Photo by Matt Leidecker

Dining at the
trail's end

Discovering delicious dishes
in remote retreats

By Dave Harrison

One of the best things about winter play, be it skating, skiing, snowshoeing or an all out snowball fight, is afterward walking into a cozy room and being accosted by flavorful aromas that promise to sate a hearty appetite.

Sun Valley in winter offers plenty of these tantalizing opportunities. Best of all, however, is the opportunity to define the trade off between work and reward. For the truly committed, that could mean three hours and a 1,400-foot vertical climb to the Tornak Yurt, carrying your own feast to prepare on propane burners and the wood stove. After that level of effort, calories in almost any configuration qualify as a feast.

Or, your energy output might consist of snuggling under a blanket for the half-hour sleigh ride to Trail Creek Cabin in Sun Valley, a miniscule tithe for the truly fine cuisine and wine selection offered there.

A cross-country ski trip is the ultimate calorie-burning appetite catalyst and the most splendid way to travel in snow country. This valley has possibly the finest cross-country skiing on the planet, taking into account miles of trail, variety of terrain, quality of grooming, snow quality and weather. Now, add another winning attribute to the resume: fine dining at the end of those sparkling white trails.

A favorite cross-country destination for locals and visitors alike is Galena Lodge. Once a stage stop, the lodge is all that remains of the mining town, its saloons and brothels, crammed into a cleft in the Boulder Mountains 24 miles north of Ketchum. Galena’s 50 kilometers of trails are a part of the North Valley Trail System’s 130 kilometers of trails that spread from just north of Ketchum at the Sawtooth National Recreation Headquarters (SNRA), onwards to the lodge.

Here, the groomed trails range from gentle to seriously intimidating, but there’s enough mildly invigorating terrain close to the lodge to boost both the heart rate and appetite. There are separate snowshoe trails as well.

The most popular scheme is a drive to the lodge (there’s also a shuttle bus from Ketchum, ski the nearby trails and treat yourself to a lunch of delicious soups, sandwiches or burgers and grilled items, served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It’s cozy inside by the fire (there’s a special nook for tots), or springtime may find you basking in the sun on the deck.

It is the dinners, however, that are the lodge’s main palatable attraction. The first of the season is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Then, concessionaires Carlin Thompson and Charles Savage offer their popular Full Moon dinners. These five-course prix fixe extravaganzas take place at large communal tables. With a single seating per evening during the full-moon cycle, reservations are strongly advised.

Other Galena attractions are stargazing dinners that, weather permitting, feature a real astronomer, a slide show and a chance to peer through his telescope. A Valentine’s Day dinner features aphrodisiacs. The concessionaires are also willing to concoct a custom, catered affair.

For a bit more of a skiing commitment, Sun Valley Trekking manages five yurts in the nearby Boulder Mountains. Tent-like structures, the yurts are modeled after the Mongolian yurt, with floors, bunk beds, cooking facilities, primitive outhouses, and a sauna or hot tub. The five are, in descending order of accessibility, Tornak, Coyote, Bench, Fishhook and Boulder.

These Nordic destinations offer ski/dining options ranging from mild to Olympian. The latter could be a multi-day backcountry skiing trek—in quite challenging terrain—with either guide-prepared or self-inflicted menus.

The Fishhook yurt is a less demanding destination, but you’ll definitely earn your calories. Most folks may be happier with a truly attainable destination like the Boulder yurt, where hosts and owners Joe and Francie St. Onge offer luncheon and five-course dinner menus, usually prepared by a local caterer. Sybaritic cuisine, indeed. One selection features hot artichoke, beef bourguignon and mocha-glazed chocolate Bundt cake.

The ski-in to the Boulder yurt is a little more than a mile of gentle terrain. You’ll require a guide for the outbound trip, as dinner ends after dark. A minimum of 10 persons is required to reserve the yurt for dinner.

Perhaps the gentlest, most convenient and impeccably groomed ski terrain is the Sun Valley Nordic Center trails (the Sun Valley Golf Course in summer), all of which lead to the lovely Trail Creek Cabin. For skiers or snowshoers, this is a one-and-a-half mile trek to a luncheon buffet that features simple, but tasty selections.

A warm fire awaits weary snow goers, and looking back down the valley toward Bald Mountain from the cabin’s picture window is worth every calorie of effort. Reservations are usually not necessary for lunch. Dinner is another matter; the sleigh ride from the Sun Valley Inn to Trail Creek Cabin and dinner prepared to the high standards of the resort’s kitchens are a special experience. You won’t get any points on your athletic resume, but gliding over the snow in a many-horse open sleigh for a classy dinner will definitely earn you a reputation for good taste. •

Winter dining delights

The following establishments offer various ways to treat your taste buds following a bracing snow-covered expedition:

Galena Lodge: (208) 726-4010, www.xcskisv.com/galena.html

Sun Valley Trekking: (208) 788-1966, www.svtrek.com

Trail Creek sleigh ride-and-dine experience:
(208) 622-2135.
Sun Valley Resort: www.sunvalley.com