North by Northwest - Travel - executive services at Northwest US resorts - Firehole Ranch, Sunriver Resort, and Solitude River Trips

Chief Executive, The, May, 2003 by Scott Henjum

When Robert Parker taxis down the runway at Oakland International this summer in his single-engine Bonanza A36 headed for Sunriver, his vacation will begin in earnest. Parker, chairman of Parker Price Venture Capital in San Francisco, will get almost as much enjoyment out of flying to the central Oregon resort as he will unwinding once he gets there.

"When you can combine something you love--flying--with the practical aspects of private plane travel, it just doesn't get any better," Parker says.

Niles Hanson, CEO of Rosen Sunvisor Systems in Eugene, Ore., is another top exec accustomed to private planes. He has flown family and friends in his single-engine Cessna and his company's Citation jet to Mexico, British Columbia and Southern California, and also as far east as Orlando, Fla.

CEOs who fly their own planes, charter aircraft or hop on the corporate jet have come to rely on the convenience of fly-in travel. These trips save time and offer the ultimate in flexibility: You fly where you want, when you want. No check-in lines, no security checkpoints, no baggage claims.

"You aren't tied to a schedule," says Hanson. "And if you have to alter your travel plans, you don't have to change a ticket, pay additional fees or wait for your connection."

According to Tom Evenson, who heads the endorsed lodges and guides program in the West for Orvis, the outdoors equipment firm, "Executives are busy people who don't have a lot of time to waste while traveling. They want: to get to their destinations, recreate and get back to the office. We have CEOs from all parts of the country, as well as Europe and Asia, who fly into our lodges."

With the peak travel season nearly upon us, Chief Executive tracked down a few spectacular Northwest resorts in remote, bucolic places, all of them geared toward guests arriving by private plane. The three we've chosen are in Sunriver, Ore., West Yellowstone, Mont., and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. From any of these spots, you can touch down, take a short drive to the resort and have a five-iron or a fly rod in your hand within minutes.

Wet a Fly at the Firehole Ranch

Tip your wing and buzz the Firehole Ranch in Montana, and your hosts will quickly make the 16-mile trip into town to pick you up at the West Yellowstone airport. In no time, you'll be settling in at the 660-acre ranch, one of the premier fly-fishing lodges in the United States. The ranch sits on the bank of the deep blue Hebgen Lake, with a commanding view of the Madison Range. Aspens and lodgepole pines dot the landscape, and the Gallatin National Forest is right out the back door.

A number of CEOs visit the Orvis-endorsed ranch every year; some fly their own planes, while others arrive on corporate aircraft flown by pilots. "It is not uncommon for guests to put their pilots up in town for a week while they fish," says ranch manager George Kimberly.

One visitor calls Firehole "the Ritz-Canton of fly fishing resorts." While that claim is, of course, highly subjective, the ranch is known for its personal attention and its accomplished kitchen, which specializes in preparing game. The staff-to-guest ratio is one to one, and more than 70 percent of guests return each year. (Visiting CEOs might want to beg some pointers on customer retention from Kimberly and his staff.)

The main lodge and the 10 guest cabins were built in 1947. Over the years, the accommodations have been updated to maintain a high standard of stylish, rustic charm. There are no phones or TVs in the cabins. A phone and Internet access are available in the lodge.

If you want to be wired to the office, this gem of a place isn't for you; the outdoors is too inviting. Named for the nearby Firehole River that runs out of Yellowstone National Park and into the Madison River, the ranch sits in the middle of world-class trout fishing. Guests can hit a different river or lake every day for a week. The top rivers are the Madison for rainbows and browns; the Gallatin for rainbows, browns and cutthroats; and the Henry's Fork of the Snake for big, weary rainbows.

With so many rivers to tackle, staff guides monitor the local insect hatches to keep guests in the best fishing. Even if you're a novice, don't despair. First-timers get excellent instruction and, with the high density of trout in the water, you are sure to land many fish.

While fishing is the top draw at Firehole, there are other diversions as well. The ranch's resident wrangler can saddle up Bullet, Trigger, Doc or one of the other horses and lead you on a daylong ride up to Coffin Lake for float tube fishing or a scenic lunch. Or, you can set out on an all-day ride through the Gallatin National Forest, which surrounds the lodge. You can also go mountain biking, hiking, canoeing or swimming. Trips into Yellowstone are popular, too: You can take in all the sights in the park and see an abundance of wildlife. In fact, this is one of the only places in the Lower 48 where you might see a wolf or a grizzly from the safety of a car.