Gallatin-Gateway Travel Guide
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Big Sky: 53 miles S of Bozeman; 48 miles N of West Yellowstone
According to legend, the Sioux and Nez Perce once engaged in a bloody battle in the lower Gallatin Valley. On the third day of the fighting, the sun was blotted out and a booming voice told the warriors to forget old wrongs and stop fighting, because they were in the Valley of Peace and Flowers.
Since those days, the sun still mostly shines around here, but the only booming voices heard are those calling you for your tee time or your dinner reservation. The transition of Big Sky from peace and flowers to year-round resort was not entirely without dissension, however. When legendary NBC newsman Chet Huntley -- a Montana native -- proposed the Big Sky ski resort, there was an outcry from the budding environmental movement. But Huntley's dream was realized in 1973, and the resort has blossomed into a world-class facility.
The valley is a narrow, shining slice of Montana edged by the Absaroka and Gallatin ranges to the east and the Madison Range on the west. The Big Sky Resort covers two of the western peaks -- Lone Mountain, elevation 11,186 feet, and Andesite Mountain, 8,800 feet.
There are three distinct "villages" in Big Sky. The canyon area along U.S. 191 has a haphazard collection of motels, taverns, restaurants, gas stations, and whatnot. The Meadow Village, 2 miles west of the highway, includes a community of condos, a few overnight lodging places, and the golf course. The main base area for the ski resort is at the Mountain Village, 8 miles west of the highway, with condos, restaurants, and hotels.
The main season in Big Sky is winter, but the Lone Mountain Guest Ranch, which was once the only destination spot in this valley, offers fine, year-round accommodations and activities -- dude-ranch style in summer, and cross-country skiing in winter. The summer months bring excellent fly-fishing, horseback riding, and white-water rafting. And this beautiful scenery may seem familiar -- the Gallatin River was the setting for the film A River Runs Through It.
