The Left Hand Stand – Ward

After my Blue Lake hike I was looking for a place to eat. I had driven by the Left Hand Stand coming up to the Brainard area a couple of times but it was too early for them to be open. Well I was in luck on my way back today and had a really great experience!

So Left Hand Stand isn’t quite my normal spot that I’m going to grab a triple bacon cheeseburger. It is a mix of wonderful baked goods, made each day by the owner Ren, coffee and assorted snacks and drinks. Ren was great and we talked for a while about how and why she started the business and had just a great time chatting with her.

Her neighbor “Bear” was next to the stand playing the guitar and Bear’s dog, Poncho, was eager to show you his collection of sticks. (Poncho may have given a little nose nudge to encourage tossing of the stick so he could bring it back and show you again!!!) It was such a cool vibe.

Here is Ren showing of some of today’s options.

There was so much to choose from with muffins, carmel bars, cinnamon roles, and bread which I believe was zuccini with chocolate chips in it.

To be totally honest with you she kept showing me what was available but I locked in on the caramel bar really early and couldn’t pass that up and ordered the bread as well. Some pretzels to replenish the salt I sweated out and I think I hit all the food groups!

As you can see I couldn’t wait to take a bite out of the caramel bar before taking the picture. The caramel bar was melt in your mouth good with graham crackery crust that gave a nice texture and held it all together. It didn’t last long as I finished it very shortly after taking the picture above. The bread had a ton of chocolate chips and their sweetness was a really nice counter to the more savory flavors of the bread. This also did not last very long. I mostly review hamburgers and sandwiches so this was a really nice change in the routine even if I’m not as schooled in my description of the sweeter side.

After the meal I sat around and chatted with Bear and Ren a bit more and played a minor game of fetch with Poncho until he decided it was time to rest as you can see in the picture below. The stand is located really close to where Left Hand Canyon intersects with 72 so make sure you keep an eye out.

I know a lot of people have different feels for what a dining experience should be like, but for me this was just a great low-key perfect way to relax after a long day hiking. If you find yourself in Ward make sure you give them a shot!

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I have added this restaurant and all of my restaurants to my interactive map page that you can find here. If you have a suggestion or comment you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Of course I could not leave you without the musical styling of Bear. Enjoy and make sure to stop by if you are in the area!

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