Best of the High Country
Best of the High Country 2001
A list of the best Museums, Romantic Getaways, Wedding Spots and much more



Photo Courtesy of Buffalo Bill Historical Center
10 Best Mountain Museums

• The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
• Colorado Ski Museum & Ski Hall of Fame, Vail, Colorado
• Museum of the Mountain Man, Pinedale, Wyoming
• Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Black Hills Mining Museum, Lead, South Dakota
• Hiwan Homestead Museum, Evergreen, Colorado
• Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, Crested Butte, Colorado
• Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Georgia O’Keeffe House, Abiquiu, New Mexico
• Biltmore House, Asheville, North Carolina

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming, is one of America’s finest Western museums. The four-museum complex has an outstanding collection of masterworks of the American West, the world’s most comprehensive collection of American firearms and one of the country’s largest collections of Plains Indian art and artifacts.

Visit www.bbhc.org or call (307) 587-4771. From the early trappers and miners of the late 1800s to the competitive high-tech racers of today, the Colorado Ski Museum & Ski Hall of Fame, Vail, Colorado, is the “keeper” of this great skiing heritage and history. (970) 476-1876 or ww.vailsoft.com/museum.

At the foot of the Wind River Mountains and near the headwaters of the Green River, the Museum of the Mountain Man, Pinedale, Wyoming, celebrates the brief but colorful history of the 19thcentury trappers and mountain men. A reenactment of the Green River Rendezvous is held each year in June. Log on to www.pinedaleonline.com/mmmuseum or call (877) 686-6266. Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, features a huge room full of folk art toys as well as several rooms devoted to historic textiles and the New Mexico santos culture. Visit www.moifa.org or call (505) 476-1200.

Black Hills Mining Museum, Lead, South Dakota, is dedicated to preserving the rich mining heritage of the Black Hills. Log on to www.mining museum.blackhills.com or call (605) 584-1605.

10 Best Ghost Towns

The creation of interstate highways brought the demise of many small towns across the country. These deserted towns are full of history and lore and make for an interesting diversion from the average road trip.

• Idaho City, Idaho
• Old Trail Town, Wyoming
• Cades Cove, Tennessee
• Nevada City, Montana
• St. Elmo, Colorado
• Virginia City, Montana
• Tincup, Colorado
• Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
• Garnet, Montana
• Paradise Valley, Nevada

10 Best Romantic Getaways

• The Cliff House, Manitou Springs, Colorado
• L’Auberge de Sedona, Sedona, Arizona
• Highland Haven, Evergreen, Colorado
• The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
• Lone Mountain Ranch, Big Sky, Montana
• The Point, Saranac Lake, New York
• The Honor Mansion, Healdsburg, California
• Settler’s Crossing, Fredericksburg, Texas
• American Club, Kohler, Wisconsin
• Avalanche Ranch, Carbondale, Colorado



Photo By Ron Burke
10 Best Wedding Spots

• Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Teton Nat’l Park, Wyoming
• The Red Rocks of Sedona, Sedona, Arizona
• Log Haven, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Grand Lake Lodge, Grand Lake, Colorado
• Chapel at the Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Wayfarer’s Chapel, Wapati, Wyoming
• Canyon Wedding Chapel, Red Lodge, Montana
• The Little Glass Chapel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
• Beaver Creek Chapel, Beaver Creek, Colorado

The Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, was completed in 1925 and is a simple little cabin with aspen pews that sits in the middle of a meadow. The meadow is part of Grand Teton National Park and the cabin is on the National Register of Historic Places. The chapel is under the care of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole and is available for weddings from late May through September. Call the church at (307) 733-2603 for information.

Every year couples from around the world come to The Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona, to get married. Magnificent scenery, top restaurants and romantic bed & breakfasts make Sedona a popular place. Visit www.sedona.net and check out their extensive wedding planning guide.

Grand Lake Lodge, Grand Lake, Colorado, is situated on a densely wooded mountainside with views of Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake. This lodge is known as “Colorado’s Favorite Front Porch.” Call (970) 627-3967 for information. Log Haven, Salt Lake City, Utah, is a log mansion located in the Wasatch National Forest and offers 40 private acres of incredible wildflowers, waterfalls and majestic pines. Call (801) 272-8255 for information.

Chapel at the Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a charming little chapel set close to a national park and surrounded by a lush, serene forest full of flowering rhododendron, mountain laurel and dogwood. (800) 693-6479 or www.chapelatthepark.com.

10 Best Family Vacation Spots

• Glacier National Park, Montana
• Great Sand Dunes Nationalonument, Colorado
• Black Hills, South Dakota
• Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands, Virginia
• Grand Targhee, Idaho
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
• Twin Mountain, New Hampshire
• Lake Tahoe, California
• Mt. Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
• Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado



Photo by David Foxhoven
10 Best Wild Flower Hikes

• Wildflower Festival, Crested Butte, Colorado
• Theodore Payne Foundation, Sun Valley, California
• The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas
• Poppy Reserve, Gorman/Tejon Pass, California
• Roan Mountain, Roan Mountain State Park, Tennessee
• Wildflower Pilgrimage, Blackwater Falls, West Virginia
• Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park, Montana
• Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
• Wildseed Farms, Fredericksburg, Texas
• Old Mill Hike, Babcock State Park, West Virginia

Hike in mountain meadows near the quaint Victorian village of Crested Butte to view an abundant natural display of wildflowers during the Wildflower Festival, Crested Butte, Colorado, held in mid-July. Visit www.wildflowerfest.com. Theodore Payne Foundation, Sun Valley, California, is named after an Englishman who published the first California wildflower catalog in 1906. Docent-led wildflower walks begin in early April and last until mid-May. Log on to www.sketch.com/sightseeing or call (818) 768-1802.

The climate and location of Texas have produced outstanding displays of wildflowers for thousands of years. Bluebonnets are probably the favorite of Texans and visitors alike. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas, is a mecca for flower enthusiasts from all over the world. Log on to www.wildflower.org or call (512) 292-4200.

During mid-April, between San Joaquin and Los Angeles (on Interstate 5), you can’t miss the Poppy Reserve, Gorman/Tejon Pass, California. The brilliant splashes of orange, gold and fuchsia are the best in the state. Call the Kern County Wildflower Hotline, (800) 500-KERN.

For more than four decades, people have come to Roan Mountain, Tennessee, for a three-day celebration to explore subjects such as wildflowers, medicinal and edible plants and more. For information log on to www.etsu.edu/biology/ roan-mtn or call (423) 542-7576.

10 Best Mountain Festivals

• Winter Carnival, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
• International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Utah Symphony, Deer Valley, Utah
• Mountain Man Rendezvous, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Graves Mountain Festival of Music, Syria, Virginia
• Strings in the Mountains, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
• Icewine Festival, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
• Aspen Music Festival Aspen, Colorado
• Sweet Pea Festival, Bozeman, Montana
• Highland Maple Festival, Highland County, Virginia

Winter Carnival, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Celebrating its 88th “Ski Jubilee” in February 2001, this is the oldest continuing winter carnival west of the Mississippi. Carnival is the time of year when locals, ranchers, cowboys, and snow-lovers turn out to show visitors how winter is celebrated in thism small, Northwest Colorado community. For one week, the entire town is given over to racing, ski jumping, chariot racing and a parade featuring Steamboat’s skiiing high school band—the only one in the United States. The highlight of the carnival is a spectacular night show featuring the legendary Lighted Man, a local tradition since 1936 in which Jon Banks excites his audience with a dazzling array of self-contained lights and fireworks. The festival is hosted by the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, one of the largest and oldest winter sports clubs in the U.S. Call (970) 879-6111 or visit www.steamboat-ski.com.



Photo courtesy of Winter Park Resorts
10 Best Ski Schools

• Sprint® Perfect Turn Discovery Center, Killington, Vermont
• Skier and Rider Improvement Center, Winter Park, Colorado
• Alpine Meadows Snowsports School, Tahoe City, California
• Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard School, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Schoolhouse at Union Creek, Copper Mountain, Colorado
• Vail/Beavercreek Ski and Snowboard School, Vail, Colorado
• Park City Mountain Resort Ski School, Park City, Utah
• Snow Sport University, Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont
• Whistler-Blackcomb Ski and Snowboard School, Whistler, BC, Canada
• The Mammoth Sports School, Mammoth Mountain, California

A 1,000-acre mountain top spread next to the Smoky Mountain National Park, the Cataloochee Ranch, Maggie Valley, North Carolina, has 13 cabins, six suites and six rooms, as well as horseback riding, pack trips, hiking and more. (800) 868-1401.

Dress in your best cowboy duds and mosey down to the chuckwagon cookout at the Bill Cody Ranch, Cody, Wyoming. Or go horseback riding (their specialty) through breath-taking mountain scenery. (307) 587-6271.

10 Best Historical Hotels

• Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone, Wyoming
• Grove Park Inn Resort, Asheville, North Carolina
• The Sardy House, Aspen, Colorado
• The Pollard, Red Lodge, Montana
• The Virginian, Medicine Bow, Wyoming
• Green Mountain Inn, Stowe, Vermont
• Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado
• Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York
• La Fonda, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta, Canada

10 Best Dude Rances

• C Lazy U, Granby, Colorado
• Flying A Ranch, Pinedale, Wyoming
• Bonanza Creek Country, Martinsdale, Montana
• Cataloochee Ranch, Maggie Valley, North Carolina
• Bill Cody Ranch, Cody, Wyoming
• Tumbling River Ranch, Grant, Colorado
• Eaton’s Ranch, Wolf, Wyoming
• Rancho de los Caballeros, Wickenburg, Arizona
• K Bar L Ranch, Augusta, Montana
• UXU Ranch, Cody, Wyoming

C Lazy U, Granby, Colorado, has been a dude ranch since the late 1940’s. This Five Diamond resort is located in the heart of the Colorado mountains. The cabins and rooms are beautifully decorated with western accents, the staff is helpful and fun, the food is excellent, and the horses well-mannered. In summer, hiking, fishing and lazing around the pool are favorite activities. In winter, C Lazy U provides exceptional cross-country skiing and sledding excursions. Call (970) 887-3344 or visit www.clazyu.com.

With capacity for only 12 guests, the Flying A Ranch, Pinedale, Wyoming, is intimate but not lacking in activities and is only a short drive from Jackson Hole. Call (307) 367-2385. Try your hand at roping and rounding up cattle at Bonanza Creek Country, Martinsdale, Montana, a real working ranch. It’s a different kind of adventure for those seeking more than just your average vacation. (800) 476-6045.