On a sunny and surprisingly warm morning in early February, I took a pause from the cross-country ski trek I was on to rest my tired calves, take a swig of water and look down from the hill that I had just climbed.
I was glad I did.
Around me stretched sweeping views of the snow-packed valley and the mountains. To my left I could see the slopes of the nearby Winter Park ski resort carved through the trees. Above was the deep-blue sky that is so distinctive of the Rocky Mountains high country. And in the distance, perhaps a mile or so away, sat the wooden lodge buildings of the Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa.
I can fairly say that I didn't have much desire at the moment to be anywhere else.
Located in the Fraser River valley, approximately 75 miles west of Denver and a dozen miles northwest of Winter Park, the 102 rooms, suites and cabins of the Devil's Thumb sit on a sprawling 6,800 acres.
"It's like a private national park," is the description that Thad Carlson, the property's senior head of sales, used a couple of times during my two days at the resort as an invited guest. And while the cynic in me couldn't help but find something contradictory about the juxtaposition of the terms "private" and "national park," I understood where Carlson was coming from.
Skiers head out on the resort’s trails. Photo Credit: TW photo by Robert Silk
Among those many acres is the spot where I perched that Sunday morning while doing my best to feel competent on Nordic skis. Having so much room to operate has enabled Devil's Thumb to develop and maintain an amazing 78 miles of cross-country ski trails. Color-coded green, blue and black for difficulty like their downhill cousins, the Nordic routes are equipped with yurt-style warming huts for cold days. They meander alongside creeks and into mountain foothills. They also pass charming but abandoned barns and sheds. A favorite of mine, for example, was an old sawmill, its snow-covered roof and slightly rotted wood backed up against a stand of trees in a manner that evoked a sense of rustic timelessness.
Indeed, the Devil's Thumb's network of Nordic ski trails is outstanding enough to have earned the property the top spot this past November in USA Today's ranking of the best resorts in the U.S. for cross-country skiing.
The resort also makes portions of those trails available to fat tire snow bikes.
But it's wasn't just on the trail system that the vast acreage that Devil's Thumb owners Bob and Suzanne Fanch have assembled over the past 18 years makes its presence felt. Instead, a sense of openness permeates the resort.
An expansive view from the Devil’s Thumb’s 78-mile network of cross-country ski trails. Photo Credit: TW photo by Robert Silk
Each of my two mornings at the lodge, I almost hurried from my bed to my windows in order to pull up the shades and drink in the broad vistas. I didn't find time to take a yoga class, but had I done so, it would have been in a sun-splashed studio designed to offer a wraparound view of the property. The studio is part of a three-story, 18,000-square-foot spa building equipped with 14 treatment rooms.
Similar expanses can be viewed from the resort's event spaces, including the 2,900-square-foot Broad Axe Barn, a building originally built in the mid-19th century that the Fanches relocated to Devil's Thumb in 2005, as well as from its two primary restaurants.
Ranch to table
All of the beef served on the property comes from the resort’s herd of wagyu cattle. Photo Credit: TW photo by Robert Silk
It was at one those restaurants, Ranch House, on a Saturday evening that I got a firsthand experience in another way in which Devil's Thumb makes use of its abundant space. The property continues to be a working ranch, and the resort maintains its own herd of wagyu cattle, a Japanese import known for its high level of marbling.
All the beef served at Devil's Thumb is homegrown, primarily grass-fed wagyu. During my meal at Ranch House, I selected a medium rare, six-ounce cut of strip steak, which came out tender and exceptionally flavorful. The outer char of the cut was so good, in fact, that it prompted me to ask the chef about the preparation. His response surprised me a bit. All the meat is cooked in cast iron and seasoned in its own fat.
Satiated, I returned to my room in the main lodge to soak in the atmosphere while winding down. The ranch offers 15 guest cabins, which range from one to four bedrooms. The main lodge, built in 2007, has 48 rooms and four suites. The newer High Lonesome Lodge has another 35 rooms, including four suites. Cabins and suites as well as 20 of the standard units have their own fireplaces.
Though the rooms are individually furnished, they share a consistent, upscale, ranch-style decor. Think heated wooden floors, antique snowshoes on the wall and beddings and rugs that have lots of browns, tans and soft reds.
I dropped into my bed that night, ducked under the warm, red bedspread and fell almost instantly into slumber, knowing that miles of Nordic trail would await in the morning.
Starting rates for rooms at the Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa range from $269 to $459 depending upon the time of year and day of the week.