The 7 best rustic retreats: cabins, cottages and small lodges where you can enjoy great hiking, biking and swimming minus the prices—and crowds - Venture Out

Shape, June, 2003

* Healthy eats The dining room begs for an upscale splurge on local fare like buffalo, trout and walleye.

* Zone-out ops After dinner, head to the lake and watch the moon rise over the spires. Or sink into a comfy armchair in the old-fashioned lobby.

* Don't miss! Ride horseback from nearby Blue Bell Lodge & Resort (a steal at $33 for two hours) and view bison and mountain goats roaming the state park.

* Details From $100 for rooms; $115 for cabins with fireplaces (800-658-3530, custerresorts.com)

Elaine Glusac

4. BEST NEW-AGE RETREAT

The Historic Taos Inn, Taos, N.M.

* The 'hood Nestled beneath the soaring Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Taos is an affordable and more rugged version of Santa Fe, located 70 miles south. New Mexico's less pricey counterculture mountain enclave, Taos has become a mecca for artists, New Agers and A-list celebs, with prices that appeal to the former two constituencies.

* Room with a view This inn is actually a collection of several 19th-century adobe homes clustered around the original town well now a fountain. It's like being in your own home, only better. Rooms feature kiva fireplaces and regional furnishings.

* Calorie burners Staking the middle ground between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Rio Grande river gorge, Taos' trails chart both heights and depths. For Alpine wildlife, wander the wooded Devisadero Loop Trail above town or hike the Taos Ski Valley's well-marked paths.

* Healthy eats The inn's popular restaurant, Doc Martin's, serves authentic Southwestern cuisine that's guaranteed to fire up your taste buds.

* Zone-out ops Taos has more New-Age practitioners than any town east of Sedona. Get your chart done or, for the ultimate zone-out, try past-life regression. Then unwind in the resort's Jacuzzi or outdoor pool.

* Don't miss! Wild Rivers Recreation Area, 35 miles north, where you can hike 800 feet down to the chasm and see the Rio Grande bounded by soaring canyon walls

* Details From $60; $125 for rooms with fireplaces (800-TAOS-INN, taosinn.com)

5. BEST CANYON RETREAT

Starved Rock Lodge, Starved Rock State Park, Utica, III.

* The 'hood Located 90 miles from Chicago, this geological surprise dips and bends around the Illinois River, shaped by torrents of melted glaciers that coursed the former flatland millions of years ago.

* Room with a view The stone-and-log lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s using indigenous materials, has a towering stone fireplace and patio overlooking wooded riverbanks filled with deer and bald eagles. Or stay in a cozy cabin for two, complete with a fireplace.

* Calorie burners Hike to the marquee attraction -- Starved Rock, a 125-foot butte -- then pick a canyon to explore. Trails probe the cool inner sanctums of 18 sandstone-walled canyons, where you'll find steep gorges and waterfalls plunging from cliffs.

* Healthy eats. Feast on rib-warming regional fare (calories be damned!) at the lodge's old-fashioned restaurant.

* Zone-out ops Soak in the hot tub at the lodge, go for a swim in the indoor pool or get a massage.