1. NORTH CASCADES, WA
Ross Lake Resort
The 15 cabins here are so close to the cerulean waters, they
actually float. Guests who've sought out the spectacularly remote
hideaway (after the three-hour drive from Seattle, it still takes a
ferry, a truck, and a speedboat to get you to your door) are richly
rewarded. With nothing up here but silent mountain vistas across
the shimmering water, evenings are all about cooking up trout from
the fjordlike lake. First-time visitors quickly become regulars, so
book early. INFO: Open through Oct 31; from $112; 206/386-4437.
?Karen O'Leary
More on North Cascades: On track in the Methow Valley
2. NEAR TRUCKEE, CA
Salmon Lake Lodge
What the lodge lacks ? telephones, Internet, television, and,
best of all, cars ? is almost as good as what it provides:
world-class Sierra scenery, easy lake access from all 14 cabins,
free use of a rowboat or kayak, great fishing and swimming, and
hiking trails galore. Guests leave their cars on the far side of
Upper Salmon Lake, then phone the lodge for ferry pickup. Meals are
do-it-yourself, except for Thursdays when the owners host a
barbecue dinner on the lake's island. Best chance for availability
is early summer or fall. INFO: From $650 per week; 530/852-0874.
?Anne Marie Brown
3. OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK, WA
Lochaerie Resort
Families have been returning for generations to the adorable
1920s and '30s cabins spilling down a hill to a lake. Pick from 6
shingled cabins on a slice of private land
inside Olympic National Park. Plenty to do here: explore the
rain forest, canoe Lake Quinault with otters for company, or cook
in the charming vintage kitchen. But one word of caution: Don't
come to this paradise if you require wireless, a hot tub, or a
pillow-top mattress. Many places call themselves "rustic" and
"old-fashioned." This one means it. INFO: From $120; 360/288-2215.
?Jenny Cunningham
More on Olympic National Park: Washington: Olympic National Park
4. YOHO NATIONAL PARK, B.C.
Emerald Lake Lodge
The hand-hewn timber lodge on the shore of Emerald Lake's
impossibly turquoise waters has been a destination since 1902.
Located in Yoho National Park (Yoho is Cree for "to be in awe of"),
the 85-room resort seduces with its mix of china-and-damask
elegance and we-are-but-specks-on-this-planet wilderness. Hike all
day in relative solitude before returning for a predinner soak in a
lakeview hot tub. Dining options include Northwest-inspired cuisine
like caribou medallions and wild salmon. Rooms boast wood-burning
fireplaces and beds with suede covers. INFO: From $302 U.S.;
800/663-6336. ?Kim Gray
5. NEAR MAMMOTH LAKES, CA
Tamarack Lodge & Resort
Tamarack has that middle-of-nowhere feeling where the glow
comes not from a television (there are none) but from a fireplace.
Its 32 cabins and 11 lodge rooms, scattered across a piney hillside
under a craggy bluff, share the shores of Twin Lakes with a
campground and, well, that's it. When booking, pick your flavor: go
for the slightly smoky traditional cabins or spring for the
pricier, polished new ones, as comfortable and stylish as anything
you'd find at a slick resort but without the corporate sheen or
surrounding sprawl. In any case, this place is throwback all the
way. INFO: From $149; 800/626-6684, or 760/934-2442. ?Lisa
Trottier
6. WARD, CO
Gold Lake Mountain Resort & Spa
Chief Niwot of the Arapaho brought his tribe to Gold Lake for
vision quests, and it's easy to see why the pristine lake in the
Indian Peaks above Boulder was considered a sacred spot. Today 20
rustic log cabins clustered near the shore offer creature comforts
like gas stoves, copper and slate bathtubs, and feathery
comforters. After hiking or canoeing, dine by firelight on gourmet
organic cuisine in Alice's Restaurant (
$$$$) End
with a soak in one of the lakeside hot pools, gaze up at the stars,
and you'll feel you've completed your own quest for relaxation and
renewal. INFO: From $250; 800/450-3544, or 303/459-3544. ?Jane
McConnell
7. WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ?ALBERTA
Prince of Wales Hotel
Sitting atop a bluff in the vast Canadian Rockies, the hotel
seems lifted straight out of
The Sound of Music. The timbered lobby, with its soaring
views of the mountains and Upper Waterton Lake, has a timeless
quality that has made it popular with vacationers since it opened
in 1927. Stone-skipping children and dazed honeymooners fulfill
James Hill's 1910 vision for Waterton Lakes National Park as the
"playground for the Northwest." The 84 cozy rooms (thankfully)
don't have television, but there are restorative tea and scones at
Valerie's Tea Room (
$$$$
U.S.; reservations recommended) and Kilmorey chicken cordon bleu
and Saskatoon berry pie in the Royal Stewart Dining Room (
$$$
U.S.). INFO: Open through Sep 16; from $250 U.S.; 406/892-2525.
?Caroline Patterson
8. PRIEST LAKE, ID
Elkins Resort
Find a driftwood log, settle into the sun-warmed sand, and
watch the Selkirk Mountains take on a rosy glow, a spectacle simply
called "the pink." It's a perfect finale to a day of boating,
hiking, and mountain biking in north Idaho. When the star-studded
black sky finally muscles in, guests light bonfires, cook family
dinners in their cabins, or mosey to the lodge to enjoy
award-winning Northwest cuisine (huckleberry daiquiris are a good
start). Twenty-eight fully equipped cabins accommodate from 2 to
14. INFO: From $1,107 per week (6-night minimum stay in Jul and
Aug); 208/443-2432. ?Linda Hagen Miller
More on Priest Lake: Legendary lake country
9. WALLOWA LAKE, OR
Wallowa Lake Lodge
Evenings at the lodge in northeast Oregon feel like an
idyllic scene from a fairy tale ? lamps aglow in lodge windows;
stately ponderosas rising from the lawn; a burbling river slipping
toward the still, cool waters of the alpine lake; and the granite
peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area are only a pinecone's toss
away. The restored 1923 lodge's 22 rooms offer a comfortable
retreat: No televisions or phones, but there are polished hardwood
floors, lace curtains, comfy beds, and antique chairs. When it's
time to eat, filet mignon dinners reward a day of roughing it in
the wilderness. For a little more privacy and a little less chintz,
reserve one of the property's 8 lakeside cabins. INFO: Rooms from
$89, cabins from $175; 541/432-9821. ?Laura Stavoe
10. HENDERSON, NV
The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas
This is lake as oxymoron, or maybe mirage: 320 glittering
blue acres of water in the scorching Nevada desert. Its shores are
dotted with fairways, and a miniature Florence (yeah, that is the
Ponte Vecchio) anchors one end. Here the Ritz-Carlton completes the
fantasy with Italianate elegance in marble-floored public spaces,
349 sumptuous guest rooms, and a first-rate spa. You can even take
a gondola ride. Summer is hot here, but lakeside evening concerts
and lower summer room rates compensate. INFO: From $179;
800/686-2759, or 702/567-4700. ??Peter Fish
