Idaho Lodging Packages For Self Guided Fly Fishing

Sport fishermen, wilderness enthusiasts, and hikers have long enjoyed the hospitality, delicious 'hearty gourmet' cuisine, comfortable cabins, antique-filled lodge and spectacular mountain setting of Wapiti Meadow Ranch. For those fly fishermen who only need a roof over their head and a warm meal, we offer the perfect option. This option allows you to book only the lodging and meals portion of the package while leaving your day free to do as you please.

Now visitors who wish to simply relax in this gracious 'wilderness' setting, or perhaps hike, mountain bike, fly fish, and explore on their own, have an opportunity to enjoy the same luscious meals and fine lodging at a 'Bed and Board' rate. Guests who take advantage will be able to enjoy the beautiful Idaho landscape surrounding the lodge and the indigenous wildlife and wildflowers.

June offers daily viewings of elk grazing in our emerald-green meadow beside our horses and mules. It is also the time of year when mating geese and migratory waterfowl are arguing over nesting spots along full-flowing Johnson Creek. Wildflowers abound in the woodlands and meadows and sightings of Rocky Mountain Bluebirds, hummingbirds and the Western Tanagers are frequent. Fishing in our stocked trout ponds and in some of our lower-elevation lakes is at its best.

July and into August bring wildflowers successively higher along our trails leading to alpine meadows and ridges. Swimming and tubing in Johnson Creek provides excitement, as the high water levels of Spring runoff subside. This is the season for some of the finest fly fishing for West Slope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout and Bull Trout (Dolly Varden) in Johnson Creek and close-by East Fork and South Fork of the Salmon River. By mid-July, the incredibly hearty but rare and endangered Chinook Salmon begin to make their appearance in the deeper holes of Johnson Creek, one of the last best spawning streams in the Northwest. Whitewater Rafting is available nearby on several branches of the Payette River, and other water sports are options in the nearby resort town of McCall. Bird watching changes from songbirds to raptors, with a myriad variety of hawks, eagles and osprey in the skies above the valley.

August brings the pungent aroma of ripening huckleberries to the valley, and in a good year, buckets of these delicious berries can be picked for the Wapiti kitchen which specializes in Huckleberry Pies and Cheesecakes for guest desserts. By late August and Early September, the Salmon become active, spawning in the gravels of the riverbed, a unique sight most areas can only remember with nostalgia.

In September, visitors are in awe of the colors: the Aspen and Tamarack begin to turn amber and yellow, the hillside brush becomes red and rust, and the meadows turn to gold. Pine cone collecting, listening to the bull elk's spine-tingling bugle, hearing the lonely call of a distant wolf or coyote on the hunt provide adventure. In October, the colors are somewhat dimmer, but still vibrant and sometimes a dusting of snow on the mountain summits adds definition to the long valley views from the cabin and lodge porches and the welcome waters of the hot tub. Everburning, four foot long logs in the lodge's baronial fireplace make a cozy backdrop for an afternoon of reading from the ranch's vast library or playing board games or cards with fellow visitors.

Year-round, the dining is a highlight of every day. Hearty breakfasts, such as Eggs Benedict, Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Stuffed French Toast with homemade syrups begin each day. A variety of lunches, including sandwiches, salads, homemade cookies and brownies are packed for guests who wish to wander away from the main lodge and cabins, or can be enjoyed on the lodge porch or the picnic tables in the garden. Dinners, which begin with a social hour featuring a variety of hors d'oeuvres, wine and microbrews, continue with entrees such as prime rib, pesto stuffed salmon with basil-creamed scallops, Cornish game hens, and a 'game night' feast featuring venison tenderloin, Muscovy duck breast and rack of lamb. Each dinner has multiple side dishes, a salad and Desserts such as Lemon (or Huckleberry, in season) Cheesecake, Raspberry Torte, Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Mousse with a Raspberry Puree, and fresh Strawberry Pie. Coffee and good conversation round out every meal.

With only four cabins there are just enough visitors to provide a 'dinner party' atmosphere in the dining room, which is resplendent with fine china, silver and crystal set on two antique tables, seating no more than seventeen.

Wapiti Meadow is just far enough 'off the beaten path' to offer a wilderness atmosphere, but close enough to the main 'byway' in Idaho (Route 55) to be easily accessible with an hour's drive over good, paved mountain 'highway' and then only 16 ½ miles of gravel road.

During June, after mid-September and October any length of stay is welcomed. In July, August, and until mid-September, there is a 3 day/night minimum visit. Lodging includes a private cabin or suite accommodations and three full meals each day, with mid-afternoon light 'tea'. Please contact us for current rates and specials.

Self-guided activities available at the ranch or nearby:
Fishing	Ghost Town exploring
River Rafting	Wildflower sighting
Hiking	Gold Panning
Biking	Bird Watching
Wildlife viewing	Hot tubbing
Water Sports on Payette Lake, McCall