Ski, snowmobile, soak at end of road in Elkhorn

By PAULA J. MCGARVEY
for Montana Adventurer

If you’re looking for a getaway when the snow starts to fly, Elkhorn Hot Springs is located in the heart of a winter wonderland.

The rustic resort offers access to 20 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails,more than 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and is located just three miles from Maverick Mountain downhill ski area.

All about Elkhorn Directions: From Interstate 15, take the Jackson/Wisdom exit, two miles southwest of Dillon, to Montana Highway 278. Stay on Highway 278 for 25 miles to the turnoff for the Pioneer Scenic Byway, heading north toward Polaris. Elkhorn Hot Springs is 13 miles from the turnoff.

Rates: Lodging starts at $45 per person for a single lodge room, $70 double occupancy for rustic cabins, and $90 double occupancy for the modern cabin. Breakfast and admission to pools are included. The hot springs are open to the public from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on weekends.

Daily admission to the pools is $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 4-15. Children 3 and under are free. Group rates are available. Restrained pets are welcome for an additional $5 per day.

All major credit cards and in-state checks are accepted.

Restaurant: The restaurant is open to overnight guests for breakfast daily until 10:30 a.m. It is open to guests and the general public for limited hours during the weekday, with expanded hours on weekends.

The chef offers weekend specials. Food is moderately priced American cuisine and reservations are recommended. Call for current hours.

Rentals: Elkhorn Hot Springs also offers cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals, half- and full-day rentals of Polaris snowmobiles, and snowmobile suits, gloves and boots.

Call for current rates.

For more information: Call (406) 834-3434 or 1-800-722-8978, or visit www.elkhornhotsprings.com.

Guests can create the perfect ending to a winter’s day with a hot meal in the restaurant followed by a hot soak beneath the starry sky in the resort’s outdoor mineral springs.

Built in the early 1900s, Elkhorn Hot Springs offers guests a chance to experience an era gone by.

The resort is currently owned by the Lovaas family. “It’s unique,” Patty Lovaas said. “It’s old-time Montana. There’s not many places like this left in Montana.”

Paul Lovaas, her son, added, “It’s quiet and laidback,” pointing out that there’s no cell-phone coverage at the resort and that the road to Wise River is only open during summer months.

“Basically,we’re the end of the road in the winter,” he said.

Lodging ranges from “roughing it” in one of the resort’s nine rustic cabins, heated by wood and with no indoor plumbing, to the modern conveniences of a heated cabin, complete with bathroom and shower.

Rooms to rent are also available upstairs in the restaurant and lodge building, with access to a community bathroom at the end of the hall.

Paul Lovaas said that Elkhorn can accommodate groups of 80 or more and has a meeting room available in the second floor of the pool house.

“We do a lot of groups in the winter,” Patty Lovaas added. Elkhorn Hot Springs has two outdoor, hot mineral pools adjacent to the pool house. “They stay about 100
degrees,” Patty Lovaas said.

There is a hotter,wet sauna located inside the pool house. The hot springs, open to the public, and men’s and women’s changing areas with showers are available to visitors and overnight guests. Food and snacks are available at the pool house and include heaping portions of hand-scooped ice cream served in cones and cups.

“We have people that drive up from Dillon just to get ice cream and swim,” Patty said. Elkhorn’s chef, Christopher Jackson, is a Colorado native and was trained at the Culinary Institute of America in San Francisco.He worked extensively in San Diego before coming to Montana. He serves moderately priced American cuisine. Weekend guests are served a buffet breakfast, and on weekdays are offered a continental breakfast.

The restaurant is open to the general public for limited hours on weekdays, with expanded hours on weekends. “Reservations are recommended on the weekend,” Jackson said.
Menu items include appetizers, burgers, steak, shrimp, chicken, pork chops and pasta. The dessert menu includes pie and ice cream.

“We offer a special every Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Jackson said. Specials include prime rib and international cuisine, including Italian, French and Mexican dishes.