Help me head for the hills.

October 23, 2007 5:13 PM

Need help finding traditional mountain/snow lodge-type getaway in the U.S. Think the lodge from The Shining (without all the REDRUM).

The wife and I need to get away. We don't ski, but would like to spend a few days in the snow/mountains of Colorado, Utah or Wyoming in November. The destination I have in mind is a lodge with activities/attractions onsite or within walking distance. Emphasis on relaxation, not skiing.

posted by punkfloyd to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO is actually the Shining hotel. It's gorgeous and there are pleasant non-skiing things to do in the vicinity.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:21 PM on October 23, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

You can go to the lodge in the Shining. It is on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Absolutely beautiful (not creepy). Portland is only hours away, as well as Mt. Hood river. Just ignore the skiers and they won't bother you.
posted by Eringatang at 5:42 PM on October 23, 2007

Wait...I thought it was Mt. Hood!
posted by Eringatang at 5:44 PM on October 23, 2007

Ah, we're both right. They Stanley Hotel was in the miniseries.
posted by Eringatang at 5:45 PM on October 23, 2007

For what it's worth, Estes Park doesn't receive a particularly large amount of snow during the Winter, so unless you visit immediately after a big storm, you're more like to find a brown landscape than a snowy one.

If you're looking for the "snow lodge" atmosphere, you'll need to head deeper into the mountains. Even if you're not interested in skiing, the ski towns may still be your best bet... typically, you can find leisure-oriented lodges and hotels there, and if you're planning a trip in November, the crowds shouldn't be too bad.
posted by jal0021 at 10:04 PM on October 23, 2007

My family went to Jackson Hole, WY last winter and have not stopped talking about it. I don't know where they stayed, but there are a lot of different hotels. It is driving distance from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and an elk preserve.
posted by gembackwards at 8:50 AM on October 24, 2007

Not in CO, UT, WY, but the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park CA was designed (inside and out) by the same people who did The Shining's Timberline Lodge in Oregon, and Yosemite ain't too shabby in the wintertime. I was working at Yosemite when they showed The Shining at an employee theater and I remember the collective gasp when the lobby of the hotel appeared onscreen - it's VERY similar to the Ahwahnee's - eerie.

Anyway, nothing better than to sit in the Ahwahnee's Great Room, sipping a Bloody Mary while watching the snow fall gently on the meadow.
posted by DandyRandy at 1:38 PM on October 24, 2007

Glenwood springs is nice. Nothing like hanging out in the massive spring fed pool in a snow storm. Vail has lots of the sort of places you are looking for, I got married here. Aspen is nice, this place has very cool (up-scale) atmosphere. Featured in dumb and dumber, what more can you ask for!

Oh, and I also second the Stanley.

All these places have plenty of non-ski activities.
posted by cosmac at 2:10 PM on October 24, 2007