LEAN INTO SPRING In Stanley
Bikes line up at the Mountain Village Resort.
By Lori Williams
If you’ve been hibernating, now is the time to get out and trek up to the Sawtooth Valley to breathe in the magnificence of the spring thaw. The vitamin D is always plentiful in Stanley, and best yet—it’s too early for mosquitoes. Though March hangs on to the snow piles and the nights are still frigid, the equinox signals the grand elegance of mountain-high regeneration. Winter begins to fade under the warmth of longer days, meaning more extended play. Nature stirs with migrating birds and frolicking ungulates. In March, there is still time to snowshoe in the backcountry as warmer days and cold nights firm up the snow. You might even strap your steelhead fishing gear to your back. Hiking in April and May makes for glorious photography as many alpine lakes are still frozen and snow crowns the high peaks. Mountain meadows in mid-May come alive with wildflowers strutting colors to match the sunsets. It’s a glorious time to be visiting the Sawtooth Mountains, and Mountain Village Resort (MVR) awaits you as a base camp to indulge in it all, be it adventure or quiet respite. 80
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Mountain Village Resort offers pure mountain luxury— a 61-room lodge, hot spring, restaurant, saloon, dance hall, mercantile, and gas and service station. The views of the jagged Sawtooth range are on the house. Locally owned and operated by “original spuds”—Idaho-born and-raised—Russell and Mandy Clark, MVR prides itself on excellent customer service, cleanliness, and product offerings. “We are delighted to see and serve the off-season guest,” says Mandy. “Our resort staff knows that if you’re here in spring or early summer, you have a deep passion for our slice of paradise.” Lodge rooms are cozy and comfortable. Seventeen are newly remodeled, including the Nip N’ Tuck Suite, two kitchenettes, and 14 two-queen deluxe rooms. An easy walk from the main lodge and other resort facilities is their Stanley Outpost—rustic log, suite-style cabins for groups of varying sizes. Here you’ll experience more of a homeaway-from-home ambiance with incredible views and the lyrical babble of the adjacent Valley Creek. A five-minute walk from the lodge brings you to the small log building, PHOTO BY MOUNTAIN VILLAGE RESORT