The Resort at Paws Up, Montana

Location

The resort is located in the ranching community of Greenough, Montana, deep in the Blackwater valley and half an hour’s drive from the town of Missoula (rates include round-trip transfers from Missoula International Airport). An authentic working ranch, the property embraces 37,000 acres of pristine Montana wilderness and includes a 10-mile stretch of the Blackwater River itself.

Accommodation 

Guests can choose between a luxury vacation home and a luxury tent (or a mix of both) but in each case the amenities are reliably five-star. Homes come in a variety of sizes, sleeping from four to eight people, but always with ample space and bathrooms, private deck and hot tub, and – should you need them – flatscreen TV and internet. Wilderness Estate homes, nestled deep within the ranch’s property, offer maximum luxury and privacy and a complimentary vehicle to help you get about. The tents, meanwhile, provide the ultimate glamping experience, with one-or-two-bed options combining en suite bathrooms and deluxe amenities with a range of inspiring locations. There are also special one-bed homes and tents designed for honeymooners, with the emphasis on seclusion and romance.

Dining

With two acclaimed restaurants and a bar back at the ranch itself, and dining pavilions at each camp where chefs provide breakfast and dinner on a daily basis, guests are never far away from an expertly cooked meal. Using locally sourced meat, fish, and vegetables – not to mention mountain-picked huckleberries – the culinary team offer up their “refined rustic ranch” cuisine with daily changing menus. Guests can opt for more formal restaurant ambience or an alfresco barbecue, or hitch a ride on the horse-drawn chuckwagon and end up at a creekside cook-out with a cowboy poet and banjo accompaniment. Paws Up is also vegan- and vegetarian-friendly and the staff will cater to any special dietary requests registered in advance.

Facilities 

The natural facilities on the ranch – 10 miles of river and 100 miles of trails – provide guests with a rich abundance of guided open-air activities to choose from: horseback riding and lessons, fly-fishing, clay-shooting, archery, rappelling, geocaching, mountain-biking, ATV tours, rafting and kayaking, lake excursions, and even hot-air ballooning. More sedate forms of relaxation can be found at Paws Up’s own Spa Town, a colony of treatment tents at the edge of a meadow, complete with babbling book, birdsong, and an extensive menu of massage and body treatments. Free yoga and fitness classes are held here too. The ranch also hosts a program of events every season, including music festivals, wine and cookery classes, and wilderness-oriented educational workshops.