Big Sky Resort in Montana

[Daydreamin]

Interested in anyone's experience with trading to this resort during the summer...

We're interested in taking the kids to Yellowstone, love to golf and we're thinking that this might be a good trade for us. We've been out on their website and love what we see.

Has anyone been successful at trading into this resort? What type of accomodations did you request/get? How far out did you make the request?

Would you recommend it or go again?

Just how far is it to Yellowstone? Did you take the full day excursions they advertise on their web site?

How far is it to Virginia/Nevada City and/or Bozeman (Montana State University)?

Thanks for your help...

 

[pumpkinboy]

Looked up the resort on TUG. Only one person on TUG had given it a rating, but that rating was a 9.5 out of 10.

The II site says that Big Sky is about 45 miles from the Bozeman airport. The II site also notes that it is 18 miles from Jellystone, tho not sure if that is as-the-crow-flies or by road. As you know, when travelling in mountainous areas, going what seems to be a short distance can take quite a while.

Here is the URL for II's page about Big Sky Resort which you might want to take a look at (tho the resort's own website is likely more detailed.

Good luck!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

I will report back in 4 - 6 years!!! I have wanted to go here for ages, but not until my 4 year old is older! This plce has always intrigued me, I'm a beach person, so this is a big step!!! We did Sedona AZ once with out other timeshare, and loved the place, views, hiking, but our DD was 5 at the time and was not happy!!! too cold to swim, and we spent alot of time in the car driving, Grand Canyon, Indian Reservations, Jerome, etc. So I will never do it again with a little one!!

 

[Daydreamin]

Thanks pumpkinboy and ClarabelleCow for your responses...hoping that there are others out there have thoughts or opinions on what looks like an awesome resort.

pumpkinboy - Thanks for the link. I'll check it out! 9.5 out of 10!

The resort web site is awesome. I was hoping for personal experiences with the resort though! Any others out there???

 

[Rence]

Used to live in Bozeman for years and had a good friend who lived near Big Sky.

It is little over an hour from Bozeman to Big Sky and about an hour from Big Sky to the West Yellowstone entrance, we talking a winding road through the mountains to get from Big Sky to Yellowstone, but it is a gorgeous drive.

Realize that Yellowstone is quite big and with summer traffic it can take a while to get from the entrance to many of the points of interest.

The area around Big Sky is gorgeous. Driven around the resort and it looks nice. My sister has stayed there and really enjoyed it.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Just be aware of the weather. I was talking to someone who lives near Yellowstone, it snowed there, the day I talked to him was May 15th. while it states the distance to Yellowstone to be less than 20 miles, it depends on the weather. The entrances to the park are closed during certain times of the year because of the weather. If you are going in the summer you should not have a problem in this area.
Here is a site that may be of some help.
http://www.nps.gov/

 

[WDWorld2003]

I have heard the Big Sky area is absolutely beautiful, however, if you want to go to Yellowstone I would stay inside the park if you want to do it justice. It's a long drive to anywhere you want to go in the park (it's huge!)

The park accomodations are very basic but adequate. We've been to the Yellowstone/Teton area twice in the past 4 years for 2 weeks at a time and still haven't seen it all. We would not even consider staying outside of the park as it is such a long drive in and out... speed limit maximum is 45 and in many cases is 25 - leave time for traffic back ups due to buffalo and other wildlife.

Maybe you could spend some time at Big Sky and see the surrounding area and then on to Yellowstone.... the Tetons are awesome, too. Your kids (and you) will love the whole area. Just take a hike when you want to get away from the crowds!

We're heading to Glacier National Park next week and can't wait! There's a National Park Chat Page that can give you more info.. just do a web search. Have a great time!

 

[Dean]

9.5 once has no meaning so don't rely on that. The reviews are mostly for Ski time with one summer stay where the reviewer said it was VERY quiet but the lift was running for mountain biking.

 

[FLYNZ4]

Yellowstone is a very large place... and IMHO, the only way to visit it effectively is to stay inside the park. It can take hours to get to your daily destination once you get to one of the park entrances.

On our last vist, we stayed for 5 nights at different lodges and cabins throughout the park. We spent consecutive nights in West Yellowstone, Lake Village, Grants Pass, Canyon, and Old Faithful Village.

If I had a week to spend there... I would add a night at Mammoth Hot Springs to the list above... and spend 3 nights in the Old Faithful Inn.

The accomidations are generally rustic, innexpensive, but it is still a lot of fun. You can rent boats on Yellowstone lake, ride horses, and spend a limitless amount of time exporing that incredible place.

/Jim

 

[DaveT1]

Add me to the others in regards to Yellowstone:

1 It is huge with lots to see, spent 4 full days staying inside the park and just did the basics.

2 It's a lot of slow driving, get caught in your first Bison traffic jam and you'll see. You aren't going to breeze around, and you won't want to drive to the park everyday from outside.

3 Grand Tetons arejust to the south and should not be missed.

We have been to quite a few of the NP if anyone has questions.

 

[Daydreamin]

I really appreciate the responses and based on the advice, we're now looking to stay inside the park given the driving distances and the not so bad prices for the accomdations. I know that they won't be quite as nice as Big Sky would have been, but proximity is important too since we want to experience Yellowstone. If we decide to stay at Big Sky too, I'll be sure to post a trip report for other DVC members.

FYNZ4 - You indicated that you had stayed at a number of the lodges. I know that staying at Old Faithful Inn is a given, but if you could only pick one other location, which would it be??

 

[DaveT1]

I know you asked FLYNZ but....

We stayed in Old Faithful Inn, and Lake Yellowstone and both provided nice bases to operate. We like staying at least a few nights at each place since moving is a pain and you lose time. Old Faithful area has slightly more around it so did 3 nights there. I also agree that if you are staying long enough we would have added a stay at Mammoth on the far north end.

Also as i said don't forget at least a trip down to Grand Tetons and Jackson, it's a really cool town with lots of restaurants. If you like meat we had buffalo at the Gun Barrel, it was great and we were ready for some revenge after all the traffic jams in Yellowstone.

You'll think you walked into the Wilderness Lodge at Old Faithful!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

all this talk of Montana had me thinking, and I realized I had a major brain fart!!! The resort I looked into was not Big Sky, but Meadow Lake, but I think it may be affiliated with RCI, but it's worth checking out! I would also check TUG to see if anyone is renting their unit. Meadow Lake Resort - Montana

Good Luck!!

 

[WDWorld2003]

If you do stay in Yellowstone, the Lake area is beautiful and fairly central - close to Canyon and the West Thumb Geyer Basin - loved the large hotel and they have a great brunch. We stayed in Lake Lodge Western cabins - they are newer and much better than the ones right behind the Lake Hotel. Just make sure you get a Western cabin, not Pioneer. The Canyon area is also nice and centrally located but we only camped there so can't comment on accomodations.

The Roosevelt area is another great place to stay, especially if you want to go over the Beartooth pass or to Lamar Valley (great place for wildlife viewing). They also have a great cookout which we all loved (make reservations in advance!). However, they have closed the main road from Roosevelt to the Canyon area so it is a long way from other areas of the park since you have to go around through the Mammoth area.

Also, the Tetons are Wonderful! We've stayed in the Colter Bay cabins twice - they are rustic but a great experience. You can rent canoes, hike or horseback ride right from the area. You can also take a float trip or use the pool at Jackson Lodge if you're staying at Colter Bay. It's also not far from the town of Jackson (30 minutes). If you go there we highly recommend the Bar J cookout - we'd return to Jackson just to go this show. They also have whitewater rafting which was a blast!

All areas have evening ranger talks which are great for kids and adults.

Have a great time... any ?'s just ask. Sorry to go on... we really love the Yellowstone area...

 

[FLYNZ4]

Originally posted by Daydreamin

FYNZ4 - You indicated that you had stayed at a number of the lodges. I know that staying at Old Faithful Inn is a given, but if you could only pick one other location, which would it be??

I would base it geographically... to minimize the travel around. I think the recommendation for the Lake Hotel is a good one... or also Mammouth Hot Springs Hotel... that way you get to see then "natural version" of the hot springs on big thunder mountain railroad.

Also consider driving down the Grand Tetons... I have not stayed there buy Jenny Lake lodge might be nice (if I remember properly).

For sure, Old Faithful Inn would be my first choice... or the new Snow Lodge also located in Old Faithful Village.

I'll warn you that accomodations are generally NOT luxury. I recommend springig the extra $$ and getting a room with a private bathroom... unless you want to relive college memories.

/Jim

 

[mtblujeans]

Originally posted by WDWorld2003
We're heading to Glacier National Park next week and can't wait!

What did you think of Glacier Park??

 

[Deb & Bill]

We just got back from Glacier (three nights) and Yellowstone (three nights). At Yellowstone, we stayed in the Canyon Hotel, in the new Cascade Lodge. Very nice hotel - double beds, nice bathroom, but no TV. I think it was about $125/night there. There is very little TV in Yellowstone. We have also stayed in the Old Faithful Inn in one of the newer wings (about 8 yrs ago) and the old Snow Lodge Cabins (about 10 yrs ago). Old Faithful Inn is celebrating its 100th anniversary this summer, so rooms are at a premium (very hard to get). The weather was beautiful. About 50 degrees in the morning, warming up to about 80 during the day. We left the same day that they had the mudslide at the east gate in the evening where several cars were trapped. We left about noon that day, so we missed that action. We did see a bear in Yellowstone, tons of bison and lots of elk. The road from Canyon to Tower/Roosevelt was closed and will be closed for the season. We stayed there in the winter about 11 years ago and stayed at Mammoth and the Snow Lodge Cabins for a total of 7 nights.

We were in Glacier the three nights before (two nights at Apgar Village Lodge and one at the Sperry Chalet). Glacier is much more rustic than Yellowstone and if you aren't into hiking there is not as much to do without driving a lot. They were doing work on the Going to the Sun Road, so there were several one lane road sections. We heard reports that people had seen bears in Glacier, but we didn't see any. We just saw mountain goats. The lake temperature of Lake McDonald was 52 degrees. Up at the Chalet, the creek was 42 degrees. We did get to use the million dollar toilet at Sperry. It took us 7.75 hours to hike up to the chalet (6.8 miles and 3500 feet in elevation change). It only took us 5 hours to get back down the mountain the next day.

After we left Yellowstone, we went to Mt Rushmore and Badlands NP. So we hit five NP on this one trip.

 

[poohj80]

We stayed in Big Sky last March and it was great for skiing as the resort was nowhere near as crowded as the CO ski resorts we have been to which was a bonus for us novice skiers. We did drive down to West Yellowstone one day for snowmobiling (not inside the park) and had a blast! The drive did take about an hour headed south. There are several entrances to Yellowstone but I think this is the most direct from Big Sky. Bozeman is about an hour north of Big Sky depending on traffic (windy narrow road with lots of crosses along the way from previous accidents so drive carefully!) but the Museum of the Rockies is great if you like dinosaurs!

 

[WDWorld2003]

In response to mtblujeans, we spent two weeks in Glacier and we loved it! However, to really see Glacier it is a hiker's park. It may be our favorite national park so far (love Yellowstone/Tetons, too). It rained much of the time we were there but they really need the rain so how can you complain.

We did a few hikes that were not very difficult but with great rewards - definitely the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on. Waterfalls cascading down the mountains everywhere. The altitude is lower than in Colorado or Wyoming so you don't tire as easily. Going to the Sun road is beautiful!

At first when we arrived I was a little worried about what we were going to do for 2 weeks but there was plenty to do if you just looked for it. We went whitewater rafting, hiking, a boat tour on Lake McDonald, shopping, up to Waterton, Canada for a day, visited all of the great lodges, poked around in the little towns, went to the Amazing Fun Center, museums, ate at cute little local cafes, etc. We will definitely be back - only regret is we wish we had gone years ago! If you ever get a chance - go, you won't regret it. It is a more primitive than than the Yellowstone area which I think is what makes it so great - it really is untouched wilderness. The color of the water is something I will never forget. The Many Glacier area is beautiful and has the best hiking. If you have any questions, let me know. Sorry to go on, but as you can tell - we loved it!

A sad note is the glaciers are melting rapidly - there used to be about 150 glaciers and I believe there are only 35-50 left . They predict all of the glaciers will melt within the next 30 years.

 

[mtblujeans]

I am so glad to hear that everyone has loved and enjoyed the beauty of the Parks!

WDWorld2003, you sound like me when you decribe the area. It is hard to put into words and everyone should see it for themselves! As beautiful as the Montana side is, we also love to go up into the Canadian side. I think it is even more rustically beautiful up there!!

We live in Kalispell and there was more rain this year than usual, into July. But, people who have lived here all of their lives say June used to be the rainiest month of the year before the drought conditions arrived. Glacier Park is always cooler and greener than the rest of the Flathead Valley....which also makes it a nice "getaway" for locals.

We have not gone into Glacier Park this season yet. What did the burn site look like around lake McDonald and Going To The Sun? Is there any sign of regrowth?