Cozy getaways? (Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Island Park: ski resort, rental, hotels)

[robojester]

Hey Folks,

We are coming up that way to do some recon

Still about a year out but want to check the area out for starters.

Looking for any hidden gems for lodging.

Planning around tax day so April 15th or so.

Also planning on spending a couple nights in Twin Falls.

Road trip is long overdue now that we are retired.

Thanks

[banjomike]

One of my favorites is the Stage Coach Inn in W. Yellowstone.

It was built a few years after the Wort brothers built the Wort Hotel in Jackson Hole by the same architects and contractors, and is very similar to the Wort. It's very old-west/alpine cozy, and the winter access to the park is only a couple of blocks away.

West Yellowstone once buttoned up in the winter and became close to a ghost town, but no longer. It's now a destination for snowmobilers, but it's still far less congested than Jackson Hole.

West is very close to the Gallatin canyon, which houses the Big Sky ski resort, and further on down, closer to Bozeman, the Milwaukee Railroad built the Gallatin Gateway Inn in 1928. It's one of those grand old hotels that spared no expense, and is another nice getaway spot.

The Gallatin Canyon drive is really scenic, but slow to drive in the winters because the road is narrow and winds back and forth over many bridges, following the Gallatin River. The drive is very congested in the summer months, but not so much in the winters.

The drive from Idaho Falls to W. Yellowstone is faster, and once up in the Island Park caldera, about as scenic. There are a bunch of lodges along US 20 that can be cozy getaways. Some are as old and famous as they come- Pond's Lodge, the Island Park Lodge, The Wild Rose Ranch, and Mack's Inn were all built to be old-school luxurious, and there are many newer lodges along the route that are very nice, too.

The old lodge at Mack's (Where Nations Vacation- the lodge's motto) burned down in 1989, but recently, Mack's was purchased by a big hotel chain, and a new lodge is planned that is to be as spectacular as original. I don't know how far the construction has progressed, though. There's a newer motel that was built behind the old Inn, and there are many small family-size rental cabins in all of them. All are great for getaways.

But of them all, Mack's was my favorite. It was almost as cool as the Old Faithful Inn. During the winters, the Old Faithful Inn is a superb destination, but it's only accessible by snow machine or track busses. There are companies in West that offer both, but it's almost a full day's ride in the winter.

It's all high, cold and snowy, so anyone needs to be well prepared for the conditions. They all get feet of snow during a storm where the valleys get inches, but the plows are always out in the middle of the storms.