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Go Glamping in a Winter Wonderland

Sunlight sparkles on the snow like diamonds as you snowshoe along the trail. Later, you’ll warm frosty toes by the fire and reminisce on a day spent in a winter wonderland. Does the thought of winter glamping make your blood freeze? Think again.

You’ll find standard winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog sledding and sleigh riding at most winter glamping destinations. But it’s the accommodations and location that make each experience unique. From yurts to luxury log cabins, winter glamping is available for all budgets; and there are plenty of woodstoves and fireplaces to warm you up.

Image Credit: Blue Sky Ranch
Antelope Yurt at Blue Sky Ranch

At Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship, Utah, one Norwegian yurt sits at the top of a hill overlooking the Wasatch Mountains and Deer Valley Park. The world-class view includes 3,300 acres of diverse terrain and not another soul except whomever you’ve brought with you. Powered by solar, LED and wood stove, the yurt includes a propane grill – yes, you’ll be cooking – and outdoor fire pit. Most importantly, an enclosed compost toilet is adjacent to the yurt, although you can walk through the snow to the outhouse if you prefer. Winter horseback riding to a mountain tavern for lunch and yoga snowshoeing are two of Blue Sky Ranch’s unique winter adventures.

Tipi at Ontario Winter Camping
Glamping Tipi at Ontario Winter Camping

You’ll be sleeping on a cushy bed of evergreens at Atelier Arboreal on an Ontario Winter Camping trip. Stay in wood-heated teepees or yurts located at the base of the Bruce Peninsula. Warm up in the log sauna after a day of snowshoeing in the Colpoys Range. Rates include meals and Ontario wines. And your luggage arrives via sleds.

Whitepod's Dome Glamping
Domes at Whitepod Eco-Luxury Hotel & Alpine Experience

In Valais, Switzerland, go glamping in a geodesic dome. At the Whitepod Hotel, your pod is equipped with wood-burning stove, organic luxury bedding, king size bed and full-service bathroom with a small electric heater. Breakfast (both hot and cold buffet) is served at the Pod-house. Dinner is available at Les Cerniers restaurant. Enjoy a day of skiing on Whitepod’s private slopes.

Luxury Glamping Cabins at The Resort at Paws Up
Luxury Glamping Cabins at The Resort at Paws Up

Glamping goes high end at The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, where winter accommodations are in luxurious log homes. Fine dining combined with a 37,000-acre playground makes the experience unforgettable. Don’t miss the sleigh ride complete with the jingle jangle of sleigh bells. Have a yen for downhill skiing? Paws Up will arrange it for you at nearby Whitefish.

Alaska's Log Cabin Wilderness Lodge
Alaska’s Log Cabin Wilderness Lodge

A winter glamping trip to Log Cabin Wilderness Lodge near Tok, Alaska, provides the chance to view the northern lights so bring your camera. Log cabin accommodations come with full baths and the rate includes breakfast and lunch. After a day of winter adventuring, swap stories with lodge guests in the wood-fired hot tub or sauna.

So what are you waiting for? All of the glamping locations mentioned provide plenty of winter activities plus that all-important cozy fire.

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Montana Master Chefs at The Resort at Paws Up

There are certain destinations that have topped the culinary bucket lists of countless travelers for decades. Perhaps somewhat cliché, that list includes Tokyo for the finest sushi, Paris for the most buttery croissants, Buenos Aires for flawless sirloin steak, New York City for the best pizza, and this list goes on.

Then there’s Montana, known for its delicious…wait, what exactly is Montana known for? Sure Montana may not be top of mind when planning your culinary pilgrimages, but it should be — especially if The Resort at Paws Up has anything to do with it.

While any given day in Montana provides plenty of opportunities to devour some of America’s tastiest and most perfectly prepared beef, bison and elk, as well as endless huckleberry creations like buckwheat pancakes with huckleberry syrup, The Resort at Paws Up’s program of world class culinary events will provide the extra incentive you’ll need to get on a plane to Missoula.

About The Resort at Paws Up

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Set on 37,000 acres in southwestern Montana, The Resort at Paws Up is a luxury working cattle ranch perhaps best known for its apartment-sized glamping “tents.” But there’s also the palatial Wilderness Estates (aka big log homes), 10 miles of the legendary Blackfoot River and endless activities, like rappelling, ATVing, horseback riding, fly fishing and sport clay shooting. Essentially, it’s the incarnation of your childhood wild west imaginings, except with king-sized beds, spa treatments and champagne.

Montana Master Chefs

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While The Resort at Paws Up’s kitchen is usually under the command of the talented and creative Chef Ben Jones (formerly of The Peninsula Chicago), there is one weekend a year where a new crop of America’s best chefs take the reins — and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.

For Montana Master Chefs, held every year at the end of September, the resort flies in select contestants who have competed on the show Top Chef, to cook for and entertain guests. This year, top chefs included Kelly Liken, Brooke Willamson, Elizabeth Binder and Ariane Duarte, who split into pairs and created incredible three course dinners on the first two nights of the program (Thursday and Friday). Each course was paired with carefully selected wine which was presented by the winemakers themselves. The weekend also included a feast of a lunch at Chuck Wagon, an outdoor dining area set along the Blackfoot River which featured lamb shanks cooked over a campfire, bison chili, cornbread, grilled vegetables and so much more.

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But the centerpiece of the Montana Master Chefs weekend was the Top Chef-style cook-off competition which pitted three of the chefs (this year’s contenders were Kelly Liken, Brooke Willamson, Elizabeth Binder) against one and other in a battle royal. With a sous chef selected from the audience and a big timer on the wall counting down, chefs endured challenges like having to take shots of whisky (twice), not being able to speak and cooking with one hand.

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Each chef prepared an appetizer, entree and dessert and presented it to a panel of three judges, which included me (it was a really good day). One plate from each course was then auctioned off to the highest bidding member of the audience by a professional cattle auctioneer. The owners of the ranch then doubled, and in one case tripled, the winning bids, resulting in over $14,000 being raised for the Missoula Food Bank.

A highlight from the competition: elk being the secret ingredient in the entree round. In all three chefs’ creations, it was prepared perfectly rare and served like a piece of art.

More Culinary Events

Montana Master Grillers – Every year over Memorial Day weekend, Paws Up turns into most American males’ idea of heaven. Chefs specializing in grilling and BBQ cooking, smokologists, brewers, winemakers and distillers descend upon the resort to treat guests to grilled lunches and dinners, craft beer, wine and bourbon. Sign me up.

Oktoberfeast – In between cattle drives and fly fishing, you’ll try your hand at sauerkraut making and charcuterie preparation, drink all the local craft beer you want and chow down on German-inspired dinners.

Upper Crust – Run every October over Columbus Day weekend, guests will spend their days learning to make the perfect pie and baking a variety of delicious cookies under the guidance of expert pastry chefs. Of course, there’ll still be plenty of time to head out on adventures and to pig out on your crusty creations.

Long Table Dinners – These three, one-night events held in June, July and August, bring guests together at a single long (very long) table set in unique, outdoor locations around the ranch. You’ll dine on a meal made of local ingredients and meet the purveyors of the meal’s food and drink at a pre-dinner farmer’s market.

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Pine Mountain Camp California

If you’re looking for a great glamping option for a group retreat or get-together, a peaceful place for an intimate wedding, a place that’s relaxing and allows guests to reconnect with nature, a place that not only provides tranquility and seclusion but also great recreational opportunities if a guest should be so inclined,
I have a couple of places to present to you. Each of these places is great for family gatherings, religious and corporate retreats, weddings, and both have had their share of high-powered celebrity guests. I would also consider both as exquisite glamping locations.

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If you have a minimum of 16 people in your group, may I suggest to you the ultimate glamping playground, with two private beaches, tennis courts, a wide selection of water-sports equipment, personal chefs, swimming pools, stunning views, spa treatments, and an aero-submarine that travels 100 feet below the ocean’s surface. The place, you may ask? It’s Richard Branson’s Necker Island, yours for a mere $62,000 per day. Yowza!

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If however your family, group or business doesn’t have that kind of coin, then I have the perfect suggestion for you. It’s the Pine Mountain Camp near Lake Arrowhead, California, where you can have the entire property starting for a mere $1800 a night (2 night minimum) with all the seclusion, nature and recreational opportunities that forty acres of pristine wooded beauty perched high above a picturesque mountain lake can offer.

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In fact, for a true group outing experience, one that provides connection and rejuvenation, I have to say that Pine Mountain Camp is by far the better of the two.

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I do not mean to suggest that you would not enjoy a stay at Necker Island, but it is more likely to cause group distraction than connection. A place that has it’s own submarine is not going to inspire me to “regroup with others” or “restore my inner resources.” I’ll be too busy playing Captain Nemo!

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And how could you possibly “relax with a book” at a place that costs $62,000 a day? Wouldn’t you feel the pressure to do everything the place offers all at once? Sounds like a vacation that requires a vacation from vacation- we’ve all had one of those. So, relax. There’s no risk of that kind of stress with a group stay at Pine Mountain Camp.

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The Pine Mountain Camp website makes the claim, “Be in nature, within luxury accommodations,” which succinctly sums up the essence of glamping. Guests enjoy “wireless internet and flat-panel TVs” at a resort set deep in the heart of the San Bernardino National Forest, and can instantly step away to smell the mountain pine and feel the breeze.

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Remember, it’s not just a retreat- it’s a resort. Hiking, biking, boating, swimming, water-skiing, fly fishing, hot springs, there’s plenty to do in the summer, and you can even catch a movie nearby or shop if you can believe that! I’d like to be here for one of the weekly summer concerts at Lake Arrowhead Village.

ponderosa winter

With activities like skiing and sledding, wintertime group outings are a great option, too.

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Stay in the luxurious Ponderosa Lodge, which sleeps 13 with a main floor master suite, a bunk-room for 6, and 2 upstairs private bedrooms.

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The lodge has a fully appointed kitchen (cooking classes available with advance reservation!) and a cozy, spacious central living area set with a warm and inviting stone hearth fireplace.

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If you want to get away from the group a bit, you can always opt for one of the two “enchanting” cabins, or even “brave” the tepee. It’s a pretty cool tepee, on an elevated deck, with 2 futons inside and is nicely appointed with a nearby eating area and restroom. The tepee is described as a “Lakota-Sioux design, but with more durable and weather-resistant fabrics.” Kids dig the tepee, and you might, too.

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I’ve been to plenty of lodges, and many of them are way too “lodgy,” over crammed with deer and moose antlers and woodland tchotchkes in every possible space. While the lodge décor here isn’t subtle, it isn’t over the top, either.

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I don’t want my lodge to be subtle. A place like this has to be confident in it’s identity, and Pine Mountain Camp understands it’s character, a beautiful woodland retreat perched above Lake Arrowhead nestled in 40 wooded acres and the décor strikes the right balance. (Thank you, Pine Mountain Camp).

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I’m sorry, Necker Island, I didn’t mean to bash you. I’m sure you’re amazing but you helped me make my point- for a place for groups to get their glamping rejuvenation on, Pine Mountain Camp is the place to be. I do hope, however, that Glamping.com will send me to review you someday. Wish me luck!