Wintery One Night Getaway at Eagle Ridge Ranch in Island Park

At my job, I’m thankful that I get to meet people from all different walks of life and help them build their business by designing logos and building websites. Sometimes I get to help them start from the ground up, and other times I get to help an existing company rebrand or refresh. I’m only able to tell this particular story because of my opportunity to meet Susan and Steve in a meeting about refreshing the website for Eagle Ridge Ranch, a fun getaway spot in Island Park, Idaho. They invited our team members to stay at the ranch to understand what the experience was like to better help us build the website to suit. Needless to say, I was quick to raise my hand.

Our check-in was at 3 p.m., but we knew we’d want to adventure around beforehand so we hit the road from Idaho Falls around 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The forecast called for snow all day, and it did just that all the way to Island Park. The slush building upon the highway from lesser trafficked lanes made it dangerous to pass any cars. Luckily, Island Park is only about 80 miles away (roughly 1.25-1.5 hours of driving) so even if we got stuck in a line of traffic, it still wouldn’t take us forever to get there.

We had scoped out a small trail on the way to Island Park, but as we drove past the road, it was only accessible by snowmobile. It seemed that many of the trails had this limitation, so we just drove straight to Eagle Ridge Ranch in hopes we could check in early and/or get their suggestions on a little adventure. They were very excited to have us on the ranch, and they had lots of ideas for us, so we were in luck.

We followed the directions to the ranch and when we saw the big metal Eagle Ridge Ranch roadway entry sign we knew we were in the right place. They had plowed the dirt roads the best they could so my little all-wheel-drive Hyundai Kona was able to make it up the sloped roundabout in front of the main office without a problem. Susan wasn’t sure if the cleaning team had prepped the Little Cabin for us yet, so Steve offered to take us up to the cabin to show us around and see if we were good to check-in. On the way out the office door, they suggested that we borrow their snowshoes and gave us some pointers on where we could strap up and head out for a hike into the snowy silence of the forest. After we checked in, that is exactly what we did and the serenity of it all did not disappoint.

The cabins all sit around a looped road that turns back on itself, leading back to the main office. Although a very short drive away from the main office, every cabin feels uniquely tucked away in its own little piece of forest. We stayed in the Little Cabin, a smaller cabin with a queen-sized bed, a bathroom with a standing shower, and a kitchenette. When I made the reservation, Susan was underselling the Little Cabin, saying that it wasn’t her favorite. Granted, she was trying to show me the ultimate Eagle Ridge Ranch experience so I knew what to convey with their new web design. When I was talking to Susan she said the cabin had a hot tub and a propane grill, and I said “well, that’s all we need!” So, I can confirm that the Little Cabin was absolutely PERFECT for our little two-person getaway.

As I mentioned, we started our stay off by checking in and immediately going on a snowshoe hike into the dead silent forest with large, fluffy snowflakes slowly falling to the ground. Upon returning to the cabin, we got situated and immediately hopped in the hot tub. After being in there for a bit, we hopped out to prep our dinner - 8-ounce filet mignon from Grand Peaks Prime Meats, asparagus, and potatoes. After dinner we just relaxed and listened to some music for a while. In the amount of time it took us to prep, cook, eat dinner, and relax, about 3-4 inches of snow had fallen. But you already know we had to hop back in the hot tub before bed.

After our night of fun, we slept in, made breakfast, and casually got our stuff together, and left a little after noon. During check-in, Susan and Steve were giving us all kinds of recommendations of things to do before making the trip home and we decided to take their advice and drive across the Montana border to scope out the herds of bighorn sheep and the beauty that is Quake Lake in the winter. This decision paid off.

I have to admit: I had never been to Island Park in the wintertime until this trip. I always thought winter in Island Park was all about snowmobiling, and when you’re driving through you would think the same, but those snowmobilers have to stay somewhere. Sometimes all you need is to get out of the house to take the edge of those winter blues, especially during a pandemic. I cannot wait to go back up to Eagle Ridge Ranch in the summertime to take my chance at some horseback riding, or maybe something more familiar like floating down the North Fork of the Snake River. Either way, I can guarantee I’m making a trip back sooner rather than later.