Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

Why My Family and I Love the Suitree Experience Hotel

It was my 13-year-old son who first became obsessed with the idea of staying at a treehouse in Costa Rica. So, when I found online, I quickly called him over. We stared, mesmerized, at the website’s drone footage of the treehouses’ disc-like rooftops set in a verdant rainforest on a hillside amid the clouds.

These aren’t your typical treehouses. Suitree’s four individual podlike dwellings are propped up on 30-foot-high steel stilts to better survey the scenery, with winding staircases leading to 110-square-foot “rooms.” Additionally, two ground-level bungalows can accommodate two, while their elevated counterparts can sleep up to four. On-site common areas include a lookout platform (offering views of the surrounding tree-covered hills), four pools (one with a swim-up bar), and an open-air restaurant.

Suitree opened in 2018 in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, just six miles from the closest Pacific beach. Its Italian owner enlisted an architecture firm in the capital city of San José for help in developing his idea: an immersive, canopied modern treehouse. (A note from the firm: Not a single tree was harmed in the making of this hotel.)

Fairly unfamiliar with Costa Rica, I asked a friend who lives in the province about Suitree and Sardinal, the closest town. “It’s where?” He balked. “There’s nothing out there.”

I booked it for a night anyway. Although Sardinal is roughly eight miles from Playa Hermosa, winding dirt roads make travel slow—and confusing. Apple Maps suggested we drive through a private horse pasture. Fortunately, we found another way without trespassing.

“That’s part of the experience,” says Nidia Bravo, a Costa Rican travel specialist who represents Suitree. While the property provides transfers from Liberia Guanacaste Airport, roughly 45 minutes away, guests with their own vehicle can make an adventure of their time here, just as we opted to.

We spent the morning playing in the ocean and trekking the trails in the shorefront town of Las Catalinas before heading toward Suitree. En route, we pulled off to enjoy a zip-lining adventure and monkey sanctuary. Had we foregone these detours, our drive from the coast would’ve taken about 30 minutes.

Upon our arrival, a golf cart transported us and our luggage up a steep, narrow cobblestone path to the base of our magical treehouse, which struck me as a modern Ewok village. At ground level was a private swing sofa. Our winding staircase led to what seemed like a trap door in the center of the elevated pod. Once through the hatch, we stepped into a gorgeous teak interior. There was a king-size bed, a bunk-bed nook, a writing desk, and a seemingly hidden—but spacious—bathroom. Nearly the entire space was encased by floor-to-ceiling windows.

We made the most of our wraparound deck, which afforded 360-degree views of the valley, mountains, and treetops. I did my there. And one of us was usually perched on the deck with the room’s pair of high-powered binoculars, scanning the surrounding canopy in search of wildlife. I could’ve stared out at the surrounding hills, listening to birdcalls and monkey howls for hours, but we had four bright blue pools to explore before dinner.

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While Guanacaste is known for surfing—its 400-mile Gold Coast is home to popular beach breaks like Tamarindo and Playa Grande—the interior is where you’ll find monkeys and sloths and birds (oh my!).

For an additional fee, Suitree staff will book all sorts of guided tours, from a horseback ride through a savannah, to a rainforest hike at the base of the Arenal volcano, to an all-day excursion of the colonial city of Grenada, Nicaragua, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Suitree. If we’d had more time, I would’ve loved to try one of the many self-guided adventures available, including mountain biking and e-biking, hiking, and buggy rides into the jungle.

Instead, we floated in Suitree’s connected stone pools (at one point next to a resident iguana) and walked among hundreds of white and yellow butterflies. We laid out on the netting at the lookout while listening to the screeches of howler monkeys, and peered through binoculars in search of them and the other area residents: white-faced capuchin and squirrel monkeys, sloths, , , and 948 species of birds, many of them wonderfully colorful.

Various butterflies wing from bush to bush at Suitree Experience. Costa Rica is home to 1,500-plus butterfly species, and the rainier months between May and November are when more tend to be spotted. (Video: Courtesy Lisa Jhung)

My husband rose early and spotted red and blue tanagers in the adjacent tree canopy, along with an iridescent purple and green fellow that he identified as a spectacular motmot. Over coffee, I spent a solid 20 minutes staring through the binoculars at a brown spot on a faraway hillside to see if it moved—I was desperate to see a sloth. While I’ll never know if I accomplished my mission that morning, I did see a variety of birds and fell in love with the fluttering butterflies who hovered so close that they seemed to be wanting to tell me something.

Each night, bright stars speckled the sky. I regret heading straight to bed instead of out on the deck to stargaze, but fell asleep happily to the jungle’s nocturnal noises.

Choice Treehouse

While the hotel accommodates various wants and needs, including a wheelchair-friendly bungalow, its four treehouses are the main attractions. Do you choose the one with a private jacuzzi? Or the one that overlooks the stone pools? Or the one with a newly installed private pool?

We picked the one with the pool view. (The treehouse with its own pool was completed after our stay, and, because I’m obsessed with water, that’s where we would have wound up.)

Eat and Drink

With no restaurants within easy walking distance, guests will inevitably gather for a meal at Suitree’s on-site restaurant, Taru. Its menu features fresh, locally sourced ingredients and dishes inspired by regional traditions.

We started dinner with fresh guacamole prepared tableside, followed by our entrees: a mahi-mahi with seasonal vegetables for my husband and myself, and osso buco with spaghetti al bronzo (a tomato jus) for the boys.

Breakfast is included with your stay, and my sons and I were thrilled when the friendly staff offered to serve us at the swim-up bar. (My husband, less obsessed with water, dined at a regular table.) We swam over to stone stools submerged in cool water and my sons ordered pancakes, while I indulged in incredibly fresh fruit, yogurt, and honey foam.

When to Go

Suitree closes for renovations each October, toward the end of the rainy, less-touristed months (typically May through November). Rain can make outdoor activities more challenging and travel along this area’s numerous dirt roads difficult, but it also keeps this country green and doesn’t often last all day, every day.

The dry season is December through April, when prices are highest and temperatures hottest.

We visited in June and experienced torrential rains for less than 3 days of our 12-day trip, mostly at night. High temperatures were in the eighties, with more than 80 percent humidity.

How to Get There

San José International Airport is a four-hour drive from Suitree, but the closer option is the region’s Liberia airport. The hotel offers luxury transport to and from Liberia for $120 each way for up to four people. Alternatively, you can book a shuttle or a taxi.

Don’t Miss

There’s zip lining in Costa Rica, and then there’s extreme zip lining in Costa Rica. Sign up for the latter. My family and I had our extreme experience at in Artola, less than 30 minutes from Suitree, halfway to the Pacific coast (from $45). We also tacked on a walk through its monkey sanctuary (from $54).

Strapped into a full-body harness, each of us in a completely horizontal, prone position, we whirred through the jungle canopy on five different zip lines, the longest of which was a quarter-mile. I stretched my arms out to enhance the feeling of flying above the gorgeous landscape.

DetailsĚý

Price: From $294

Address: Guanacaste, Sardinal de Carrillo
Obandito, 50503, Costa Rica

To Book:

Raised near the coast of San Diego, but living a mountain life in Boulder, Colorado, Lisa Jhung finds every excuse to travel to a beach. That said, she found herself drawn to Costa Rica’s interior on this trip, wowed by its jungles, wildlife, and adventures. Jhung’s most recent articles for şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online include a story on ways to make a family ski trips easier and the best winter running shoes.Ěý

The post This Costa Rican Treehouse Hotel Elevated My Jungle-şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Expectations appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

Ten feet overhead in a desert canyon in Utah, a jammed log spanned the gully, left by a recent flash flood. In the next passage in Harris Wash inĚýGrand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah, our group gazed up at a tangled brown stripe of debris from the same flood, adorning a green cottonwood tree like Spanish moss.

All our lives we marvel at nature’s power. Here we also appreciated the immovability of geology—rock walls—as our group of nine, all staying in the region atĚýthe complex, at first walked and then arduously wormed through a narrowing slot canyon. When the sides pinched down to only a foot wide, my friend DeMarco Williams, athletic and deep-chested, said from two feet ahead, “I don’t know if I can do this.” He was pinned.

Ofland Escalante, two miles from the town of Escalante, is situated amid the landscape of the national monument and between two national parks. (Video: Eric Vega)

I had it easier, being smaller. As a climber, I’ve been in squeeze chimneys before; they can be awful and claustrophobic, and you just want out, but have to make it happen.

DeMarco pressed on, and something gave, and he scraped through the constriction. I followed, ducking, and emerged into the light, where he waited smiling. At each obstacle, following canyoneering practices shown us by Rick Green, owner of the guiding outfit , one of us waited to help the next person.

This trip last August was to the treasure that is Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, where friends and I all stayed two nights at Ofland Escalante, an ideal, central base located within the national monument and two miles west of the pioneer town of the same name. (Harris Wash was some 25 miles from town, with much of the drive on a washboard road.)

Not everyone in our group loved our several-hour canyoneering experience. Some cried, and some half-laughed, half-cried. But no one will forget it.

Toward the end, having split into two groups (one with Amie Fortin of the same outfit), we all convened for lunch in a bowl among blunt buttresses that were once ancient sand dunes, the slickrock around us inscribed with fine criss-cross lines. Sage and grasses waved in the wind, with hardy piñon-juniper trees in clumps nearby. Paiute, Ute, and Navajo tribes once dwelled in this region. So did dinosaurs. We saw no one else all day.

As we all looped back out of the canyon, we scrambled a little, but much of the return was just a quiet, reverent walk through washes and passages. Tracing the undulating wind- and water-sculpted walls, I peered into natural niches like little altars, holding swirls of sediment.

The Lodge

Closed each winter but slated to reopen March 12, Ofland Escalante is located just off Highway 12. Opened in 2021 on the site of an old RV park and drive-in movie theater, the place was in recent years, per the website, a “luxury RV park” known as Yonder Escalante. In May 2023 the new owners added “deluxe” cabins, and last year renamed the place (“Ofland” is for “of the land”). Ofland has varying services and prices, and brings people together in communal spaces.Ěý

The place offers four types of accommodations. I bunked in a Deluxe Cabin, simple and boxy with floor-to-ceiling windows, able to sleep up to four people. Also available are vintage Airstreams, tiny cabins, and campsites.

The central common area draws visitors with a fire pit, picnic tables, complimentary hot drinks, and shelves of books, board games, and cards. Our crew brought over s’mores supplies from our rooms and gathered at the tables for spirited rounds of Uno.

On Ofland Escalante’s 22-acre grounds, you can still enjoy the vintage outdoor “drive-in” theater, where you watch from inside one of nine in-situ classic cars. Other property diversions include a hot tub and swimming pool.

But the big deal is the place’s location amid the wonders of the Utah desert. The nearby town of Escalante is on the northern border of the 1.87-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and just off the 123-mile-long U of scenic highway 12, which runs between Panguich, 67 miles west of the town, and Torrey, 65 miles north of it. Escalante sits between two national parks, about 50 miles east of Bryce Canyon and 67 southwest of Capitol Reef. Highway 12 links them all.

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Escalante (and Ofland Escalante) are in road-trip reach of five national parks, four state parks, another national monument, and the vast Dixie National Forest, all boasting a myriad of .

You’re also in the high-elevation desert here. The town of Escalante is set at 5,800 feet, and the surrounding area rises to about 8,600 feet, while reaches 9,000 feet. So ascend gradually and, while you are outside and exerting, pay attention to your water intake.

Escalante is famous for its slot canyons, and Excursions of Escalante can take you out, set up rappels, and use their guides’ situational experience to avoid dangerous floods. The outfitters gave us packs, helmets, and water bottles, but you should arrive wearing good trail shoes and clothes that take being abraded.

A little on-site commentary from a canyon in Harris Wash, the Utah desert (Video: Neil Tandy)

A Utah friend tells me that , a 6.7-mile out-and-back starting 19 miles northeast of Escalante, is her favorite hike ever. It has birdwatching—for hawks and ravens, and she once saw a condor—and “a little of everything” else, from steep sections to sandy patches and a 125-foot waterfall.

For me, a dark-horse favorite was also . We hiked the Rainbow section (and added a few other loops), where we saw petrified wood in scattered chunks, from wastebasket- to coffee-table size, with hues of sulphur yellow and iron red but also deep blues and violet. The starts on an uphill past a tram-size balanced rock overlooking Wide Hollow Reservoir, where you can camp, swim, or .

Please do not pocket any pieces of petrified wood. Things in the desert are supposed to stay there. Besides, I’ve , and taking one only brings you ill luck.

Choice Rooms

My Deluxe Cabin’s outside shower was heaven. The water was plenty hot, and I could gaze out at the sky and the surrounding scrub-covered dun bluffs.

The Deluxe Cabins (from $259 per night) are the most cushy places, the only ones with private bathrooms and their own driveways. Each has a kitchenette and Wi-Fi, a deck with picnic table, and a queen bed and pull-out sofa such that it can sleep up to four. From the cabins it’s a five-minute walk to the main lodge. ADA cabins are available as well, and the lodge has golf carts for transport around the property.

Other options include vintage Airstreams ($175 per night), which sleep up to three people, and tiny cabins ($169), located just paces from the common area. The cabins have front decks and the Airstreams step out to picnic tables and fire pits. Both use shared bathrooms with amenities and open-air showers.

Ofland also has five campsites (from $99, per night). Each comes with a picnic table, grill, fire pit, filtered-water hookup, power, and bathroom access.

Eat and Drink

Pop over to the on-site food truck, prepare your own meals in your kitchenette, or go out for dinner at in the delightfully small and funky town of Escalante. 4th West offers 30 types of beers; burgers, paninis, and nice spicy tacos; a pool table, where my friends played half the night; and a nice local vibe. The evening was cool, so we skipped the outdoor seating, but in warm temps it would be wonderful to enjoy the view from there over dinner.

, 14 miles east of town and located within the national monument, is a magical-looking complex overlooking the startlingly green forest lining the Escalante River. It offers vegetarian-friendly Southwest fare, indoor and outdoor seating, and lodging.

Thirteen miles farther north is in the town of Boulder. The place, which has a devoted following, features ethically sourced ingredients and its own organic garden. The owners practice Buddhist principles and are committed to social responsibility.

At the end of Highway 12, in the town of Torrey, is the family-owned Wild Rabbit Cafe, with an on-site coffee roaster, and vegan and vegetarian options.

When to Go

Ofland Escalante is open mid-March through October. Spring and fall will have you cozying up around the fire pits, and maybe hitting the hot tub. Summer is bound to put you in the swimming pool. All indoor accommodations have heat and A/C.

How to Get There

The small Bryce Canyon Airport is just four miles north of Bryce Canyon National Park, 48 miles from Escalante. Most visitors and rent a car for the amazing 294-mile drive south and back with its section on Highway 12.

Don’t Miss

Hike to the 100 Hands Pictograph Panel, actually site of three major rock-art panels, via a family-friendly 1.2-mile round-trip off Highway 12, starting from the Escalante River Trailhead 14 miles east of Escalante. Ancient petroglyphs—sheep, deer, a snake—are visible just five minutes along the trail. The trail contours up to an alcove where you see the 100 Hands (more like 160 Hands) panel, and beyond that is the Shaman and Hunter panel, with a bowhunting scene and collection of shaman figures wearing headpieces.

Forty miles beyond Escalante, stop and get out at the Homestead Overlook, at 9,600 feet elevation, to see the tableau of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef National Park, with their oceanic deposits and sedimentary layers, red and gold desert against the bumpy skyline of the Henry Mountains. Descending, you pass the Fishaven Reservoir and may see some sandhill cranes, before winding through the treed hamlet of Boulder, volcanic rocks and basalt scattered along the roadway.

Details

Price: From $99

Address: 2020 UT-12
Escalante, UT 84726

Alison Osius is a senior editor in travel at şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř magazine and şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online. She is a longtime climber and a former editor at Climbing and Rock and Ice magazines. She’s recently written about seeing the Utah desert from a lodge made of glass sky domes; hiking the memorial Storm King Trail, scene of one of our country’s greatest firefighting tragedies; and how to approach traveling to altitude (which starts with: paying attention). Oh, and if you were wondering, here are 8 simple rules for visiting your friends in mountain and waterfront towns.

The post Want to Wake Up in Utah Canyon Country? We Do, Too. appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

If there’s one travel thing I splurge on each year, it’s amazing hotel stays. I’ve no regrets, because they so often make for a next-level vacation.

This year şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř sent me and some of our other travel writers and editors to check out new, recently revamped, or iconic properties that have been on our radar. Talk about unique adventuring in gorgeous locations—one is in a deep red-rock canyon, another in a secluded dark-sky area, and still another has its own private entrance to a national park.

These are the places that blew us away. We’d return to any of them again.

Enchantment Resort

Sedona, Arizona

Price: From $400

Set amid the stupefying red-rock wonder that is Boynton Canyon, one of four major vortex sites in Sedona, my fall stay at Enchantment was emotional but also grounding. I hiked with one of the resort’s vortex experts, whose sage ceremony at a viewpoint overlooking the high-desert landscape made me feel lighter than I had in months. And my chakra-balancing treatment and sound bath at the guests-only Mii Amo spa were as fantastically spiritual and woo-woo as I hoped they’d be.

You could easily spend four days hiking or mountain-biking around Sedona. The property’s on-site Trail House is home to equipment and guides for both, and staff can organize far-flung excursions to the Grand Canyon in a helicopter and Prescott for climbing adventures, if your time and budget allow.

The resort’s Southwestern adobe architecture is designed to blend into the surrounding scenery, the indoor-outdoor restaurants are upscale but not stuffy, and the range of outdoor activities and classes is impressive: pop between its four pools, play tennis or pickleball, or sign up for yoga or . Staff are incredibly friendly, which is to be expected at destination resorts, but one thing that really stood out for me.

Of all the trips I took in 2024, my memories of this property have stayed with me most. And since my review came out, I’ve received feedback from other guests who shared similarly moving experiences at Enchantment. It’s that powerful a place.

What I’d do differently if I returned: I wanted to head to one of the pools late at night and float around staring up at the stars, since Sedona is a Dark Sky Community. But the hiking and spa treatments had me fairly worn out by day’s end—and sleeping soundly through the night.

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon

Cannonville, Utah

Price: From $525

When Alison Osius visited this new Clear Sky Resort in August, she was ready to spend hours admiring the starry skies—the main draw for guests who look forward to gazing up at the firmament from their own geodesic dome. Unfortunately, it rained during her short stay.

But Osius didn’t let bad weather dampen her exploration of Bryce Canyon National Park, just a 20-minute drive from the property. She motored around the park with a fourth-generation guide, hitting highlights like Natural Arch and the Bryce Amphitheater, both beautifully shrouded in mist, and got a hoot out of hearing about local escapades of legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy. Eventually, the clouds did clear and she was able to hike the 1.8-mile .

Clear Sky has some unique amenities, including a robot concierge who offers outdoor-recreation beta, a café with a gleaming boomerang-shaped bar, fire pits and cornhole, and stargazing tours. The domes themselves are fun, futuristic, and encourage group visits. Osius was surprised to learn that one has a dance floor, disco ball, and flashing lights.

Off-site, she was won over by the barbecue in a joint called in the town of Tropic, and loved the live cowboy music at in Bryce Canyon City. Her vacation gave her different viewpoints of the West and an appreciation of this area’s otherworldly landcapes, which include the greatest concentration of hoodoos in the world.

What Osius would do differently if she returned: A second visit would ideally happen when the stars were out and shining, said Osius, though she did think it was cool to watch rivulets of rain run down her dome. And the next time, she’d stay longer and hike way more in Bryce Canyon.

Lodge at Marconi

Marshall, California

Price: From $299

I’ve visited several outdoor-adjacent properties in the Bay Area over the years, but none within a state park. The experience felt like a sophisticated, laid-back,Ěý improved version of summer camp. Lodge at Marconi is a newly remodeled, 45-acre property that spans from the water’s edge of eastern Tomales Bay—an hour’s drive north of San Francisco on Highway 1—to bluffs with incredible views westward to Point Reyes National Seashore and north to the Pacific Ocean.

The weekend I was in town, the property was hosting an indoor-outdoor wedding as well as young couples there with their toddlers and dogs, day-trippers picnicking beneath shady oaks, and friends using it as a base camp for a local foodie tour. Come dusk, everyone gathered around the massive communal fire pit and hung out for hours, occasionally popping into the on-site store for a bottle of regional wine.

This is a fantastic place to do some wildlife- and bird-watching. Wild turkeys were running around while I was there, and I spent 15 minutes one morning looking down at a huge school of fish feasting on bugs in the bay. Tule elk wander Point Reyes and elephant seals laze on its beaches. Bring your best binoculars.

One of the best things about Marconi, though, is its quick access to fantastic eating in these parts. The waterfront Marshall Store is just a mile away, the must-visit Hog Island Oyster Company a mile farther (take the tour and then have lunch), and, after that, Nick’s Cove, where I love to have a casual seafood dinner and drink. This trip I also wandered around the town of Point Reyes Station, eight miles south, where I discovered buffalo-milk soft serve and a sandwich shop with 18 gooey melts. Delicious, both.

What I’d do differently if I returned: The next time, I’m bringing my girlfriends, renting out Marconi’s spacious A-frame cabin, and enjoying an evening at its cute new little cocktail bar and restaurant, Mable’s, which I missed because it opened two weeks after my visit.

Phantom Ranch

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Price: From $213.50 for two people

It’s really hard to get a reservation to Phantom Ranch, a group of historic cabins and dorms at the floor of the Grand Canyon, and you have to try for one 15 months in advance. But Stephanie Vermillion lucked out and snagged a last-minute winter opening. Her review of the property offers tips to scoring a stay there, too.

If you are able to book Phantom Ranch, you also have to be prepared to get there. Vermillion chose the easier route down, from the South Rim: a seven-mile (one-way) zigzagging descent via the South Kaibab Trail that you have to then ascend after check-out. Pack light—no need to bring food, because you can pay for hot meals at the ranch—and take your trekking poles. It’s about a vertical mile of elevation gain each way.

Worth it, said Vermillion, to stay in the stone cabins designed by renowned architect Mary Jane Colter. And to amble along the mightly Colorado River; if you have more than one night at the property, Vermillion suggests hiking the to Phantom Overlook. It’s nine miles round-trip but you’ll see parts of the canyon seldom explored by visitors.

What Vermillion would do differently if she returned: I’d go lighter on the camera gear I brought—the weight of two cameras and a bulky tripod made the tough uphill return trip even more challenging.

Dunton Hot Springs

Dolores, Colorado

Price: From $1,165 for two people

We’re recommending this ghost-town hot-springs resort, because it’s a secluded slice of the Wild West where you can not only soak to your heart’s content but also fish for trout, hike and bike the Rockies, and dine at a saloon. Writer Emily Pennington said it was the best wellness retreat she’d ever been to.

Dunton is located in southwestern Colorado, about 30 miles from beautiful Telluride. In the late 1800s it was a mining settlement, and Butch Cassidy actually scratched his name into the bar, which you can pony up to while you’re visiting. The 15 log cabins are cozy and encircle the wooden bathhouse home to a pool with rich mineral waters and decorated with a hammock and a small fireplace. When Pennington visited in March, the snow was coming down and the hot springs were just the respite she was looking for.

As anyone who lives in Colorado can tell you, March does not mark the end of winter. Pennington took a cat-ski ride up to Dunton Meadows and spent a few hours snowshoeing (the resort loans out gear). The next morning she took a yoga class. She made use of her room’s clawfoot tub. And she and the other five guests there at the time ate incredible meals, including blue-corn johnnycakes and house-cured bacon for breakfast, a hearty Mexican posole and tostadas for lunch, and a multi-course dinner that featured bison one evening. The whole experience was something she’d looked forward to for months—and it did not disappoint.

What Pennington would do differently if she returned: As an avid hiker, Pennington loves the idea of exploring the stunning San Juan Mountains in the summer months. And that steamy, historic hot-spring building would look even more tantalizing after a thigh-busting trek, she said.

The Nami Project

Ucluelet, British Columbia

Price: From $343

Western Vancouver Island is a known storm-watching destination, and şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř travel columnist Jen Murphy had to experience it firsthand herself. So we sent her to Nami Project, a collection of suites that overlook the ocean, to watch the winter swells roll in from her room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

But the views were too stunning for staying holed up inside. Murphy donned rain gear and set out to explore neighboring , hiking amid the tall Sitka spruce on a trail that hugs the coast. During the wildest storms, you can watch 20-foot-high waves crash into the coast. After braving the elements, Nami Project’s cedar hot tubs, sauna, and heated floors felt pretty great.

Tide-pooling, surfing, and hiking through the rainforest are popular activities year-round, and in the warmer months, you can rent a bike and pedal the 15 miles up to Tofino. Murphy, who is a foodie, also raved about the area fare, especially the hyperlocal tasting menu at the restaurant .

What Murphy would do differently if she returned: Witness the world’s largest gray-whale migration while soaking from her room’s hot tub. As many as 20,000 whales can be spotted swimming offshore beginning in February.

The Swag

Waynesville, North Carolina

Price: From $875, all-inclusive

Graham Averill and his wife spent a few glorious days holing up at The Swag and hiking from its 250-acre premises directly into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a perk that offers your own private entrance to a lesser visited corner of America’s most visited national park.

The couple, who visited in late summer, spent an afternoon trekking through rhododendron tunnels and past a waterfall, topping out at a knob with valley views. Averill also did some trail running along a 5,500-foot ridge with spectacular panoramas to the distant Black Mountains. There were lawn games and a pool, and Averill’s room had a fireplace and an outdoor shower. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton were in regular rotation on the house playlist.

Needless to say, you can work up an appetite here, and the reward is getting to indulge in home cooking. Averill couldn’t get enough of the grilled pigeon. And the iced tea. And the smoked Old Fashioneds. And the chocolate-chip pie served with ice cream. “Every course set in front of me was the best thing I’d ever had, until the next course came out and it became the best thing I’d ever had,” he wrote.

The experience—the scenery, the proximity to the park, the opening drive from parking to the property in an electric Volvo XC90—was top-notch from start to finish. “Imagine if your grandmother had generational wealth, exceptional taste, and lived to spoil you—that’s what a stay at The Swag feels like,” he said.

What Averill would do differently if he returned: The Swag’s super complex wooden jigsaw puzzle baffled Averill on his last visit, and he’d like to spend more time sipping cocktails in front of the fireplace while trying to put it together.

TashaĚýZemke is şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř magazine’s managing editor and a member of the şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online travel team. She still has yet to satiate her wanderlust, and next year she’s most looking forward to attending Mountainfilm, in what her colleague called Colorado’s most beautiful town; hiking with friends in Ireland; and kayaking off Baja Sur, Mexico.

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Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

Why I Love the Enchantment Resort

Sedona, Arizona, is best knownĚýfor two things: the stunning red-rock landscape, which draws thousands each year for hiking and mountain biking, and its vortex energy, a contested phenomenon that has drawn plenty of curious people and turned this high-desert city intoĚýa metaphysical mecca. The is the nexus of both.

From its location at the base of Boynton Canyon, the 70-acre luxury property is surrounded by high sandstone cliffsĚýthat make you and your problems feel minuscule (that’s a good thing). The canyon has long been considered sacred by Native people and, more recently, holy by pilgrims and unique by New Age mystics and psychics who believe in its spiritual powers.ĚýToday, Enchantment Resort tends to draw guests seeking change in their lives, managing director Stan Kantowski told me, or those hoping for peace and resolution in the wake of some tough change. “It’s an emotional place,” he said.

The mystery of just how transformative an experienceĚýthis could be intrigued me. The regenerative powers of nature are proven, but would I feel different hiking in a high-energy vortex zone, said to induce physical effects like tingling or hair-raising?ĚýWould I return home convinced in the merits of carrying crystals in my pockets, newly grounded by hours spent amongĚýheavy red rocks that have loomed large here since before the dinosaurs? And would the Mii Amo spa’sĚýlong list of alternative (and expensive) treatments—from sound baths and chakra balancing to manifesting-new-moon ceremonies and reiki—release the bad and let in the good?

I wanted to be convinced, to be cared for. My personal life had been taking a nosedive, and I longed for something magical to happen. So I called one of my best friends to meet me for a short stay, and we headed there with open minds.

What Exactly Is a Vortex, and Why Is Sedona Known for Them?

A vortex is a spot where some people believe intense energy is emitted (called an electric vortex) or pulled back into the earth (a magnetic vortex). It is believed to occur the intersection of ley lines, or electromagnetic threads of energy thatĚýcrisscross the planet. Boynton Canyon is considered to be one of four major vortices within an 11-mile radius in Sedona, its energy electromagnetic—a combo vortex of sorts.

Where there’s talk of heightened energy, there’s talk of spiritual awakening. Exactly what that means and how the area’s vortex energy will work for you—or whether it will at all—depends on the person and their intentions. In short, Sedona is “a place to feel alive,” said Carina Leveriza, who moved here 13 years ago after her husband died. She hiked every day for months as a way to heal. Now she leads vortex treks at the Enchantment Resort.

“Whatever you bring to the vortex will be amplified,” she said when I asked her what I might expect after a hike up the canyon. “If you’re happy, you’ll be effervescent. If you’re grumpy, you’ll be grumpier.”

Vortices are also thought to be portals to other dimensions, and especially so in Boynton Canyon. In her book Earth Frequency, Melissa Alvarez writes that “the veil to other dimensions is believed to be thinner in Sedona than it is at other vortex sites” (which, in the United States, include Mount Shasta, in California; Sugarloaf Mountain, in Utah; and Ni’ihau Island, in Hawaii). The Sedona canyons are believed, she writes, to enhance “spiritual growth and an intrinsic connection to universal knowledge.”

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Enchantment Resort offers access to 400 miles of trails, for hiking and mountain biking (with equipment available from the on-site Trail House), and staff can arrange guided tours to suit your interest and skill level.

My friend Danielle Gill and I set off on the easy 2.6-mile Boynton Canyon Trail one afternoon with Leveriza, who was a fount of good energy, eager to tell us personal stories and lore, receptive to our infinite inquiries, and generally ambling along in an upbeat way. The beautiful sandy path led past pines and succulents, and Leveriza stopped occasionally to point out some of the more than 180 ancient cave dwellings on the box canyon’s walls, quartz crystals (said to be a source of clarifying energy) flecking the red rocks, and twisted tree trunks and branches that she told us were evidence of the canyon’s spiraling vortex effects.

“Hike with intention,” she said, then asked us to stay silent for a few minutes to consider what was deep in our hearts. “Psychics have said that what pierces the portals here are our intentions.”

I vowed to have more resolve, to be more joyful, to devote more time for myself, and to make hard decisions rooted in kindness and fairness. In the quiet of the canyon, it all seemed possible.

As we arrived back at the resort, a group of women were meditating on the lawn. Javelinas munched the grass, and two deer hoofed slowly up a hillside toward a casita. Leveriza directed us to an incredible vista overlooking the property and the rock massifsĚýthat make the greater Sedona panorama so magnificent. She lit a sage smudge stick, waved it slowly around our heads, and recited a meditation, the smoke lingering in the air as if it were a spirit listening in, too.

Hiking was a highlight for me, but Enchantment has several other recreational options, including swimming in four pools, stargazing—Sedona is an International Dark Sky Community—and, in winter, a “glice rink” for outdoor skating. There are tennis and pickleball courts; yoga, Pilates, and qi gong classes; chanting sessions; and educational sessions on nutrition and juicing. Curated, private high-end offerings around northern Arizona are also enticing,Ěýif your budget allows, and include heli tours to the Grand Canyon; sommelier-led wine tours of Paige Springs, a growing viticulture destination; and climbing excursions in Prescott.

At the resort, the deeper dive into self tends to happen at Mii Amo spa, which reopened in 2023 after a multimillion-dollar renovation. Considered one of the best spas in the nation, it’s open only to Enchantment guests. Treatments aren’t cheap (the least expensive is $250 for 60 minutes), but there are many—more than 50—and they head into metaphysical terrain not normally on offer at a resort spa. I wanted to sign up for the hourlong sound bath to reduce stress, meditate deeply by walking a labyrinth, get a numerology or tarot or pendulum reading, undergo hypnosis to delve into past-life regression, and treat my doshas with a balancing wrap. When would I ever see a menu like this again?

Instead, I opted to have my chakras (which I knew nothing about) balanced. The therapist who led me though this treatment was empathetic, her voice soothing, her touch gentle. I lay prone on the massage table, and as she rocked my body back and forth, I started heaving huge quiet sobs. She continued as if my crying was the most natural thing in the world, telling me that my heart chakra must have been blocked. I flipped over, and she massaged my muscles using a different scented oil for the —focal energy points in the body—and then placed polished gemstones atop each, to amplify those energies.

I was tired. I padded to the lower floor of the spa in my slippers and robe to the dry and wet saunas and hot tub, and rotated between them all for another half-hour.

That evening I popped into the Crystal Grotto, a dark, circular room with crystals the size of cats demarcating the four compass points. Before entering, you’re invited to write down something you’d like to let go of, with the promise that the sheets of paper would be burned, releasing those troubles to the universe. Then you remove your shoes so you can feel the bare ground beneath your feet. I wrote a note and deposited it into the little box of burdens; I curled my toes into the soft sand; and as theĚýgrotto guide took up a singing bowl in the low light, I closed my eyes and zoned in on theĚýhumming sounds, which research has shown to . Good vibrations.

Choice Rooms

TheĚýresort has 38 adobe-style casitas, housing a total of 218 guest rooms, each with its own patio and views of the massive canyon walls. My room, 180, was spacious, with a living-room area adjacent to a queen bed, and a large bathroom with a deep bathtub. It was a five-minute uphill walk to the main reception area and restaurants, but guests anywhere can call for golf-cart service.

I asked the bellhop and our hiking guide which rooms were considered the best. Both liked casita buildings 37 and 38, situated higher on the grounds and deeper within the canyon than the rest. They face the eastern walls of the canyon, which glow in hues of orange, red, and russet as the sun sets.

Eat and Drink

At all of the resort’s three restaurants, the whole-foods-focused menus and relaxed ambiance come served with vast views. The hardest restaurant to book is Che Ah Chi, more of a fine-dining experience, but the one I liked the best is its newest, Hummingbird, located within Mii Amo. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast there one morning while gazing up at hawks drifting in the thermals near the canyontops. The clouds looked liked they’d been painted by Georgia O’Keeffe.

Off-site, I was wowed by , a vibrant, popular local place just 13 miles from the resort. On offer are 20 kinds of smoothies, superfood coffees, tonics, juice blends, and a grab-and-go selection of healthy treats that you can take to the trail. This being Sedona, you can also pick up herbal supplements targeted toward better focus, energy, mood, and sex drive.

Finally, for cheap eats, I asked locals for their recommendations. They like the Oak Creek Brewing Co., Eriberto’s, Layla’s Bakery, and , for fresh tamales made daily.

When to Go

Spring and fall, when the weather tends to be most pleasant in northern Arizona, are the busiest months at Enchantment Resort. March sees the most rain.

The hottest month in Sedona is July, with an average high temperature of 97 degrees, though the summer monsoons, which usuallyĚýbegin in June and can last as late as August, bring cooling afternoon rains.

December and January are the coldest months, with an average high of 57 degrees. While it only snows in Sedona a handful of times each year, staff tell me that Boynton Canyon covered in snow is a sight to behold. Guests in December can also look forward to live music every night.

How to Get There

Most out-of-state visitors fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, rent a car, and motor the 126 miles north via Highway 260.

I road-tripped in from New Mexico, and swung down from Flagstaff, a spectacular drive south on State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon—where the fall foliage was a brilliantĚýyellow in September—and past Slide Rock State Park. It’s slow going, because everyone is rubbernecking at the scenery, but I thought of it as the easy introduction to, and grand finale of, my wellness journey at the resort.

Don’t Miss

Crystal shops are everywhere in Sedona. Give in to your curiosity and check them out; it’s part of the woo-woo experience here, especially for first-time visitors.

Danielle and I spent an hour at Ěýafter our spa treatments at the resort. We picked out gemstone bracelets for friends and mementos for ourselves. We had our aura photos taken; IĚýwas happy to read that mine was reportedly now strong and radiant (no doubt thanks to my balancing session at Enchantment) and that my predominant color—green—reflected growth and joy.

We weren’t able to book an immediate consultation with a medium or psychic—the time slots for the remainder of the afternoon were all taken. Maybe next visit.

***

After a few days at Enchantment Resort, I’d eaten well and exercised, I’d soaked up the vortex vibe in a beautiful canyon, and I’d pondered spiritual growth in a new way. I felt lighter about life. Maybe it was simply the effects of finally being on vacation after a lot of weary workweeks. But two months later, I still feel changed by the experience. I believed—and that’s a big part of any trip here—there was genuinely something to it.

Details

Price: From $400

Address: 525 Boynton Canyon Road
Sedona, AZ 86336

To Book:

Tasha Zemke is °żłÜłŮ˛őľ±»ĺ±đ’s managing editor. She formerly lived on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria, where the phrase “anything is possible” was a common sayingĚýand her in-laws believed in the evil eye. Her truest faith is in nature’s power to heal.

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The post Sedona’s Enchantment Resort Is a Powerful Nexus of Nature and Vortex Energy appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

Waking up in the middle of the night can be maddening. Unless you’re able to gaze directly up at the firmament.

The skies are the star attraction at Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon, a new property set in a quiet gulch just 16 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon National Park. Far from light pollution and adjacent to this certified International Dark Sky Park, it offers superb stargazing by night and an otherworldly landscape by day.

Most nights, that is. I could consider it unfortunate that rain fell during my visit, but precipitation is good for the high desert. And while I lacked lucid starry skies, I enjoyed a daytime rainbow and an evening lightning show, both plenty compensatory. Upon waking at first light—usually discomfiting to this night owl—I watched raindrops run peaceful rivulets down the glass wall of my geodesic dome.

The resort is a collection of these futuristic structures, their surfaces half-glass and half-paneled. The window sides of each dome face up and also away from other units, though as darkness fell, I couldn’t help wondering (hey, a little) about anyone looking in. But all I had to do was close the lower tier of curtains, leaving the top ones open for viewing.

Hal Feinberg, resort founder and co-owner, said in the dining hall that evening that he came up with the sky-dome idea after seeing a teepee hotel in Livingston, Montana, that felt close to nature yet offered decks and nice indoor furniture.

In 2021, he opened Clear Sky Resorts Grand Canyon, 30 miles from the South Rim, with 45 sky domes that, like the ones in Utah, are connected by paths to shared activity spaces. With the Bryce iteration, Feinberg upgraded from using clear PVC canvas windows to ones made of glass. The result, he said, “is like going from a Chevy to a Corvette.”

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon opened August 9. It currently offers 25 domes, out of an intended final total of 62. Also underway is an employee-housing structure for up to 40 people.

This is luxury glamping with a jazzy, celestial theme. In the lobby, I passed a robot whose concierge duties include greeting guests by name and pulling up hiking maps. The nearby dining-hall dome, also known as the café, featured a gleaming central boomerang-shaped bar. That evening as friends and I stared out of the café’s 28-foot-tall window, the amber lights lining the surrounding gravel paths and access road glowed like airport jetways.

A singer-guitarist played during dinner, and afterward, between showers, we hung out around the decorative fire pit on the deck. Daytime, people lounged there at the outdoor tables, and a grandfather smiled as his two grandsons went at it with cornhole.

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You can sign up for stargazing tours and outdoor yoga, or walk a pleasant mile or two around the property on the gravel paths and roadway. A nearby option is to drive ten miles to the northernmost hike in the national park, the moderate (0.8 mile one-way, with just 150 feet of elevation gain). This waterfall hike, a rarity for the area, winds along the park boundary.

But most visitors are here to explore the heart of . Friends and I intended to hike with April LeFevre, a fourth-generation area resident who drove shuttle groups in Bryce for 18 years before opening her own outfit, . Rain, however, nixed the morning’s hike, and instead we motored along on the main park road, UT-63, which stretches 18 miles north to south. Before doubling back to finish at the famed Bryce Amphitheater overlook near the entrance, we marveled at seeing the arch at Natural Bridge, 12 miles in, and two miles later the Hunter spire at Agua Canyon, come in and out of the mist.

Along the way, LeFevre recounted many local tales, including that of LeRoy Parker, later known as the outlaw Butch Cassidy, who grew up 50 miles away in Circleville. His life changed when he was 13, LeFevre said, after he visited a mercantile to pick up a pair of overalls he’d had repaired, and, finding the place closed, slipped through a window to take them and a pie. He left a note regarding payment, but the owner pressed charges. Though acquitted, the youth henceforth resented authority. LeFevre also said that while Cassidy is thought to have died with his partner, the Sundance Kid, in Bolivia, an area rancher (now long gone) told her that Cassidy had returned to Circleville. The rancher claimed to have given the former robber a ride in his wagon. Some say Cassidy is buried in a secret location in Circleville.

Anyone visiting the park will want to see the spindly hoodoos, striated in red, gold, and white. Bryce Canyon has the greatest concentration of hoodoos in the world: 12 amphitheaters of them. According to an ancient Piaute , the hoodoos were once people who’d committed evil acts. A coyote spirit invited them all to a party, to trap them, and turned them to stone.

In geological terms, the hoodoos and holes in the walls are remnants from 50 million years ago when the area was a lake surrounded by rock walls. The spires formed from erosion, weather, and ice expansion during freeze-thaw cycles.

Later, when the clouds cleared, our crew hiked the , a 1.8-mile round-trip, to reach a formation that supposedly looks like Queen Victoria. I didn’t think too much of the resemblance, but marveled at the views of endless golden towers and labyrinths. This hike is commonly for a stellar three-miler. I’d have loved to do the 4.2-mile hike to see the top-heavy hoodoos of the .

Ěý

Bryce is known as an otherworldly place to see the sunrise (head to Sunrise Point) as it lights up the hoodoos. Rangers offer in the park as well, and doing that would be amazing.

The landscape is also a bird-watchers’ dream, drawing hawks, eagles, peregrine falcons, and swifts. I delighted in seeing both ponderosa pine, which smells of vanilla, and, at the highest point of the canyon, ancient twisted bristlecone pines. The mellow one-mile cuts through a forest, with side views of hoodoos. (This trail is considered largely wheelchair accessible, with assistance.)

Much of the hiking at Bryce begins at about 8,000 feet, and the Bristlecone Loop reaches 9,100 feet, so in coming from lower elevation, be prepared to deal with altitude. Always bring water and pay attention to intake.

Choice Rooms

The Standard Sky Domes sleep two. I stayed in a Deluxe, called Milky Way, with more controls for lights and temperature and vents than I possibly knew what to do with. The place had a patio (some have decks) and kitchenette, a king bed and two twin beds in a loft, and a rad shower with six adjustable side jets. The Milky Way ($730) was dubbed an XL in that it slept four, and I thought about how much fun (aside from the snoring) it would be to have my husband and two sons here.

The designs varied. One friend stayed in a two-occupant Deluxe called the Big Dipper ($630) with no loft but a cool swinging chair. Another was in Nova ($680), also double occupancy, that had, I kid you not, a dance floor, disco ball, and flashing lights. There’s a two-suite dome that sleeps eight ($1,125) if you want to go big.

Eat and Drink

The resort’s Sky Nova Café Bar and Grill, open to the public, affords wall-to-ceiling views of the canyon and sky and has a lot of fun themed touches, like little inverted domes within the water glasses and crazily multicolored silverware.

Entrées are generously sized and range from $20 and to $35, though the 20-ounce Atlas Ribeye is $49—and that thing is a brick. I ordered the heavenly pan-seared Titan’s Trout with lemon-dill sauce.

I didn’t know I liked barbecue that much until I had lunch at i.d.k. Barbecue, six miles from the resort in the town of Tropic. While I had the sweet chicken and baked beans, also on offer were pulled pork, beef brisket, slaw, potato salad, and cornbread.

Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill, 15 miles away in Bryce Canyon City, is a popular “gourmet cowboy” music hall, with a fixed-price meal served to hundreds in turn. The night we visited, Due West, a country band founded in Nashville, Tennessee, played original tunes.

When to Go

Clear Sky is open year-round, as is Bryce Canyon. Most visitors to the park come from June through September to take advantage of the warmer weather and clearest skies. The months of October through May are cooler but the upsides are fewer crowds, autumn foliage, and spring wildflowers. Some say the park is at its most beautiful with white snow atop the red rock.

How to Get There

The small Bryce Canyon Airport is just four miles north of the park. Most visitors fly into Salt Lake City and rent a car for the spectacular 294-mile drive south.

Don’t Miss

Stick your head into the lobby of the Bryce Canyon Lodge, built in 1924 in the Rustic style of national-park architecture and one of some half dozen lodges designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it meshes development, landscape architecture, and the environment. The lodge is located in the forest only 700 feet from the canyon rim, and a beautiful half-mile walk from Sunrise Point.

Details

Price: From $525
Address: 855 UT-12, Cannonville, UT 84718

888 704 4445

To Book

Alison Osius is a senior editor at şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř and part of the travel team. She lives in Western Colorado. Previously, she had only flown over Bryce Canyon, though in a small plane with a sunset view. This was a prized chance to explore the park from the ground.

Looking for more great travel intel?

For more by this author, see a personal tale of years of hiking the Storm King Memorial Trail, just off Interstate 70, in Western Colorado, site of a famous firefighting tragedy.

See also this tribute to the most beautiful mountain town in Colorado.

And a lifetime’s accumulated camping tips.

The post What It’s Like to Stay in a Glass Dome Under Utah’s Darkest Skies appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

From my perch on the pine-covered grounds at the , I was staring down at Tomales Bay, an hour north of San Francisco, trying to make out what was splashing in the water. My mind went to the most obvious place: sharks.

In late summer, the white shark is known to frequent northern Tomales Point, on the Pacific. I calmed down, then reasoned: Maybe bat rays. The shape billowed and shrunk and appeared to be made up of separate pieces. It had to be a school of fish. Beautiful. I’d never seen anything quite like it.

Access to nature on this gorgeous, quiet stretch of Northern Cal abounds at Marconi. The newly remodeled, 45-room property feels like a sophisticated, laid-back, improved version of summer camp. But one with a sauna to shake off the coastal fog after a day of adventuring, a bar serving harder-to-find regional wines, a massive central fire pit for evening gatherings in the woods, and an ideal position on Highway 1 for quick foodie field trips or wildlife-watching.

In the span of a few hours, I observed a great blue heron stalk a gopher, a bugling bull elk with five-point antlers court a handful of females, and a wild turkey sprint across the road.

The Lodge

The setting is a hilly 62-acre , with a curious recent past that still resonates with the Bay Area’s present. In the early 1900s, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi used the site as a receiving station to test long-distance radio signals—a precursor to today’s Wi-Fi and the Bay Area tech community. In the sixties, the property changed hands from innovative to more eccentric owners: the founders of Synanon, which began as a therapeutic drug-rehabilitation center but was eventually called out as and closed.

Today the Lodge at Marconi is all good vibes. The September weekend I visited, I shared the property with a large wedding party, young couples carrying toddlers and strolling trails with the family pup in tow (dogs are welcome overnight), and day-trippers picnicking at tables shaded by oaks and surrounded by pink lilies, with postcard views of moored fishing boats bobbing at high tide.

Marconi is on the verge of attracting considerable attention from Bay Area city-dwellers seeking a rural, comfortable hideout they can head to with family and friends. An on-site indoor-outdoor restaurant will open at the end of September with dinner service and a small bar. A day spa is in the works, as is a vegetable garden and farm-style cottages.

Eight miles south, the town of Point Reyes Station has a burgeoning artist and music scene, says Leah Fritts Vitali, Marconi’s general manager, who has resided down the road for 12 years.

“There’s an energy shift happening,” she told me, one that seems to reflect the interests and values of more visitors. Marconi appeals to those who want to learn about and buy food grown locally, eat meals made from scratch, and spend time exploring protected lands, notably Point Reyes National Seashore, across the bay. “Here you have the wilderness and a luxury lodge at a state park, and then this great community. Is this the benchmark of what’s to come elsewhere?”

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The state park is crisscrossed by 3.5 miles of gently graded hiking trails. On an afternoon stroll, I topped out at the knoll called Tower Hill and looked toward the mouth of the narrow bay and across the water to the Point Reyes peninsula. Coastal clouds slid lazily over the low hills.

When the weather holds, the lodge offers free outdoor yoga on Sunday mornings, an ideal way to take in the eucalyptus- and pine-scented air. There are horseshoes and cornhole and volleyball and basketball courts. And whether you intend to or not, you’ll be birding; I saw turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, and woodpeckers during my stay. If you’re looking for something rare, keep your binocs trained to the shoreline at the base of the property for , a threatened species.

Trips afield should definitely be part of your stay at Marconi. Reception staff can book horseback riding, photography safaris, and kayak rentals or guided tours of the bay—if your stay coincides with a new moon, be sure to get out on the water one night to paddle through the .

Before check-in, I spent the morning hiking the 9.7-mile (round-trip) at the northern tip of Point Reyes in search of the resident Tule elk herd. I came upon a half dozen after a mile, practically right next to me, and another handful ambling up steep bluffs through the mist about a mile later. The park has countless possibilities for recreation, is a quick and beautiful 11-mile drive from the lodge, and admission is free.

Choice Rooms

Marconi’s midcentury-modernistic buildings blend into the forested surrounds, with the fire pit as focal point. The popular spot is ringed with Adirondack chairs and just a quick trot to the lobby’s grab-and-go store, stocked with snacks and drinks. I loved how the main cluster of rooms so thoughtfully brought folks together.

If you’re a family, request one of the room configurations with a central downstairs bed and a loft with a second bed. I heard the mom in the room next to mine use that as an enthusiastic pitch to her youngster: “Look, your own space!” If your group is looking to sleep up to six, book rooms 304 and 305, which connect.

If you’re a couple here for a secluded getaway for two, the homey, singular A-frame is the best nest. The newlyweds who were married at the property holed up there, canoodling on the sunset-facing deck that overlooked the bay and eastern shores of Point Reyes. It provides a full kitchen, a huge, handsomely tiled bathroom with a tub, a spacious living room, and a king bedroom at the structure’s apex.

Eat and Drink

Starting September 30, you can amble the short distance from your accommodation to a brand-new 63-seat restaurant and bar called Mable’s (a loose acronym for the marine atmospheric boundary layer—the air that cools the Northern California coast in summer). The Mediterranean menu and wine and cocktails will draw largely from local ingredients, and by the end of 2025, Mable’s is expected to offer breakfast and bag lunches that you can stick in your daypack.

If you’re like most foodies, though, you already have a list of places nearby you intend to check out. One of those is probably the famous . Breakfast pastries from its downtown Tomales location are delivered to the lodge for guests to purchase, but you should go for yourself to indulge in the mouth-watering scents and test your power of restraint in the face of so many variations of warm bread. The waterfront Marshall Store, just a mile from the lodge, has all kinds of homemade sandwiches, soups, and goodies to satiate you during Ěýyour stay or bring home to gift.

I like to have lunch in Point Reyes Station at the , a micro food hall. Pony up to The Farmer’s Wife for some gooey goodness—one of its signature seasonal melts. The menu boasts 18 of these sandwiches, and the Belly and Jelly—with bacon, apricot conserve, and aged Cheddar and blue cheese—is a customer favorite. What I’m suggesting next could be dairy overdose, but you absolutely can’t leave town without trying Double 8 Dairy’s buffalo-milk soft serve paired with whichever daily fermented fruit soda Wild West Ferments has on tap. The combo is a one-of-a-kind . I’ll say no more.

When to Go

Fall is the heralded season in West Marin, when the marine layer gives way to more frequent sunny days; that said, you should always pack a puffy and expect evenings that drop to the fifties this season. Elk rutting happens from August through October, when males are their most vocal.

Fritts Vitali likes the “drama of the weather” in winter. December is when elephant seals begin to appear on beaches at Point Reyes National Seashore, where they remain generally until March.

The spring months are the greenest of the year. Wildflowers are in full bloom mid-April through mid-June, and the spring bird migration is celebrated with a three-day in April.

Four species of whales can be spotted off the Pacific in the summer months. August through November, Tomales Bay tends to have more nights of bioluminescence, because the water is warmer and calmer—especially enjoyable conditions for night kayakers.

How to Get There

You’ll want a car to reach the Lodge at Marconi and make the most of your time in the area. The closest airport is in Santa Rosa, 40 miles northeast, but if you’re coming from farther afield, fly into the international airports in San Francisco and Oakland, both some 60 miles south.

One word of advice: If you’re headed up from San Francisco and prone to carsickness or vertigo, avoid Highway 1. The more streamlined route to Marconi is via Highway 101, turning west in Novato and continuing to Point Reyes Station.

Don’t Miss

Although there are a handful of farms that harvest oysters in Tomales Bay, is my favorite, and here’s why: not only is it the most convenient to the Lodge at Marconi, but it’s sustainable, founded by two marine biologists devoted to responsible practices, and the only such local farm to offer regular educational tours to the public ($48).

Marconi staff can secure you a spot here—the 75-minute tours book up in advance, so it helps to have an in. You won’t go out on the water but you will have a chance to see the construction of the oyster beds, understand the whole process from seed to table, and end your schooling with a primer on how to properly shuck the bivalves and a tasting.

Stick around for a fantastic brunch at its simple and scenic bayfront Boat Oyster Bar. The ripe tomato, peach, and apple salad I ordered (above left) was just as bright as the sweetwater oysters in mignonette sauce, and all of it washed down nicely with one of the best sake Bloody Marys of my life. Tops.

Details

Price: From $299

Address: 18500 Highway 1
Marshall, CA 94940

To book: Click to get a 15 percent discount when making your reservation orĚý (If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.)

Tasha Zemke is şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř magazine’s managing editor and a member of its online travel team. She thinks the greater Tomales Bay area is one of the best places in the world to work up an appetite outdoors and reward yourself with amazing locally sourced food and drinks.

The post The Lodge at Marconi Opens the Door to Gorgeous Nature and an Incredible Local Food Scene appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

If Grand Canyon National Park is for the masses—and in 2023 it was America’s second most visited national park, with nearly five million visitors—then historic , an architectural marvel located far from the crowds on the canyon floor, is for the chosen 1 percent. Literally. Its digs are so popular that they book up 15 months in advance via a lottery, and only 1 percent of anyone who visits the park ever stay here.

But my husband, Frank, and I got lucky. We scored one night there at the last minute in December.

We’d planned our trip to the Grand Canyon six months ahead of time, nabbing a backcountry permit to stay at the nearby Bright Angel Campground, whose 33 sites are vied for by tens of thousands of people, up to four months in advance. (According to the , you have about a 43 percent chance of booking a stay here.) But I continued to check the every few weeks, just in case. Then, two days before our flight to Arizona, I nearly fell out of my chair: one of its 11 cabins was available.

Frank and I spent the entirety of our seven knee-grinding miles zigzagging down the switchback-laden South Kaibab Trail swapping variations of “I can’t believe this is happening!” The jaw-dropping natural attractions along our 4,600-foot descent only increased our awe—the gradual trek down through 1.8 billion years of geologic history, stored in strata of red rocks; the powerful Colorado River carving through them; and the possibility of seeing resident animals around any turn, from bighorn sheep and mule deer to pack mules toting supplies.

It wasn’t until we hit the canyon floor four hours later that our good fortune really set in, confirmed by a simple signpost: “Phantom Ranch Welcomes You.” This dream trip was really happening. Here’s how we did it and how to make the most of your time below the rim.Ěý

Booking and şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Intel

One thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was how in the world Phantom Ranch was built. While I thought our rim-to-river trek was grueling, it was a cakewalk compared to those of construction crews in the 1920s. Renowned architect Mary Jane Colter wanted structures to incorporate native materials, particularly stone, for both a natural aesthetic and more efficient building process. While mules hauled supplies like windowpanes and plywood, crews and their working animals alike slogged up and down the vertiginous switchbacks and across narrow swinging bridges (later replaced with two sturdy steel suspension bridges that you cross today).

These efforts were all the more mind-blowing as we tackled the same exhausting route in and out of the canyon with nothing but our packs, and the feat only adds to Phantom Ranch’s allure.

All that to say: If you plan to hike to and from Phantom Ranch, you should be prepared and in good condition. It’s steep, challenging, and can seriously strain your knees (I highly recommend trekking poles). By the time you reach the bottom, it won’t be lost on you that you’ll have to regain the elevation you lost—almost a vertical mile—shortly thereafter on your way out (a maximum stay is four nights).

Fortunately, if you’re staying at Phantom Ranch, you can pack light, since food is available and bedding and towels are provided. You can also send your duffel up and down via a mule to travel even lighter; it costs $85.50 each way.

The Park Service tells trekkers that hiking out of the canyon generally takes twice as long as the journey in. It recommends using the steeper South Kaibab Trail down to the ranch and the Bright Angel TrailĚýout, because the latter has a gentler elevation gain over a longer distance. I’ve written more about both options below, in How to Get There.

How to Land a Reservation at Phantom Ranch

1. Start with the . This is an adventure in itself. Aspiring guests enter the drawing 15 months before their preferred dates, then learn their fate and next steps the following month via email. Any unsold inventory then goes through a second lottery for those who were unsuccessful in the first round (14 months out from your desired dates). December through February tends to be an easier time to get in, while early March through November are typically when visitors make the most requests.
2. Look for any unsold inventory. If there’s still availability after the first two lotteries, Grand Canyon’s concessionaire, Xanterra, which operates Phantom Ranch, releases those cabins to the public on the first day of the next month—so 13 months out. This inventory is posted on the , which I bookmarked and checked regularly.
3. Watch for cancellations if you can’t get in either of these ways. According to Xanterra spokesperson Sam Langner, finding a last-minute reservation “happens all the time.” Take my stroke of luck as proof. I picked up another insider tip over dinner at the Phantom Ranch canteen. A tablemate and 20-time ranch guest said that he checks for inventory around 45 days out from each trip. That’s because Xanterra has a for Phantom Ranch; guests who opt out before this will get a full refund, which means that anyone on the fence tends to cancel around this time.
4. Apply for a backcountry permit for the adjacent Bright Angel Campground, available through (from $10 per permit, plus nightly charge of $15 per person). It may not be the full experience of Phantom Ranch, but campers can book dinner at the ranch’s canteen to get a sense of this legendary property.
5. Join a tour. If the aforementioned logistics sound too cumbersome, this is the one surefire way to get in. Outfitters like and run Grand Canyon trips with an overnight or two at Phantom Ranch; they handle all booking, planning, and organization, but it comes at a price (from $3,299 and $1,650, respectively).

What to Do near Phantom Ranch

Many outdoors people dream about hiking or running the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim or rim-to-rim-to-rim, but if you’re not in a hurry, what can you actually do down at the canyon floor?

First, relax. We spent the sunny hours after we arrived playing cards. Then we gave our legs a shake-out on the nearby river loop,Ěýa roughly two-mile path that crosses the Bright Angel Trail Bridge and skirts the Colorado before heading back toward Phantom Ranch across the South Kaibab Trail Bridge. It was a peaceful amble with a gentle grade—a welcome treat after the morning’s schlep—and we enjoyed the slow pace and time to appreciate a rare view of this section of the canyon, pausing on the bridges to admire the rushing Colorado River and gazing up into the time capsule of rock, whose lower layers predate even the first land animals.

If you have more time than just one night at Phantom Ranch, you might enjoy the nine-mile (round-trip) jaunt to Phantom Overlook via the . You’ll get to see a stretch of red crag few ever explore, with only 1,600 feet of elevation gain.

Choice Cabins

Phantom Ranch is the definition of . Its century-old buildings, made largely of native stones and boulders from nearby Bright Angel Creek, include cabins, a canteen, and hiker dormitories (which have been closed for several years due to needed pipeline and water-treatment improvements, with no reopening date set, according to Langner).

Cabin sizes vary and can sleep from two to ten people, and all accommodations share shower facilities. Rustic though they may be—you’ll be set up with either a queen bed or twin bunk beds, linens, a sink, a toilet, soap, and hand towels—they do have a few nice amenities like electricity, air-conditioning in the summer, and heating in the winter. Wi-Fi is not available.

Instead of picking a cabin as you would at most national park lodges, the Phantom Ranch lottery is random. You won’t learn your cabin number until you arrive.

Eat and Drink

The first thing to know: everyone raves about the ranch’s lemonade. It’s a generic, sugary mix, but it tastes top-shelf after hours of trekking in and is a lovely way to celebrate your arrival to the canyon floor.

All Phantom Ranch guests eat family-style meals in one central dining room, known as the canteen. It’s a laid-back environment where you can swap stories and share travel tips over breakfast (from $31) and dinner (from $61). Both meals require advance reservation and payment; Xanterra suggests booking meals as soon as your accommodation is confirmed, as seating fills up quickly. However, you can buy snacks and drinks from the canteen during the day; cash or credit cards are accepted.

For dinner, there are two seatings: an earlier round at 5 P.M., in which steak is served, or a stew round at 6:30 P.M., with a choice of a meat or vegetarian option. In addition to the main course, everyone is offered salad, homemade cornbread, and a dessert du jour—which for us was a deliciously gooey brownie. After that the canteen morphs into a beer hall, where guests can keep the trail talk going late.

Similarly, there are two time slots for breakfast—5:30 A.M. and 7:30 A.M.—but both serve the same menu of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit, as well as juice, coffee, and tea.

While we packed our own lunch of jerky, nuts, and granola bars for the day of departure, you can buy a take-away sack (from $26); inside each is a bagel with cream cheese and jelly, a sausage, an apple and an energy bar, cheese, and an electrolyte drink or juice.

When to Go

The weather at the Grand Canyon is best in spring and fall. In the summer months, the heat can be extreme (surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit), especially on the canyon floor, which year-round can be 20 degrees warmer than that on the rim, given the elevation change.Ěý Winter on the canyon floor ranges from 38 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit, while spring and fall see anywhere from 55 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Xanterra.

Unpredictable weather and potential snow, particularly toward the rim, can hamper winter trekking to and from the ranch, so pack accordingly. It does get warmer as you trek down in the winter, so wear layers you can easily shed. (When we visited in early December, we came across a light dusting of snow on the rim but had sun and temperatures in the high fifties at the ranch.) Winter also brings decreased daylight hours, so start your hikes in and out of the canyon early, and pack a headlamp to be safe.

How to Get There

To reach Grand Canyon National Park (which requires a $35 entrance fee or an America the Beautiful pass), you could fly to Tusayan, Arizona, the closest airport, although many visitors simply road-trip from Las Vegas or Phoenix, both approximately four hours from the park’s south entrance.

From there, getting to Phantom Ranch itself requires one of three transit modes: a trek, a raft down the Colorado River, or a mule ride.

If you’re hiking, start your journey from either the North or South rim. Trips from the former cover more ground. The trip via the North Kaibab Trail is around 14 miles one-way, with a rim-to-river elevation loss of 5,850 feet. From the South Rim, the more popular starting point given its accessibility, you have two options: the 7-mile South Kaibab Trail, with an elevation change of 4,860 feet, or the 7.8-mile Bright Angel Trail, with an elevation change of 4,460 feet. Bright Angel is the Park Service’s recommended route out of the canyon; it reopened to the public on April 15 after months of maintenance-required closures.

You can also raft to Phantom Ranch with outfitters like (from $2,050) or (from $3,899).

And then there are the famous Ěýto Phantom Ranch, an option run by Xanterra (from $1,231). However, mule-ride operations have recently experienced on-and-off closures due to trail-infrastructure projects, so it’s best to checkĚýfor the most up-to-date information before making plans.

Don’t Miss

In 2016, light-pollution authority DarkSky International certified the Grand Canyon as an International Dark Sky Park. In the years since, ranger-led stargazing tours have become one of the most popular experiences—and, from my nights of astrophotography here, I could see why, as the park’s efforts to curb light pollution have made sightings of planets, the Milky Way, and even nearby galaxies like Andromeda easily visible to the naked eye. The view gets even more glittery from the remote canyon floor.

Details

To book:

Price: From $213.50 for two people per night; additional guests in cabins with larger capacity are $21.50 per night

Address: North Kaibab Trail
North Rim, AZ 86052

Stephanie Vermillion is a travel writer, photographer, and şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř contributor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her mom, who once worked at Grand Canyon National Park and raved about the below-rim adventures, inspired her to visit Phantom Ranch. The best part of the trip, she says, was sharing the trail with a bighorn sheep on the early-morning ascent.

The post How to Get a Reservation at Phantom Ranch, the Grand Canyon’s Most Sought-After Lodge appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

I never imagined that staying in a ghost town frequented by outlaw Butch Cassidy would amount to the most fabulous wellness retreat I’ve ever experienced, but then again, is full of surprises.

Strung out and exhausted after two straight months of work trips, deadlines, and family emergencies, I needed a break, and one that wouldn’t be interrupted by errant phone calls or the incessant whooshing of Colorado traffic. I’d seen photos of Dunton’s five steamy hot springs and knew that the 1,100-acre property’s location—tucked away in a beautiful valley of southwest Colorado, roughly 32 miles from Telluride—was just the respite I was after. I booked a two-night stay.

Dunton is comprised of 15 log cabins built at the turn of the century and encircling a wooden communal bathhouse and saloon. At first glance, the property looks more like a well-preserved mining village than a luxurious resort with a world-class spa and locally sourced meals. Snow was positively dumping as my friend Lexi and I pulled up its dirt driveway in March in her Subaru. We were greeted warmly by Lee Pillaro, Dunton’s activities manager. A quick tour totally bowled me over; the entire propertyĚýhas been thoughtfully designed so guests can drop their worries at the door and truly unwind. Eureka.

The recently remodeled historic saloon and dance hall are complete with a massive communal table, rust-red wagon-wheel chandeliers, and the original settlement’s’s wooden bar, which boasts two spots where Cassidy scratched his name.

Next was the moment we’d been waiting for: a visit to the bathhouse. It was so dreamy it nearly made me cry. Upon entering, to my right hung a lacy ivory-colored hammock; fragrant ponderosa and aspen smoke drifted toward the rafters from a small fireplace; and just beyond floor-to-ceiling windows stood an outdoor Scandinavian-style barrel sauna. But the pièce de résistance was its hot-spring soaking pool, five feet wide and three inches deep and taking up more than half the room. It’s been in use for more than 100 years and is haloed by verdant hanging vines and framed with monstera.

It almost didn’t matter which of the property’s bohemian cabins we’d been assigned or what sweat-inducing activities we’d enjoy over the next three days. I knew where I’d be spending all my free time.

şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Intel

Unlike a lot of luxe retreats centered around a spa or hot-springs experience, Dunton is remarkably well-rounded, with a bevy of outdoor activities throughout the year for both hardcore adventurers and those who prefer leisurely walks in the woods.

During the resort’s busy season, summer, alpine wildflowers pop and fly-fishing is the highlight for many guests.Ěý“This is one of the best places in the country to catch a grand slam,” Pillaro told me, referring to anglers on a mission to hook all four species of trout–cutthroat, rainbow, brook and brown–found in the West Dolores River.

Other popular summertime options include hiking to and , both of which can be done solo or with a hired Duntonguide. The resort also maintains a three-mile hiking trail with spectacular views into aspen- and conifer-lined river valleys. Horseback riding, mountain biking, and tastings at , 60 miles south in Cortez, are available, too.

If you’re game for a longer drive, Dunton Hot Springs is within day-trip distance to Canyon of the Ancients National Monument (61 miles) and Mesa Verde National Park (74 miles), both home to outstanding examples of Ancestral Puebloan ruins and petroglyphs. The adorable mountain town of Telluride is also worth visiting, known for its world-class skiing inĚýwinter and its waterfall-strewn hiking trails in summer. You can stay in downtown Telluride at (from $608) if you elect to spend the night.

When I visited Dunton in March, winter was still in full swing, and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of things to do, even when a mere six guests were staying at the resort and flurries were a common occurrence. A 45-minute snowcat ride (free to guests looking to nordic-ski on Wednesdays and Fridays) brought Lexi and I to the sprawling, powder-filled expanse of Dunton Meadows, with views of the surrounding sky-high peaks, including 14,252-foot Mount Wilson. We popped out and were temporarily blinded by the reflection of sunlight against the freshly fallen layer of white, but soon donned a set of snowshoes borrowed from the resort (cross-country ski gear is also available) and traipsed across the groomed three-mile nordic ski track. We gleefully returned to our cabin, shed our snow gear for swimsuits, and hit the hot springs. I also signed up for a free yoga class the following morning, to stretch out before hitting the road.

Choice Cabins

Every cabin at Dunton Hot Springs is drop-dead gorgeous and decorated with original artwork and trinkets that the resort’s owners, Katrin Bellinger and Christoph Henkel, have amassed on their travels abroad. Lexi and I stayed in the during our sojourn, spreading out to enjoy its two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and one featuring a clawfoot tub from a local brothel. (Vertical also has a loft with additional beds, and the entire cabin can sleep up to six, making it ideal for families or groups of friends. Like many accommodations at Dunton, it’s also dog-friendly.)

Chuck’s Cabin is the newest addition to the property, boasting a king bedroom, a queen bedroom, and two bedrooms with bunk beds for kids. Couples on a romantic retreat might prefer the Well HouseĚýcabin, with its own private hot spring and cold plunge. EchoĚýis the most affordable option at Dunton, with just 230 square feet of space and an outdoor-only shower.

Two miles downriver is , a sister property managed as a separate resort from June through mid-October (from $2,192 for two people). With eight palatial canvas tents, all-inclusive food and beverages, and views of the West Fork of the Dolores, it goes way beyond most glamping. Pro tip: arrange a specific time with the resort if you’re interested in soaking in the hot springs.

Eat and Drink

All food and beverages (including alcoholic ones, save anything from its reserve list) are included at Dunton Hot Springs, so most guests elect to dine at the saloon and dance hall during their stay. I opted for that, as Dunton does a phenomenal job of sourcing sustainable ingredients, butchering its meat in-house, and catering to guests’ dietary restrictions.

Breakfast at Dunton

Served between 8 and 10 A.M., breakfast might include house-cured bacon, egg-white frittatas, blue corn johnnycakes, and smoked Rocky Mountain trout on locally baked bagels. A grab-and-go snack box atop the bar is stocked with items for those who want a few extra calories to help power their morning activities.

Lunch at Dunton

Depending on your exploration plans, lunch might be a wrap and a bag of chips or, alternatively, a fixed menu in the communal dining hall. One afternoon Lexi and I sat down to a hearty Mexican pozole with freshly prepared tostadas topped with smashed avocado and lime.

Dinner at Dunton

Supper, a fixed menu, was a special treat both nights. My favorite menu was a mouthwatering endive salad with Roquefort cheese, a cut of Native Plains bison with a smoked sweet potato puree, and house-made apple tartlets. As a fervent tea snob, I’m happy to report that the property’s tea menu is very on point.

Further, not only does the kitchen purchase a whole hog every week, staff also make a concerted effort to maximize that meat for everything from ham for lunch sandwiches to dinnertime pork roasts to happy-hour charcuterie.

When to Go

There’s no bad time to visit Dunton Hot Springs, but you should consider the types of activities you’re interested in before swan-diving into the booking process. Keep in mind that its location at a lofty 8,850 feet elevation means snow can linger into June. During the warmer months (July through September), hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and fly-fishing are going to be impressive. Late September through early October, fiery fall colors enhance the stands of aspen dotting the surrounds. And in winter, the hot springs are a great juxtaposition to snowy outings; these months also tend to be quieter, with fewer children and guests in general.

How to Get There

Dunton is convenient to four different airports, all of them the tiny regional sort. The closest is Cortez,Ěýwhich is an hour’s drive from the property and sees direct flights from Denver and Phoenix. The airports in Durango, Telluride, and Montrose are farther afield. Road-tripping in from Denver or out of state? Make sure you to the hot springs before you lose cell reception.

Don’t Miss

Mesa Verde National Park, a 90-minute drive away, has some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in the world. If you’re more interested in a townie adventure, check out Telluride. In addition to all manner of sports on its eponymous mountain, I like the cheekily named , which has been independently owned and operated since 1974. It’s hard to beat the Detroit-style pie at , or if you’re looking for a more refined good time, the , located within the Madeline Hotel, has fabulous cocktails and outrageously good charcuterie (think Humbolt Fog goat cheese, fresh honeycomb, and ÂᲹłľĂł˛Ô from Iberian acorn-fed pigs).

Details

To Book:

Price: From $1,165, all-inclusive for two people; two-night minimum required

Address: 8532 Road 38
Dolores, CO 81323

Emily Pennington is a frequent şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř contributor based in Boulder, Colorado. Her work has appeared inĚý The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, and Lonely Planet, and others. When she’s not backpacking through the Rockies, she’s hell-bent on soaking in as many steamy hot springs as possible.

The post Looking for a Wild West R&R Getaway? This Colorado Hot Springs Is Your Answer. appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there? We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

I always thought winter in British Columbia was just about chasing pow in the mountains. But on the far west coast of Vancouver Island, storm watching is a thing people travel to experience. And The Nami Project in the village of Ucluelet (pronounced “you-CLUE-let”) is the perfect place to embrace this particular Canadian pastime. The collection of eight modern self-catering suites and cabins, which opened in January, are nestled next to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, right on the ocean’s rugged coastline, giving guests a front-row seat for watching winter’s massive swells.

A dream destination for pluviophiles (rain lovers), this area averages 132 inches of precipitation a year, most of it coming down between October and March. I envisioned myself cozied up with a book in front of my room’s floor-to-ceiling windows or on the protected deck—but the incredible views were highly distracting. Instead, I ended up outside, immersed in the scenery. With the right gear, adventuring near the property’s lush surrounds this season is an absolute delight. Just be sure to pack what locals refer to as a West Coast tuxedo (a rain jacket).

A section of the five-mile lies steps from the Nami Project. Its canopy of colossal Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and 800-year-old red cedars creates a natural umbrella that kept me surprisingly dry on my hikes. This path hugs the coast, and during a storm, it provides epic views of waves as high as 20 feet lashing the rocks.

The 25-mile stretch of shoreline between Ucluelet and the more widely known Tofino, to the north, turns into a cold-water surf mecca in winter. Hardcore waveriders suit up in heavy-duty wetsuits (as much as six millimeters thick), hoodies, gloves, and booties to ride monsters at spots like Long Beach.

After I spent hours braving the elements, the Nami Project was even more inviting. Each room has heated floors, plus a private sauna and hot tub, and the oceanfront common area boasts a gas fireplace, two sunken cedar hot tubs, a cold-plunge tub, and lounge chairs set beneath outdoor heaters.

şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Intel

Ucluelet and Tofino can feel overrun by tourists in the peak summer months. In winter, though, you’ll have the trails and beaches to yourself. Warm layers and full rain gear and wellies are essential if you want to experience huge waves up close at popular storm-watching outposts like Cox Bay and Chesterman Beach. The deck of the Kwisitis Visitor Centre, within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve at the south end of Long Beach, overlooks the ocean and affords spectacular vistas. Always be mindful of the tide, which can rise fast, and don’t try to snap the perfect Instagram shot by standing on the slippery tidal rocks—it only takes one rogue wave to topple you into the icy, urchin-filled waters, and strong currents can quickly pull you out to sea.

Winter surf is reserved for experienced waveriders (if you’re a beginner, come back in summer). West Coast Shapes rents boards and can share intel about local breaks. For a slightly tamer scene, Florencia Beach in Ucluelet sees waves that aren’t affected by the tides and is protected from harsh northern winds.

If hiking is your preference, hit the Wild Pacific Trail, which has two main sections. is an easy 1.9-mile path: walk it clockwise to see Amphitrite Lighthouse first, then continue through the mossy rainforest to the stunning headlands. Or wander the 3.1-mile out-and-back stretch from Big Beach to Rocky Bluffs, lined with gnarled old-growth trees, for something that feels straight out of FernGully. A local suggested I tack on the Ancient Cedars Loop, and I’m glad I took his advice. The extra half-mile winds through a grove of behemoth cedars, including one that measures more than 40 feet around its base.

In the drier months, rent wheels from and cruise the new 15.5-mile ʔapsčiik t̓ašii (pronounced ups-cheek ta-shee) pathway between Ucluelet and Tofino in the national park reserve. Or sign up for a ; the outfitter works closely with local First Nations members to develop its kayak and hiking trips. Itineraries range from two-and-a-half-hour paddles in Ucluelet Harbor—where you’re likely to encounter sea lions, otters, and eagles—to multiday kayak and glamping trips to the Broken Group Islands.

Choice Room

The Nami Project’s four suites and four cabins take their cues from the minimalist aesthetics of Japanese and Scandinavian design. Each feels like a private spa, thanks to a cedar sauna in the bathroom and an outdoor cedar hot tub crafted by local manufacturer Forest Cooperage on the deck. All accommodations have kitchens, living and dining areas, plus decks with forest and ocean views. I was treated to an aromatherapy session every time I opened a window or door and was hit with scents of sea spray and cedar.

My cabin, Arashi (the Japanese word for storm), felt as if it were suspended over the crashing waves. It affords guests the most expansive view of the coast, and its half-covered deck is perfect for stargazing and storm watching.

Eat and Drink

Because the Nami Project is a self-catering property—kitchenettes are equipped with a microwave, fridge, water kettle, French press, dishes, and cutlery—you can stock up at the Ucluelet Co-op Food Store or Blackberry Cove Marketplace (which also has a fantastic book selection). I was more interested in trying area fare, and fueled my adventures with breakfast sammys and pastries (don’t miss the cardamom knot) at the Break Café and Bistro, and a customizable bowl from Ukee Poke, located within the West Coast Shapes surf shop. I also splurged on the hyperlocal tasting menu at Pluvio, a husband-and-wife-run restaurant with just 24 seats.

When to Go

The Nami Project is open year-round, and there’s no bad month to come as long as you pack the right gear. Summer draws throngs of hikers, kayakers, anglers, and beginner surfers who benefit from sun and mellow waves. During the quieter fall months, the forest takes on red and golden hues and the swell picks up for annual local surf events like Queen of the Peak and the Women’s Canadian Surf Championships, both held in Cox Bay. Winter is when Mother Nature shows off her power, bringing huge waves for hardcore surfers and epic storms for spectators.

How to Get There

Like most wild places, Ucluelet takes some effort to reach. Fortunately, there are several options. You can fly into British Columbia’s pretty capital, Victoria, and drive four and a half hours through the rainforest along a windy road.

Or from Vancouver, the province’s largest city, hop the new and fast Hullo passenger ferry to Nanaimo in just 75 minutes, then rent a car and drive the last 110 miles to Ucluelet. Alternatively, rent your ride in Vancouver (often the cheaper option) and make the 1 hour 40 minute journey with your vehicle aboard BC Ferries to Nanaimo.

Finally, if you’re short on time or get carsick, you can take a 40-minute charter flight from Vancouver’s South Terminal to Tofino–Long Beach Airport, where you can rent a car and drive 15 minutes to The Nami Project.

Don’t Miss

Wood carvings, paintings, and screen prints made by First Nations artists are on sale at , a space owned and operated by Nuu-chah-nulth artist Tlehpika Hjalmer Wenstob and his family.

And the gray whale migration from Baja California, Mexico, begins to arrive along the west coast of Vancouver Island in February and is celebrated each March during the weeklong . A Whale Trail sign at Amphitrite Point along the Wild Pacific Trail marks a lookout for blows and breaches. Humpbacks come to feed May through September, and orca can be spotted year-round.

Details

To Book:

Price: Suites from $343 and cabins from $453

Address: 828 Odyssey Lane
Ucluelet, BC VOR 3AO, Canada

When it comes to board sports, şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř correspondent Jen Murphy still prefers snowboarding British Columbia’s legendary powder to surfing the coast’s icy winter waves. However, she is now a storm watching convert and considers her meal at Pluvio one of her top dining experiences of 2023.Ěý

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Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn’t it be something to stay there?We do, too—all the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight amazing hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

In late November, I ran a 50K trail race in Moab, Utah. I planned to spend most of the week posted up with my family in a campsite on the outskirts of town, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted a nice shower and a comfortable bed before and after the event.

Which is how I ended up staying the weekend at , the coolest new hotel in this popular adventure town. The property opened in April on a 2.6-acre lot just north of downtown with 139 rooms and seven sites for van campers who want access to amenities like Wi-Fi, showers, and the outdoor hot tub and pool. Owned by the same group that runs AutoCamp (a national chain of Airstream glamping resorts),ĚýField Station Moab was the perfect base camp for a tired runner like myself.

Completely redesigned with a minimalist, industrial feel, not to mention a welcoming, easygoing vibe, this is a place where you can walk through the bustling lobby and grab an espresso in muddy bike shorts without getting any stares. In fact, the lobby itself resembles more of a chic outdoor gear shop than a hotel, with local topo maps spread across tables, shelves stocked with guidebooks, and a store where you can pick up energy bars, a reusable water bottle, or a rain jacket in case you forgot your own.

When I checked in, the friendly woman behind the counter was wearing a name tag that read, “Ask me about skydiving,” and she immediately greeted my dog with a treat. We were able to bring our mountain bikes right into our room—a nice feature for security—and she pointed us toward the bike-tuning station out back if we needed it. A gear-rental closet has loaner daypacks, children’s backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags, as well as a luggage room to store your stay-put belongings if you’re headed into the backcountry for a few days.

Accommodations are simple but thoughtful, appointed with quiet nods to the outdoors, such as sporty coolers instead of fridges, bite-size energy bars left on your bedside table, and climbing rope looped through the roll of toilet paper. After running 30 miles, I soaked my sore legs in the hot tub and struck up a conservation with another guest, a woman who had spent the day mountain biking for the first time ever. In that moment, Field Station felt like exactly what an outdoorsy hotel should be: a community gathering place to swap stories about your adventures. Instead of hanging out in our room, I found myself drawn to the outdoor fire pit to enjoy a post-race beer, and the next morning, I lingered over coffee and a breakfast sandwich in the lobby’s comfy seating area. If you like the concept here, Field Station is scheduled to open a second outpost in Joshua Tree, California, in May.

şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Intel

Moab has an endless array of options for outdoor adventures, from canyoneering to rafting. It’s a mountain-biking and rock-climbing mecca and the gateway for exploring nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. I came to Moab mostly to trail-run and mountain-bike, but I did spend time wandering around Arches with my kids.

“If you’re going to do one thing in Arches National Park, go to the ,” Stephen Wojciechowski, Field Station’s assistant general manager, told me. “Everyone who goes into Arches wants to go to Delicate Arch, the busiest spot in the park, but there’s a lot more to see.”

I took Wojciechowski’s advice and got a to visit the Fiery Furnace, a maze of deep canyons with steep walls and hidden arches, and it was my kids’ favorite activity of the week. (During the busier season, you can also reserve a two-hour ranger-led hike; both it and self-guided permits are available up to seven days in advance.)

Wojciechowski also recommended exploring Arches’ , at the end of the park road, walking the Primitive Trail in a clockwise loop. “You can do up to eight miles of hiking and see up to ten arches,” he says. “That gives you a perfect afternoon in the park.”

You can spot arches outside the national park, too. Wojciechowski likes the three-mile round-trip hike to , west of Moab, which we did. It was both dog- and family-friendly. My kids scrambled up a metal ladder while gawking at the amazing view of the arch.

Fascinated by ancient petroglyphs? For a history lesson, we headed up Kane Springs Road and stopped by what’s called the , an accessible boulder with petroglyphs on all sides that’s thought to be sketched by Ancestral Puebloans and Native Ute Tribes more than 800 years ago.

The mountain biking in Moab is incredible in its vastness, offering a wide range of technical rides and more flowy singletrack. I rode the relatively new Trail twice, and with my kids I pedaled a section of the and a loop of the . If you want a guide, Bighorn Mountain Biking leads private guided rides of varying lengths in Dead Horse State Park, or you can book a lift with Hazard County Shuttle to the start of downhill trails like the new or the classic .

Choice Room

At Field Station, my husband and I opted for a spacious group-friendly room with two queen beds and bunk beds for our two kids. If you don’t need much space, standard rooms with a queen bed or two are also available. And starting this fall, Field Station is debuting select rooms with king-size beds designed with built-in portaledges, so you can get a feel for how big-wall climbers sleep.

Eat and Drink

Field Station Moab has a convenient grab-and-go café in the lobby, with breakfast pastries, coffee, smoothies, and snacks. Otherwise, is just up the road and offers an extensive burger menu, which is where we ate our first night in town. After the race, I refueled on tacos at the , and later in the week, we had lunch on the ’s outdoor patio. Sit-down breakfast at is hard to beat. Woody’s Tavern is a legendary dive bar with live music, and about once a month or so, local scientists show up to share their insight on anything from mosquitos to climate change during a series called .

When to Go

Spring and fall are busy in Moab, as visitors tend to avoid the scorching heat of midsummer. If you plan to visit Arches National Park during peak season, from April to October, you’ll need to reserve a time-stamped entry ahead of time. Better yet, come in the off-season, from November through March, and you’ll be treated to smaller crowds and more room to roam. Winters here are mild in terms of weather and snowfall, but temperatures can get chilly; expect averages in the forties in December and January.

How to Get There

Most travelers fly into Salt Lake City, then drive four hours south to Moab. Field Station is located a mile and a half north of downtown. Hotel staff can help book you a seat on one of the mountain-bike shuttles to the popular area trails, but most likely you’ll need a car to get around to various locales.

Don’t Miss

Watching the sun set at is a Moab highlight. This lesser-known state park has plenty of trails for hiking and mountain biking, and fewer visitors than the nearby national parks. Another worthy mention is Back of Beyond Books on Main Street; it’s just the place to pick up a travel-inspiring novel and browse its impressive collection devoted to local history and quirkier aspects of the outdoors.

Details

To Book:

Price: Rooms from $159; van sites $29

Address: 889 N Main St.
Moab, UT 84532

Megan Michelson is an şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř contributing editor and avid traveler who’s originally from a small town in Northern California. She loves visiting desert landscapes in the Southwest because they are so different than the environment she’s used to, and because the sunsets are so much more colorful.Ěý

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