Bed, breakfast, and hiking boots - bed-and-breakfast inns in the West - includes recipes

Claire Martin

From the Colorado Rockies to the California redwoods, these inns offer wilderness adventure and creature comforts, too

It is a conflict as old as humankind - the passion for adventure versus the equally powerful desire to be coddled. Think of the luxury-loving Athenians versus the rugged if grumpy Spartans, or, on a different note, Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert sparring about stores and chores on Green Acres.

In truth, most of us want both adventure and a little luxury in our lives. And, especially on vacation, why can't we get exactly what we want? No reason at all. That's why Sunset scoured the West for bed-and-breakfast inns that offer unbeatable access to great hiking. At the same time, these inns know that even stalwart wilderness fans appreciate starting the day with a wonderfully prepared breakfast and ending it by sinking into a comfortable bed.

Each of these inns lies an easy stroll (or in some cases, a very short drive) from trails that offer some of the best hiking in the West. Each knows how to pamper guests. And they prepare such good breakfasts we knew we had to share their best recipes with you. After all, we can use some adventure and a bit of pampering when we return home, too.

RiverSong Inn, Estes Park, Colorado

On the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, RiverSong Inn is the kind of hostelry you'd expect to find in Aspen or Vail, not in this modest little tourist town. A central inn and several guest houses cluster at the end of a private, unpaved road. All are elegantly detailed, with extra-deep whirlpool tubs, wood-burning stoves, and tall windows that look out on pines and the nearby mountains.

Every room has a theme. The Cowboy's Delight features collections of branding irons, barbed wire, and other Western memorabilia. More extra touches: plush slippers shaped like horses, and luxuriant plaid flannel robes.

Breakfast is served in a room the size of a small cafe. Socializing is generally done in a common room with a large fireplace, a huge sectional sofa, and pots of coffee and tea, plus an extensive display of Western folk art.

RiverSong's 27-acre grounds include a new beaver pond and a herd of deer that visits daily for apples provided by inn owners Gary and Sue Mansfield. The land makes for good hiking and, come winter, snowshoeing. For longer adventures, the trails of Rocky Mountain National Park are minutes away.

WHERE: Estes Park, 65 miles northwest of Denver.

CONTACT: (970) 586-4666.

RATES: $135 - $250. Two-night minimum; no children under 12.

SUGGESTED HIKES: Simplest option is to wander the inn's grounds. Within adjacent Rocky Mountain National Park, a good easy hike is the 6-mile loop past Cub Lake. Trailhead is near Moraine Park - also the site of a good museum. From here the trail runs through Elk Meadows (look for elks in spring and fall), then continues to the lake, where you'll find lily pads in an alpine marsh, rare in Colorado's dry mountains.

FYI: Rocky Mountain National Park; (970) 586-1206.

RiverSong Giddy-Up Grits

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

NOTES: At RiverSong Inn, breakfast starts with Continental Divide Strawberries (berries topped with a mixture of equal parts sweetened whipped cream and plain yogurt), followed by hearty baked grits.

MAKES: 8 servings

1 pound bulk pork sausage 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced 3/4 teaspoon pepper About 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1 cup quick-cooking grits 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 large eggs 2 cups (1/2 lb.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 can (7 oz.) diced green chilies 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1. Crumble sausage into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat. Stir often until browned and crumbly, about 6 minutes. Drain off and discard fat. To sausage, add garlic, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Set aside.

2. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, blend grits with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Add butter. Cover pan; reduce heat to low. Stir often until grits are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs to blend. Stirring, add cheese, chilies, sausage mixture, and grits. Pour mixture into a buttered shallow 9- by 13-inch baking dish or 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole.

4. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 [degrees] oven until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with red bell pepper and cilantro. Cut into pieces and serve with a wide spatula.

Per serving: 331 cal., 60% (198 cal.) from fat; 16 g protein; 22 g fat (11 g sat.); 17 g carbo (1.4 g fiber); 734 mg sodium; 113 mg chol.

- Linda Lau Anusasananan

Across the Creek at Aravaipa Farms, Winkelman, Arizona

After several hours of hiking through Aravaipa Canyon, your boots or tennis shoes will have sluiced off enough creek water to irrigate the Sahara, and your head will spin trying to remember how many species of birds you've seen. This remote riparian wilderness area in southeastern Arizona hosts eagles and herons and other more rarely seen birds that congregate here for the year-round water.

If you wanted to rough it, you could camp near the trailhead. But since you don't, you can make the 5-mile drive back to Across the Creek at Aravaipa Farms.

Carol Steele bought the apricot, pear, and peach orchard in 1995. She renovated the main house for herself, and set up two nearby cottages for guests. (She kept the business in the family when she sold it to her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Susan.) Each cabin comes with a private bath, fireplace, queen and twin bed, patio, and plenty of art.

Breakfast is a do-it-yourself proposition. The cottages' refrigerators are stocked with yogurt, fruit, muffins - and often Steele's superb morning banana cake. Steele provides hearty picnic lunches for hikers, and in the evening, guests dine with her in the main house. After dinner, you can recover from your day of hiking in a hammock slung beneath a mesquite tree.

WHERE: Winkelman, 70 miles north of Tucson.

CONTACT: (520) 357-6901.

RATES: $200 a day, including all meals. Two cottages.

SUGGESTED HIKE: From the inn, it's a 5-mile drive to Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. From the trailhead, follow Aravaipa Creek east, then return the same way; total distance is 11 miles. Many creek crossings are required - don't set out if flash floods are forecast.

FYI: Hiking permits required for Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness: $5 per person per night. Contact the Bureau of Land Management, Safford, AZ; (520) 348-4400.

Across the Creek at Aravaipa Farms Morning Banana Cake

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour and 20 minutes

NOTES: At Across the Creek at Aravaipa Farms, Carol Steele presents a self-serve breakfast buffet of yogurt, fresh fruit, and this sugar-crusted, flavor-dense, moist banana cake.

MAKES: 16 to 20 servings

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup pecan or walnut halves 1 cup dried cranberries 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup mashed ripe banana 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 large eggs 1 cup (1/2 lb.) melted butter or margarine 1 cup buttermilk

1. Mix flour, pecans, cranberries. baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, banana, vanilla, and eggs until well blended. Add butter and buttermilk; mix well.

3. Add flour mixture to bowl and stir until evenly moistened.

4. Butter and flour-dust a nonstick 10-inch decorative tube pan. Pour batter into pan.

5. Bake in a 350 [degrees] oven until a long wood skewer, inserted in the thickest part. comes out clean, and cake pulls from pan sides, about 1 hour.

6. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Lay a rack on top of pan Holding pan and rack together, invert to release cake Lift off pan. Serve cake warm or cool.

Per serving: 314 cal., 40% (126 cal.) from fat; 3.2 g protein: 14 g fat (6.5 g sat.); 45 g carbo (1.3 g fiber); 234 mg sodium: 48 mg chol.

- Linda Lau Anusasananan

Mangels House, Aptos, California

It looks as though it might be made from spun sugar, and that is appropriate: the Mangels House was built by a relative of Claus Spreckles, California's 19th-century sugar king. Plunked in a green meadow at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 1886 Italianate Victorian served the Mangels family as a summer retreat.

The Mangels House's current owner, Jackie Fisher, has done a notably good job with the inn's decor. As a result, a guest's inclination might be to loll around in the sitting room. That would be a big mistake. For the single best thing about the Mangels House may be its location, adjacent to Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. This snake-skinny 10,000-acre park runs along Aptos Creek deep into the second-growth redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its trails will call you - and as you hike, chances are good you'll run into owner Fisher and shepherd-mix Dieter.

WHERE: Aptos, 6 miles south of Santa Cruz and 90 miles south of San Francisco.

CONTACT: (800) 320-7401 or www.innaccess.com/mangels.

RATES: $120 - $160. Six bedrooms. Two-night minimum weekends.

SUGGESTED HIKE: Start at Forest of Nisene Marks's Aptos Creek Rd. entrance, a short walk from the inn. From here you can grab a map and do an 11-mile loop that takes you north on the road, then west along the Aptos Creek Trail up the Big Slide Trail, then back clown Aptos Creek Fire Rd. to your start.

FYI: Forest of Nisene Marks State Park; (831) 763-7063. Park entrance $3 per car.

Mangels House English Scones

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 35 minutes

NOTES: Jackie Fisher uses her mother's recipe to make these tender, currant-studded scones at Mangels House in Aptos. Serve with raspberry jam and butter.

MAKES: 4 to 8 servings

1/4 cup dried currants 1 tablespoon brandy 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel About 2 cups all-purpose flour About 6 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt About 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine About 1/2 cup buttermilk

1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix currants, brandy, and orange peel. Heat in a microwave oven at full power (100%) just until warm, 15 to 20 seconds.

2. In another bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup butter until no lumps are larger than 1/4 inch. Stir in currant mixture.

3. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk; stir just enough to evenly moisten dough. If dough is crumbly, sprinkle a little more buttermilk over mixture and stir. Pat dough into a ball and knead in bowl just until dough holds together.

4. Set dough on a lightly buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick round. With a floured knife, cut round in quarters or eighths, leaving wedges in place. Brush dough with about 2 teaspoons buttermilk and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

5. Bake scones in a 400 [degrees] oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Serve warm or cool. Break round into wedges.

Per serving: 276 cal., 36% (108 cal.) from fat; 4 g protein; 12 g fat (7.6 g sat.); 38 g carbo (1.1 g fiber); 394 mg sodium; 33 mg chol.

- Linda Lau Anusasananan

Durlacher Hof, Whistler, British Columbia

"Peter's it mountain goat," says Erika Durlacher of her husband, who first came to Canada with a group of Austrian mountain climbers. But a love of hiking is in Austrian-born Erika's genes, too. The couple keep their Alpine heritage alive at Durlacher Hof, a bed-and-breakfast they built 10 years ago near Whistler Village, in the Coast Mountains of southwestern British Columbia.

Modeled after the farmhouses that dot the Austrian Alps, the inn serves a generous breakfast buffet with Austrian specialties such as apple pancakes or ricotta-filled crepes, along with frittatas or omelets and plenty of fresh fruit. It's ample fuel for hiking the dozens of nearby trails, which are their most inviting when autumn color is popping out.

WHERE: Whistler, 75 miles northeast of Vancouver, B.C.

CONTACT: (604) 932-1924.

RATES: $150 - $255 Canadian. Two-night minimum on weekends.

SUGGESTED HIKE: For superb mountain vistas, head up Blackcomb Mountain via Whistler's high-speed ski lifts, which start about a 1/2-mile walk from the inn and will carry you up to the Rendezvous Lodge. From here a 3-mile nature trail runs through alpine meadows along the mountain crest. The route is only moderately difficult - but remember you'll be above 7,000 feet. Lifts operate 10-5 daily through mid-October; tickets $20 Canadian, about $15 U.S.

FYI: Whistler Resort; (604) 932-3434.

Durlacher Hof Austrian Ricotta Crepes

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

NOTES: At Durlacher Hof in Whistler, Erika Durlacher makes topfen palatschinken, German for crepes filled with curd cheese. Serve them with cranberry sauce (following), a sweetened puree of fresh raspberries, or a poached fruit compote. If making ahead, fill crepes, cover, and chill up to 1 day, then pour custard over them just before baking.

MAKES: 8 crepes; 4 servings

Crepes

1 1/4 cups milk 1 large egg 2/3 cup all-purpose flour About 2 teaspoons butter or margarine

Filling and custard

1/2 cup raisins 1 carton (15 oz., 1 3/4 cups) part-skim ricotta cheese About 1/2 cup sugar 1 large egg yolk 1 large egg 1 cup half-and-half (light cream) or milk 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel Cranberry sauce (recipe follows) Sour cream (optional)

1. To make crepes, whirl 1 1/4 cups milk, 1 egg, and flour in a blender until smooth.

2. Place over medium heat a nonstick frying pan that measures 7 to 8 inches across bottom. When hot, add 1/4 teaspoon butter and swirl to coat pan. Pour in 1/4 cup batter, quickly tilting pan so batter flows over entire flat surface. Cook until crepe is dry on top and edge is browned, about 30 seconds. Turn crepe with a spatula and brown other side, about 15 seconds. Invert from pan onto a plate. Repeat, stacking crepes as made. You need 8 crepes; reserve any extras for another use.

3. To make filling, soak raisins in hot water for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Beat ricotta, 1/4 cup sugar, and egg yolk until well mixed. Drain raisins and stir into ricotta mixture.

5. Spoon 1/8 of the filling (about 1/4 cup) across lower third of each crepe, and roll to enclose. Place filled crepes, seam side down, in a lightly buttered shallow 9- by 13-inch baking dish or shallow casserole.

6. To make custard, whisk 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg with half-and-half. Pour evenly over filled crepes.

7. Bake in a 375 [degrees] oven until custard at casserole edge no longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 20 minutes.

8. Sprinkle casserole with about 1 teaspoon sugar and shredded lemon peel. Lift out crepes with a wide spatula. Serve warm with cranberry sauce and sour cream added to taste.

Per serving without cranberry sauce: 568 cal., 38% (216 cal.) from fat; 23 g protein; 24 g fat (14 g sat.); 67 g carbo (1.5 g fiber); 251 mg sodium; 230 mg chol.

Cranberry Sauce

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 10 minutes

MAKES: 1 cup; 4 servings

In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine 1 1/3 cups rinsed and drained fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover pan, and reduce heat to medium. Stir occasionally just until berries begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Per serving: 82 cal., 1.1% (0.9 cal.) from fat; 0.1 g protein; 0.1 g fat (0 g sat.); 21 g carbo (1.3 g fiber); 0.5 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

- Linda Lau Anusasananan

More great hiking inns

Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Cheyenne Cation Inn. A mission-style inn with a colorful past, adjacent to North Cheyenne Cation Park. The 3-mile Columbine Trail outside the inn's front door ends at Helen Hunt Falls. $90-$190; (719) 633-0625.

ESTES PARK. Eagle Cliff House. Owners Nancy and Mike Conrin can direct hikers to nearby Rocky Mountain National Park trails. Comfy beds, excellent breakfasts. $80-$115; (970) 586-5425.

MANITOU SPRINGS. Frontier's Rest Bed & Breakfast. Walk two blocks from this Old West Victorian to the start of famous Barr Trail up Pikes Peak - a 13-mile trek. Or try the easier 4-mile trail behind the inn. $75-$130; (800) 455-0588.

Idaho

COEUR D'ALENE. Hayden Hideaway, A Lakeside Retreat. Walk to the English Point Recreational Trail from this four-bedroom inn. $95-$165; (208) 772-1667.

Montana

ESSEX. Izaak Walton Inn. Named for the patron saint of fishing, but this former lodge for railroad crews also has fine hiking. $98-$150; (406) 888-5700.

Utah

BRIGHTON. Das Alpen Haus. In the Wasatch Mountains near Brighton Ski Resort, guests can savor crisp hiking now, wildflower walks next summer. $85-$115; (801) 649-0565.

SALT LAKE CITY. Pinecrest Bed and Breakfast Inn. A 6-acre estate in Emigration Canyon; hike from here to Killyon's Canyon. $85-$195; (800) 359-6663.

Wyoming

CHEYENNE. A. Drummond's Ranch Bed & Breakfast. 120-acre ranch adjacent to Curt Gowdy State Park, offering ample room to ramble. And children are welcome. $65-$175; (307) 634-6042.

- Additional reporting by Lora J. Finnegan

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