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

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.

WITH LESS-THAN-EPIC ski conditions in Colorado, and Colorado’s Epic Pass being honored at Big Sky for the month of January, skiers and riders are making their way to Montana.  And even though there are 35 direct flights between Denver and Bozeman each week, chasing snow calls for the time honored ski bum tradition of hitting the open road.  It calls for an Epic Road Trip.

I’ve taken my fair share four-wheeled adventures, and between cross-country jaunts and half-baked long-weekend college getaways, I’ve driven the stretch between Denver and Big Sky more than once.  Most would stick to I-25 and I-90, making for the fastest route at 11-and-a- half hours (a leisurely cruise for any seasoned snow-chaser or road tripper).  But a truly epic road trip calls for scenery, adventure, and quirky rest stops in podunk towns, and we’re calling for an alternate route via Western Wyoming.  The extra hour is worth its weight in scenic and small-town gold.

7am: Denver, CO  

Lock your skis in the rack, hit I-25, and don’t stop until Colorado is behind you.  At Cheyenne, take I-80, and head towards Breakfast in Laramie.

9:30am:  Laramie, WY

While Big Sky local, food connoisseur, and West Virginia expat Chad Jones recommends the “great food and pies” at Perkins, skip the sit-down chain and pull in for a quick coffee and made-from-scratch baked goods at Coal Creek Coffee in downtown Laramie’s historic district.

2pm:  Boulder, WY

Gas station snacks and stunning mountain views can tide you over until a late lunch near Boulder, WY, population 75.  Keep your eyes peeled for Wyoming’s own Brigadoon: a tiny diner oasis filled with Carhart-clad ranchers that only reveals itself to hungry road trippers on their way to Montana.  Without proof of existence from any phonebook or webpage, you'll just have to take my word that this no-name place exists; I stumbled across the roadside gem on a trip through Wyoming in 2010.  You'll know you've made it when you spot the stand-alone log cabin eatery - it's the only building around.  Sit at the swiveling stools at the low countertop and order a burger - in meat country like this, sampling the beef is a must. 

5pm: Jackson, WY

Two hours later, you’re in Jackson.  Stretch your legs with a lap around the town center with its iconic antler archways, but don’t get sidetracked when you spot fellow skiers – the free skiing, a fraction of the crowds, and three times the terrain await you in Big Sky.

7pm: Island Park, ID

In the summer months we’d lead you through Yellowstone National Park, but roads close to vehicles there come winter, and instead you’ll head northwest to Island Park for dinner.  A little fancier than your average ski bum haunt, Last Chance Bar and Grill at the TroutHunter is true fine western dining.  Relax in the high-ceilinged dining room and enjoy gourmet game before hitting the road for the final stretch.

10pm:  BIG SKY, MT! 

Pull into the Huntley Lodge for check-in and hit the heated pool with a Lone Peak IPA from Chet’s Bar and Grill to unwind.  Then head to Whiskey Jack’s to dance the night away to live music.  Skiing the best conditions in the Rockies and over 3,300 acres of terrain is on the agenda for tomorrow, but you don’t have to worry about waking up early to catch first chair. This is Montana, where “lift line” isn’t in the vocabulary, and good snow sticks around long after the lifts open.  After a whirlwind Epic Road Trip, you’ll have all the time you need for truly epic skiing.

- Greer

 
Stopping at a Wyoming rest stop on an Epic Road Trip from denver to Big Sky of my own; Views along the route rival any western vista

 
 

Stop near Boulder, WY, population 75, for lunch at the no-name Brigadoon of Wyoming - just look for the cozy-looking joint that stands alone on the side of the road.
 
Arrive in Big Sky by moonlight, and get ready for epic skiing after your epic road trip