The Way I Ski It: Big Sky Resort's Blog

SPOTTING A BLACK BEAR or a Grizzly can be what makes your trip to Yellowstone Country.  It can also be what breaks it – if you’re not prepared, a surprise run-in can go quickly awry.

Last week, Jim Holstein of Yellowstone Tour Guides came to talk to Big Sky employees about being bear aware.  He shared some pretty heady stories – getting bluff charged by grizzlies, encountering crowds of people just feet away from a mama bear and cubs – and tips on how to keep bear sightings in the realm of wondrous instead of dangerous.  Here’s what we took away:

    1) Always carry bear spray, and keep it readily at hand – bear spray is only as good as your ability to use it
        quickly.
    2) Know how to use that bear spray (just don’t practice on your friend during  a morning trail run)
    3) Follow the Four or More rule – hike with a buddy, or better yet, buddies at all times.  
    4) Be on the lookout for telltale bear signs: poop and prints.  Animal carcasses are also a good indicator that hungry bears may be nearby.    
    5) Make noise as you travel – use a bear bell, talk loudly with your fellow hikers, yell things like “Hey, Bear!” at the top of your lungs.
    6) Cook any meals at least 100 yards from any backcountry campsites
    7) Store any food or game carcasses (!), at least 100 yards from any backcountry campsites.
    8) Don’t sleep in the same clothes you cook in – stash them with your food for the night.

During my trail adventures around Big Sky, I’ve crossed paths with plenty of wildlife, from almost literally running smack dab into a moose, to taking a pleasant jog with Big Sky’s resident fox.  Bears are no exception, and I’ve encountered the furry beasts on many occasions without incident.  But that doesn’t stop me from wearing a bear bell, running with my iPod on speaker mode, and carrying bear spray in-hand.  I may look a little over-the-top decked out, but no one can say I’m not bear aware.

-  Greer


Don't take it from us - check out what the National Park Service recommends for people to stay bear aware in Yellowstone National Park.  Find more informfrom the Center For Wildlife Information.

Recent bear sightings around Big Sky Resort.  While sightings are common, attacks are not.  Keep it that way by following Bear Aware protocol.

BIG SKY IS KNOWN as the Basecamp to Yellowstone.  But the national park, if you can believe it, is just the tip of the iceberg.  Beyond park borders the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem spans 20 million acres, with Big Sky right in the thick of things. 

So with Big Sky as Basecamp, we’re taking this summer to more thoroughly explore our backyard: one of the last remaining large and intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone.  Whether it’s a hike up Lone Peak on Big Sky Resort property or venturing out to a pristine camping site in Idaho, we’ll dish on the best excursions beyond your Basecamp.  First stop?  Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

The Trip: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Travel Time: Two hours south of Big Sky Resort, venture down for a day trip or overnight camping trip
Why Go:  This wildlife refuge is like the Serengeti of Montana – you’ll cross paths with sandhill cranes, bald eagles, moose, elk, pronghorns, and bears, but nary another human.

Itinerary:

Day 1

10:00am: Hit the road from your Basecamp at Big Sky Resort, heading south past West Yellowstone and into Island Park, ID.

12:00pm: Stop at the Last Chance Bar and Grill at the TroutHunter lodge for lunch on the patio overlooking the lush banks of the smooth and winding Henry’s Fork river. 

1:30pm: Hit Flat Ranch Preserve visitor’s center for intel on local flora, fauna, and the latest grizzly sightings before heading onto the back roads leading to your campsite.

2:00pm: Drive past Henry’s Lake and back across the Montana border, where dirt roads quickly take you into more remote wilderness.  Stretch your legs at Hell Roaring Creek, the utmost headwaters of the Missouri River that flow down from the Continental Divide towering directly above you.

3:00pm:  Pick out the prefect waterside campsite at Upper Red Rock Lake in the heart of the wildlife refuge.  You’ll spot nesting swans on the ultra-clear water, soaring bald eagles, and bounding pronghorns.  This is Grizzly country too, so dinner leftovers go in bear-proof food storage containers at the well-kept campsites.

3:30pm: Get your camp, hike, and boat on – canoeing is allowed starting July 1st.  Daylight lasts well past 9pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore.

Day 2

12:00pm: After a leisurely morning playing and packing up, head back to your Basecamp.  On your way back towards Big Sky in the afternoon, stop by the glassy water at Big Springs to feed giant trout where one hundred and twenty million gallons of water flow from the ground to form the Snake River. 

Evening: Arrive back in Big Sky in time for a Bison Chipotle Quesadilla at Whiskey Jack’s and a soak in the hot tub.  Back at your Basecamp, unwind with a Huckleberry Martini and start planning tomorrow’s adventure.

-  Greer

Pronghorns in the Wildlife Refuge


Set up camp next to one of the Red Rocks Lakes, where well-kept campsites have clean bathrooms, fire pits, and bear-proof food storage containers.




Swans nest on the Red Rock Lakes.




Sandhill Cranes wander through meadows in the Wildlife Refuge.


The view of the Henry's Fork river from the TroutHunter patio.


Henry's Lake


Lunch on the patio of TroutHunter.