Travel Diaries
How the West was Fun
by Amanda BlakleyWhen the Wild West beckons, you heed its call. And so my family and I touched down at the foot of the Wasatch mountain range in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a hotly anticipated visit to The Lodge at Blue Sky. A mere 35 minutes from Utah’s largest airport, the lodge is set amidst the craggy Rocky Mountains on 3500 acres of untamed nature. An elevated bunker design ensures nothing about the architecture takes away from the magnificence of the land on which it stands and across that land, wildlife sightings are de rigeur—we were welcomed by a buck and two does on our approach.
LAY OF THE LAND
For those seeking nature in all its bounty, Utah is a playground of lush mountainous terrain, expansive valleys, wildlife crossings, winter sport and that clean alpine air. The Lodge at Blue Sky is an easy shuffle to mountain resorts, Deer Valley and Park City for the ski–set. Sprinter shuttles run daily and on-demand to get you to the slopes—after a pre-ski limbering yoga class and a civilized Alpen breakfast, of course. And guests of the lodge can enjoy the private slopeside sanctuary, The Blue Sky Ski Lounge, located at the base of Park City’s Silver Star chairlift. For those with more extreme tastes, backcountry or heli-skiing packages are also available.
PLAY ALL DAY
This trip we chose the simple pleasures of making snow angels and snow people. We are, after all, Canadians turned Californians missing our annual snowfall. The onsite programming offered to young guests was so compelling our boys didn’t want to miss a beat. Kids clubs aren’t usually our jam, but the curation and attention to detail at Little Vaqueros went above and beyond, including wildlife tracking via motion sensor cameras installed with the help of the cool, young guides. They spent their days out in the wilderness sledding down secret powdery hills, having epic snowball battles, geo-caching and even landscape painting in a cozy heated yurt. Their days were full of fun. We enjoyed hearing all about their adventures over our family dinners and afternoon hot tub sessions.
But the littles weren’t the only ones having the time of their lives. My husband and I stayed busy with our own daily program that all started even before our arrival. I always say the part of what makes travel so meaningful is the lead-up to the actual trip. The agonizing over the where, when and what of it all. In anticipation of our arrival, we were introduced to our guest manager who helped lead us in selecting from an exhaustive menu of activities for our own dream winter itinerary. All the equestrian programming was appealing, we were in cowboy country after all, and we were also tempted by the snowmobiling, fat tire mountain biking and dog-sledding options too.
Ultimately, we opted for a self-guided snowshoe hike as well as an afternoon of sporting clays, a thrilling and challenging sport that I rarely get the opportunity to indulge in. The Lodge at Blue Sky has one of the most sophisticated courses in the US and via their environmental pledge they only use biodegradable clays and ammunition. We were whisked out to the course by a chauffeured Polaris where we were welcomed into a tented pavilion, warmed and scented by a wood-burning fire. We received a full safety briefing before beginning and thanks to the excellent coaching and instruction by Nick, both my husband and I hit most of our marks!
As a family we also signed up for an afternoon culinary class with the head pastry chef where we learned how to make paté à chôux dough, forming them into the most delicate and delicious vanilla cream-filled chocolate eclairs.
FACE FIRST
Lucky me, I got to spend an afternoon at the Nordic-inspired Edge Spa. It was a stylish mix of clean and contemporary concrete walls softened by shearling rugs and pillowy treatment beds all set against a backdrop of mountain views from every floor-to-ceiling window. I had a hydra facial which was definitely more clinical and made to specifically address anti-aging by using their patented Vortex-Fusion technology to hydrate with an infusion of peptide serums, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. My aesthetician had such magical hands, I was lulled right to sleep.
FROM SNOW GLOBE TO HOT TUB
One of the many highlights of our stay was the private Alpenglobe dining experience—a clear dome positioned outside, for the ultimate in views. It was like being in a snow globe set up for stargazing. We were so well cared for by the restaurant team and our meal was perfect. With great options for picky little eaters, the menu served up plenty of local fare and the boys and I enjoyed some of the expertly prepared non-alcoholic cocktails.
After a day of vigorous winter sports, soaking in the hot tub by the pool with the last light streaming down and the steam floating up from the turquoise waters, glistening like tiny diamonds, we comforted our tired muscles and couldn’t help but dream of a summer visit.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHT REEL
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