Trip Reports
03.28.09 - 03.29.09
Stanley, Idaho is well-known for being a tad chilly. It has even
been, at times, the coldest place in the United States. My
good friend that
works at Denali National Park will surely contest this.
So, you
might be thinking - why on Earth would anyone want to spend spring
break in such a place? Well, for starters, Stanley is quiet and
engulfed by the mighty Sawtooth Mountains. Other benefits include:
hot springs (of course), lack of people, snowshoeing, incredible
scenery, wildlife and yes - homemade blackberry pie (this one was a
bonus).
One
evening spent soaking and gazing at the Sawtooths involved watching
a live episode of the playful coyote. In this episode, the coyote
romped and rolled around in crunchy snow amongst a gaggle of nervous
Canadian Geese. Much better than any talk box show I could think of.
This
particular natural hot springs is rather deluxe, and is only
available to guests of the Mountain Village Resort. Which I ended up
calling 'Mountain View' a few times in the video clip. It's rather
difficult not to think 'Mountain View' up in Stanley when surrounded
by the majestic Sawtooth Mountains.
In a
nutshell; staying at the Mountain Village Resort was better than
expected thanks to friendly staff, clean rooms and good food
(homemade pie!). I can also imagine that cleaning up their guest-use
hot springs facilities is quite the chore. I thought it was rare to
see a garbage can at a hot springs. Despite the presence of the
receptacle, many guests still opted to throw their trash everywhere
else. One would hope that those visiting areas like this would be
least likely to be trash mongers. One would hope.
Rating A
11.2001
This stellar soak was reminiscent of a hot-tub in design. Deep and semi-wide, this soaker's view is outstanding, especially bright and early in the am. This one is on a hotel's property, so you need to pay the man in order to use it.
Its design is similar to smaller version of
Baumgartner save for the overhead covering.
The view is of the Sawtooth Mountains, and it's spectacular!
Rating A
Average Rating:
A [TOP] |