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, above lush treetops, lending a touch of drama to the sprawling grounds.

• Optional resort credit: This $25 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 lodge or suite 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: Fly fishing in the North Platte River or a scenic drive through the Sierra Madre. Winter activities include cross-country skiing though Medicine Bow National Forest.
• Relax by the fire while enjoying a book in the Fireside Reading Room.

Saratoga, Wyoming: Western Town with Mountain Backdrop

The Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains provide the backdrop to Saratoga, Wyoming, a western town where outdoor adventure is the main draw all year round. During warmer months, you can go trout fishing in the North Platte River, 65 miles of which has been designated a Blue Ribbon site. Or hike and bike through the 44 hiking trails that wind through the surrounding mountains and forests. Among these is the Continental Divide Trail, which offers beautiful vistas at heights of 10,000 feet. For a leisurely tour of the countryside, take a drive down the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. It cuts through the Medicine Bow Mountain Range, taking you close to Medicine Bow Peak, wildflower fields, and Lake Marie.

When snow covers the Medicine Bow mountains, kick up some powder while zipping between trees on a snowmobile. The area is home to more than 245 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and more than 180 miles of ungroomed trails. If snowmobiling is not your thing, you can hit the cross-country Bottle Creek and Brush Creek Ski Trails or snowshoe around the countryside.

No matter what time of year it is, it’s always nice to relax in the mineral hot springs’ roughly 106-degree waters after long days of exploring the countryside. The hot springs are located in the small town’s center, near a handful of bars and restaurants.

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