The Pioneer of Glamping Shares Its Best Room
Located on 70,000 acres, Paws Up, the Montana ranch located 45 minutes from Missoula, seems like it was custom built for social distancing. It's also, incidentally, the birthplace of glamping. These days, just like so many hotels, it's adapting to the COVID-era, but with the benefit of expansive grounds and a getaway that was always premised on quality family time (e.g. staying in your pod). Paws Up Managing Director, Steve Hurst, talks to T&C about his favorite room, what's new on the ranch (a lot!), and how to curate the perfect day when there are over 70 activities to chose from and multiple age groups to please.
What is the “best” room at Paws Up? Why?
For families who like lots of space, along with a sense of togetherness, our Wilderness Estates provide a large, private-home setting, and the bedroom suites within each estate also have a very romantic feel for those who seek some quiet time.
What does it start at per night?
$3,080 per night
Since Paws Up is comprised of separate homes, already allowing for social distancing, what has and hasn’t changed about the property since the onset of the coronavirus?
We’ve recently introduced a Lexus luxury SUV self-drive option to get to and from Missoula International Airport to Paws Up. We now also offer the option to use the SUVs at both our glamping camps and our luxury homes. We’ve always offered outdoor private dining options and we can also provide in-home dining upon request. But social distancing has come easily for us, on our vast property. Some of our accommodations are located on almost four acres of land per home. The majority of our outdoor activities can be enjoyed with social distancing or privately. We also offer private photography and painting workshops.
There’s a lot of new stuff happening at Paws Up. Can you tell us about a few of these projects and offerings?
We recently introduced a new outdoor dining option, Shed. It’s a wood-fired pizza joint, gastro eatery and roadside smoker trailer all in one, located outside our expansive retail shop, the Wilderness Outpost. We’ve also started new entertainment options, including our drive-in movie screenings, where people drive their own Lexus to watch films under the stars. A number of new wilderness adventures are also available, including our Polaris General Backcountry Tours, a wave-making Malibu speedboat for water sports and a tubing and ice skating park in the winter, Blast Mountain. What I’m most excited about is our adults-only sister resort, the Green O, which will open soon on the Paws Up Ranch’s property.
How would you spend an ideal day at Paws Up?
I would wake up at sunrise and go on a hot air balloon excursion. It’s the only way to see all 37,000 acres of the Paws Up Ranch. Afterwards, I’d set out on a nice long hike and hit the spa for a massage before lunch. I would try Shed by the Wilderness Outpost for lunch. In the afternoon, I’d want Jackie, our equestrian manager, to take me out for a ride that crosses the legendary Blackfoot River, or I would visit Paws Up’s Island Lodge at Salmon Lake and do some wakeboarding behind our new powerful and stylish Malibu powerboat. On the way, I’d do a “drive-by” of our majestic bison herd. In the evening, I’d hope for a celebrity chef to be cooking in my camp or to enjoy dinner in Pomp by Executive Chef Sunny Jin. I would have scheduled my trip around a Campfire Star performance, because nothing beats listening to a little guitar playing before turning in for the night under the Montana stars.
Since intergenerational travel is such a big trend (particularly in the COVID era when families are yearning to reconnect) and this is one of the property’s specialties, what are a few pieces of advice you have for people thinking about planning a trip to a Paws Up where the ages span six, seven or even eight decades? What’s an all-around crowd-pleaser itinerary?
When a group takes over a six-tent camp, it’s something really special. Families love it, because they can share this incredibly unique memory of being out in the wilderness together, from the littlest kids to great grandparents, with no one else around. Of course, the real crowd-pleasing activities vary by season and by family, since we just have so many to choose from (more than 70). In the summer, I’d say the best bets for young and old alike include horseback rides, lake excursions to our Island Lodge, shooting archery, the Sky Line Aerial Adventure Park, go-karts, tours of Garnet Ghost Town, photography workshops and canoe trips to Clearwater River. Outdoor dining options like the Big Sky Bash, Chuck Wagon Dinner or the Family BBQ at The Yard turn family-night dinner into a special occasion. During the winter, the snow gives families a wonderland of options like sleigh rides, dogsledding, Blast Mountain tubing and ice skating and snowshoeing. All year round, we have special events, like Montana Master Grillers or Thanksgiving weekend, which make it easy for multigenerational families to come together around live music, lawn games and phenomenal cuisine. It just warms your heart.
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