I was never very much of a winter person but about 6 years ago I had a Christmas experience that changed my mind. Instead of having Christmas in Texas we packed up our 6 month old and headed to Lander, Wyoming where NOLS is based and the Wind Rivers begin. We packed up food, warm clothes and whatever we would need for five days and headed to Sinks Canyon. At Sinks Canyon we were met with snowmobiles and a contraption that looked almost like some kind of crazy space machine. 
These are the owners of Louis Lake, Steve and Vera Faerber. I climbed into the contraption with my two dogs, and 6 month old and my husband took charge of the snowmobile.
We started up Sinks Canyon and entered into what felt like a magical winter wonderland. There were no cars, there were no people except the few other snow mobiles on the trail. We went through twists and up and down different hills and around mountains. We traveled for about 30 minutes and then we ended up at one of my favorite places in the United States, Louis Lake Lodge!
Louis Lake Lodge is really a unique place and one you won’t find many of. You can choose between cabins built in the 30’s with wood burning stoves or more recent built cabins with a loft and propane heaters.
Here is one of the smaller cabins
For the smaller older cabins they share restrooms and showers. If you need a little more privacy then the larger cabins or lodge is for you.
For something totally different try their newest addition, the sheep wagon!
You can have a crazy adventure sleeping in this thing! It’s authentic and restored beautifully. On the backside you can even pull out the wagon to cook on. But in the winter you may freeze in that.
So one of the best options is staying in the gorgeous rustic lodge that they built. This has some solar allowing for extra light at night, propane heaters that look like fire places and warm comforters. Since its pretty cold outside you may be spending a little more time inside then you would be in the summer. There is a library with all kinds of books as well as comfortable couches with an amazing view. If you play the piano then your in luck. There is one sitting ready to be played!
When your ready to head outside bundle up because you may not want to come back in till dark. There are so many things to see. You can hop on a snowmobile and spend the day snowmobiling around the area exploring the land. You can also throw on some snow skis and go trekking on the trails. This was also my first place to snowmobile as well. It’s not just called Louis Lake Resort for no reason. If you ski for about three minutes or snowshoe you will end up on the lake. If you have never ice fished or are an avid ice fishermen then you will have a blast trying you hand at catching some trout and other fish that reside in the lake. Maybe you will even have enough for dinner.
This is a place we travel to with our campers on many of our OWA trips. We often will spend a night or two here in the summers when we are on our Wind River trips. The campers get hot showers and a great fire to sit around and talk about the adventures they had. There is also a general store where they can purchase some goodies and souvenirs.
I would recommend bringing hot chocolate and some of those hand warmers can come in handy. Jeans are not your best option for this type of weather. For a person that does not like the cold I spent five days there with a baby and loved it. It is an experience I will never forget and hope to return to day soon. This place is perfect for a romantic getaway or a family reunion. 
Others have visited to write a book or for photography. If you are looking for an adventure this is your place! And you never know what you might see!
