Lodge Living in Colorado
Head to Colorado, where you can step into a storybook with life in your own lodge come thick snows or summer sunshine.
Skiing in Crested Butte (photo credit: Eleven Experience)
Possibly the thing we seasoned travelers have been missing most this year is the feeling that we’re creating memories to last a lifetime from experiences only gained away from home. In a world of social distancing, private homes and remote experiences are all the more appealing, and our friends at Eleven Experience are ready to deliver. With three fantastic lodges in Colorado, you won’t have to travel too far from home to feel as though you’ve landed somewhere totally outside your normal life, with plenty of opportunity for activities to connect you with your stunning outdoor surroundings as well as lush accommodations perfect for relaxation and even wellness opportunities.
Best of all, there are still options for the festive season between the three lodges, so if you’re looking for a little last-minute plan for your family to spend the holidays away without sacrificing the peace of mind of having a home all to yourselves, you’ll want to hear about your future home away from home.
Skiing and Wildflowers
These two things may seem completely unrelated, but in Crested Butte, Colorado, you will find some of the best skiing in the country during the winter months and “the Wildflower Capital of Colorado” in the summer. There are two fantastic family lodges in Crested Butte, Scarp Ridge Lodge and Sopris House. Located on the same block in downtown Crested Butte, Scarp Ridge Lodge is fantastic for larger families while Sopris House is perfect for families hoping for a more intimate retreat.
Scarp Ridge Lodge
Scarp Ridge House was originally called the Croatian Hall, and it’s where local miners would gather for drinking and dancing during the coal mining heyday. Today, it lives like a real home. Think open floor plans, a fully-stocked kitchen and pantry, and flat-screen TV slideshows from your day’s adventure. Guest-controlled Crestron entertainment systems are set to musical preferences while coffee and a pre-heated sauna each morning are the perfect prep for hitting the trails.
The property features five king bedrooms, each with an en-suite bath. There is also a bunkroom with two queen beds, two full beds, and three twin beds, and a single nanny bedroom connects to the bunkroom. In all, the maximum capacity of Scarp Ridge Lodge is 14 guests.
You can also expect to enjoy a saltwater pool, a steam room and sauna, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a media room with HD projector and screen, a children’s playroom, a great room, a library, and a gym. The house has been enhanced with features such as an oxygen enriched air system, individual lockers for gear storage, and a personalized in-room retail bar. With 13,500 square feet all to yourself, your family will have plenty of room to spread out and enjoy time to yourselves while also coming together to make memories.
During the winter, the property is available for buyout only, meaning you would take the entire property for your group. For a winter visit, all of your activities are included, along with guide services; all gear necessary for activities; use of property bicycles; one day of professional photography services; use of on-mountain chalets; chef prepared breakfast, lunch, and après, organic whole food minibar; house alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; and round-trip airport transfers to/from Gunnison. There is a two-night minimum stay in the winter, but we would be highly surprised if you didn’t want to stay longer than that!
Should you wish to visit in the summer, you can still take the property exclusively, but you also have the option to take individual rooms, should you wish to come as a couple or smaller group. There are fewer inclusions in the summer rate, which is significantly lower, but you can add on as many activities and meals as you’d like.
Sopris House
Should your group be slightly smaller, Sopris House will be the perfect choice for you and has the feel of a real private home. Here, you’ll find three king bedrooms, all with en-suite baths. You will also find a twin suite with two full beds and two twin trundle beds. The maximum capacity of Sopris House is 10 guests.
In a charming show of western spirit, the house has a renovated saloon with a pool table and jukebox. You’ll also enjoy a private outdoor courtyard, a media room, an outdoor copper hot tub, a cold plunge, and a sauna. Like at Scarp Ridge, you also have a personalized in-room retail bar as well as individual lockers for gear storage. Coming in at 3,200 square feet, Sopris House is significantly smaller than Scarp Ridge, but this is what gives it the home-away-from-home vibe, a true cozy retreat in the mountains.
Sopris House is only available for an exclusive-use buyout, regardless of the season, since it was really designed to only hold one family. Similar to Scarp Ridge, you will see more inclusions in the winter rate, including more meals and activities, while in the summer, the highly reduced rate means that any activities you might want to experience are additional.
Recommended Winter Itinerary
Scarp Ridge Lodge & Sopris House
No two itineraries at either of these lodges will be the same, as they are all personalized to your tastes prior to your arrival. However, to give you an idea of a lovely six-day winter stay at either Scarp Ridge or Sopris House, here is a sample itinerary:
Day 1
Arrive in the afternoon and enjoy your complimentary transfer to your new home for the next five nights. On arrival, you’ll have a private ski fitting followed by a chef-prepared dinner on property.
Day 2
Start the morning with a session of restorative yoga followed by a breakfast prepared by your chef. After breakfast, ride in the property’s snowcat to Irwin, where you will ski fresh Colorado powder. Enjoy a gourmet lunch at the on-mountain chalet. Following lunch, head back out to enjoy the afternoon skiing, followed by relaxation and après. Afterwards, return back to your lodge and soak in the courtyard hot tub to unwind from your active day. Enjoy dinner out tonight in Crested Butte, which has a fantastic food scene.
Day 3
Enjoy breakfast prepared by your chef and then head out for a morning of skiing at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Relax with lunch on mountain at the ski resort. This afternoon, return to your lodge for afternoon massages, and then kick back with après at the bar. This evening, savor an in-house chef prepared dinner.
Day 4
Once again, enjoy a sumptuous breakfast prepared by your chef and then head back to Irwin to enjoy cat skiing all day, after which you can relax with après and drinks. Return to your lodge for a soak or a steam before heading out on the town for dinner.
Day 5
Begin the day with a session of guided yoga followed by breakfast prepared by your chef. Each guest can choose which adventure to partake in today: cat skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or backcountry skiing perhaps! Enjoy lunch in the field, and this afternoon, you might want to enjoy a second bout of afternoon massages. This evening, enjoy a beautiful private dinner on-property.
Day 6
Enjoy one last breakfast by your chef this morning before your complimentary transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Recommended Summer Itinerary
Scarp Ridge Lodge & Sopris House
Day 1
Arrive in the afternoon and, after your transfer, enjoy a tour of the property followed by a Townie bike ride through Crested Butte to get your bearings and enjoy your surroundings. This evening, enjoy a gourmet dinner at your lodge.
Day 2
Start your morning off with guided yoga and stretching, followed by a breakfast prepared by your chef. Afterwards, head to the Taylor River for guided flyfishing followed by a riverside picnic lunch. In the afternoon, white-water raft down the Taylor River. Head back to your lodge to enjoy an early evening steam, soak, or swim, and then head out to one of Crested Butte’s farm-to-table inspired restaurants for the evening. When you return, hang out at your lodge’s private bar while playing pool and listening to your custom juke box if you’re at Sopris House, or, for guests of Scarp Lodge, enjoy cocktails in the rooftop hot tub under the Colorado Stars.
Day 3
This is what we call the “Go Big” day. After breakfast at your lodge, summit Mount Crested Butte with some guided mountaineering. Enjoy a gourmet picnic in the mountains as your reward, and spend the afternoon stand-up paddle boarding on a local river. Have dinner this evening in downtown Crested Butte.
Day 4
Begin the day with some restorative guided yoga after your active day yesterday and then a lovely breakfast. This morning, mountain bike Crested Butte’s famous single track, and then return and relax at the lodge for the day. This evening, why not enjoy a take-out meal from one of Crested Butte’s many restaurants in the comfort of your lodge, perhaps as a movie night? If not, head back out on the town to try out another local favorite.
Day 5
Watch the sun rise today from the rooftop hot tub, and then enjoy breakfast at your lodge. Head out for a group hike along Scarp Ridge, and then enjoy a picnic in the mountains. Spend the afternoon strolling the streets of Crested Butte, and this evening, sit down to a Colorado-inspired courtyard barbecue at your lodge.
Day 6
Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before transferring to the airport for your flight home.
Scarp Ridge Lodge and Sopris House may still have availability over Thanksgiving, MLK and President’s Day weekends, and Spring Break on a buyout-only basis and with minimum stay requirements. Please inquire with us directly about specific dates.
Walking in a Wellness Wonderland
Located about a half hour from Crested Butte in Almont, Colorado, Taylor River Lodge provides the ultimate setting for a winter wellness experience. From November to April, a fresh blanket of snow covers the Taylor Canyon, and the lodge is transformed into a tranquil winter oasis. While there is a focus on wellness at this time of year, the lodge’s remote and wild location offers a prime backdrop for outdoor adventures of all types, ranging from forest bathing to ice skating on the private pond. In the evenings, enjoy locally inspired cuisine and an old classic: s’mores around the fireplace.
On the property, you will find six private queen bedded cabins (three with twin bedded lofts, three without), the Royal Wulff which includes two king bedded suites and a lofted bunkroom, and the Green Drake which includes two king bedded suites and a bunkroom. You can take any of the rooms individually from December to April (perfect for couples or small families/groups), with the option to take the entire property exclusively for up to 32 guests if you happen to have a larger group.
In the main lodge of Taylor River House, you will find a communal dining space, bar, fireplace lounge, and riverfront seating. On property, you will also enjoy a bathhouse (including steam room, sauna, indoor pool, and hot tub), a gym, a spa, a game cabin (with pool table, foosball, and a dartboard), a teepee lounge, and an ice-skating rink. The entire property sits on eight acres.
Winter activities include group wellness classes, cooking classes, cocktail making classes, spa treatments, snowshoeing, ice skating, Nordic skiing, a marksman’s range including axe throwing and archery, resort skiing, and snowmobiling.
Included in the nightly rate is a wellness-focused daily activity and on-property guided activities all gear necessary for activities, one day of professional photography services (for buyout only), chef-prepared breakfast daily, lunch, après, and dinner, in-room minibar, and house alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Since the Taylor River Lodge is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, many guests choose to split their stays, first enjoying a few days in town at Scarp Ridge Lodge or Sopris House and then taking a few days to disconnect at Taylor River Lodge. It is well worth enjoying both properties while you’re in the area.
Taylor River Lodge may still have availability over Christmas and New Year’s on a buyout-only basis and with minimum stay requirements. Please inquire with us directly about specific dates.
Recommended Itinerary
Taylor River Lodge
As with Scarp Ridge Lodge and Sopris House, each itinerary at Taylor River Lodge is totally tailored to you before you arrive. However, here is a sample itinerary to give you an idea as to what you can expect:
Day 1
Arrive in the afternoon and enjoy your transfer to Taylor River Lodge. On arrival, sip a welcome cocktail while you are treated to a tour of the property. Later this afternoon, head out for some ice skating or forest bathing, after which you will have an Eleven Life briefing with wellness therapists. Your chef will prepare dinner tonight at Taylor River Lodge.
Day 2
Partake in a morning movement class (functional fitness), and then enjoy breakfast. This morning, try your hand (or foot!) at snowshoeing on-property and then have lunch at the lodge. This afternoon, treat your tastebuds to a cooking class with a paired wine tasting, and then enjoy individual wellness treatments. Enjoy après in The Bathhouse before a chef-prepared dinner at the Taylor River Lodge, and then delight in cocoa and s’mores around the fireplace.
Day 3
Today’s morning movement class is power flow yoga. After breakfast, head out for some guided backcountry skiing and lunch in the field. This afternoon brings a group fitness class: snow shower hydrotherapy. After après around the bonfire, enjoy dinner by your chef at the lodge.
Day 4
Another day, another morning movement class, this time: stretching! Then it’s breakfast and marksman’s range activities. Back the lodge, enjoy lunch, and then head to a group wellness class (snow cave yoga nidra). Afterwards, enjoy individual wellness treatments and then dinner at the lodge.
Day 5
Your final morning movement class is restorative yoga, followed of course by your customary sumptuous breakfast. For the rest of the morning, relax and enjoy the property before lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, enjoy individual wellness treatments followed by dinner at the lodge. Cap off your trip with drinks around the fireplace, the perfect end to a relaxing final day.
Day 6
After your final chef-prepared breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
If you would like to get away to any of these stunning Colorado lodges (or anywhere else in the world), simply contact us, and we will set you on your way.