Travel – Mountain Sky Guest Ranch
Montana has a mystique all its own. From the days of Lewis and Clark and the fur trade to the hit TV series Yellowstone, Montana’s growing popularity has tourism on the rise. Not too far from the 2.2-million-acre National Park is a place that offers every bit of the Paradise Valley experience. The Mountain Sky Guest Ranch is part cowboy, part luxury, part golf and every bit amazing.
Long before Yellowstone ever made its television debut, Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC, Atlanta GC of the TGL and PGA Tour Superstore, visited the area frequently, fell in love with Mountain Sky and eventually purchased it in 2001. Blank’s love for the game of golf is well known, and he added Rising Sun at the base of the property just a decade later.
The ranch has been around in some form since 1866. Nelson Story, a frontiersman, once purchased 1,000 longhorns in Texas and drove them to the Montana territory that same year. This story eventually became the premise for the novel Lonesome Dove. In 1919 the property became a sheep operation before turning into the Ox Yoke Ranch in 1929. It remained the Ox Yoke until 1977, when it became the Rising Sun Ranch. Just two years later in 1979, it was sold to Dan Brutger, a contractor and builder who saw the potential in the property. Brutger changed the name to Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, updated the cabins and added new construction and infrastructure before his son Alan took over operations, making it more akin to what we see today. In 2001, the Brutger family sold Mountain Sky to Mr. Blank, who once again saw this opportunity to improve facilities and provide additional luxuries and activities for families to enjoy.
Nestled a little more than an hour from Bozeman’s airport, Mountain Sky is one of the most unique overall vacation experiences in the entire nation. Make no mistake, this is not a resort. This is an active, working dude ranch with all the trimmings. Throughout the course of your stay, you will see Cowboys actively working, riding horses and maintaining the property. It’s their job, and they are all very proficient at what they do. Your stay at Mountain Sky offers a little taste of this without having to clean stalls, saddle horses or repair barbed wire fences … oh, and did I mention the golf?
Mountain Sky offers weeklong stays during peak season and shorter stays during shoulder season. Once on property, activities like golf, sporting clays, ropes course, hiking and horseback experiences are included in the rate for your stay. Meals and gratuity are also part of your package, but alcohol and more extravagant outings, like a trip to Yellowstone National Park, which is about 45 minutes away, can be added a la carte.
If I had to describe the accommodations at Mountain Sky, I would say luxurious rustic. I know that seems like an oxymoron, but I believe that is the best way to frame it. Some of the cabins date back to the early days of the ranch in the 1920s, but you would never know it. All cabins on property have been meticulously updated to provide maximum comfort and premium views during your adventure at Mountain Sky. You can choose from one-, two- and three-bedroom options to maximize space and comfort for you and your party.
Since guests arrive and leave at the same time, you get to know names and faces while you’re there. Everyone staying for that week has a photo taken upon arrival, which is then placed on a bulletin board in the main cabin. You begin to learn names and faces before you ever meet them, so it’s easy to get to know those who are staying on property with you. After a day or two, you begin to call others by name, and it makes enjoying the views and dinners with fellow guests much more comfortable. And as for those activities, there are sign-up sheets next to the photos, so if you want to do the sunrise hike, just add your name to the list and then take a look at the other names and match them to a face that will be joining you.
There is one nugget that you need to be prepared for while you’re visiting Mountain Sky, and that is the lack of technology. The main lodge building has Wi-Fi, but the guest cabins do not. There is only one TV on the whole property, and it is located at the base of the mountain in the golf pro shop. You are truly off the grid at Mountain Sky, as cell phones will drop service once you begin the ascent up the mountain. If you plan on the full week, don’t expect to get any work done, scroll social media when you wake up or watch your favorite team play in the evenings. It can also be tough to check in with relatives unless you plan on a trip down the mountain every day. At face value, this might seem like a pain in the rear, but in an era where everyone is constantly connected to their device, it is a truly refreshing change of pace. Although your phone won’t be able to make calls or send texts, be sure to keep it handy, because I promise you will take a hundred photos a day.
The Rising Sun golf course is simply stunning. As you enter the property, it’s hard to recognize anything that resembles a place where you would find 18 holes. The usual brilliant emerald green grasses that accompany most properties that boast a course are camouflaged among the rolling Paradise Valley meadows, sagebrush and towering pines. As you gently climb in elevation from the main highway, you reach the clubhouse. It’s not your standard prodigious clubhouse, as the number of rounds Rising Sun sees annually doesn’t require a lot of square footage for guests. There is a small pro shop with some gear and a little sunroom to stock up on some snacks or drinks before you begin.
Most days at Rising Sun, the number of grounds crew members outnumber the players on this 18-hole Johnny Miller design. When you think of some of the most prestigious, high-end golf clubs on the face of the Earth, they can see between 5,000 and 10,000 rounds per year. I would be shocked if Rising Sun gets more than a couple thousand annually. This is a true, choose-your-own-adventure golf outing. In addition to their extraordinary driving range, which offers views not to be believed, they also have a short course, which features a handful of greens and boxes with three sets of tees to maximize your creativity.
The 18 holes at Rising Sun are astonishing. The opening nine winds and weaves along the gently rolling terrain of Paradise Valley, offering views of the Absaroka and Gallatin mountains and utilizing meandering creeks to provide both beauty and challenge. The course begins to climb on the inward nine to an unforgettable postcard finish. The final four holes are right up there with the most picturesque finishes anywhere on this planet.
If you aren’t wanting to play 18, that’s fine. Want to play the final four holes three times? Go for it. Only want to play nine? You bet. There are so few players utilizing the course on any given day, you can pretty well do what you like. I can almost guarantee you won’t find another course in the country that offers this combination of awe-inspiring holes coupled with the freedom to engage them however you see fit. Every hole is a postcard, and the more shots you hit, the less you care about your score and the more you find yourself immersed in the surrounding nature scape.
Horseback riding is a must for your adventure to Mountain Sky. Even having been born and raised here, I am embarrassed to say this was my first time riding a horse. I wouldn’t say I was scared for my first time, but I was a little anxious. My mount was named SoCo, short for Southern Comfort. SoCo is a big horse but wasn’t intimidating to ride in the least. He was great with commands and experienced. Short of a couple corrections when he wanted to stop and graze, SoCo was a joy to ride.
The trail we embarked on was a climb to begin, then a jaunt across the tops of plateaued western wheatgrass meadows followed by a descent down into a tree canopy-covered creek bed. Each stanza of the ride was wondrous as you take in the natural, untouched beauty of the terrain, all while sauntering along atop your mighty steed.
With over 200 horses on property and the guidance of wranglers like Jack and Jordan, who trot along with you and assist with your ride, this experience is one I will remember for a lifetime. This having been my first time on horseback, I fear it ruined me for any potential rides in the future. That is, unless I make it back to Mountain Sky for another ride atop SoCo.
Mountain Sky offers lunch and dinner rides that are easy and worry-free. Or if you want to get the full ranch hand education, try their four-hour cattle drive, which will provide a first-person point of view on how a real cowboy makes a living.
Speaking of lunch and dinner … Mountain Sky does their dining a little different from most other resorts or ranches you might visit. Breakfast is served each morning buffet style, and as you dine, someone with guest services comes by and asks what you would prefer for dinner. For example, you might have the choice of bison tenderloin or Tasman salmon (there is also a vegetarian option) that gets paired with a salad course, a side and a dessert. The options are different each night and are all equally well prepared, fresh and creative. An hour before dinner, in the saloon, beverages and hors d’oeuvres are served before the dinner bell rings. Dinners are served at the same time, and you dine with all the other guests on property.
After dinner, feel free to head back to the saloon where Kaylee and Luke will sling some yellow jackets (Coors original) or some signature cocktails your way. By this time, the sun has usually set, but you can still mosey out to the large patio and take in the serenity of the cool evenings and look at one of the most impressive night skies I have ever been fortunate enough to see. I’ll tell you this, they don’t call it “Big Sky Country” for nothing. If you’re lucky, you might even catch one of the wranglers playing an impromptu acoustic set with his guitar as you sit fireside.
If it’s pampering you require, Mountain Sky has one of the finest wellness centers you will find anywhere. Guests arrive 15 minutes early to rinse off, preventing any clogging of pores during treatment. A great view of Emigrant Peak awaits as visitors are prepared for any number of treatments with herbal tea or a warm neck wrap. Once done with your treatment, don’t forget to check out the sauna or steam room.
There is also the Grotto, which is one of the most unique spa features I have seen over the years. This hybrid sauna/hot tub/relaxation therapy room is perfect for some solitude and a soak. There are a handful of chaise lounge chairs next to a four-foot-deep hot tub. The wooden walls add to the ambiance, and a fireplace along the wall in front of the tub adds another relaxation element. In a small refrigerator just a few feet away are plenty of scented, chilled towels to help you cool off if you get a bit too steamy. It’s a perfect place to continue a day of pampering after your massage.
There is an outdoor pool and spa as well; both come with a side of serenity and surrounding mountain and ranch views. When it comes to the ultimate in rest and relaxation, the spa and wellness center at Mountain Sky is second to none.
If you enjoy a good workout, don’t forget about Mountain Sky’s fitness center. Cardio equipment, free weights, a dual cable crossover system and medicine balls will keep you in tip-top shape for your daily hikes, golf or rides while you’re on property.
In addition to Mountain Sky, AMB West is in current development on another project at Dome Mountain. Just south of Mountain Sky, this addition to the Blank portfolio will sit near the Yellowstone River and offer 20 guest cabins, main lodge, restaurant, bar pool and other shared amenities. This project is set to open sometime in mid-2026 and will offer another option in the area for a luxurious stay in Paradise Valley.
Mountain Sky Guest Ranch is one of the most all-encompassing adventures one could imagine. There is so much to do your week will sprint by. And not only that, but the backdrop for your activities is also one that can must be experienced to be understood. Despite taking a couple hundred photos while there, none of them fully do Montana’s abundance of natural beauty justice. It is one of the few places I have been that actually needs to be seen in person to fully get it.
Customer service at Mountain Sky is as good as anywhere I have ever seen. Staff members are well versed in all aspects of the ranch and can offer recommendations on activities from day to day. There is almost no limit to what you can do, as I never heard a guest services member of the Mountain Sky team say “No, we can’t do that” while I was on their watch.
Mountain Sky Guest Ranch will capture your imagination like nowhere else I have ever been. Everywhere you look you see smiling faces. I believe nature can do that. Nature can heal us from the constant battle with our concrete jungles. There is something about seeing the stars scattered across a huge black sky, riding a horse as our forefathers did, and there is something genteel about putting down your phone and talking to someone you’ve never met before while forging a bond in the presence of that kind of natural beauty. Mountain Sky offers that. The only thing I didn’t like about Mountain Sky is that ever since I left, I have been trying to figure out a way to get back.
For more information on Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, visit www.mountainsky.com