There’s something inherently American about romanticizing great expanses of land: it’s what drove Thomas Jefferson to buy 530,000,000 acres in the Louisiana purchase. It’s what inspired Katherine Lee Bates to pen “America The Beautiful” with its lyrics about purple mountain majesties and fruited plans. It’s what makes Yellowstone—a television show about the Dutton family’s dark and desperate drive to keep their Montana homestead intact—the most watched in the country. It even serves as the contextual backdrop to Americana-focused brands, from Ralph Lauren to Wrangler—for the former’s recent NYFW show, he even recreated his Colorado “Double R” ranch in a Brooklyn warehouse.
But for most, access to it is merely aspirational: the United States is now a country of 328 million people, 83 percent of which reside in cities.
Perhaps that best explains the phenomenon of the Lodge at Blue Sky, an Auberge property that’s become one of the most sought-after luxury resorts in the country, and was recently named by the prestigious The World’s 50 Best Hotel Awards as “one to watch.” Set upon a Wanship Utah ranch owned by Michael and Barbara Phillips, its 46 guest rooms are nestled among a sprawling, near-unfathomable 3,500 acres.
Once the wooden gates of the property swung open, it took a few minutes for me to reach the entrance of the lodge. Gazing out the window, I passed several scenes that felt straight out of a Western movie set: a farm, a barn with a field of horses grazing out back, a whiskey distillery. (The Phillips family offered to let critically acclaimed brand High West set up production on their property.) When I do reach the main building, I’m greeted not by a traditional clapboard or log structure, but instead, a modernist one that emerges from the mountains into the landscape—a Utah-opian version of Charlotte Perriand’s Les Arcs. The interiors inside are neutral and sparse, yet somehow warm: furniture comes in creams or earthy browns, whereas linens are always crisp whites. After all, they don’t want to detract from what lies beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows: the great wide open.
Just outside my room—which, well, wasn’t a room at all, but a freestanding structure abutting a gurgling brook—began the Lodge at Blue Sky’s impressive network of hiking trails, which ranged from meandering paths, to short but steep climbs that end in meadows, to 3.5 hour loops. Each morning, I grabbed my backpack and a trail map to tackle a new route—and still found myself, upon my departure, feeling like I hadn’t come close to finishing exploring.
But here’s what I did find: an aerial yoga studio, fields of butter-yellow wildflowers that surround alpine pools, and vistas of the Wasatch Mountains, where, on a clear day, you can see Deer Valley. A midpoint in the trail system is an old one-room schoolhouse that dates back to the 19th century. (The ranch has reverted it into a tavern, which hosts parties and other private events.)
Somewhere in the sagebrush ether? A yurt, set upon a mountainous peak, where you can indulge in anything from a whiskey tasting to a fondue dinner. (At the time I was there, it had become the spot for proposals—and while the guides smirked when I asked if anyone had said no, they wouldn’t reveal any guest secrets. True professionals.)
With this much land comes plnety to do: I hiked, but you can also e-bike, horseback ride, shoot sporting clays, or take alpine art classes. If you’re willing to wander further into the Wasatch National Forest, the Lodge at Blue Sky can also arrange heli-hiking or rock climbing.
And that’s just if you desire an active stay: The Lodge at Blue Sky also taps into a Transcendentalist philosophy of the healing the great outdoors can provide. There’s a state-of-the-art spa, but also a wellness camp nestled within a creek called the Sanctuary. I visited twice: once, to meet an energy healer named Sugar, who read my chakras over a 90-minute session while dressed in head-to-toe baby pink. Another time, I did a breathwork class followed by an outdoor cold plunge. (Thanks to the calm guidance of the teacher Jake, after a 30-second spurt of expletives, I was able to sit in the tub for around two minutes.)
The food, too, is of note: their restaurant Yuta, which is led by Eleven Madison Park alumnus Jason Franey, sources much of its produce from their on-site Gracie’s Farm. (Order their signature cocktail—the Horse Thief—as well as the simple-sounding but utterly delicious peas and carrots appetizer.)
Famed naturalist John Muir once said: “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” At the Lodge at Blue Sky, where walks in nature are aplenty, you’ll leave with a feeling of calm that lasts far beyond your time in the trees.
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