Ice Hotels

The lodge stands beside the Old Faithful geyser basin in Yellowstone National Park and opens for a winter season as well as a summer one. In winter the park road to it is not cleared for ordinary cars, so guests arrive by snowcoach or by snowmobile. The building holds guest rooms, a dining room and a lounge, with cabins alongside.

The lodge sits within the geyser basin, and boardwalks lead from it across the thermal ground. Cabins stand close to the main building. Beyond the basin the park lies under deep snow through the winter months, and the nearest cleared road runs well outside it.

Ask how the winter transport is booked, because the snowcoach seat is arranged separately from the room. Write about dining room hours in the winter season, about what clothing the staff recommend for the crossing, and about the dates on which the lodge opens and closes.

The lodge stands on the south slope of Mount Hood in Oregon, built of stone and heavy timber during the nineteen-thirties by federal relief crews. Much of the original carving, ironwork and weaving remains in place in the public rooms. Guest rooms sit on the upper floors, and the ski area begins at the door.

The building stands above the tree line, reached by a road that climbs from the highway and is ploughed through the winter. Snow banks against the walls for much of the year. Chairlifts start beside the lodge, and the mountain rises directly behind it.

Ask about road conditions and chain requirements before driving up in winter. It is worth writing about which rooms have private bathrooms, since not all of them do, about the dining room, and about whether the lifts are running on the dates you plan to come.

This is a timber lodge at Lake Placid in New York State, set in the Adirondack mountains and open through the winter. Accommodation is arranged as suites rather than single rooms, each with its own living space. The main building holds a restaurant, a bar, a pool and rooms given over to games and film screenings.

The lodge stands above the town on a wooded slope, a short drive from Mirror Lake and the village centre. Buildings are grouped around a courtyard and the outdoor pool sits within it. Ski areas at Whiteface Mountain lie further out along the valley road.

Ask which suites suit the size of your party, since the layouts differ from one to another. Write about whether the pool and the outdoor areas stay open in winter, about shuttle arrangements to the ski areas, and about the minimum stay, which changes across the season.

The lodge opened in the nineteen-thirties as the centre of the Sun Valley resort in Idaho and still works as a winter house. It was rebuilt inside in recent years, so the rooms are new behind an older exterior. A spa, a dining room and an outdoor pool belong to the building, and an ice rink stands beside it.

The lodge sits at the foot of Bald Mountain, with the town of Ketchum a short distance down the valley. The road in is ploughed through the winter, and the airport at Hailey lies to the south. Skiing begins from lifts a shuttle ride from the door.

Ask about the shuttle to the lifts and the hours it runs in winter. It is worth writing about whether the outdoor pool and the rink are open on your dates, about spa booking, and about how the lodge handles arrivals when weather delays flights into the valley.