Food Traveler Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 38

Northern WINTER DESTINATION A Lush Hideaway of Outlaws and Gamblers C lose your eyes for a moment and imagine the soft sound of wind blowing through 130foot ponderosa pine trees. Visualize light powdery snow glistening like tiny crystals all around as the winter sun warms your face. Now take a deep breath of the fresh, but crisp, air with its faint fragrances of sweet sap. This is winter in the town of Historic Deadwood, South Dakota. A WILD WINTER GETAWAY With elevations ranging from 5,0007,000 feet, the northern Black Hills and Deadwood can average more than 36 FOOD TRAVELER | WINTER 2013 200 inches of snow a year—perfect for a winter getaway. Snowmobile enthusiasts will tell you that the Black Hills is one of the best places to ride in the country, thanks to more than 350 miles of connected, groomed and marked trails. Here you can bust out of a rut as you ride through pine forests and open meadows. Along the way, you’ll find plenty of parking, warming stations and wildlife. Gear outfitters and snowmobile rentals are readily accessible in and around Deadwood. Deadwood is also conveniently located within minutes of South Dakota’s two premier downhill ski resorts, which offer challenging runs and uncrowded slopes. Terry Peak Ski Resort features more than 25 trails, 600 acres of skiable terrain and a fully-enclosed, free-style terrain park. Ski Mystic at Deer Mountain offers diverse ski terrain and a zero gravity tubing park with a 1,000 ft. tube lift. Both offer on-site rentals, refreshments, high-powered lifts and beginner lessons. A WILD PAST To truly appreciate the appeal of Deadwood, it’s important to understand its rough and tumble past... where whiskey ruled and you took a chance just walking down the street. Deadwood was the Wild West. After gold was discovered in the Black Hills, thousands of fortune KEVIN PERLIC Tucked in the high reaches of the northern Black Hills, DEADWOOD is a National Historic Landmark full of history, adventure and many of today’s contemporary luxuries.