rib-sticking fare like sourdough-huckleberry pancakes and a lamb-wich with fingerling-potato confit ($14).
Sleep in style at the Hotel Jackson (from $225, October�December and March�May; from $325, end of winter; from $425, peak winter), a 57-room property scheduled to open in downtown Jackson in March. The modern Western look is chic and understated�locally quarried stone walls, recycled barn wood in the bar, and nary a deer bust in sight. All rooms are done up in toned-down hues, with gas fireplaces and L’Occitane toiletries, and premier guest rooms have soaking tubs (some even have terraces). A restaurant and bar on property are planned, plus an outdoor bistro out back.
Straddle the town-wilderness divide at Snow King Resort Hotel (from $180), located at the base of the eponymous mountain on the edge of town. In 2013, the property completed a $16 million renovation, which means crisp bedding and stellar views in the warm, chocolate-toned rooms. The pool-deck fire pits are a great place to watch night skiers whiz by. The restaurant, Hayden’s Post, is an airy, light-filled space serving elevated campfire-style fare, like bison chili ($7) and molasses-brined chicken ($25); at breakfast, don’t miss the killer cinnamon bun ($5).