This was our third visit to Gorman and we have never been disappointed. This year was a 2-night, 3 day visit: snowshoed in, skied and relaxed our second day, and skied out on our last day. One more night would have been even better.
It took us about 3 hours to get from winter parking to the lodge on snowshoes, and between 2 and 3 hours to ski out, though there are longer routes if you want to use them. There are also several nice out-and-back or loop routes to explore around Gorman if you stay a few days. Plan on arriving at the parking lot around noon to have plenty of time to get in and get settled before 6pm dinner.
Sitting by the fire with a book, board game, or just chatting with other travelers is a great way to end a day of outdoor activity, with hot coffee, tea, and snacks always available. If you prefer a more private afternoon, the deluxe cabin had its own living room with table, futon, and wood stove. We have stayed in both the smaller cabins and the deluxe model, and having the shower and bathroom in the deluxe cabin (vs the short walk to use the lodge bathroom) was a nice feature. In both accommodations, there were comfortable beds and cozy flannel sheets, as well as a woodstove to adjust the tempurature.
Lodge manager Brent was very helpful with weather and trail advice and a real character as well. The food is cooked by Abby and is amazing and abundant-- think homemade meals crossed with the best kind of family-run local diner or restaurant. Snacks (cheese, crackers, veggies, dip) are out at 3:30 for those arriving or returning from a day trip. Bag lunches are cafe quality sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies, and make it easy to have flexible plans for the day. We came back and ate in the lodge one day, and ate in the car on our way home the next.
Dinner always includes soup, salad and dessert, all homemade. We had lasagna with several sides one night and teriyaki chicken, rice and veggies the next. They were very accommodating with various diner's needs for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian options, even making them special versions of the dishes and listing which options were safe for them on the menu board.
Breakfast includes some kind of egg (fritata, scrambled), sausage and/or bacon, pancakes, muffins or something similar, yogurt, oatmeal with choice of toppings, fruit, potatoes and cereal.
Skiing was great, though some trails were not yet re-groomed after some snow our first day, but there were still plenty of options and it is a beautiful area. We can't wait to go back!