Deer Lodge

Description:

• Along the winding road that takes you to the Chateau, you'll pass Deer Lodge. Do yourself a favor and stop for a look around. Deer Lodge is a short stroll from the lake (and the chateau) itself, but here you won't pay anywhere near what you might there. Plus, where the Chateau often feels overrun, Deer Lodge remains oddly tranquil. Its rustic log structure is a homey, cozy option with real mountain authenticity: Built in the 1920s, the original Lodge was a teahouse for the early mountaineers who came to the area to hike (the original tearoom is now the Mount Fairview Dining Room and bar, offering Northwest cuisine). Now owned by the same company that owns Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, like there, there's an emphasis on serenity. There are rooms from three eras: small, basic rooms in the original lodge; larger rooms in the newer Tower Wing; and Heritage Rooms, the largest rooms in the newest wing. Comfortable but not posh, this is mountain vacationing the way your grandfather might have done it. The lovely bar and lounge area, all wood and stone, is one of the coziest places in the park.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010