Hotel at a Glance: Saratoga Resort and Spa

At Saratoga Resort and Spa, you can get a taste of the Old West without sacrificing modern comforts. Drift off to sleep on locally made featherbeds in your rustic room, where wild-west prints by artists Charles Russell and Frederic Remington dress the walls. The onsite Silver Saddle Restaurant offers pastoral charm as well. Here—amid dark wood furniture and stone walls—you can scarf down biscuits and gravy, omelets, or elk strip loin drizzled with brown-butter sauce. Outside, the Sierra Madre and Snowy Range mountains rise in the distance, lending a touch of drama to the sprawling grounds.

• Optional resort credit: This $50 credit per night is valid at Snowy Mountain Brewery, Silver Saddle Restaurant, and Healing Waters Spa, and can be used toward any rental equipment.
• Mineral hot springs: Four small, intimate mineral springs heat up between 100 and 106 degrees and offer privacy with a teepee covering. Cool off in the open, 70-foot pool while spotting constellations in the clear, starry sky.
• Where you’ll stay: In a standard or deluxe queen room, which offers cable TV and rustic decor.
• Grab a microbrew at the onsite Snowy Mountain Brewery, which typically has 8 to 10 handcrafted brews ranging from IPAs to red ales and porters.
• Healing Waters Spa: If the hot springs aren’t enough to help you relax, the onsite spa offers massages, body wraps, and facials.
• Things to do: Winter activities include cross-country skiing though Medicine Bow National Forest, snowmobiling, sledding, and relaxing by the fire in the Fireside Reading Room.

Saratoga, Wyoming: Western Town with Mountain Setting

The Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains provide the backdrop to Saratoga, a place where outdoor adventure is the main draw year-round. No matter what time of year it is, it’s always nice to relax in mineral hot springs after a long day of outdoor recreation. Pools are located in the town’s center, near a handful of bars and restaurants.

During warmer months, you can go trout fishing in the North Platte River; a 65-mile portion of the river has been designated a Blue Ribbon site. Hikers and bicyclists can take to the 44 trails winding through the surrounding mountains and forests. Among the best paths is the Continental Divide Trail, which offers beautiful vistas at heights of up to 10,000 feet. For a leisurely tour of the countryside, take a drive along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. It cuts through the Medicine Bow Mountains, taking you close to impressive peaks, wildflower fields, and Lake Marie.

When snow covers the mountains, kick up some powder while zipping between trees on a snowmobile. The area has more than 245 miles of groomed trails as well as another 180 miles of ungroomed ones. If snowmobiling isn’t your thing, you can go cross-country skiing at Bottle Creek and Brush Creek Ski Trails.

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