Robert Rankin first laid eyes on the Snowbird Mountain Lodge in the 1970s. An avid hiker, he had emerged from the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in serious need of a bath. The innkeeper charged him five dollars for a bar of soap and the use of an outdoor shower.

“I fell in love,” he said. And the love affair has not since ended.

In 1941, the Wolfe brothers established the Snowbird Mountain Lodge just outside of Robbinsville, North Carolina, and their original vision remains strong under Robert’s proprietorship. They created a space designed to surprise with every aspect, to exceed expectations, to be an oasis in the wilderness.

Today, lodges built on mountaintops are rare.

The original drive ascends in a curve that mimics the feeling of climbing a mountain. As you are about to crest, all that appears in your view is a pure blue, wide-open expanse of sky. It’s not until you round the final bend that the majestic Unicoi Mountains and the lodge itself are revealed in full form.

It’s been 21 years now that Robert has owned the Snowbird Mountain Lodge. “The Lodge was condemned when I bought it,” he said.

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From that moment on, he has handpicked every detail in the place. The authenticity gained from that care is felt by each guest, from the first step onto the mountaintop property until the final goodbye, assured they must return.

Robert says about 80% of his guests come every year. And that is a sign that he is doing his job right.

“I think people are looking for something authentic,” Rankin says as he hunches over his well-stocked bar. He is highly engaged in conversation, but you can tell he is attuned to everything happening in the room. He cannot and will not let service falter.

The Snowbird Mountain Lodge exists somewhere between elegant and rustic. Truly, it is comfortable, and it is a retreat.

We are always connected in the modern world, but Robert questions to what. He says we are instead assaulted by the technology that rests readily at our fingertips and surrounds the daily human experience. We are tethered to a digital world.

“There’s a peace that descends on me when I enter these mountains,” he says. Robert floats around the Lodge most days because his presence is part of his philosophy. He wants guests to know that the person that did all of this is actually here.

“With inns and bed and breakfasts and the like, you’ll find that if the owner fits the place, it’s phenomenal,” he says. “If the owner doesn’t fit the place it’s kind of like that missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that kind of looks like it fits but it doesn’t really fit.”

Tonight, Robert is bartending. As he expertly tours a guest through his large bourbon selection, she coyly asks, “How did you become such a connoisseur?” He frankly replies, “I drink a lot!”

Every convenience has been considered at the Snowbird Mountain Lodge.

Offering 23 private rooms that are equally historic and modernized, the Lodge can host a maximum capacity of 46 guests. The whole experience is designed for couples to connect and for people to enjoy a retreat to nature.

It’s the level of service that allows that freedom.

Not only are all meals included, but they are first class. Your packed lunch order is taken at the seated dinner you’ll reserve personally with maître-d at check-in. They source food locally, even though it’s not the easy way, nestled deep in rural Southern Appalachia in a large county with only 7000 people.

“We know everybody and we depend on everybody,” Robert says.

That means that tonight’s menu will be completely different from yesterday’s. The trout comes from local rivers re-garded for fly-fishing, beef from Brasstown Valley, and pork from Nantahala Meats. Robert finds himself in Asheville twice weekly scouting produce at farmers markets if the two local farms he sources from—or the neighbors’ front yard garden—cannot supply his needs.

“We take pride in that we know who we are buying from,” says Robert.

Robert also takes pride in his staff of 24 – 30 employees who receive a yearly salary despite the two months of winter closing. The genuine care for service is felt from the top down, and the drive to be the best possible, in life and in work, is a mantra that resonates throughout the Lodge.

In the early nineties, when Robert found himself at a crossroads in his professional life, he found himself fly-fishing on the Nantahala River with his father. Standing on the bank with this man who had worked passionately at his career for his whole life, Robert was given the best gift a parent could give. His father said, “whatever your passion is, you find it, you follow it,” because money will never lead to happiness, just stuff.

“I told him I’d always wanted to own an inn and be of service,” Robert said, “and he laughed and said, ‘well, when are you gonna do that?’”

In the Snowbird Mountain Lodge, Robert has found career and solace. His idea of success lies in the guests he serves, and the small things, like watching a couple drink coffee in their pajamas in the lobby or taking off their shoes because this place feels like home.

“Being able to reconnect with each other on this level and with nature and the ground and the earth that we walk on and the food we eat is really important and that’s what this place is about.”

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