The
lodge is actually the holiday getaway home (one of many) of billionaire
Paul Allen (think two kids in a garage in Seattle fooling around with
filaments and wires. One is Paul and the other boy’s name is Bill
Gates). He bought the 4,000-acre parcel, which was to become a luxury
home development, and made a cozy yet palatial lodge out of the sales
model with five inviting suites, a private chef serving family-style
oeuvres at every meal, a spoiling staff and an endless playground of
park preserve for fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback
riding, or just ambling. This is not The Shining of the Tetons.
It’s a modern spread full of rustic charm, built in 1985 and
operating in its current mode since 1993.
Guests who stay at Teton Ridge can fly to Idaho Falls and get picked up
by co-manager/director of marketing, nice person and wife of a large
animal veterinarian, Jan Betts, and head off for the prairie in a
scenic ride that takes about another 90 minutes. The nearest town to
the lodge is Driggs, possibly 10 miles away, and a cute two-horse
watering hole to venture into for coffee and maybe a drive-in movie.
The next hot spot would have to be Jackson Hole, a hopping ski resort
in winter and crowded tourist town in summer with thriving villages of
boutiques and bistros about an hour east.
Once ensconced at Teton Ridge, however, there is very little to reason
to leave and miss what you came here for: total peace and quiet.
The lodge is a majestic 10,000 square feet of warm knotty pine,
cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, stone fireplaces and light-filled
rooms. Floor to ceiling windows in the Great Room offer glorious views
of the Tetons and an expansive meadow often frequented by wildlife (we
had shows from a family of ferrets and fat flocks of pine martins and
mountain bluebirds each morning at breakfast, but several guests had
seen a moose the day before. Deer, elk and black bears are common
sightings in summer). The five comfortable guest suites-- three
upstairs and two downstairs – each come with a king-size bed,
cozy reading area, wood-burning stove and private porches with views of
the majestic Tetons. Each suite is decked in Pendleton wool blankets
and cushions and original and personally collected artwork of the
region. Expansive private baths bring a Jacuzzi tub and steam shower
along with soft robes. Freshly brewed coffee comes at the requested
time to your room each morning.
The walk from the main lodge is a lengthy one that is hidden from view
by aspens and pines. A secluded log house on property can be booked for
families: a sweet retreat with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a
kitchen, a grand living area and private porches to take in the
mountain views. Guests enjoying this private lodge may join other
guests for all meals and activities.
Even the quiet times are full of possibility here. The lodge features
an extensive library, board games, a pool table, fitness room, massage
room (an on-call masseuse resides 15 minutes away), a computer station
with three modules hooked to a T3 line (remember who owns the lodge)
and speedy wireless Internet in all the rooms, laundry room and plasma
screen TV and hundreds of DVDs to play. Guests have 24-hour access to a
refrigerator stocked with water, fruit juice, beer and wine, as well as
a bottomless cookie jar filled with freshly baked cookies.
During summer months, horseback riding, fishing, sporting clays,
hiking, rafting, mountain biking and upland bird hunting (after
September 1st) are popular. Winter fun skews to cross country skiing,
snowshoeing and sleigh rides. Nearby, guests can downhill ski at Grand
Targhee ski resort. Excursions include day trips to Jackson Hole for
shopping and site-seeing, hot air balloon rides and guided tours of
Yellowstone.
Food is in focus at all times at Teton Ridge.
The talented kitchen staff starts the day early, preparing hearty
breakfasts and savory lunches that are served buffet-style from an open
kitchen. Picnic lunches can be prepared for off-site excursions.
When
dusk falls, guests meet in the Great Room for hors d’oeuvres and
wine by the fire before a personally prepared three-course meal in the
candlelit dining room, served in formal elegance, but community style
around a large table. Dinner offerings include roast loin of elk - very
aphrodisiac, breast of duckling, fresh fish, and locally harvested wild
mushrooms, and the homemade desserts are irresistible and usually
paired with fine wine selections. Meals are driven by Allen’s
former personal estate chef, Jeff Larson, and are never repeated.
Dietary restrictions or preferences are easily accommodated.
Summer
visits mean dinner under the stars on weekly cookout adventures in the
hills overlooking the ranch. Guests can hoof it to this secret spot or
take the horse-drawn wagon. The night brings a gourmet Teton Ridge
Ranch-style barbeque shared with lively company and a riveting alpine
glow on the Tetons at sunset.
Lodging rates at Teton Ranch are all-inclusive— three meals a
day, beer and wine, and an exhaustive menu of activities guided and
equipped by a doting staff. A three-night minimum is required.
The lodge is closed four months a year: April/May and
November/December. In June and October rates run $756 per room,
per day or two people ($576 for one); July and September peak months
pay $828 for two ($660 for one); and from January to March, suites run
$654 for two ($474 for one). An additional person per room can be
accommodated for $125 per day.
For information call (800) 926-3579 or visit www.tetonridge.com.
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