Sterling Forest Lodge

Sterling Forest Lodge sits on Sterling Valley Road in Stowe, away from the Mountain Road corridor, and runs a wood-fired sauna — which in this directory is worth noting on its own.

Wood-fired is the older arrangement and produces a different heat from an electric element. The fire warms a mass of stones over an hour or more, and the resulting heat is softer and rounder, with löyly — the burst of steam when water hits the stones — that behaves differently from what an electric heater produces. There is also the smell of woodsmoke, which most practitioners regard as inseparable from the practice.

It is also more work. Someone has to build and tend the fire, which is why nearly every commercial facility uses electricity instead. A lodge running a wood-fired sauna is making a deliberate choice.

Sterling Valley sits north of Stowe village toward the Sterling Range, quieter than the resort corridor and closer to the Long Trail. Sterling Falls Gorge is a short walk from the road.

Access is generally tied to lodging. Confirm availability when booking a stay.