Big Sky, Montana Story Ideas

What’s New in Big Sky
Opening December 15, Montage Big Sky is centrally located within Big Sky’s 3,530-acre Spanish Peaks enclave and features 139 guestrooms suites, and Residences, with a mountain modern design and a timeless palette of regional woods and stones inspired by the natural setting. Resort amenities include a three-meal restaurant, lobby bar and lounge, market, pub and recreation room with bowling alley, indoor lap pool, family swimming pool, fitness center, signature Spa Montage and ski lockers and skier services.
Big Sky Resort’s Summit Hotel, the premier slopeside lodging in Big Sky, has undergone a transformative renovation that will completely update 213 guest rooms and common spaces with a lighter, sleeker, alpine luxe aesthetic, plus improved energy efficiency across all rooms and common spaces. The Summit Hotel debuted new common spaces and restaurant renovations for the 2020-2021 winter season and room renovations will debut for the 2021-2022 winter season.
Located in the heart of Big Sky Resort’s Mountain Village, Huntley Lodge is undergoing a significant renovation of its 200 hotel rooms, keeping the unique architectural aesthetic, natural colors and textures found in Montana, with a new, sleek design to evoke a sense of authenticity and warmth. The modern mountain luxury theme enhances the guest’s experience and comfort with modern plumbing features, showers, improved sound dampening, furniture, and top-of-the-line electronics throughout. Room renovations will debut for the 2021-2022 winter season.
Swift Current 6 Chairlift
Big Sky Resort is embarking on a major chairlift upgrade, Swift Current 6, for this season. The new six-person, high-speed lift will increase uphill capacity by nearly 50% and includes a weatherproof bubble and ultrawide heated seats. This upgrade is the resort’s next step in creating the most technologically-advanced lift network in North America, a key pillar of the Big Sky 2025 Vison. Swift Current 6 offers guests reliability, efficiency, and a staggeringly fast, warm, and comfortable ride up Lone Mountain.
Sky’s the Limit in America’s Biggest Little Ski Town
Big Sky is a winter wonderland for skiers and snowboarders, averaging more than 400 inches of snowfall on its 5,850 skiable acres and 300 named runs on four connected mountains. Big Sky is the third largest ski resort in North America and has the most consistent powder in the Rockies. Ski terrain ranges from the famed Big Couloir, a triple-black diamond run to challenge even the experts, to more than 2,300 acres of gentle slopes perfect for beginner and intermediate levels. Big Sky has 38 lifts capable of carrying more than 38,000 skiers per hour with the most cutting-edge lift system on the continent. Beginning this season, the newly upgraded Swift Current 6 chairlift will whisk skiers 1,200 feet per minute in a heated, weatherproof, six-person dome – the fastest six-person chairlift in North America. The Lone Peak Tram carries skiers to the summit of the 11,166 foot Lone Peak, where 300 degrees of skiing are accessible including the six-mile, 4,350 vertical foot Liberty Bowl to Mountain Mall run.
Exploring Big Sky Country for Non-Skiers
Love a winter wonderland adventure but aren’t into skiing? Big Sky caters to all types of travelers with plenty of other activities such as horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing or snowmobiles to ramble through the white wilderness. In the heart of Big Sky, you can enjoy 85-kilometers of cross-country ski trails at Lone Mountain Ranch. Dog sledding is available with a team of friendly huskies who live to run through the snow blanketed forest. Snow-coach and snow-mobile tours to Yellowstone National Park are offered in the winter season so you can sit back and let experts lead the way. Ice-skate at the town center on a full-size hockey and ice rink and even enjoy some sledding behind the Town Center (insider tip: sleds can be purchased at the grocery store). Yoga and group exercise classes are available year-round, as well as numerous options for shopping and luxurious spa treatments. For those interested in history, the Crail Ranch Homestead Museum tells the story of Big Sky’s first ranching family which worked the land for half a century before TV News Anchor Chet Huntley purchased the land and began what would become Big Sky.
Big Sky Dining and Après Ski
Whether you need to fuel up before or after hitting the slopes, or you just come for the après ski culture, Big Sky’s gastronomic scene will warm your belly. Mountain-inspired food is all about hearty indulgence (elk bolognaise, anyone?) and it’s not hard to find locally sourced game and fish, five-course meals, or even a rustically elegant bistro perched 8,800 feet above sea level. There are also many causal options to delight your inner foodie, including a gourmet hotdog stand, a food emporium offering everything from sushi to street tacos, or a family-friendly tavern serving up the best barbeque in the Rockies. Quaint bars offer diverse hand-crafted cocktails and wine menus while relaxing next to a warm fire, and local breweries serve up crisp, cold beer. Unique dining experiences include a slope-side dinner in a casually elegant yurt, accessed by snowcat. For the ultimate hygge experience, hop on a horse-drawn sleigh for a ride through a winter wonderland under starry skies to a cozy oil-lantern-lit cabin for a prime rib dinner.
A River Runs Through Big Sky
Surrounded by an abundance of rivers, alpine lakes, and mountain streams, Big Sky is a world-class blue ribbon trout fishing mecca. Southwest Montana is home to a network of wild rivers including the Madison, Big Hole, Yellowstone, and the headwaters of the Missouri. But the most famous is Big Sky’s legendary Gallatin River, where scenes from A River Runs Through It, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022, were filmed. Rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, brown trout, and cutthroat trout are some of the species of fish to be found year-round in the Gallatin, where experts estimate the fish population from Spanish Creek to Yellowstone National Park to range from approximately 2,500 to 3,000 fish per mile. Novice and seasoned visitors may want to hire a flyfishing guide to teach you everything from the perfect casting techniques to the best fishing holes and which flies to throw during a specific time of year for the best results.
Big Sky is Nature’s Wellness Sanctuary
Tucked away in southwest Montana, Big Sky is chock full of heart nourishing natural beauty in every direction. Travelers in pursuit of enhancing a healthy lifestyle can nurture their mind, body, and spirit with deep breaths of crisp mountain air, bask in the beauty of picture-perfect postcard views, and soak away stress in a nearby healing hot springs. Those needing a dose of pampering can indulge in a restorative massage, facial, or pool time to bliss out at a full-service spa. Slow-paced travel may be as simple as getting a good night’s sleep in a quite mountain town, taking time to read a good book, alpine forest bathing, or an outdoor yoga class with awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain vistas that remind us to be present now. In Big Sky, you can hike, bike, or ski in a place that feels remote and rejuvenating, letting the restorative powers of nature wash over you.
Social Distancing Comes Naturally in Big Sky
Big Sky is all about being outside, so you’ll have a myriad of options for fun things to do while social distancing in the great outdoors. That includes everything from rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountains, to vast alpine meadows. As you drive through Gallatin Canyon, you’ll pass panoramas of high alpine meadows before cruising alongside the Gallatin River and you’ll soon realize that Big Sky has plenty of room to roam. As you venture deeper into the canyon, no one is around, but you may spot deer, elk, moose, bear and big horn sheep. On the mountain, one thing you won’t find is long lines for the lifts —Big Sky has more than an acre per skier on average —providing ample amounts crowd-free fun. Restaurants offer online orders and take out, while ski in/ski out condos or luxurious ranch cabins can provide a place to unwind as you distance from other travelers.
Summertime Adventures in Big Sky
As the weather gets warmer, the days become long in Big Sky and there’s no shortage of time to do it all in the great outdoors. For starters, there’s horseback riding, zipline adventures, whitewater rafting or mountain biking on 40 miles of lift-served trails. Try your hand fly-fishing on the epic Gallatin River with a local guide who knows exactly where you should cast your line. Hike the family-friendly 1.5-mile Ousel Falls Trail which ends with a spectacular 40-foot waterfall. Explore Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, for its otherworldly, geothermal landscapes and endless wildlife. Big Sky Resort’s Arnold Palmer designed golf course attracts golfers to practice their swing in Lone Peak’s shadow. Both the Gallatin National Forest and Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area in the Gallatin Canyon offer scores of hiking trails from short day trips to ambitious treks traversing mountain ridges and passing by alpine lakes. For majestic views of three states, two national parks, and perhaps even a mountain goat, take a ride on Big Sky Resort’s tram to the top of Lone Peak, the highest scenic overlook in all of Montana.
The Luxury of Big Sky
From high-end lodging to high-concept dining and everything in between, Big Sky’s luxury truly knows no bounds. The Montage Big Sky will bring 150 luxurious and artfully designed guest rooms to complement 39 finely appointed residences and an array of high-end amenities and guest services by December 2021. Big Sky Resort’s Summit Hotel and Huntley Lodge are performing complete renovations, updating guest rooms and common spaces with a lighter, sleeker, luxe aesthetic across all rooms and common spaces. The recent lodging news joins a wide array of sophisticated condos, cabins, and homes available throughout the area which are accessible to skiing at Big Sky Resort. Other upscale experiences include Lone Mountain Ranch, which caters to travelers who want a taste of rustic-luxe Montana with Dude-Ranch packages that include Nordic ski lessons, kayak, and paddle boarding or sunset horseback rides with wine tastings. Explore the geologic wonders of nearby Yellowstone National Park with a first-class private tour in a stylish SUV or sprinter van. These outfitters will take you on a journey to explore the vastness of the park on a trip specially curated to fit the needs, interests, and ambitions of your group. Modern fine dining is found throughout the community as well as longtime icons such as Rainbow Ranch and Buck’s 4-T Ranch which still delights diners with scrumptious meals.