How to Spend a Perfect Week in Montana

Produced by Virtuoso with The Resort at Paws Up and the green o

Whitewater rafting on the Blackfoot River. A glamping tent at The Resort at Paws Up. Catch a sight of bison roaming the Blackfoot Valley.

Stuart Thurlkill Stuart Thurlkill Stuart Thurlkill

At The Resort at Paws Up, live out your dream Wild West vacation.

Arrival begins on a road snaking through the forest an hour outside of Missoula, Montana, with flashes of the Blackfoot River gleaming through the trees. Every so often the forest fades to prairie, then there it is: the big, blue sky that gives the state its nickname. Finally, The Resort at Paws Up (and its neighboring adults-only accommodations at the green o), an all-inclusive retreat encompassing 37,000 acres in the Blackfoot River Valley. The resort – a nudge to take a break from the screens for a bit – makes the most of the Big Sky wilderness in all four seasons, offering travelers an elevated glamping experience, full outdoor immersion (whether that’s beneath the summer sun or amid a winter wonderland), and a true taste of Western spirit.

“Every traveler I’ve ever sent here wants to go back. It’s life changing,” says Virtuoso travel advisor Leigh Elizabeth Israel. “You see the mountains and become one with nature, but in your own glamorous tented camp or luxury home. It’s truly unique.”

Paws Up comprises 28 private homes and 36 safari-style glamping tents, several of which overlook the river, while the green o features 12 ultra-sleek houses. With six dining options, a spa, and more than 70 activities to choose from, including archery and horseback riding, travelers should plan to spend at least a week at Paws Up. Your Virtuoso advisor can help customize an itinerary for the perfect stay – here are a few ideas to help you get started.

In a tent or a tree house, the glamping experience is in full swing.

Stuart Thurlkill/Dan Goldberg Photography

Settle In

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Blackfoot River or tucked into the valley’s lush meadows, the accommodations at Paws Up offer comfort among the rugged terrain, plus direct access to the surrounding wilderness. The 28 luxury, pet-friendly cabins – ranging from one to four bedrooms – welcome travelers for evenings by a rough-hewn stone fireplace and mornings sipping coffee on the porch as the area’s surrounding wildlife awakens.  

“You get the amenities of a home, plus all the special touches of a resort,” Israel says. Each cabin comes with cozy down comforters, heated bathroom floors, fully equipped kitchens, and outdoor hot tubs, as well as a Lexus SUV for seamless access to the rest of the ranch. Scattered throughout the resort, the homes feel extremely private, with their own picturesque views of the valley’s meadows, forests, mountains, and riverbank.

Six campsite areas marry the best of backcountry camping (s’mores under the stars, anyone?) with air-conditioned glamping tents that feature heated granite bathroom floors and a big, cozy bed. At each site, a chef prepares breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining pavilion and butlers attend to every need, from arranging laundry service to prepping twilight campfires. The one-bedroom tents, with their sexy copper soaking tubs, feel made for honeymooners, while the three-bedroom tents that sleep up to six are just the right size for families.

At the green o, Paws Up’s adults-only outpost, 12 Scandinavian-style, glass-walled “hauses” blend in with the hillside forest. Each of the four house layouts features king-size beds, porch swings, and outdoor hot tubs. Some of the hideaways sit at ground level, while others appear as if they’re floating 23 feet up in the air, like the sleekest tree house you’ve ever seen.

Saddle up for a trail ride through the Blackfoot River Valley.

Stuart Thurlkill

Play Outside

There’s no time for boredom at The Resort at Paws Up. Ahead of a visit, travelers can choose from more than 70 activities to add to their itinerary, such as making the most of the 100-plus miles of trails and the nearby Bob Marshall Wilderness or taking part in ranch-hand duties on the working cattle and bison ranch. 

“If half the family wants to go shooting and the other half loves e-bikes, you can coordinate activities for everyone and then meet back up for lunch,” Israel says.

All the action starts at the Wilderness Outpost, the resort’s hub for gear, guides, and ranch-style adventures. Travelers can embark from there for horseback riding, fat-tire e-biking, cattle drives, hiking, fly-fishing, rafting, ATV rides, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning, and even higher-octane adventures such as rappelling or white-water rafting down the Blackfoot River during the spring and summer. In the winter, travelers can bundle up for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dogsledding, and sleigh rides.

“The guides are amazing,” Israel says. “They’re so accommodating and knowledgeable. They make sure safety is first, but also that everyone is having fun.”

Take a break at Spa Town.

Stuart Thurlkill

Save Time for Lounging

When it’s time to kick off the cowboy boots or hit pause on clay shooting, visitors can lean into Paws Up’s Western-styled relaxation and take time to soak up nature. 

“It’s not only about the ranch activities, but about the destination itself,” Israel says. “Sitting in the hot tub and watching deer stroll by – stays here are also a way to escape and decompress.”

Spa Town, a collection of eight white tents bordering a meadow and connected by a wooden boardwalk, beckons travelers with a menu of facials and massages: deep tissue, hot and cold stone, prenatal, scalp, and CBD. There’s also an array of IV therapy and even complimentary mini-massages for pets. Spa tents feature bathtubs and heated massage tables, and their open-air setup allows for a soundtrack of wind blowing through trees and meadow grass. Therapists also lead sessions in yoga, apothecary blending, forest bathing, and chakra-balancing sound baths.

Chef Brandon Cunningham plates up a course from his elegant tasting menu at the Social Haus.

Dan Goldberg Photography

Don’t Forget the Dinner Reservations

The culinary program at Paws Up blends Western comfort food with a local-first ethos. General manager of food and James Beard Award semifinalist Sunny Jin, who cut his teeth in renowned kitchens such as Spain’s El Bulli and The French Laundry in Napa, emphasizes seasonal sourcing, collaborating with farmers and foragers to incorporate native ingredients such as wild morels and sage gathered nearby, or chickens raised by a local Hutterite colony.

Western refinement reigns at Pomp, an upscale restaurant offering dishes such as grass-fed Montana rib eye with black pepper crème fraîche. Or, for a more laid-back dining experience, head to Trough, where options include Wagyu smash burgers and Montana-grain risotto with English peas. Neighboring Tank is a cozy cocktail bar with ranch views and a fireplace, while the midday scent of woodsmoke leads directly to Shed, where live-fire cooking by chef Ben Scott is king. This outdoor dining pavilion is the place to go for stick-to-the-ribs comfort cuisine: griddled cornbread with pork belly burnt ends, bison chili, or elote with guajillo aioli.

At the center of the green o is the Social Haus, where James Beard Award-nominated executive chef Brandon Cunningham serves elegant fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – its nightly tasting menu rivals that of any big-city Michelin-starred restaurant. A dizzying parade of dishes – duck consommé with ramps and a Gewürztraminer reduction, or lemon-butter-poached salmon with pea-tendril powder and daikon – might make travelers almost wistful that they can’t spend every moment at a table here.

And of course, no visit to Paws Up is complete without the resort’s signature chuck wagon dinner along the banks of the Blackfoot River, which starts with a horse-drawn wagon ride through the meadow. A buffet-style spread of tomahawk steaks, barbecue-rubbed pork ribs, cornbread, and berry cobbler satisfies guests’ appetites, while rounds of horseshoes and live music provide entertainment in the waning light. 

“It’s a special place,” says Israel. “It sticks with you for the rest of your life.” 

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