Marquee destinations in Big Sky Country now receive unprecedented levels of visitation, particularly during peak operational seasons. Consequently, intel on off-the-beaten-path alternatives has never been more valuable. Excluding the abbreviated and access-restricted 2020 season due to COVID-19, Glacier National Park, for instance, has averaged roughly 3...
I can’t believe all that water tore through here,” I reflected. “Even Noah’s proverbial ark would have splintered on the rocks, the world’s animals lost.” My wife Mary and I gaped over a rocky precipice into the maw of western Montana’s Sun River Canyon, time-traveling...
In late April 2021, Lewistown, Montana outdoorsman Brad McCardle was enjoying his free evenings in the foothills of the Big Snowy Mountains. He was hunting black bears — which are abundant in the area and legal game — but he wound up finding far more...
Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain West — even the ones that once felt undiscovered — now seem more crowded than ever. For those of us who moved here to enjoy our winters gliding on the snow and carving turns in fresh powder, the experience...
Jennifer Wicks places two bars of chocolate in front of me and my 14-year-old daughter Tessa. “These are each made with the same recipe of 72 percent cacao and 28 percent sugar,” she tells us. “See if you can tell the difference.” [caption id="attachment_19593" align="aligncenter" width="500"]...
Arguably one of the most memorable and iconic winter experiences of my life thus far was zipping through the Montana wilderness on the back of a wooden sled. Quietly being pulled over ice and snow by an enthusiastic and joyful team of dogs — with...
Like most people, I’d only visited Yellowstone National Park in the summer — when the viewing area and boardwalks that weave around Old Faithful are so crowded that it’s nearly impossible to photograph the marvel of nature without also capturing the hordes of tourists. However,...
Long George Francis was becoming more frustrated by the minute as the narrow tires of his 1914 Hupmobile slid uncontrollably in the mix of icy clay gumbo and snow. The steering wheel turned effortlessly in his big hands with little effect on the car’s direction...
I take SPACE to be the central fact to man born in America… I spell it large because it comes large here. —Charles Olson, Call Me Ishmael: A Study Of Melville I know of no hunting venue that reinforces the sense of companionship between hunter and...
It’s a long journey from Chicago to rural Montana. Most would say it’s an even longer one from an office job to ranch work. But when Matt and Sarah Skoglund embarked on that particular journey, they ended up at a destination they’d never imagined. While...