written by Lauren Kramer | photography by Casia Lodge & Ranch
If ever there was a place built to showcase the beauty of the North Cascades and the Methow Valley, it’s Casia Lodge & Ranch. This boutique, twelve-room lodge opened in June 2023 on a 300-acre alpine ranch with a fascinating history. Walk through the front doors and you’re greeted by the symmetry of Sawtooth Ridge, Mount Gardner and Mount Robinson, a view that captivates from dawn to dusk as the light on the mountains changes their colors.
This is a place where the Milky Way is easily visible with the naked eye, where owls swoop over the valley floor at dusk and where the trails beckon with miles of alpine hiking. Add intimate accommodations defined by good taste, decadent comfort and warm friendliness, and it’s easy to escape the pandemonium of city life and wrap yourself in the peaceful beauty of the North Cascades.
DINING
With James Beard Award-winning chef Jason Wilson at the helm of the kitchen, dining at Casia Lodge is a gastronomic feast with a wide range of options, from five-course dinners to casual fare like burgers and fries. Every dish carries Wilson’s signature creative flair and made-from-scratch approach, showcasing Methow Valley-grown ingredients. We joined a ninety-minute cook-with-the-chef session where we stirred the pots and prepped food, watching awestruck as Wilson worked his magic in the kitchen. After, we enjoyed the meal we’d helped prepare at the lodge’s Veranda restaurant. An overnight stay at the lodge includes a sumptuous breakfast with hot entrées, granola and fresh fruit, some of it grown in the orchard on site.
AMENITIES
Casia has a hot tub, seasonal outdoor pool, sauna, a well-equipped games room, library and theater. Guests can choose an equestrian experience or a horseback ride from the lodge’s barn, a wildlife walk with a nature guide and fly-fishing in the summer.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The lodge’s twelve rooms are comfortably furnished, many of them featuring French provincial antiques, king beds, quality linens and European bath products. Most rooms feature wood-burning fireplaces and patios overlooking the North Cascades. The property also includes a two-room log cabin and a three-bedroom farmhouse dating back to 1910.
HISTORY
Previously known as Tice Ranch, the lodge was built in 1985 by Diane and Lou Tice, who founded the Pacific Institute, a Seattle-based corporation specializing in leadership training. It was both their private home and a corporate retreat that welcomed dignitaries, athletic superstars and celebrities until it was sold in 2012. The Seattle Mariners, NASA officials, Fortune 500 execs and Vicente Fox, president of Mexico in the early 2000s, were among the guests who overnighted with the Tices.
On one of their travels abroad, the Tices learned about a British pub from 1876 that was closing down. They purchased its furnishings, dismantled them, shipped them home and reassembled them inside their ranch. Today that English pub continues its legacy inside the lodge, serving cocktails, Washington wine and other libations.
20556 STATE ROUTE 20
TWISP
www.casialodge.com
