Along the banks of the rushing Blackfoot River 35 minutes northeast of Missoula, Montana, is a 37,000-acre working cattle ranch turned luxury resort known as Paws Up. This secluded hideaway in the town of Greenough is a sanctuary for those looking for refuge, relaxation and recreation as well as a place where families can go to spend precious time together in the great outdoors. With two styles of accommodation offerings and endless choices for daytime activities and dining options, there is truly something for everyone.
Paws Up was purchased by the Lipson family in 1997, who started converting some of the original structures into venues for visitors during cattle auctions. Eventually, they started building overnight accommodations for their guests. Their goal was to always keep the ranch nostalgia all the while offering the highest in luxury accommodations. No matter where you are, there is always a sense of being close to nature. While Paws Up is still a working cattle ranch, the main focus of the property is now the resort.
One of the most unique aspects of the Paws Up experience are the overnight options. Guests have two accommodations choices: luxury cabins ranging from one to four bedrooms or well-appointed tents for the ultimate in “glamping.”
Luxury homes come in the shape of cabins—with rustic yet charming exterior, guests find nothing short of luxury. They might leave you looking for a montana ranch for sale. Homes sleep between two and six people and come with a car to get visitors around the property (the ranch offers transportation to and from the Missoula airport for those who don’t want the hassle of renting a car). Each home is filled with everything one could need for a comfortable stay including a full kitchen, a relaxing living room with furniture you could sink into and a large TV, a dining area and private bedrooms with large cozy beds to tuck into after a full day of exploring and adventuring. For cabin residents, dining is at the main village. Breakfast and lunch are served at Trough, a causal yet elegant restaurant with wrought iron chandeliers and thick canvas walls. Dinner is served à la carte in the fine dining restaurant Pomp. For those looking for a little more privacy there are private dining cabanas available.
The glamping experience comes in the form of five unique campsites, each with six tents and a central pavilion for gathering, communal meals, games or just to relax by the fireplace at the end of a long day. The tents sleep anywhere between two and four people and are built on log structures wrapped tightly with heavy canvas. Inside, the spaces are elegantly decorated in warm and inviting colors and fabrics with giant four-poster beds, hot tubs, heated floors and a giant copper bathtub in the honeymoon tent. Camp butlers are on hand at all times to attend to any an all needs and act as concierge and tent attendant.
For breakfast and dinner, “campers” congregates in the open air dining pavilion. Dinner is a gourmet family-style meal with complimentary wine and beer offered. After dinner, campers can gather around a central fire pit and roast marshmallows for s’mores and share stories.
As far as activities go, Paws Up will not be outdone. During the day there are endless opportunities to keep the individual, family or group gleefully occupied in any season. For summer those include horseback riding, archery, fishing, hot air ballooning, whitewater rafting, ATV trips, hiking trails and even a cattle drive. For the kids there is a petting zoo and a paved go-cart track. In the winter, there is skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and snowmobiling.
For the health-minded, there is a fitness center encased in glass that looks out onto one of the property’s vast fields where guests can get their workout from an assortment of fitness machines. For those with more of a Zen goal, both private or group yoga classes are available. The three-mile Grizzlyman Fitness Trail winds through a sheltered wooded area and offers fitness challenges such as rope climbs and wall scaling.
If relaxation is on the agenda, make a trip to Spa Town, the world-class spa set on the edge of the property. Treatments rooms are in comfy tents with heated beds and open views of an expansive meadow. The spa offers a wide range of massages and body treatments including a spa menu for children. For the pampered pet, give your favorite pup the Wag the Tail treatment, a 15-minute pet massage complimentary with any 60-minute spa service.
For the foodie in the family, Paws Up offers dining opportunities above and beyond their already outstanding facilities with epicurean events under the guidance of executive chef Ben Jones including the weekend events Bounty on the Blackfoot, Montana Master Grillers and Montana Master Chefs where celebrated chefs and beverage producers offer endless drinking and dining experiences. Three times during the summer Paws Up does a Montana Long Table dinner where a single long table is set up in the middle of a pristine pasture for ranch guests to dine side-by-side with the farmers, ranchers and artisans that helped bring the food to the table.
Not for the tight-budget, Paws Up rates start around $1,200 per double occupancy. What is included in the price tag for a nights stay are all meals, over the top customer service and several resort activities, not to mention luxurious accommodations, total relaxation and uninterrupted time with the family. Dogs are allowed in an exclusive number of the homes and are spoiled upon arrival, for an additional per night fee of $50. Visit Paws Up for all the luxurious details.
