Turning onto the dirt road headed into Coldstream Canyon, you would never expect to find the sort of accommodations that await you at your destination. My first time headed to the Lost Trail Lodge in 2011, I was on my way to the annual Blue Grass Festival they hold the first week of June each year. We parked the pick-up truck by the railroad tracks and hiked our way in. Crossing swollen streams overflowing with melted snow run-off, we balanced on makeshift log bridges and were ferried across by a boat and pulley system.
When I first saw the Lost Trail Lodge, I felt as though I had finally come home. We took a tour of the cozy cabin bedrooms with jacuzzi tubs, high ceilings, a roaring stone fireplace, and even a solar powered generator. The Lost Trail Lodge runs almost completely on solar power.
David, the man responsible for building and designing the Lost Trail Lodge, is a man of vision, a grandfather, and a talented musician. His daughter Lindsey has a warm smile, is a gracious hostess, and amazing at making salads (I speak from personal experience). You may even be so lucky as to hear his granddaughter Kiely’s rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” played on her fiddle. They also have stable and tack rooms if you want to bring your horses. You can hike, mountain bike, fish at the nearby Donner Ponds, or sit by a stream and read.
The Lost Trail Lodge is located only four miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, so hiking is available. In the winter time, there is snowshoeing, cross country skiing, as well as back country alpine skiing, and even ice climbing. Some people have even chosen to be married at this wooded sanctuary. To me the Lost Trail Lodge feels like my family cabin, with all the comforts of home and embrace and beauty of mother nature.
If you feel like a weekend getaway in one of the most enchanting places in the Sierra Nevada, the Lost Trail Lodge is it! The website is www.losttraillodge.com and the phone number is +1.530.320.9268.
