Comments on: Help me head for the hills.

Question: Help me head for the hills.

punkfloyd — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:13:34 -0800

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.

By: Lyn Never

Lyn Never — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:21:14 -0800

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.

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:42:50 -0800

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.

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:44:01 -0800

Wait...I thought it was Mt. Hood!

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:45:54 -0800

Ah, we're both right. They Stanley Hotel was in the miniseries.

By: jal0021

jal0021 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:04:33 -0800

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.

By: gembackwards

gembackwards — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:50:52 -0800

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.

By: DandyRandy

DandyRandy — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:38:44 -0800

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.

By: cosmac

cosmac — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:10:38 -0800

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.