by Sarah Kmon
Montana has a reputation of being horribly cold, inhospitable and uninhabitable in Winter. Well that’s true.
But you don’t have to be an abononinmabible snowman to enjoy it. If spending four days in Montana in early January floats your boat, here’s what you can do.
Fly into Bozeman Airport on Thursday, Jan 5th. (If you already live in Montana you can skip that part). Drive down Hwy 191 to the 320 Guest Ranch. Check in. Eat dinner in their enormous dining room then freeze your tootsies off on a moonlit sleigh ride and singe your eyebrows around their gigantic bonfire.
Next morning, get some exercise. Go snowshoeing around the ranch or cross country skiing at Fawn Pass in Yellowstone National Park. Eat lunch at the Bugaboo cafe, just near the yellow light by the turn up to Big Sky on Hwy 191. In the afternoon drive up to Belgrade and check into the Gallatin River Lodge. Relax. Settle. Take a nap. Eat dinner in their dining room (their food is fantastic) then get yourself gussied up and head to Bozeman. Ten foot tall and 80 proof are playing at the Crystal Bar on main street, and they are awesome. We know, because they played at the 2011 Red Ants Pants Music Festival. We were there.
Saturday the 7th head towards the Bridger Mountains and shred some sick powder on the gnarly slopes of Bridger Bowl (dude). In the evening, eat dinner at Blackbird. Then head back to the comfort of the Gallatin River Lodge. If you got a jacuzzi in your room, use it.
Sunday morning head back to Bozeman. Tour the historic downtown. Buy a strange oil painting of a horse. Eat the best lunch in town at the Bozeman Coop, amongst cowboys and hippies. Once you are done, head back towards the ski hill but keep going on towards White Sulphur Springs.
If you need directions you can call us (406-547-3781) or tweet us (@redantspants) and we’ll help you out. When you get to White Sulphur Springs, check into the Hotsprings Spa and Motel. They have a new wing and a new pool. You can get into the new pool, heat up your tired skiing and snowshoeing muscles and get heavenly sleepy in the hot water under the chilly air.
Eat dinner at Dempsey’s.
Early Monday morning, soak in the hotsprings one last time, then stop at Red Ants Pants.
We don’t open until ten so you have plenty of time to check out of the Spa. Once we’ve talked your ear off, and Nellie…
…has showered you with kisses, you must head back to Bozeman to catch your flight home on Tuesday morning.
See? It’s very simple.
P.S. we are not a tourist information or booking center. You have to do all that by yourself. We just make pants. Good ones.
P.P.S The rules are that you have to come and visit us. Those are the rules.
