Montana's Best-kept Secret Is Its Shoulder Season-Here's How to Plan the Perfect Visit

"Montana is most commonly known as Big Sky Country. It's an apt nickname referring to the vast horizon lines that characterize much of the landscape. Travel westward, and those lines will increasingly be met with mountains as they trace the distant edges of your field of view. Speckled throughout is a kaleidoscope of wonder: national parks, natural phenomena, and unspoiled forests filled with wildlife. All of it makes the official motto of this place-the "Treasure State"-far more suitable as a moniker."

""Fall is my favorite season in Montana," says Paul Makarechian, Bozeman native and owner of Lone Mountain Ranch, a luxury property set on 148 acres of secluded farmland in the rugged southwestern part of the state. "Crowds are less, the trees turn colors, the wildlife is active, the rivers are teeming with fish, and the air quality is perfect." Lone Mountain's 26 standalone cabins are also easier to secure this time of year."

"Come Christmas, its proximity to Big Sky ski resort makes reservations more scarce (and much costlier), as does the property's access to ample Nordic adventure and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Of course, some of that burden was lessened with the opening of the Montage. The 139-room hotel stands out as the largest lodge of its kind in a town that has approximately 3,000 year-round residents. Guests can enjoy ski-in, ski-out access and amenities including spa services and five separate food and beverage concepts."

Montana features expansive horizons, rising mountains to the west, national parks, natural phenomena, and unspoiled forests teeming with wildlife. Shoulder seasons provide solitude and clearer outdoor experiences with fewer crowds. Fall brings colorful trees, active wildlife, rivers full of fish, and excellent air quality. Lone Mountain Ranch sits on 148 secluded acres with 26 standalone cabins, offering easier fall reservations and access to Nordic adventures, sleigh rides, and proximity to Big Sky ski resort. The Montage added a 139-room lodge with ski-in/ski-out access, spa services, and multiple dining concepts. Yellowstone's western entrance lies about an hour from Big Sky and remains accessible in shoulder seasons.

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