Hidden Meadow
by Sam Lowe

GREER – Up here in the White Mountains, the trees outnumber people about a million to one and the quiet is so thick it’s almost scary.

Up here, there are pine forests and little streams and so many deer sightings that after a while they become commonplace. And the mountains fall off as steep slopes, then dissipate into gentle hills that are blanketed in green during the summer months and white in the winter.

All that makes it a nice destination choice when planning a weekend jaunt to the high country. It would also be a nice spot to have a little log cabin hideout, but if that’s out of the question, the lodge at Hidden Meadow Ranch makes the search for peace and quiet a lot easier to fulfill, even if it’s only temporary.

It was originally a working ranch, homesteaded in 1916 by John Chellis Hall, a cattle owner who lived on the property. Now it features 10 log cabins, a large social hall, a manmade lake and stables. The cabins were built between 1993 and 1995 as part of a guest ranch complex. The current owners – Casey and Tim Bolinger and Jeanne and Gary Herberger – remodeled the cabins and gave them individual themes.  Each contains a second-story loft reached by a winding staircase, a fireplace and handcrafted bed frames, chandeliers and bath fixtures. There’s a radio but no television.

The amenities include such niceties as down pillows and comforters, pillow top mattresses, fine art and antiques, leather, and locally carved wood furniture. Some of the cabins allow pets and feature dog runs, and one is specially equipped for guests with disabilities.

The Ranch House is the facility’s main building. It’s a huge log cabin that contains the dining room, kitchen and a seating area dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows and a massive stone fireplace where guests convene for pre-meal cocktails and conversation. Or, when the weather allows, they can sit on rocking chairs on the sprawling front porch. And for those who can’t function without electronics, there’s also a TV on the second floor.

The daily rate includes three meals. Make that three outstanding meals. Between-meal noshing is also available but it would be foolhardy to take advantage of the munchies because each repast is a gourmet feast. Chef Jim Distel not only creates them, but also stops at every table to discuss the preparation and share his recipes. And if the snow gets too deep in the winter, or if the 100-yard walk from cabin to dining hall is too strenuous, every item on the menu is available through room service.

To work off the calories, guests may choose from several options. In the winter, they’re offered free shuttle service to nearby Sunset Ski Resort, rides in horse-drawn sleighs, and limited use of snowmobiles in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves Forest. In the summer, they can fish for trout in the lake, jog and hike through the trees, or go horseback riding.

The ranch also provides a Kids Camp in the Outfitter Barn with supervised leather working, crafts and games. 

The lodge sits on 150 acres at an elevation of 8,500 feet and the forest covers another two million acres, filled with aspens and Ponderosa pine and dotted with protected meadows and a spring-fed pond. The owners have installed new roads and if there’s a snowstorm, they have a full complement of snowplows and four-wheel vehicles to carve pathways through the white stuff.

Photos by Sam Lowe

If you go:
               
Hidden Meadow Ranch
The ranch is three-and-a half to four-hour drive from both Phoenix and Tucson, about 15 minutes north of Greer.
Rates: $525 to $625 per night (inclusive) for the first two adults
866-333-4080 or 928-333-1000
hiddenmeadow.com.