Golf is the primary—but far from the only—draw at the American Club: Four magnificent championship courses designed by Pete Dye frame the resort. Blackwolf Run’s two 18-hole courses (River and Meadow Valleys, top-notch enough to host the 2012 Women’s Open) take advantage of the region’s naturally undulating glacier-scoured terrain. Dye also created Whistling Straits, evoking the windswept, rough-hewn courses of Scotland and Ireland. Complete with grazing sheep, it stretches along a flat bluff above the blue expanse of Lake Michigan. Built in 1998, Whistling Straits hosted the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championships (a rare honor for such a new course) and is slated to do so again in 2015.
The 500-acre River Wildlife private nature preserve provides 25 miles of hiking trails, horseback riding, and pheasant hunting; 7 miles of salmon-filled rivers and trout streams; and the excellent Lodge restaurant. At the 24,000-square-foot Kohler Waters Spa, you can choose from more than 50 treatments. Settings are designed to showcase Kohler’s plumbing marvels, such as the RiverBath room, which features a waterfall and whirlpool jets that mimic river currents.
WHERE: 55 miles north of Milwaukee. Tel 800-344-2838 or 920-457-8000; www.destinationkohler.com. Cost: from $180 (off-peak), from $285 (peak); greens fees from $165; dinner at the Lodge $70. BEST TIMES: late May for Festival of Beer; Jun for the Kohler Golf Expo; Oct for the Kohler Food and Wine Experience.
The Daddy of All Rodeos
CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.A.
The Cowboy State’s capital city was once nicknamed Hell on Wheels, and during its annual Frontier Days you’ll understand why. This celebration of all things Western was first held in 1897, a mere 15 years after William F. Cody, aka “Buffalo Bill,” created the rodeo tradition with his traveling Wild West Show. Today it’s a 10-day carnival of rodeos, wild-horse races, marching bands, intertribal Indian dancing, and a parade that’s been led by some memorable names over the years—including Buffalo Bill himself in 1898 and an enthusiastic Teddy Roosevelt in 1910.
Frontier Days is known among rodeo aficionados as “The Daddy of ’em All,” bringing upward of 550,000 visitors every year, plus more than 1,800 of the toughest cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation. The event’s rollicking atmosphere extends to its famous free pancake breakfasts, at which 10,000 guests consume more than 100,000 flapjacks, 475 gallons of syrup, and 520 gallons of coffee.
If you have a hankering for more genteel pursuits, the celebration has included an art show and sale of works by Western artists, carvers, and Navajo weavers. Cheyenne’s Victorian opulence is on display in the stretch of 17th Street known as “Cattle Baron’s Row.” Indulge like a gentleman rancher from another age by staying at Nagle Warren Mansion B&B, situated in the meticulously restored home of a former governor and U.S. senator.
Cowboys have been drawn to Cheyenne since the 1890s, when Buffalo Bill’s show attracted a crowd of thousands.
WHERE: 100 miles north of Denver. Tel 800-227-6336 or 307-778-7222; www.cfdrodeo.com. When: late Jul. NAGLE WARREN MANSION B&B: Tel 800-811-2610 or 307-637-3333; www.naglewarrenmansion.com. Cost: from $145.
Horse Heaven
BITTERROOT RANCH
Dubois, Wyoming, U.S.A.
Fifty wild, mountainous miles from Yellowstone, Bitterroot Dude Ranch rests in a remote valley flanked by the Shoshone National Forest on one side and a 52,000-acre wildlife refuge on the other. Mel and Bayard Fox own and operate this 1,300-acre rider’s paradise, with a dozen hand-hewn log cabins—some a century old—scattered along the trout stream that runs through it. The magnificent Arabians they breed and train here make up the majority of a herd that is 160 strong and kept exclusively for their 30 guests.
Visitors can sign up for riding lessons or take part in cattle drives; riders are expertly matched with horses and assembled into groups by skill. Trails meander over sagebrush plains, along rocky gorges, and across alpine meadows, with snow-capped mountains in view. For the experienced, there’s even a cross-country course with more than 70 jumps.
Nonequestrians fill their days by hiking, fishing, or just relaxing, while kids can spend time with the lambs, foals, and other animals on Bitterroot’s farm. Evenings feature some of the finest and freshest eating in the area, and Dubois, half an hour away, offers shops and galleries, plus square dancing in the summer. It’s also home to the National Bighorn Sheep Center, thanks to the country’s largest such herd, which roams the mountains above the town.
WHERE: 85 miles east of Jackson. Tel 800-545-0019 or 307-455-3363; www.bitterrootranch.com. Cost: from $1,785 per person per week, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $2,100 (peak). When: late May–Sep. NATIONAL BIGHORN SHEEP CENTER: Tel 888-209-2795 or 307-455-3429; www.bighorn.org. BEST TIMES: Jun–Jul for wildflowers; Sep for aspens.
The West’s Most Scenic Mountains
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
Wyoming, U.S.A.
Craggy, glacier-chiseled, and rising to 7,000-plus feet above the floor of Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Valley (itself more than 6,000 feet above sea level), the dramatic peaks of Grand Teton National Park win America’s topographical beauty pageant. With no foothills to mar the view, the oft-photographed Tetons dominate the skyline with a grandeur that’s starkly primeval.
The Tetons are the youngest mountains in the Rockies. Legend has it that French Canadian trappers in the early 19th century gave the Teton peaks their lasting name—les Grand Tetons, or “the big breasts.” Winters could be harsh, but enterprising landowners soon realized that marketing the beauty of the area to aspiring “dudes” provided the best hope of making a living. Today, at the Triangle X Ranch, the only working dude ranch within the park (though one of many in the area; see Jackson, next page), guests enjoy Western hospitality in a laid-back family atmosphere with lots of outdoor adventures such as flyfishing or rafting on the Snake River.
At the foot of the range, glaciers gouged a string of deep, cold, sapphire blue lakes, of which Jenny Lake is among the most beautiful and most visited. The popular Jenny Lake Lodge, one of the park’s nicest and best situated, originated as a dude ranch for the eastern effetes who came west to rough it.
The largest lake, Jackson Lake, is 15 miles long, with cruises to Elk Island and its mountainous western shore. Guided float trips meander down a calm stretch of the Snake River from Deadman’s Bar to Moose, and local outfitters offer whitewater trips as well. A 45-mile loop drive from Moose by way of Moran Junction presents much of the same spectacular scenery seen from the comfort of your car.
Adjacent to the park’s southern border, the 24,700-acre National Elk Refuge is the winter home for up to 8,000 migrating elk, the largest herd in North America. From mid-December through March you can get an up-close look at them via a horse-drawn sleigh ride.
WHERE: 12 miles north of Jackson. Tel 307-739-3300; www.nps.gov/grte. TRIANGLE X RANCH: Tel 307-733-2183; www.trianglex.com. Cost: cabins from $250 (off-peak) per night, $3,200 per week (peak), all-inclusive. JENNY LAKE LODGE: Tel 800-628-9988 or 307-733-4647; www.gtlc.com. Cost: cabins from $620, all-inclusive. When: early May–early Oct. NATIONAL ELK REFUGE: Tel 307-733-9212; www.nationalelkrefuge.fws.gov. BEST TIMES: Jul–Aug for warmest weather; Sep for foliage and fewer crowds.
American Grandeur and Awesome Skiing
JACKSON HOLE
Wyoming, U.S.A.
One of the art, recreation, and lifestyle capitals of the New West, Jackson has evolved from a fur-trading cow town into a bustling tourist center that borders on being cosmopolitan. While the scenic 50-mile-long Jackson Hole area (the “hole” is a high, enclosed mountain valley) is full of trophy homes and gated communities, Jackson itself draws an egalitarian mix of ski bums, the moneyed elite, hikers and climbers, and even a real Wyoming cowboy or two.
Jackson’s tree-lined town square, anchored at each corner with arches made from elk antlers, is surrounded by bars, restaurants, quirky boutiques, and art galleries. Drop by timeworn hangouts like Bubba’s Bar-B-Que; the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, popular since
1937; and the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill in the historic Wort Hotel, famous for the 2,032 silver dollars embedded in its bar.
The Spring Creek Ranch, above town, has elegant log cabins scattered about a 1,000-acre wildlife sanctuary and a restaurant-with-a-view, the Granary. The Zen-like Amangani (“peaceful home”) is down the road, but it feels worlds away. A beguiling mix of Asian aesthetic and understated Western cool, it offers a sweeping panorama of the Grand Tetons through 40-foot-high picture windows, an infinity pool, and a heavenly spa.
Jackson’s true glory is location, location, location. Grand Teton National Park’s lofty peaks rise just to the north (see previous page); it’s a day trip away from Yellowstone (see next page); and minutes away from the 2,500 acres of “steep and deep” skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Passionate skiers come for the stunning vertical drop of 4,139 feet down the east face of 10,450-foot Rendezvous Mountain and for outstanding intermediate skiing on the Apres Vous Mountain run. Swing by the boisterous Mangy Moose restaurant and saloon before retiring to the slopeside Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa. Nearby Grand Targhee Ski Resort has an incredible 500 inches of snow annually, making it one of skidom’s holy grails.
If the area’s cowboy vibe has awakened your inner dude, head an hour north of Jackson to Moran and the Heart Six Ranch, whose trail rides and stream fishing are summer mainstays. In winter, guests explore a virgin wonderland aboard snowmobiles or bliss out in the solitude of the snowbound Rockies.
WHERE: Jackson is 275 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, UT. VISITOR INFO: www.jacksonholechamber.com. SPRING CREEK RANCH: Tel 800-443-6139 or 307-733-8833; www.springcreekranch.com. Cost: from $175 (off-peak), from $340 (peak); dinner at the Granary $55. AMANGANI: Tel 877-734-7333 or 307-734-7333; www.amanresorts.com. Cost: from $595 (off-peak), from $875 (peak). JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT: Tel 888-333-7766 or 307-733-2292; www.jacksonhole.com. Cost: lift tickets from $55 (off-peak), from $91 (peak). When: ski season Dec–early Apr. TETON MOUNTAIN LODGE & SPA: Tel 800-631-6271 or 307-734-7111; www.tetonlodge.com. Cost: from $119 (off-peak), from $359 (peak). GRAND TARGHEE RESORT: Tel 800-827-4422 or 307-353-2300; www.grandtarghee.com. Cost: lift tickets $69. When: ski season Dec–mid-Apr. HEART SIX RANCH: Tel 888-543-2477 or 307-543-2477; www.heartsix.com. Cost: from $120 per person per night (off-peak), from $1,095 per person for 3 days (peak), all-inclusive. BEST TIMES: Jan–Mar for skiing; late May for Old West Days; July 4 for Music in the Hole Concert; mid-Sep for Fall Arts Festival.
The Earth’s Extravagant Showcase
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Wyoming, U.S.A.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America’s oldest national park, known worldwide for the geysers and geothermal pools that hark back to its volcanic past. Yellowstone’s 3,500 square miles encompass rugged plateaus and heavily forested peaks, steaming hot springs, crystalline lakes, and 290 thundering waterfalls. Over 3 million people visit every year, so if you plan to go between June and September, expect plenty of company in the park’s popular areas.
The legendary geyser known as Old Faithful is just the beginning of the attractions here. The park offers incredible natural diversity and abundant wildlife, all amid breathtaking scenery. The rainbow-hued Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, 20 miles long and up to 1,200 feet deep, begins at the showpiece 308-foot Lower Falls. Bears and herds of bison roam the Hayden Valley, while moose and elk linger near the hot springs terraces at Mammoth, and some 322 bird species flit from spruce to fir. White and gray wolves, reintroduced to the park in 1995, hunt in the Lamar Valley.
A highlight of any visit is a stay at the Old Faithful Inn, a huge, century-old pine lodge designed in a rugged Craftsman style that subsequent park lodges have imitated. It sits right next to its namesake geyser, which sprays steaming water up to 184 feet into the air every 65 to 92 minutes. The less reliable Steamboat is the highest-gushing geyser in the world.
The park’s 300-plus active geysers (60 percent of the earth’s geysers are found here) and the bubbling mud pools, hissing fumaroles, and hot springs—over 10,000 hydrothermal features in all—make up the world’s largest geothermal system.
Winter is the serene season, when the park is open to cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and guided tours on snowmobiles and snow-coaches (vanlike vehicles with ski runners and snowmobile-like treads). Snowcoaches also run to Old Faithful Snow Lodge, completed in 1999, the perfect base for wintertime visitors to the park.
Castle Geyser erupts every 10 to 12 hours.
WHERE: The park has 5 entrances: 3 in Montana and 2 in Wyoming. www.nps.gov/yell. When: most park roads open mid-Apr–early Nov; north entrance (Gardiner, MT) open year-round. OLD FAITHFUL INN: Tel 866-439-7375 or 307-344-7311; www.travelyellowstone.com. Cost: from $100. When: mid-May–mid-Oct. OLD FAITHFUL SNOW LODGE: Tel 307-344-7311; www.travelyellowstone.com. Cost: from $100. When: May–mid-Oct and mid-Dec–early Mar. BEST TIMES: May–mid-Jun and Sep–mid-Oct for nice weather without crowds; Sep–mid-Oct for fall foliage; winter for cross-country skiing.
CANADA
The Wild West, Canadian Style
CALGARY STAMPEDE
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary goes Western during its world-famous stampede, kicking up its (boot) heels for ten rodeo-filled days in July. Rodeos have been a part of Calgary summers since 1886, soon after the city was founded as an outpost for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Calgary Stampede is the world’s largest and most prestigious rodeo, with more than 400 of the world’s elite rodeo contestants entered in six major events, competing for a total prize topping nearly $2 million. More than 1 million visitors come for live music and dance performances, parades, a Western art showcase, free pancake breakfasts served from chuckwagons, a carnival and midway, and native powwow dance competitions—just a few of the spectacles that take over the city.
The rodeo is the indisputable heart of the stampede with competition in bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding; tie-down roping; steer wrestling; and barrel racing. One of the stampede’s unique competitions is the Chuckwagon Race, in which old-time horse-pulled cook wagons—not built for speed or grace—contend for the fastest time around the track in a fury of dust and pounding hooves.
To keep in the Western spirit, make your hotel reservations at the Fairmont Palliser, built in 1914, just two years after the first official stampede was held. Cattle barons hung their hats at this oasis of gentility, with a columns-and-marble lobby, luxurious guest rooms, and a palpable sense of period grandeur. Enjoy a juicy Alberta steak in the Rimrock Restaurant, amid authentic Canadiana décor.
INFO: Tel 800-661-1767 or 403-269-9822; www.calgarystampede.com. WHEN: 10 days in mid-Jul. FAIRMONT PALLISER: Tel 800-441-1414 or 403-262-1234; www.fairmont.com/palliser. Cost: from $155 (off-peak), from $340 (peak); dinner $55.
Canada’s Rocky Mountain High
BANFF, JASPER, AND YOHO NATIONAL PARKS
Alberta and British Columbia, Canada
Spanning the crown of the majestic Canadian Rockies are Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks, collectively known as the Rocky Mountain Parks. Banff was Canada’s very first national park and is now a 2,656-square-mile giant and Canada’s No. 1 tourist destination. The park’s pride is a pair of shimmering jade green lakes: the stunning Moraine Lake, nestled beneath soaring 10,000-foot peaks, and Lake Louise, known for its dramatic setting at the base of Victoria Glacier. It’s also the location of the Fairmont Château Lake Louise, the lakeside luxury-hotel-cum-storybook-castle. All this scenic drama whets the appetite; luckily one of western Canada’s top hotels and restaurants can be found in the nearby village of Lake Louise. Its dining room is helmed by stellar chef Hans Sauter.
Banff, at the highest elevation of any town in Canada, offers great dining, shopping, and opulent hotels in a primordial setting. The Fairmont Banff Springs was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to resemble a Scottish baronial castle. The hotel’s Stanley Thompson golf course is one of Canada’s
best (and one of the world’s most spectacularly sited) as is the sumptuous, European-style Willow Stream Spa.
One of the world’s most scenic roadways, the 142-mile Icefields Parkway links Banff and Jasper National Park, passing through an unbroken panorama of glacier-topped peaks, waterfalls, and turquoise lakes flanked by spruce and fir forests. The literal high point is 11,450-foot Mount Athabasca, surrounded by the Columbia Icefield, which covers more than 200 square miles at the crest of the Continental Divide.
The parkway ends in Jasper National Park (Canada’s largest at more than 4,200 square miles), where year-round outdoor adventures abound: Raft the roiling white water of the Athabasca and Sunwapta rivers, hike narrow Maligne Canyon, saddle up for trail rides around Patricia Lake, or canoe mirror-still Maligne Lake, the largest of the Rockies’ glacier-fed lakes. The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is the park’s most exclusive resort; accommodations range from comfortable to sumptuous with a mix of cabins, chalets, and cottages in a woodsy 700-acre lakeside setting. With its Stanley Thompson–designed course, the Lodge has been named Canada’s No. 1 golf resort.
Adjacent to Banff, on the steep western slopes of the Rockies, Yoho National Park lies in the steep drainage of the Kicking Horse River, which boasts Class III and IV rapids, making it one of Canada’s most exciting whitewater destinations. A popular short hike leads to a viewpoint overlooking Takakkaw Falls, Canada’s second highest at 1,250 feet. At Emerald Lake Lodge, the rooms’ private lake-front balconies overlook deep-green waters and the reflection of soaring mile-high peaks.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 143