The giant, yet gentle, dog's immediate friendship is a hearty welcome in a wilderness setting. Opie creates an easy, relaxed tone for one of snow season's most unique getaways around Lake Tahoe.


"I named this place Lost Trail because people are always getting lost off the backside of Sugar Bowl or along the Pacific Crest Trail, and they somehow end up here," explains David Robertson, owner and operator of the winter wonderland
outpost.


The 4,000 square-foot chalet rests in a forested saddle beneath Anderson Peak, a rugged, wind-swept point above Coldstream Canyon south of Donner Lake. Coldstream's imposing geography receives some of the deepest snowfall in the country. Wide-open bowls hang like saddlebags along the Sierra Crest; they are punctuated by rock outcroppings and steep chutes.

Carved below the arc of expert-to-intermediate backcountry terrain are gentle slopes running down to the canyon's floor at 6,250 feet.

The Hideaway
The Lodge is four miles up Coldstream Canyon from the Donner Lake I-80 interchange near Truckee. In winter the only way in is by snowmobile, snowshoe, or skis. Freeheel adventurers challenge themselves by carving tracks down untouched snow in the steep angled drainage from Sugar Bowl to the west, but most guests are content to use a well marked cross country traverse. It rambles along Cold Creek through scattered stands of lodgepole and picturesque topography. The route eventually crosses Sierra Pacific railroad tracks and bends south to the remote lodge.


The journey includes several creek crossings, but overall it's an easy trip, less than two hours for even entry-level enthusiasts and only 300 feet in vertical gain. Guests, however, must pack in all their food and beverages. As a result, some enthusiasts tow sleds with all their goods.

The Owner
"I'm 56. I love the backcountry, but I don't want to sleep in a snow cave anymore," says Robertson, a former Nordic jumper, who grew up next to the Gatekeeper's Cabin at the dam in Tahoe City. "What's wrong with a little bit of comfort and warm bed at the end of the day?"

Robertson discovered the property 28 years ago on a backcountry trip. He fell in love with the area and in 1998 was finally able to purchase 2.5 acres from Walt Harvey, a Sacramento businessman who, in the 1980s,
planned to develop a ski resort in Coldstream Canyon.


Hard Choices
After settling into the lodge's warmth, life slows down. Stress vanishes. There is no Internet access, TV, or phone. Big decisions are what to eat and drink and how to spend the day. The lodge is a launch pad for short excursions up the South fork of Cold Creek to Mount Anderson and Tinker's Knob, touring the north fork up to Schallenberger Ridge, or exploring by snowshoe the surrounding snowy forest. Nearby cliffs also offer excellent ice climbing.