Travel with Catherine Adcock
Desperate to detox from a constantly connected life? Plan abrgetaway to a destination where cell-phone towers are few and far between. InbrMontana, you can go unplugged without giving up any of the creature comfortsbryour city slicker side demands, whether on a dude ranch or at a traditionalbrresort. There’s no telling what will happen when the members of your partybrcan’t disappear online. You’ll be able to reconnect with your loved ones whilebrmeditating on the great big sky and wide-open spaces. With great nationalbrparks, even better slopes and all the outdoors activities your heart desires,brMontana can keep even the most information-superhighway addicted personbrthoroughly entertained.
Winter Adventures
Montana’s high-season takes place during the summer, whichbrmakes for awesome adventures of cattle drives and park exploring. But booking abrtrip during the colder months offers an extra-special wonderland for thosebrwho’ve only experienced a North Texas winter. With 300-plus inches of snowfallbra year, Montana and its mountain ranges offer more than just skiing adventures.brAnd that’s not even to mention the lower off-season rates.
So if you want to hit the slopes, don’tbrhead to your usual spot, where your exposure to nature consists of making yourbrway down a manicured mountain straight into a warm and cozy lodge. Head to thebrexciting wild west of Montana, and be prepared to leave your cell phones atbrhome.
Do A Dude Ranch
Book a week for the gang at one of many working guest ranchesbrin the state. Winter months make for dogsledding, snowshoeing, ice-fishing,brice-skating and many other activities. We promise it’s not as cold as itbrsounds, particularly if you outfit your company wisely. (Long-johns aren’t justbrfunny-looking clothes you see in old Western movies.) The Ranch at Paws Up,brlocated about 35 miles northeast of Missoula, consists of a 37,000-acre workingbrranch where packages are planned around you. Whether you’re booking a romanticbrweekend for two or 10 days for the family, Paws Up will take care of your everybrneed — and even a few you didn’t realize you had. You can go ultra-luxe withbrone of their cabins or “rough it” in a luxury tent featuring attached bathroomsbrwith heated floors.
If you’re looking for a morebrauthentic experience with a less hefty price tag, consider Bar W Ranch, locatedbron Spencer Lake, just minutes from the Whitefish Mountain Resort, which offers six-daybrand three-day packages at more affordable rates. Between the sleigh rides,brsnowmobiling and of course, included skiing and snowboarding, Bar W will keep youbrentertained and smartphone-free. You can head into the nearby town of Whitefishbrfor a more “urban” experience, but we doubt you’ll want to leave the ranch.
Steaming Springs
Need a more traditional route to relaxation on vacation?brCan’t blame you. Fairmont Hot Springs Resort offers the same access to skiingbradventure from a luxury facility with not one, not two, but four pools fed by abr155-degree hot spring, cooled to varying temperatures. You can even hit thebrresort’s outdoors waterslide mid-winter, with snow on the ground and a chill inbrthe air, and enjoy an exhilarating 350-foot ride (fed by hot spring water, nobrless), before landing in the cozy 90-degree heated outdoor pool. Take your pickbrof indoor and outdoor Olympic-sized pools (both around 90 degrees) and indoorbrand outdoor hot pools (around 100 degrees). Any skiing-related aches orbrbig-city stresses that a hot pool can’t fix can be properly addressed at thebrresort’s Whispering Willows Spa.
Stuck on The Slope
If all you want out of your winter vacation is skiing — butbryou want to feel like you’ve got a mountain all to yourself, head to Red Lodge.brInstead of manicured wide-open lanes, here you’ll find narrow slopes — frombrbeginner to expert in difficulty — cut through a dense forest. In 1996, thebrresort added 700 acres of new trails, so we’re sure you’ll have plenty of elbowroom.brSnowboarders will love the mountain’s bowls and rails, perfect for tricks andbrjumps. You’ll find your lodging in the nearby town of Red Lodge, a place fullbrof history perfect for little ones. Wild does not even begin to describe lifebrin this now-sleepy town around the end of the 1800s. Riots, violence andbrlawlessness were commonplace on Red Lodge’s streets. In 1897, the Sundance Kidbrand a few friends robbed the bank across from the Pollard Hotel. Book a roombrthere and you’ll be staying in the same hotel that once provided boarding tobrBuffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane.
A Mountain Of One’sbrOwn
Of course, if you must have access to nearly deserted skibrslopes, you can, at a price. Become a member of private Yellowstone Club andbryou’ll have access to state-of-the-art chairlifts, impeccable snow grooming andbrworld-class ski instruction. The Yellowstone Club also offers an 18-hole golfbrcourse and trout-fishing streams. Not only must members pay a $300,000 depositbrand $30,000 in annual dues, they must also buy real estate in the club’sbrdevelopment, whether that is a condo (starting at $2.5 million), ranch ($18brmillion) or even an empty lot. For that price, you’ll get to rub elbows withbrBill Gates, Google’s Eric Schmidt and Justin Timberlake, satisfying yourbrinner-teenager and inner-geek all at once.
Leave It To thebrExperts
If you need help planning your own get-away-from-it-allbrgetaway — and you might, cell phone towers seem to be everywhere these days —brcall Off the Beaten Path.
The experts in adventure traveling will tailor a vacation tobrsuit the needs of every member of your party while leading you to spots leftbrout of guidebooks and online reviews. They wrap it all up in an all-inclusivebrpackage and take care of every last detail. Take advantage of one of theirbrguided group tours available throughout the year — Yellowstone Winter Wondersbris featured in January — or call to find out more about private custombrjourneys.