You won鈥檛 feel guilty eating a second helping of dessert at these mountaintop lodges and huts from Vermont to Colorado. You鈥檒l earn your dinner with a guided, nighttime cross-country ski聽or snowshoe before sitting down to a multi-course meal.
The Chalet
Alpine Meadows, California
At dusk, you鈥檒l a quarter of a mile up a gentle groomed slope to an intimate on-mountain lodge known as the Chalet. From there, you and 50 of your new best friends will sit down for a formal European-inspired meal, with hot soups and grilled meats and apfel streudel for dessert.
Hazie鈥檚 Restaurant
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
From January through March, you can ride Steamboat鈥檚 gondola up at night, go for a with moonlit views of the Yampa Valley, then head to the mountaintop Hazie鈥檚 Restaurant for a three-course dinner featuring elk or sea bass, then end the evening with a gondola ride back down the mountain.
Tennessee Pass Cookhouse
Leadville, Colorado
Deep in Colorado鈥檚 Sawatch Mountains lies the Nordic ski center of Tennessee Pass, where you can cross-country ski along 25 kilometers of trail by day and sleep in a log bunk聽bed聽in an off-the-grid yurt by night. It鈥檚 a one-mile-long ski to reach the , where four-course meals of Colorado-raised rack of lamb and homemade pie are served to hungry diners.
Stowe Mountain Lodge
Stowe, Vermont
You鈥檒l head out from Vermont鈥檚 at night for an hour-long snowshoe trek using a headlamp and the moonlight and end up at a nearby yurt, located within the Nordic ski trails. Wine, cheese, and a four-course dinner await. For dessert, you鈥檒l roast s鈥檓ores over an outdoor fire pit.
Boulder Yurt
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley Trekking leads guided night hikes out to the , accessed via a one-and-a-half-mile snowshoe or Nordic ski from the trailhead. The yurt has a full kitchen, manned by a backcountry chef, plus a wood stove and sleeping areas in case you want to spend the night.
Pine聽Creek Cookhouse
Aspen, Colorado
Located in the Elk Mountains outside of Aspen, the is a legendary place to dine. You鈥檒l ski or snowshoe into dinner amongst Ashcroft Ski Touring鈥檚 20 kilometers of Nordic trails across 730 rolling, snow-covered acres. Then chow on a mountain-inspired meal of buffalo tenderloin or stuffed acorn squash at an elevation of 9,500 feet.
The Yurt at Solitude
Solitude, Utah
Depart from Solitude鈥檚 Powderhorn 国产吃瓜黑料 Center on snowshoes and hike less than a mile into the woods before arriving at a that can seat up to 24 people for a cozy dinner. Chefs whip up a gourmet four-course meal with dishes like tomato bisque, roasted duck, and chocolate cake.
Magic Meadows Yurt
Crested Butte, Colorado
Sure, you鈥檝e got to ski a mile to your meal. But once you arrive at the solar-powered within Crested Butte鈥檚 Nordic Center, you鈥檒l be treated to a wood-burning stove, live music, and cocktails made with locally-distilled rum. A five-course dinner of butternut squash soup and winter risotto follows.
Tipi Camp
Jackson, Wyoming
On this guided snowshoe tour with , your guide will pick you up at your hotel and outfit you with snowshoes. You鈥檒l hike through the snow, following lit lanterns, to a tipi camp aglow under the Tetons. Wild salmon or buffalo are on the dinner menu, followed by desserts baked on site in a Dutch oven.
Top of the Notch
Smugglers鈥 Notch, Vermont
Ride the Sterling lift at Smugglers鈥 Notch Resort to the Top of the Notch, a rustic mountaintop cabin. There, you鈥檒l enjoy a summit snowshoe tour, followed by a candlelit catered dinner. A menu favorite? A roasted Vermont-stuffed chicken breast, packed with McIntosh apples, Cabot cheddar, and maple-cured ham and coated with a cider cream sauce.