Northwest Sleigh Rides Offer Scenic Views And Winter Fun

When sleigh bells ring, are ya listenin'?

In the Pacific Northwest - when snow is glistenin' - more than a dozen snow-dusted vacation destinations offer sleigh or bobsled rides ranging from 20 minutes to more than an hour.

Though some are designed with snow play in mind, others are more sedate and offer hushed trips through scenic meadows that are home to regional wildlife. This is clearly a snow-dependent excursion - too much can be as bad as too little. Best for horses is 4 to 14 inches deep.

When asking about a sleigh ride, check to see if they provide lap blankets and warm beverages. These extras not only add flavor to the adventure, they provide needed warmth during chilly trips - especially for older people and young children. If blankets and hot beverages are not provided, bring your own.

Here are some destinations to consider:

WASHINGTON

Eagle Creek Ranch (near Leavenworth). After a sleigh ride through the meadows and woods surrounding Eagle Creek, passengers come to a clearing and a spectacular view of the Cascade Mountains. Rides are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children 12 or younger. One small sleigh is designed for private, more romantic rides for two. Hot spiced cider is served in the lodge at the end of the ride. Rides typically are scheduled daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March or as long as the snow holds out. Reservations: 800-221-7433 or 509-548-7798; Web site: www.eaglecreek.simplenet.com

Icicle Outfitters & Guides (From Highway 2, about three miles west of Leavenworth, turn south onto Icicle Road and then left on East Leavenworth Road and go about a quarter mile). Two horses draw the 12-passenger sleigh that cruises the 40-acre meadow near the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery. The 20-minute ride goes along the Icicle River on January weekends and some weekdays. Rides are $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 to 12 years; tots 2 or younger ride free. Lap blankets are furnished and cocoa, coffee and hot cider are served before and after the ride. Reservations: 800-497-3912 or 509-669-4909.

Mountain Springs Lodge (14 miles north of Leavenworth, on Chumstick Highway, formerly known as Highway 209, toward Lake Wenatchee). One-hour trips departing from the new lodge take riders through mountain meadows and aspen groves to the homestead cabin that the owner Bill Newell's great-grandfather settled more than 100 years ago. At the midway point, passengers disembark to enjoy hot spiced cider, make snowmen or ice sculptures or wage a snowball battle. Sleighs carry between 8 and 18 passengers. Rides are $15 for adults, $10 for children 3 to 12 years, and free to tots 2 or younger. Trips typically run daily through the end of February, snow permitting.

Rooms in the lodges and cabins start at $135 for two people, with $22 for each additional guest. Each of the cabins has its own hot tub. Two cabins sleep up to six people; two larger cabins sleep 20 to 24 guests each. The main lodge, to be completed this month, features a large stone fireplace in its dining room and two suites. Reservations: 800-858-2276 or 509-763-2713 or check out the web site: www.mtsprings.com

Red-Tail Canyon Farm (2.5 miles north of Leavenworth. From downtown, take Chumstick Highway 209 north and turn left on Freund Canyon Road. Turn right at Red-Tail Canyon Farm sign). A pair of sturdy Belgian draft horses takes sleighs with 12 to 16 riders on 45-minute sleigh rides into Box Canyon. Rides are $12 for adults and $6 for children 12 or younger. Thanksgiving through mid-March, weather permitting. Reservations: 800-678-4512 or 509-548-4512 or check out the web site at www.redtailcanyonfarm.com. For overnight accommodations, a cabin that sleeps six and the lodge's second-floor bunkhouse provide a cozy place to stay for about $125 per night for two, with a small surcharge for each additional guest.

For other sleigh-ride details, call the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce at 509-548-5807 or the Washington State Tourism office at 800-890-5493.

IDAHO

Rider Ranch (eight miles east of Coeur d'Alene). With enough snow, hayrides turn into sleigh rides at this cattle ranch. Up to 12 passengers in each sleigh take 45-minute rides ending with hot chocolate or apple cider and roasted marshmallows served around a bonfire. Prices are $7.50 per adult and $5 for children 6 or younger, but there is a $60 minimum for each trip. For $15 per person, including the price of the ride, a chili or stew dinner is served. Trips leave daily by reservation, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Phone: 208-667-3373.

Yahoo Corrals (in McCall and in Eagle near McCall). Trips leave daily through early January or as long as snow permits. In Eagle, rides are $3 per person, children 5 or younger ride free. In McCall, rides are $12 for adults and $6 for children 11 or younger. Call 208-634-3360 or 208-839-2424.

Hap and Florence Points Memorial Sleigh Rides (near McCall). A one-hour sleigh ride to a mountain meadow where ranchers feed 70 to 200 wild elk that come to graze during the winter. The trip, along the Gold Fork River, leaves daily through March, or as snow permits. Rides are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 or younger. Reservations: 208-325-8876.

Sun Valley Co., Sun Valley. Bring your appetite along for sleigh rides to rustic Trail Creek Cabin, a historic hunting lodge once used by Ernest Hemingway. The half-hour sleigh trip stops for a two-hour dinner. Rides are $16 for adults and $13 for children 12 or younger; dinners range from $16 to $24. Trips leave at noon and several times in the evening, Tuesday through Saturday, through January or as long as snow permits. Reservations: 208-622-2135.

Warm Springs Old-fashioned Sleigh Rides and A Winter's Feast (in Ketchum). Riders are taken in three sleighs to yurts (dome-style shelters) near the Warm Springs Creek. Along the 45-minute round-trip ride, passengers may see elk, hawks and foxes. Passengers may stop at the yurts for a five-course dinner. Rides are daily through mid-March, snow permitting. Sleigh trips are $12 for adults and $10 for children 10 or younger, tots in laps ride free. Reservations: 208-726-3322.

Bogus Creek Outfitters (near Boise): Sleighs leave Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. through February, snow permitting, for a 20-minute trip to a cabin where passengers are treated to a steak dinner, and performances by a cowboy poet and bluegrass band. Rates are $59 per person. Reservations: 208-336-3130 or web site: www.mw-inc.com/boguscreek.

For accommodations near any of these locations, contact the Idaho Travel Council at P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0093, or phone 800-714-3246 or contact the McCall Chamber of Commerce, Box D, McCall, ID 83868, or call 208-634-7631.

OREGON

Inn at the Seventh Mountain (Bend). Daily one-hour trips through January in the Deschutes National Forest. There's a halfway stop for hot apple cider or cocoa. Sleighs hold up to 16 passengers. Rides are $15 for adults, $8 for children 5 to 12 years, and free for those 4 or younger. Rides leave from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations: 541-389-9458 or check the web site at www.7thmtn.com.

Saddleback Stables at Sunriver Resort. Half-hour rides along the Deschutes River at the west edge of Sunriver Resort. Two of the sleighs carry four passengers ($49 for the sleigh) and one carries six ($59). Weekends, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through February. Weekday trips may be arranged in January. Phone: 541-593-6995.

For lodging near these locations, phone Central Oregon Visitors Associaton: 800-800-8334

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Blackcomb Horsedrawn Sleigh Rides (From Base 2 at Blackcomb Mountain near Whistler). Several times daily beginning at 5 p.m. Midway, passengers disembark and are treated to hot cocoa and 40 minutes of entertainment by a 70-year-old cowboy who tells stories, performs rope tricks and invites guests to sing along.. Rides are offered through March, snow permitting. Rides run $45 per person, with a discount of one child free per family. Two sleighs carry 10 passengers each. Reservations: 604-932-7631.