Disclaimer: Our visit was hosted, however, all opinions expressed in this article are completely ours and based on our own family’s unique experience.

The Visit Neighboring States Series

In the heart of Arcadia Valley, modern amenities and custom finishes at the Shepherd Mountain Inn & Suites invite families to relax and refresh after a busy day exploring one of the area’s many state parks.

We called Shepherd Mountain Inn “home” (our kid’s insisted on it) for three lovely days! The professional website, outstanding TripAdvisor reviews and great detailed photos of the Inn were enough to convince us to give this small town a try.

I am so happy we didn’t book with a hotel chain in a town much further away from the state parks. The Shepherd Mountain Inn was perfect and offered everything our family needed for an enjoyable stay!

A beautiful morning view of the mountain and nature!

The large family kitchenette suite is a reasonable rate that gives families the opportunity to cook full meals and have plenty of space. Two refrigerators give extra storage. A coffee maker was also included in the room.  

For our family, we have found preparing and cooking our own food while on outdoor adventure trips just works easier. When creating a menu for traveling, I like to choose easy dishes that don’t require lots of extras.  I changed up our menu plan from our North Shore hiking trip last year.

Three Day Meal Plan:

• Breakfast – favorite cereals, toast, fruit and juice.
• Lunch – cold meat sandwiches, deli meats, cheese and crackers.
• Supper – sloppy joes & salad, roast beef & rice (microwavable bag kind) and BBQ Chicken & salad.
• Snacks – peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip banana muffins, fruit, crackers and trail mix.

All of the meats are cooked ahead of time at home and simply reheated in the Pampered Chef Micro Cooker. Ice packs stayed cold in the freezer part of the fridge and made packing our hiking lunches easy.

Now, fortunately there was a grocery store right across the street. So, when I forgot salad dressing…no problem…I had some in less then 5 minutes.

There are also a few other services in the area such as Walgreens, Subway, Casey’s, McDonalds and another grocery store.  

If cooking on vacation is not your thing, no worries. Baylee Jo’s Barbecue is an on site restaurant serving up family favorites at affordable prices. There are also several other local restaurants in the area.

Tour Time!

Ok, with all the kitchen talk — how about a video tour around the family suite!

We loved the two room feature. Being able to put the kids to bed on time in their own room was a huge benefit. Everyone got more rest for the next day’s adventures.

This suite doesn’t disappoint! Shepherd Mountain Inn is always remodeling and working to upgrade and improve their facilities.The craftsmanship is well done with high quality finishes.

While the outside is simpler, the interiors are comparable with any four star hotel. Rooms are clean, quite and comfortable.

Please note – Verizon wireless doesn’t get good reception in the area. Internet service can be spotty everywhere throughout the valley. Often when traveling it will be nonexistent.

The staff at Shepherd Mountain Inn are knowledgeable about the area. They have several maps and brochures you’ll want to pick up. We referenced these several times while driving around without internet access.

If you are looking for an easier time, the Inn is offering tours and shuttle services to local attractions. Some attractions, like Elephant Rocks State Park have limited parking and fill up fast on summer weekends.

Knob Creek

Disappointingly, some of the water attractions we wanted to do were closed because of flooding.  It was wonderful to enjoy Knob Creek which flows along the back of Shepherd Mountain Inn.

Pack your kid’s water shoes and enjoy the gentle current and cool water.

Knob Creek is a reflection of Shepherd Mountain Inn – tranquil, relaxing and refreshing!

I would highly recommend a stay. Please note that the Inn sells out quickly on summer weekends. There are a few other lodging options in Arcadia Valley if you find that the Inn is full. Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce has listings.