17 FALL 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 01 maine ’ s magic carpet ride

SNOWGOER . COM 18

The towering , three-story lodge sits at the end of a long driveway off of Highway 89 , 12 twisting miles west of Garden City , Utah , ( population 562 ) and a solid two-hour drive northeast of Salt Lake City . It is near pretty much nothing – you won ’ t find a convenience store on a nearby corner or a friendly bar to shoot pool in just up the road : There ’ s the Beaver Creek Lodge , and there ’ s the open land and pine trees .

The lodge is located at 7,200 feet and is surrounded by a seemingly endless Wasatch Mountain playground of the Cache National Forest when in Utah and the Caribou National Forest when in Idaho – most rides with the Beaver Creek crew crisscross the unmarked border often . Local peaks approach 10,000 feet , and the entire area seems pristine , particularly when covered by 20-plus feet of snow .

Resort owner Bryan Lundahl fell in love with this area in his youth and started guiding winter snowmobile rides and summer horseback adventures out of a nearby parking lot in 1991 while still in college . Three years later , at age 24 , he built the Beaver Creek Lodge , and his focus has remained the same for the past 20 years .

“ I love to see people have a new experience ,” the enthusiastic lodge owner said . “ My goal when I take people out is that they come back at the end of the day and say it was the best

The Beaver Creek Lodge is seemingly in the middle of nowhere , surrounded by glorious high-country playgrounds on all sides , but it ’ s actually rather easy to reach – just 30 miles northeast of Logan , Utah , right off of Highway 89 .

We were riding out of Beaver Creek Lodge , a truly remote , all-inclusive snowmobiling destination in the far northwest corner of Utah . Situated two miles south of the Idaho border in one of the most stunning and dramatic mountain landscapes imaginable , folks who work at Beaver Creek Lodge spend their entire winter and spring showing snowmobilers of varying levels of mountain riding experience a good time . The resort provides top-notch rental sleds , fearless and eminently helpful guides , comfortable lodging and even gourmet meals , making it a true one-stop destination .

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The most pristine powder in the country . Over 300 miles of groomed trails and endless acres of backcountry riding .