Winter Van Life: Meadowlark Ski Lodge
Time of Our Visit: December 2022 (Opening Day)
Meadowlark Ski Lodge is located in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains next to Meadowlark Lake. It’s a much quieter corner of the state since most visitors focus on the northwest corner which includes the town of Jackson, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the Teton Range, and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. While Meadowlark isn’t world-renowned like JHMR, it is known as “Little Jackson Hole”.
What We Loved About Meadowlark
They almost had full coverage on their opening day of December 10th, also a powder day. The only terrain that wasn’t open was the tops of their double blacks above the Cut Across Trail. Anything below the Cut Across Trail was accessible. The snow was deep enough that I saw two different people lose their skis under the Cloud Peak chair line. One teenager gave up on looking for one of his submarined skis and purchased a new pair to enjoy the rest of an epic day. Fortunately, a friend found it later in the afternoon.
Plan Your RV/Van Life Road Trip to Meadowlark
skimeadowlark.com
lodgesofthebighorns.com
facebook.com/skimeadowlark
426 Forest Service Road, U.S. Highway 16 East, Ten Sleep, WY 82442
(307) 351-4606
(307) 366-2429 (weekends)
accounts@waybackresorts.com
Pass affiliation: Indy Pass 2023/24
Hours of operation: Lifts typically operate 9:30 am-4:00 pm Friday through Sunday. However, their operating days may change, especially during holidays. Contact Meadowlark for more information.
Mountain Stats
- Lift-served skiable terrain: 300 acres
- Vertical: 1,100 feet
- Average annual snowfall: 300 inches
Driving to Meadowlark
Whether you are coming from the Buffalo (East) or Ten Sleep (West) side of the Bighorn Mountains, you will drive US Highway 16 to the ski area. From Ten Sleep, it’s about a 30-minute drive. From Buffalo, expect it to take 50 minutes or more. This stretch of highway is known as the Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway so leave extra time for stopping at vista points and taking photos.
Meadowlark Ski Lodge is in a remote area if you consider that the whole state of Wyoming has less than one million residents, and the closest towns to Meadowlark, Ten Sleep and Buffalo, have less than 300 and 5,000 residents respectively.
There are limited services on US Highway 16 in both summer and winter, so it is best that you fill your fuel tank and are prepared with food, water, and other emergency supplies before you leave the Ten Sleep or Buffalo areas in case of an emergency. Business hours are limited in Wyoming so plan accordingly. If you’re traveling from Ten Sleep, you might even want to backtrack to Worland for the most service options.
Wyoming has a lot of wildlife, including mule deer, pronghorn, and elk. You’ll see many road signs warning you of wildlife crossings. Lower your speed and stay alert and avoid driving at dusk, dawn, or at night if you can.
Cell service is primarily non-existent once you leave Buffalo and Ten Sleep and start climbing US Highway 16 into the Bighorn Mountains.
Snow removal may be infrequent, you may encounter snow drifts, and the highway might close. Check road conditions here.
When you turn onto the Forest Service Road to Meadowlark from US Highway 16, it’s possible the road might be narrow. Upon our visit, the road was about a vehicle and a half wide in some places and very slick with a lot of fresh snow. The ski area parking lot was very rutted. 4WD or AWD with high clearance is highly recommended.
Parking at Meadowlark
There is only one obvious parking lot directly in front of the lodge and their two lifts. We were there on their opening day which was also a Saturday. The parking lot was at near capacity by mid-morning but there was always a spot to be found throughout the day.
As mentioned above, 4WD or AWD with high clearance is highly recommended.
Using Your 2022/23 Indy Pass at Meadowlark
You must visit the ticket office each day you intend to ski/ride using your Indy Pass. Be prepared to show a photo ID for an adhesive-backed ticket and a wicket. Your ticket will not be scannable, so have it ready to show the lift attendant.
Tips on How to Ski/Ride Meadowlark
Unless you’re a beginner, you’ll spend all of your time on the Cloud Peak Lift. You should be able to hit every run at Meadowlark in a half day. If you’re looking at the trail map, I’d work your way from left to right so you can warm up your legs and admire the Cloud Peak Wilderness and Bighorn National Forest views before tackling the steeper stuff. You can see almost all of Meadowlark’s terrain from the Cloud Peak Lift, so if it’s a powder day, you can pick out the best looking lines.
Working Remotely at Meadowlark
We had no cell reception at Meadowlark. Apparently, WiFi is offered in the lodge, but we didn’t use it.
Where to Sleep in Your Van/RV Overnight
Buffalo KOA Journey – 44.3 miles / 50 minutes in Buffalo
Grocery Stores
- DJ’s Grocery & Variety – 42.3 miles / 50 minutes in Buffalo
- Lynn’s Superfoods – 42.8 miles / 50 minutes in Buffalo
There are no full-service grocery stores in Ten Sleep. Check out the town of Worland instead.
Where to Eat
Aside from the lodge at Meadowlark, there is nothing nearby. If you happen to be staying or traveling through Ten Sleep or Buffalo, here are our favorite places:
- Ten Sleep Brewing Co. – 21.7 miles / 30 minutes in Ten Sleep
- Papa Bino’s – 43.3 miles / 50 minutes in Buffalo
- The Breadboard – 43.6 miles / 50 minutes in Buffalo
- Yoder’s Country Market – 54.1 miles / 1 hour in Buffalo
My favorite place in Ten Sleep is 1 Cow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open when we passed by in December 2022 and Google says they are “Temporarily Closed”. The phone number listed does not work, and they don’t appear to have a website (not uncommon for Wyoming businesses). The last reviews I could find for 1 Cow were from August 2022 so perhaps they are just closed during winter.
RV/Van Service & Supplies
Dalton’s RV – 76.8 miles / 1.5 hours in Sheridan, WY – The owner, Dalton, personally helped us out a couple of times with our Winnebago Revel. In September 2020, Dalton’s opened their Jackalope Campground if you need a full hookup site while you get service or just need a place to stay while traveling through.
For those with Mercedes Sprinter vans, there are no Mercedes in the whole state of Wyoming. The closest Mercedes with a Sprinter tech are:
- Mercedes-Benz of Billings – 213 miles / 3.5 hours in Billings, MT
- Mercedes-Benz of Loveland – 382 miles / 6 hours in Loveland, CO
- Mercedes-Benz of Westminster – 425 miles / 6.5 hours in Westminster, CO
- Mercedes-Benz of Littleton – 454 miles / 7 hours in Littleton, CO
Other Tips for Your Visit to Meadowlark
Planning a visit to Meadowlark Ski Lodge is tough as their website and contact information are unclear. I’m still a little unsure about what their official website even is. Indy advertises skimeadowlark.com. However, the website seems incomplete and was the least helpful resource when trying to figure out their hours of operation and current mountain conditions. It says their email address is accounts@skimeadowlark.com, but upon emailing that address, I received the following bounceback message:
I was able to find the best information at lodgesofthebighorns.com and this Facebook page. Meadowlark Ski Lodge is for sale, so the listing site was moderately helpful also.
I emailed southfork@vcn.com as advertised on the Facebook page, but I did not receive a response.
I left a voicemail message at the phone numbers provided above that can be seen on lodgesofthebighorns.com and this Facebook page, but I never received a call back.
Other Ski Areas Nearby
- Antelope Butte (Indy Pass 2023/24) – 109 miles / 2+ hours near Shell
