Paddlers and anglers make the BWCA the most heavily used wilderness area in the nation. Nevertheless, a strictly enforced permit system keeps crowds manageable: You’re more likely to encounter moose, loons, and the occasional wolf than other humans. After narrowly avoiding extermination in the 1930s, around 3,000 eastern timber wolves roam the woods here today. Learn more at the International Wolf Center in Ely, and get close to an “ambassador pack” of six wolves (all born in captivity) who live in a 1.25-acre enclosure next to the center.
Ely (population 4,000) is home base for outfitters providing everything from basic gear rental to fully equipped weeklong canoeing excursions. After several nights in the back-country, treat yourself to a night in one of the handsome log cabins at the Burntside Lodge just outside town. An early-20th-century lake-front resort, it has a top-notch kitchen and well-chosen wine list—unexpected delights in this remote outpost. Winter, too, has its magic in these parts. This is when the snow-blanketed wilderness turns into a glittering wonderland, and Ely becomes the Sled Dog Capital of the U.S. At Wintergreen Lodge, renowned polar explorer Paul Schurke offers lodge-to-lodge or camping dogsled trips across the frozen landscape.
The BWCA lies within the Superior National Forest.
WHERE: 100 miles northwest of Duluth. Tel 218-626-4300; www.fs.fed.us. HOW: Williams & Hall help you plan and outfit your trip. Tel 800-322-5837 or 218-365-5837; www.williamsandhall.com. Cost: from $110 per person per day, all-inclusive. When: May–Sep. INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER: Tel 218-365-4695; www.wolf.org. BURNTSIDE LODGE: Tel 218-365-3894; www.burntside.com. Cost: cabins from $170. When: mid-May–Sep. WINTERGREEN LODGE: Tel 877-753-3386 or 218-365-6022; www.dogsledding.com. Cost: 4 nights from $875 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak), from $1,075 (peak). BEST TIMES: Jul–Aug for warmest weather; Sep for fall color and fewer bugs.
Antebellum Life in the Old South
NATCHEZ AND THE NATCHEZ TRACE
Mississippi, U.S.A.
Once a bustling port, Natchez, on the banks of the Mississippi, is a living museum of antebellum architecture. More than 500 historic treasures remain intact, many still inhabited and lovingly preserved by the original owners’ descendants. Begun in 1932, the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage is an annual highlight when more than 30 private homes and gardens are open to the public and azaleas, camellias, and magnolias are in full bloom. The Confederate Pageant is also held at this time, with costumed volunteers re-creating a romanticized vignette of the Old South. Eight historic homes welcome visitors year-round, including a few that serve as B&Bs. Monmouth is one of the best, a paean to Southern grandeur and the former residence of a Mississippi governor; its acclaimed 1818 restaurant takes its name from the year it was built. Another grand Greek Revival “temple” is the colonnaded 26-room Dunleith, built in 1856 and enveloped by 40 grassy acres.
The Cock of the Walk, a popular restaurant in town, serves local specialties such as skillet-fried catfish, fried dill pickles, and skillet cornbread. Over at Fat Mama’s Tamales, try the signature Gringo Pie—tamales smothered with chili, cheese, onions, and jalapeños—and their Knock-You-Naked margarita.
Natchez is the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway, an old American Indian and trappers trail, later a colonial trading route, and today one of the country’s best places to drive and bicycle. For 444 miles, “The Trace” stretches along the banks of the Mississippi River to the green hills surrounding Nashville, Tennessee (see p. 875). Designated a National Scenic Byway, the two-lane road is a pleasant and unhurried way to catch a glimpse of the Old South, refreshingly free of billboards and commercial development. The Trace Visitor Center is located midway in Tupelo, a sleepy town best known as the site of the two-room house where Elvis Presley was born. It’s now a museum devoted to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
WHERE: 115 miles southwest of Jackson. VISITOR INFO: www.visitnatchez.org. NATCHEZ PILGRIMAGE TOURS: Tel 800-647-6742 or 601-446-6631; www.natchezpilgrimage.com. When: Spring Pilgrimage 5 weeks in Mar–Apr; Fall Pilgrimage 2 weeks in Sep–Oct. MONMOUTH: Tel 800-828-4531 or 601-442-5852; www.monmouthplantation.com. Cost: from $195; dinner $50. DUNLEITH: Tel 800-433-2445 or 601-446-8500; www.dunleith.com. Cost: from $130 (off-peak), from $175 (peak). COCK OF THE WALK: Tel 601-446-8920. Cost: dinner $20. FAT MAMA’S TAMALES: Tel 601-442-4548; www.fatmamastamales.com. Cost: dinner $12. ELVIS PRESLEY BIRTHPLACE & MUSEUM: Tel 662-841-1245; www.elvispresleybirthplace.com. BEST TIMES: 1st weekend in Jun for Tupelo’s Elvis Presley Festival; late Mar–mid-Apr for peak azalea season.
A Culinary and Musical Mecca
KANSAS CITY BBQ AND JAZZ
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.
In K.C., barbecue is king—its millions of fans have included native sons like jazz legends Charlie Parker and Count Basie. Queue up at any one of the 100-plus joints in town for short ribs and “brownies” (crispy, coveted scraps of beef brisket) smothered in sauce. Unlike other barbecue meccas, Kansas City prides itself on its anything-goes attitude (pork, beef, mutton, sausage, and chicken), and that goes for sauces as well (ingredients can include any combination of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, honey, molasses, mustard, and garlic).
Barbecue and K.C. had already nurtured a long love affair when Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue and its signature hot, gritty, paprika-packed barbecue sauce were catapulted to fame in 1974 by hometown hero Calvin Trillin of The New Yorker, who declared the restaurant the best in the world.
George Gates founded his own BBQ empire in 1946 in the segregated black neighborhood around 18th & Vine, profiting from the birth of the jazz scene that thrives there today. That location is closed, but there are six others serving up a sweet style of barbecue under the revered name Gates Bar-B-Q.
In truth, you just can’t get bad barbecue in K.C., and its variety is a gastronome’s nirvana. People travel all the way to the suburb of Belton for Snead’s famous log sandwich—a savory blend of smoked beef, pork, and ham chopped up together and stuffed into a long loaf of bread. For a full-tilt barbecue experience, visit K.C. in the fall during the 2-week American Royal Livestock, Horse Show and Rodeo, which hosts the American Royal Barbecue Competition, which ranks up there with the Memphis Barbecue Contest (see p. 873).
K.C.’s dual passions unite at the Rhythm and Ribs Jazz Festival, an annual barbecue contest accompanied by national and local jazz, blues, R&B, and gospel artists. The festivities are held behind the American Jazz Museum; its collection includes historic recordings and memorabilia such as Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and the Blue Room, a 1930s-era night club that is museum exhibit by day, jazz club by night. Under the same roof, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum chronicles the great players of the renowned Kansas City Monarchs. Jazz disciples shouldn’t miss the rough-and-tumble Mutual Musicians Foundation, a former union hall where Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie reputedly met and where musicians continue to jam, often till dawn.
The American Jazz Museum sits at a famous jazz crossroads.
BRYANT’S BARBECUE: Tel 816-231-1123; www.arthurbryantsbbq.com. Cost: lunch $11. GATES BAR-B-Q: Tel 816-531-7522; www.gatesbbq.com. Cost: dinner $15. SNEAD’S: Tel 816-331-7979. Cost: log sandwich $7. AMERICAN ROYAL BARBECUE COMPETITION: Tel 816-221-9800; www.arbbq.com. When: 1st weekend of Oct. AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM: Tel 816-474-8463; www.americanjazzmuseum.org. NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM: Tel 888-221-6526 or 816-221-1920; www.nlbm.com. MUTUAL MUSICIANS FOUNDATION: Tel 816-471-5212; www.thefoundationjamson.org. BEST TIME: 3rd Sun in Jun for Rhythm and Ribs.
Mountain Bliss Without the Crowds
BIG SKY
Montana, U.S.A.
When it comes to Big Sky, Montana’s premier ski and resort destination, “big” really is the operative word. At the head of a beautiful mountain valley an hour north of Yellowstone National Park (see p. 909), Big Sky was created in 1973 by Chet Huntley, the late NBC newscaster and Montana native.
Big Sky’s 3,812 skiable acres, reaching across three mountains, have magnificent views of the Rockies and an average of only two skiers per acre. The rec
ently opened Moonlight Basin, on the north and west faces of 11,166-foot Lone Peak, is even more deserted, and lifts have no lines to speak of.
Much of the annual 400-plus inches of snowfall is the bone-dry talc reverently called “cold smoke,” and while there’s extreme white-knuckle skiing (Lone Peak summit offers a 4,350-foot vertical drop, with some of the steepest chutes in the world), more than a quarter of Big Sky’s 150-plus trails are perfect for intermediate skiers. The “Biggest Skiing in America” can be enjoyed with a joint lift ticket that allows you access to 5,512 acres of interconnecting ski trails between Moonlight Basin and neighboring Big Sky.
The elegant Lone Mountain Ranch is a year-round favorite for its 45 miles of crosscountry ski trails, snowy horse-drawn sleigh rides to lantern-lit cabins and romantic dinners, and its Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing in summer. For plain value and friendliness, the Lodge at Big Sky is a winner.
More rustic luxury can be found at the stone-and-timber Big EZ Lodge, sitting at 7,500 feet. Most of the 12 spacious and woodsy-chic rooms have otherworldly views of the Madison Mountains. An enormous outdoor hot tub and the restaurant’s Rocky Mountain–style cuisine are just icing on the cake.
WHERE: 45 miles south of Bozeman. BIG SKY RESORT: Tel 800-548-4486 or 406-995-5900; www.bigskyresort.com. Cost: lift tickets from $79. When: ski season late Nov–early Apr. MOONLIGHT BASIN: Tel 877-822-0432 or 406-993-6000; www.moonlightbasin.com. Cost: lift tickets from $55, When: ski season Dec–Apr. LONE MOUNTAIN RANCH: Tel 800-514-4644 or 406-995-4644; www.lmranch.com. Cost: from $2,565 per person per week, all-inclusive. Sleigh ride dinner $85 for nonguests. When: mid-Jun–mid-Sep; mid-Dec–Mar. THE LODGE AT BIG SKY: Tel 406-995-7858; www.lodgeatbigsky.com. Cost: from $100 (off-peak), from $140 (peak). BIG EZ LODGE: Tel 877-244-3299 or 406-995-7000; www.bigezlodge.com. Cost: from $595, all-inclusive. BEST TIMES: Jan–Feb for cross-country skiing, Jan–Mar for downhill; Jun–Jul for fly-fishing; early Jul for food festival; Sat nights in winter for fireworks on Lone Peak.
Home on the Range in the Bitterroot Valley
TRIPLE CREEK RANCH
Darby, Montana, U.S.A.
Tucked into the southern end of the scenic Bitterroot Valley, at the foot of 10,157-foot Trapper Peak, Triple Creek is a ranch-cum-luxury-hideaway bordered on three sides by national forest, where seclusion, beauty, and comfort are served up in Western-size portions. The remarkable cuisine and noteworthy wine list are best described as “France meets the Northern Rockies.”
The ranch’s 23 hand-hewn log cabins are scattered amid 600 Eden-like acres of towering ponderosa pines and meadows, where you’ll also find its namesake three creeks, Baker, No Name, and House. Beyond are several million acres of pure wilderness in the Bitterroot Mountains. The property’s 40 horses are at the ready, and between rides the guests can unwind in a pool or fitness center or partake of trout ponds, tennis courts, and a putting green. The three-story central lodge is tiered with balconies and houses the vaulted, wood-beamed dining room, library, and a rooftop bar-lounge. The ranch-proud staff outnumbers guests and delivers true luxury and friendly but sophisticated service.
Summer brings mountain biking, hiking, trail riding, and Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing, while winter months promise 300 inches of snowfall, cross-country skiing on the grounds, and short lift lines at nearby Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area. Or just stay put and enjoy a hot buttered rum—a ranch specialty, concocted with a touch of ice cream—in front of a crackling fire.
The ranch organizes cattle drives, trail rides, and flyfishing for guests.
WHERE: 75 miles south of the Missoula airport. Tel 800-654-2943 or 406-821-4600; www.triplecreekranch.com. COST: from $750, all-inclusive. WHEN: closed Mar–Apr and Nov. BEST TIMES: late Jul for Darby’s Strawberry Festival; early Sep for the Ravalli County Fair in Hamilton.
Ice-Sculpted Majesty: the American Alps
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Montana, U.S.A.
The epic mountain scenery of Glacier National Park, believed by the Blackfeet Indians to be sacred ground, was described by John Muir as “the best care-killing scenery on the continent” and is called the “Crown of the Continent” for its staggeringly rugged skyline. Created by the movement of massive glaciers, this park claims one of the most intact ecosystems in the temperate zone, which is crisscrossed by more than 700 miles of maintained trails. Take a hike and you’ll likely be rewarded with sightings of moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, lynx, and maybe even a glimpse of either a black bear or a grizzly: Glacier has one of the largest concentrations of grizzlies in the Lower 48.
It also boasts one of the world’s most spectacular mountain drives, the 50-mile, 3-hour Going-to-the-Sun Road, which bisects the million-acre wilderness, passing seasonal waterfalls and dense evergreen forests while climbing to the summit of the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot Logan Pass. There are currently 27 named glaciers within the park, down from about 150 in the mid-1800s, and experts believe they will all but disappear by 2030.
The Great Northern Railway built massive log-and-stone lodges here in the early 1900s, and of these, the Swiss-style lakeside Many Glacier Hotel is perhaps the most beautifully sited. About 60 miles west, the charming Lake McDonald Lodge sits beside a lake of the same name and features a game trophy–bedecked lobby and a vast walk-in fireplace. Of the cluster of lodgings found just outside the park’s boundary, the cozy Alpine-style Izaak Walton Inn is among the most popular. Built in 1939 for rail workers, it offers easy access to excellent fishing and cross-country skiing.
There’s not much that can top a visit to the park, unless you’ve booked at Paws Up, a 37,000-acre luxury wilderness resort that features 28 two-story pine homes and is a scenic 3-hour drive away. From mid-May through September, the lodging offers an American safari experience at its 12 riverside tents, replete with feather beds and butlers, giving new meaning to the expression “glamping.” The plethora of summer activities, from horseback riding to flyfishing in the Blackfoot River, is complemented by an impressive winter list including skiing on hundreds of miles of trails, snowshoeing, and dogsledding into the frosty surroundings.
The tiny island in the center of Lake Saint Mary is known as Wild Goose Island.
WHERE: The park’s west entrance is West Glacier, 30 miles northeast of Kalispell. Tel 406-888-7800; www.nps.gov/glac. When: open year-round, but much of Going-to-the-Sun Rd. is closed mid-Sep–mid-Jun. MANY GLACIER HOTEL and LAKE MCDONALD LODGE: Tel 406-892-2525; www.glacierparkinc.com. Cost: from $130. When: late May–Sep. IZAAK WALTON INN: Tel 406-888-5700; www.izaakwaltoninn.com. Cost: from $120 (off-peak), from $150 (peak). PAWS UP: Tel 800-473-0601 or 406-244-5200; www.pawsup.com. Cost: 2-bedroom homes from $890 (off-peak), from $1,175 (peak), inclusive; tents from $820, inclusive. When: tents late May–Sep. BEST TIMES: Jan–Mar for crosscountry skiing; Jul–Aug for wildflowers; Sep for fewer crowds.
Big Sky, Big Country, Big Fish
BIG HOLE COUNTRY
Wise River, Montana, U.S.A.
The term “big hole” was frontier-speak for a wide, deep valley. Montana’s Big Hole Country, in the state’s southwest corner, is one of its most beautiful areas—a 6,000-foot-elevation prairie basin flanked by snowcapped peaks and drained by crystal-clear streams and rivers. Cattle ranches and pastures filled with loose, unbaled piles of hay gave rise to the Big Hole’s epithet, the “Valley of 10,000 Haystacks.” The tiny town of Wisdom (population 300) is the epicenter of the area, a spot known for its easygoing vibe and cowboy character, just an hour’s drive from the more touristy Bitterroot Valley.
For fly-fishers, the focus is the Big Hole River, a blue-ribbon trout stream in a state blessed with superlative fishing. (Montana lakes and streams are home to brown, rainbow, brook, bull, and cutthroat trout, plus the trouts’ cousins, Arctic grayling and the landlocked kokanee salmon.) Many visitors experience a near-mystic sense that Montana is the spiritual home of this sport, a sentiment captured in the first line of Norman Maclean’s classic Montana novel, A River Runs Through
It: “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” Along the river’s banks, mule deer, moose, and elk are a common sight.
The Big Hole’s most famous lodge is the Complete Fly Fisher outside the town of Wise River. Its location on the Big Hole River and proximity to the Wise, Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, and Missouri rivers guarantees unparalleled fishing, and its 14-guest limit promises personalized service and instruction—even novices can pull in the big ones. Dining on the lovely riverside porch encourages camaraderie and is more sophisticated than you’d expect. Also on the Big Hole River in nearby Twin Bridges, the Great Waters Inn, one of Montana’s original fly-fishing lodges, is a more modest operation. Unlike most other full-service lodges, this one allows its 18 guests to book shorter stays and can customize activities on a daily basis.
WHERE: Wise River is 40 miles south of Butte. COMPLETE FLY FISHER: Tel 866-832-3175 or 406-832-3175; www.completeflyfisher.com. Cost: 7 days with 5 days of guided angling $4,800 per person, all-inclusive. When: mid-May–mid-Oct. GREAT WATERS INN: Tel 406-835-2024; www.greatwatersinn.com. Cost: 5 days with 3 days guided fishing $1,395 per person, all-inclusive; nonguided use $175 per person per day, inclusive. BEST TIMES: May and Sep–Oct for good angling; Jun–Aug for nicest weather; mid-Jun for very active fly-fishing.
Where Megawatt Crass Marries Nouveau Class
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 129
