Mountain Sky Guest Ranch — Hotel in Big Sky

I thought I would write a review to help others with planning their trip and to provide pros and cons along with feedback to management.||||We traveled here under the recommendation of a very large corporation that sends top performers annually. They raved about the experience, food, accommodations, and beautiful country.||||I have read the previous two reviews that suggest a deterioration from years past; however, I cannot speak to that as this was our first trip. ||||Pros:||||Horseback riding is number one! I have never enjoyed riding so much and really feel like you can improve your riding skills with the talented wranglers. While we did not experience very many different wrangles, Callie was our favorite. So energetic, friendly and accommodating to our level of experience in riding. We also had a great intro ride with Cassidy. Finally, my favorite day was the Working Ranch day and I would recommend everyone sign up for this. We pushed 165 head of cattle from one pasture to another and were able to ride off trail for the better part of six hours.||||The facilities are beautiful along with the grounds.||||You are close to world class fly fishing down the Yellowstone River. Do not miss this adventure and sign up for a float day down the river. ||||You are close to wolves, grizzlies, bald eagles, elk and much more wildlife. Ask the staff how to get to Tom Miner and glass the grizzlies ||||Spend a day driving through Yellowstone. I would recommend this over the day long horseback ride through Yellowstone if you have never been. We did not do the horseback ride, but cannot imagine how you can see the vast wonders of Yellowstone on horseback in a day. We went to Lamar Valley and spotted several wolves, traveled to the lower falls of The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and watched Old Faithful. The wolves and falls were our favorite. ||||The dinner ride was one of our favorite rides ending in a fantastic barbecue down in the lower pasture. Don't miss this ride! We did not have time for the breakfast and lunch rides so I cannot comment.||||We did the Sunrise Morning Hike 5 out of 7 days. A quick 1 hour hike every morning at 7:00 a.m to get the body going and burn of the previous day's food. Very beautiful as well!||||If you head out for the day, be sure to ask for a packed breakfast and/or lunch. On our day of fishing, we picked up breakfast burritos to go along with sack lunches. That was excellent service!||||I also need to throw a thank you to Randy. Not sure what department he is in, but we had some car troubles and he went above and beyond to get us going. He is a class act!||||Our interactions with Meg and Tim (Management) were fantastic! They made us feel welcome and when we needed anything they came through. Just ask, and they seem to just get it done. ||||Finally, golf. This 18 hole course is absolutely beautiful and you may be the only person on the course. This course is private and we never felt rushed nor had people in front of us. It is a difficult target course so you may consider putting the driver away and being more strategic. Bring at least 12 balls as you will lose some. Also, leave your clubs at home as their Callaway Mavrik rental clubs are fantastic and free. Go out early morning to ensure you beat the afternoon wind.||||Cons/Recommendations||||While the cabins are beautiful and very rustic, I would recommend investing in some high end mattresses and pillows along with high quality towels. We all want that old time rustic feel, however, at the price I would expect luxury beds, bedding and towels. Just a must for folks that have difficulty sleeping. Coffee in the rooms was also great!||||I would recommend a few more staff to man the bar more often. Many times we had to track someone down to get a drink during the day. Evenings are no problem. Oh, and if money were no object, close the bar off to the dining room and remodel to a rustic saloon feel similar to the Old Saloon in Emigrant. ||||I agree with previous comments about ensuring someone is available at the front desk. Seemed hit or miss if you needed something. ||||I would tell people the food was good not great. For the price, I guess I would expect a higher quality. This is difficult as sometimes a restaurant can get too fancy and the result is not good. So I don't expect a French restaurant experience, but maybe a few menu changes and get the food out quick. Waiting is less important to me than coming out warm/hot and cooked to perfection. The only bad experience I had was over cooked halibut that came out dry. Difficult as you are serving 90 people, but a dish like halibut has to be cooked perfect and delivered quickly before it over cooks. I didn't make it, but was told the seafood buffet was fantastic! I was a bit nervous based on the halibut but was told they had king crab legs, shrimp, oysters, and more. I would advertise the details to your guests as some in our group did not know what was on the menu that night and those that did had no idea what the seafood was. Maybe even publish the daily dinner menu a day or week in advance for people. We typically learned at dinner. I know this is long winded, but trying to articulate for management some slight improvement in dinner menu and serving. Breakfast and lunch were always fine as I am less picky. Give me eggs, bacon, and potatoes and I am happy. Lunch for me also can be less elegant with simple sandwich fixings, salads, burgers, fries, hot dogs, BBQ tri tip sandwiches, a taco bar, etc. Easy is better in my opinion for breakfast and lunch. We envision the chef cooking on a large barbecue on the front lawn grilling up burgers, dogs, tri tip, chicken, etc. ||||While the coffee in the room is very good, I would upgrade it in the bar/restaurant. Also consider espresso and cappuccinos. Again, I know this is a dude ranch, but at the price just recommending a few upgrades. ||||Sorry for the long review, but I really wanted to share our experience and let you know we are going back for many years! We loved it and believe short of a few recommendations it is worth every penny! No cell or wifi in the rooms and very limited throughout left us putting our phones down and getting in touch with nature. I would recommend everyone put this on your bucket list if you have the wherewithal. This is such a wonderful place that you will create life long memories at. Thanks to the staff for continuously working to make our...

My family, which included 9 of us in three generations, just spent a magical week at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch. This was our third visit to the Ranch, and over the 20 years from when we originally came until now, it has not missed a step. Of course there have been some wonderful physical improvements, but the core of what the Mountain Sky experience is, has not changed at all. Thank you!|The riding program is nothing short of excellent, and it is wonderful seeing a woman as the head wrangler👍🏻. I loved the meal rides! The addition of a wellness program and the golf course are great improvements. The golf course is one of the most beautiful courses I have played….the views! Some in our group went fly fishing, did the ropes course and went skeet shooting, so there are numerous activities to keep everyone busy. And almost all of us took part in hiking. There are a variety of hikes available….again, the views! ||The meals were delicious and varied, and there was no waiting for service….everything came in a very timely fashion. They went out of their way to accommodate different dietary needs, as well as children’s dietary needs. It is amazing to think they can serve such incredible food day in and day out to 90+ guests. On a whole, the staff was friendly, positive, very helpful….nothing was too much trouble. Given the fact that the Ranch was closed last season for Covid, many of the staff were new to the Ranch this summer. We would never have known that….they were very, very professional. And the saloon was a fabulous place to gather! Lots of room….there are board games and cards available, and amazing views besides delicious drinks. I loved the outdoor patio area just off the saloon. ||Minor issues:|1. One cabin was small for 5 of us….it was hard to have one person up without waking everyone up, and when people came in at night, it was hard not to wake others that were already sleeping. Things are “close” and not at all soundproof. And the shower handle (which turned on the water and changed the temp) was not really working. It took us a while to get the water on at the right temp each time we used it. Better quality towels/sheets might be in order…. And there was no plug in my bathroom for a hair dryer or electric razor etc etc…. However, the 4 others in our party were in a larger cabin which was a great fit for them. And I loved having fireplaces in the cabins! |2. There was a small bathroom in the wellness center to change/shower in after a massage. I think the center could use a bigger area for changing, such as a small locker room (one for women and one for men), with showers, bathrooms, a sauna and steam room. There is a sauna and steam room at Mountain Sky but they were closed due to Covid. I believe they are co-ed, and frankly, I would not have participated based on that. All in all, the clientele at Mountain Sky stay at the best resorts around the world, and these small changes at Mountain Sky would make a fabulous ranch experience even better! ||All in all, I would highly recommend Mountain Sky Guest Ranch to anyone who wants a top of the line ranch experience. The experience has not changed in 20 years, thank God, it has only gotten even better. A perfect...

What a let down this place was! To another reviewers comment, note – Mountain Sky is in a rebuilding year and things are not as they once were. My family, along with several other families that we travel annually with, have been coming here for years for the riding, idyllic property and grounds, and most importantly, the lovely, expert, and accommodating staff. When I say that Mountain Sky felt like a second home to us, I mean it. This place never failed in being the highlight of our year. I am sad to report that nearly every aspect of our experience has significantly diminished in both quality and service.||||To reiterate an earlier review, meals were an absolute nightmare. Dinner arrived either late, cold, or in such small quantities that we left our tables hungry and exhausted by the long waits between courses. One of the most glaring examples of the dip in service stemmed from the complete abandonment of the little things. In years past, my dietary restrictions were accommodated with creativity and enthusiasm. This year, I had to remind the kitchen of my dietary needs at every single meal. By the time a haphazard and lazily put together alternative arrived 45 minutes later, I either had to leave for my next activity and didn’t have time to eat it or I had already eaten a makeshift meal of fruit and side vegetables as a result of my hunger. At Lunch Ride they only brought one case of soda for 110 people. When I approached the chef manning the grill to ask a question, he looked at me and said “Can’t you see I’m busy?” One morning before our ride, I witnessed another guest ask for a water bottle (extras are usually kept at the stables). She was told that they ran out by one of the wranglers who then proceeded to watch this guest as she dismounted her horse and walked all the way back up to the main lodge to grab a large case of water bottles and bring it back down to the stables for herself and the other riders. Guests in the past used to have access to the kitchens so that we could run in and grab water, soda, if there was not a staff member present to assist us. This year, a new sign on the doors barred all guests from entry, which at face value, wouldn’t have been a problem if there were any staff around, literally anywhere, to be of service. ||||Sadly, I could genuinely go on all day about the depressing mismanagement of what used to be our favorite place to visit. The new team unfortunately just grossly lacks what the gems of season’s past made into our most treasured family memories. It would be great to speak to anyone in charge to politely point out some of the more recent shortcomings of the property, but getting an email or phone call returned is next to impossible, unless you happen to get lucky and catch someone sitting right in front of the phones. It’s my hope that Mountain Sky can get it together for future seasons, but as of now, I’m not confident that we’ll be back. At $6,700 a person, I can’t honestly say that it continues to...