Also known as the Willis Farm, this lodging complex on the banks of the Elk River is an outdoor recreation center, too. Owner GilWillis came to the area in 1977 for the downhill skiing; today he outfits Nordic skiing expeditions on a 50-kilometer trail system, conducts mountain-biking clinics, and organizes several multiday bike trips. The 100-year-old sheep farm now offers five guest rooms in the old farmhouse, two two-bedroom cottages, and a new lodge holding five more guest rooms, an equip-ment shop, and a restaurant (where diners feast on local trout and game, vegetarian dishes, homemade biscuits, and other stick-to-the-ribs mountain-biker fare at tables comfortably clustered around a fireplace). The lodge is best for couples, since all its rooms have private baths. But the old farmhouse, with its eclectic, many-bedded rooms,
common space with wood-burning stove, and hot tub, is perfect for families and groups. You wouldn’t call any of the accommodations luxurious, but at Elk River no one spends much time indoors.
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