We love tradition as much as anybody, but we are also constantly striving to give our guests the best experience possible. We’ve hit the sweet spot for both viewpoints, honoring the Nordic vision held by the creators of our 20 km of groomed trails and amping up the experience by offering guided cross-country ski and snowshoe tours for the first time.

Elee Deschu, one of our seasoned outfitters and ranch activities coordinator, leads these new daily guided tours. She adjusts each tour path’s distance and elevation gain/loss to fit your pace and experience level.

“In the past, guests have asked for a trail docent, someone familiar with the area, to guide them into the hills and back to the lodge,” Deschu said. “The tours let us handle the logistics of the route and timing, while the guests get to the enjoy the experience worry-free.”

The tours will allow people to tap into Deschu’s extensive knowledge and experience of the area to gain a greater appreciation of the ranch history as well as the land around us.

“It’s going to be an interpretive tour that will allow our guests and visitors to make a connection with this place,” Deschu said.

Beginners Welcome

The tours are also a way to introduce beginning cross-country skiers to the sport and let novice skiers to build on their skills. Guests staying with us who have never experienced cross-country skiing and want to learn can ask about the lessons we offer to people staying at the ranch. The fundamentals will be stressed to help skiers go from walking to gliding on their skis.

“If they are advancing at a rapid pace we might even take them from the flats and try to glide uphill,” Deschu said.

Nordic Ski Tours

The Nordic ski tours are available in the afternoons. The 2 ½-hour adventure runs $69 per person for adults, $39 per youth ages 6 to 12, and includes trail pass for the day and ski rentals.

“The skiers will really dictate where we go on the Nordic ski tours,” Deschu said. “If they want to stick to the flats we’ll do that. If they want to get into the hills, the hills it is.”

Snowshoe Tours

The snowshoe tours will be offered in the morning when the weather is a bit cooler.

“You burn so many calories and it’s such a great workout that it’s better suited for the morning,” Deschu said.

The 2 ½-hour tour costs $49 per person for adults, $29 per youth ages 6 to 12, and includes trail pass for the day and snowshoe rental. Tours won’t be confined to the groomed trails.

“We can get off the trail and explore the solitude and quiet of winter,” she said. “It’s a very different environment than the trail.”

Ranch History

The tours will give guests and visitors a deeper understanding of the ranch’s history, it’s development and place in the region. Some of the tidbits of information people could glean is how the ranch dates to 1887 when Dick Turpin built his cabin on this gorgeous land. Or that Mrs. Herbert Hoover, Adlai Stevenson, astronaut John Glenn and Bob Dylan are just a few of the more notable names of people who have stayed here.

“It’s really about having fun and giving people a great experience,” Deschu said.

Learn More About Snowshoe Tours

Learn More About Ski Tours