High Mountain Lodge
PO Box 1888
Winter Park, CO 80482
425 County Road 5001
Winter Park, CO 80482
(970) 726-5958
(800) 319-8006
How far is it from the
High Mountain Lodge to ski areas?
From the door of the High Mountain Lodge to the entrance to Winter Park Ski area is just under ten miles. Mary Jane is another mile up the road. Depending on weather and traffic, it takes less than fifteen minutes to drive to the area.
Are there telephones and televisions in the rooms?
Is cellular service available?
There are no telephones in the rooms at the High Mountain Lodge. Guests are welcome to use the telephone in the office for local calls and for long distance calls with a calling card.
We are happy to receive faxes at no charge to the guest.
Verizon Wireless and Sprint are the only cell phone providers with reliable service at the Lodge (Sprint roams on the Verizon network up here. Depending on your contract, there may be an extra charge for this for Sprint customers.) Other companies have reception closer to Fraser and Winter Park.
Guests with AT&T I-phones or similar smart phone devices can take advantage of one of the VOIP apps to make calls through our high-speed internet network.
There are no televisions in the rooms at the High Mountain Lodge. The television in the game room off the Atrium receives over 300 channels of satellite TV (including the proliferating HBO channels) and can play VHS tapes and DVDs. The TV in the game room is also equipped with an S-video port, so people with laptop computers equipped with S-video can plug them in and take advantage of the high-speed wireless Internet at the Lodge to watch video off the Web.
There is also a smaller television available at the office for guests to check out to view videos in their rooms. The High Mountain Lodge has an extensive library of VHS video tapes and DVDs.
How "high speed" is your Internet connection?
It's as good as we can get this far out. The High Mountain Lodge has a 1.5 mpbs DSL line we lease from the phone company. We offer both 801.11G and 801.11N secure channels on our wireless network (ask in the office for the password). Depending on how many guests are logging on at any particular time, you should be able to check e-mail and surf the Web without a noticeble lag. Streaming video may be jumpy. If you're a day trader hoping to get some work done on vacation, you *will* be disappointed.
What's the weather like? How should I pack?
Bring your swimsuit and perhaps some comfortable slip on "lodge shoes" to pad around in after a day of wearing boots, waders, or rafting shoes. "Dressing for dinner" in the Fraser valley usually means doning a comfortable pair of jeans and your favorite wool socks. If you have a really great Norwegian sweater, bring that for dressing up in.
In the summer, daytime highs are usually in the 70s or low 80s, with overnight temperatures dropping to 45 or 50°, making for perfect sleeping weather and crisp mornings. It often rains in the afternoon, so bring a rain jacket or shell. However, mornings even in high summer can mean frost, and guests may discover the multi-tiered deck at the High Mountain Lodge coated in treacherous ice in the morning before burning off in an 80-degree afternoon.
Summer is a time of extremes. The sun is really, really hot, but when it clouds over, the chill can be really, really chilly. We can't overemphasize--at any season--the need for robust sunscreen, moisturizers, eye protection, and flexible clothing.
Fall is our favorite time of year, with cool air, warm sun, infrequent precipitation, and golden aspens decorating the valleys and mountainsides. Daytime highs average in the 60s, and lows are usually in the 30s.
Winters are for playing, as the good people of Denver discovered a long time ago when they created a park in the mountains that is still owned by the City of Denver: Winter Park Ski Resort. It isn't unusual for the overnight temperature to plunge below zero, while the daytime high soars into the 20s or 30s with crystal blue skies and bright sunshine warming the air.
Regardless of the season or time of year, wise travelers always plan to layer their clothing. Even in the summer time, it can be very chilly in the mornings and evenings, while the mid-day sun can be hot. Begin with light layers, then cover them with sweaters or fleeces that you can easily remove as the temperature increases.
At all times of the year, the sun is much more intense at 8,500´ than most folks are used to. Plan to wear protective clothing and high SPF sunscreen at all times. Hats and sunglasses are essential, and avoid cotton under-layers, as they don't dry out once they get wet.
How big are the closets at the High Mountain Lodge?
OK, this isn't a "frequently asked question," but we thought we should tell you before you show up that closet space is limited or non-existant at the High Mountain Lodge. If you look closely at a lot of the room pictures, you will see hooks on the walls with coat hangers on them. In a lot of instances, this is all you will have for hanging clothes. For people who need to hang clothes, we recommend either the Valley View Suite or the Atrium View suite: both have "closet-like" alcoves in both their bedrooms and off the sitting rooms. Room Two has a hanging clothes bar, and Room Seven has an alcove-closet with a bar similar to those in the suites. The enormous art-deco armoire in Room Thirteen has space for hanging a few things.
If you need extra coat hangers, don't hesitate to ask. And, along the same line, although we don't provide irons and ironing boards in our rooms, if you need to iron something, we're happy to provide the tools.
What's with all the dead trees?
Grand County, along with much of Colorado, is suffering from an epidemic of pine beetles, which nest in and kill pine trees. The blight is the result of years of drought, which stress pine trees and make them more vulnerable to infestation. Grand County is particularly susceptible, because of the predominance of lodgepole pines in the county's forests.
Because Grand County's forests are primarily lodgepole pines, the blight seems worse here than in many places in the state. But Grand County was one of the earliest places impacted by the pine beetle infestation. If you look carefully, you will see a wide variety of trees flourishing under the dead canopy of lodgepoles. The pine beetle infestation is a natural event. It's nobody's fault. It makes the mountainsides look like hell, but the eventual result will be a more healthy, more diverse forest.
I see that you accept dogs. Members of my family are allergic to dogs. Do you have rooms that are hypo-allergenic?
Each of our rooms is thoroughly cleaned after every guest's stay. Depending on how sensitive the allergy is, this may or may not be adequate to ensure your comfort.
That being said, our lodgedog, Murphy, has the run of the dining lodge--with the exception of food preparation areas, where she is not allowed. We clean regularly, but if you are very sensitive, this may not be enough to mitigate your allergies.
We welcome people traveling with dogs to our lodge. We are "dog people." Dogs (other than Murphy) are not allowed in the dining lodge.
Depending on your needs and sensitivities, our lodge may or may not be the best place for you. Many of our rooms have never hosted guests who have dogs. But you will inevitably meet Murphy when you come to breakfast.
What about other animals?
Dogs are the only pet we allow guests to bring to the High Mountain Lodge. While we love cats, we do not currently have a cat, and because so many people are allergic to them, we have made the decision not to have a cat.
We are investigating boarding our guests' horses in our pasture while they stay with us. The pasture currently is not completely fenced, but in a pinch we could accommodate guests who have a portable corral and feed for their horse. We can provide water. If you are interested, please contact us, either by e-mail or telephone: 970.726.5958 or 800.319.8006. We do not have established rates for this service and would need to negotiate rates and policies.
Do you have facilities to accommodate RVs?
Guests staying at the High Mountain Lodge may park their RV on our grounds while staying with us. We expect all guests to stay in our rooms while their RV is parked at the Lodge. We do not have hookups for water, graywater, or sewage disposal. In other words, we're not a campground. There is no charge to park an RV at the High Mountain Lodge while staying with us.
Does the High Mountain Lodge have air conditioning?
Each room has an individual thermostat to adjust heat. The rooms also have ceiling fans. At 8,700 feet elevation, even at the height of the summer, you won't need air conditioning in your rooms. Even in July and August, guests find the fireplaces in their rooms a welcome amenity.