Small towns and surrounding mountains offer snowsports galore – and some indoor pleasures, too By Claire Walter
Winter
The Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse Old Corral
never passes Wyoming by. Locals and visitors treasure crisp, cold air, sparkling snow, abundant scenic beauty, real Western authenticity and an astonishing absence of crowds. Excellent places for a winter getaway are not necessarily the cities, the highly developed ski resorts or the carefully managed national parks but smaller towns offering a rare combination of outdoor adventure, tranquility and off-season bargain prices.
When I long for a winter escape to a place that time forgot, I head for the Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming. Centennial, less than an hour's drive on Highway 130 from the college town of Laramie and about two hours from the state capital of Cheyenne or from Fort Collins in northern Colorado, is a wide spot on the road with a handful of stores that are functional, not fancy.
The Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse is a local landmark, built in 1872 and expanded and remodeled innumerable times since. It provides inexpensive lodging, a casual pine-paneled restaurant where home cooking prevails and a big, kitsch-filled gift shop that always brings a smile to my face.
The Old Corral was more than half a century old in 1927, when the Snowy Mountain Lodge opened. The recently renovated lodge and cabins, set at 10,000 feet and surrounded by national forest, make a totally idyllic getaway. The restaurant (ask why it's called the Three Horned Rhino Eat'n Place) serves hearty, delicious fare.
Both places offer easy access to abundant winter sports. The Snowy Range Ski Area, a laid-back, family-friendly ski and snowboard area, is open Thursday through Monday, plus daily during holiday weeks, until early April. With four chairlifts, 27 trails and a 1,000-foot vertical, it is large enough for variety but compact enough so that it's not intimidating.
Scattering some powder photo courtesy of Wyoming Iron Horse Adventures
Centennial is also the gateway to 325 miles of fabulous snowmobile trails in the Medicine Bow National Forest. Roughly half are groomed regularly and the other half are marked and signed but not groomed. The Old Corral and the Snowy Mountain Lodge can arrange for snowmobile rentals or tours, or you can book directly with Snowy Range Snowmobile Tours. Other comfortable lodging and snowmobile rental options on the Centennial side of the forest include the Albany Lodge and Mountain Meadows Cabins. You can also drive to snowmobiling galore via Highway 230 west of Laramie. In Fox Park, contact Snowy Mountain Adventures or a little farther along the highway, WyColo Lodge.
For those who prefer their winter recreation non-motorized, there are miles of ski touring and snowshoeing. Three trailheads (Corner Mountain, Little Laramie and Green Rock, $5 access fee) are directly off Highway 130, which continues across the mountains to Saratoga.
Saratoga, set along the North Platte River at the terminus of a Union Pacific Railroad spur, provides a beguiling winter escape. Once a logging and (briefly) copper mining area, it and nearby Encampment remain cattle country. Winter trails in the Snowy Range east of town and in the Sierra Madre Range to the west beckon cross-country skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers. Between them, they boast more than 411 miles of trails, over half of them groomed. Explore either range on a snowmobile with Wyoming Iron Horse Adventures.
In my book, Saratoga's most unexpected winter treat, especially after a day on snow, is the municipal hot pool, known locally as the Hobo Pool. Set beside the Platte River and just off the main street, it is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Admission is free.
Winter
Snowshoeing the trails is a great winter adventure
highlights in Saratoga are Snow Cross (Jan. 14-15, 2006) featuring exciting snowmobile races and freestyle events; the annual Ice Fishing Derby (Jan. 21-22, 2006) where ice-angling enthusiasts go for game fish in Saratoga Lake and the 20th annual Sierra Madre Winter Carnival (Feb. 4-5, 2006). Every Presidents' Weekend, the area hosts Chariot Races (Feb. 18-19, 2006), where two-horse teams sprint on a cleared quarter-mile track. What a sight to watch powerful horses pulling chariots at full-tilt against snow-covered mountains! In Laramie, the University of Wyoming Nordic ski teams host the Cowboy Chase (Feb. 11-12, 2006). The event features a 7.5 km Freestyle race and a 15 km Classic Pursuit race.
If you go:
The Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse (866-OLD-CORRAL, 307-745-5918, www.oldcorral.com)
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