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The nearby Gallatin River affords great white water rafting for the novice to the expert.  This year, 2008, the water is higher than normal due to heavy winter snows, so the rafting should be very good all summer long. We recommend Geyser Whitewater Expeditions (800) 914-9031 or local at (406) 995-4989.  The owners name’s are Jim and  Eric and just tell them Cindy Davis and Kody (our son who worked there for a summer) referred you.  They are very good people and offer scenic trips, half day trips (about 4 hours total time required) and all day trips taking up to eight hours. We recommend the four hour half day trip on the lower part of the river, which is higher water and lots of fun (you’ll get wet!).  Their office is just down Beaver Creek Road from our Mountain Meadows, turn left onto the main highway 191 and you’ll see Geyser about a mile down on your left, just past BucksT4Lodge and restaurant.

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Jake’s Horses is the best place in all of the Gallatin Canyon to ride and Jake has horses of all temperaments and for all kinds of riders. They offer one hour, one and a half hour, two hour, half day and all day rides. We recommend the one hour or at the most a two hour ride unless you ride often, you can get pretty sore from a longer ride.  Jake and his family operate Jake’s Horses from the intersection of Beaver Creek Road and Highway 191. As you head down the hill from Mountain Meadows you will see his driveway and the horses on the right just before the stop sign at Highway 191. The number to make reservations with Jake is (406) 995-4630. His daughter’s Julie and Kristine also do private rides if you have experienced riders who want to really go. The rides go across Highway 191 up into Porcupine Flats which is a beautiful high meadow with wonderful vistas and wild flowers.

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Canyon Adventures is an ATV Four Wheeler rental service with guided or unguided trail rides into the Buck’s Ridge area above the Gallatin Valley.  In the winter they do snowmobile tours, but in any season it is fun and spectacular if your like off roading on something with a motor. The owner Ed, and his son and family are located at their office just down the road about a half mile past the Geyser Whitewater Office on the Gallatin River side of Highway 191. They are in between Beaver creek Road and the Big Sky Spur Road on the east side of Highway 191.

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No trip to Big Sky is complete without a visit to Yellowstone National Park.  Yellowstone is huge (about 80 miles by 80 miles) and requires several visits to see everything.  The park is best accessed from Mountain Meadows by driving south on highway 191 ( turn right off of Beaver Creek Road at Jake’s Horses) for about 37 miles to West Yellowstone ( a small tourist town at the western gate to Yellowstone Park).  While heading south on highway 191 you will see signs that say you are entering the park at about 17 miles from beaver Creek Road, but the National Park Entrance is in West Yellowstone, where you will pay a day use fee per car load (unless you have a season pass to all National Parks) and get info, maps, and directions around the park’s sites. The two best day trips from Mountain Meadows into the park are Old Faithful or The Upper and Lower Yellowstone River Falls. Both trips are about 80 miles each way, but due to low speed limits within the park (which the fed’s enforce with vigor) and an abundance of great wildlife viewing spots and geyser basins to view, it takes a full day to do either one of these trips adequately. 
Old Faithful is accessible after entering the park by turning right at Madison
Junction within the park, and The Yellowstone River Falls are accessible by turning left past Gibbon Falls and following the signs and maps to the Upper and Lower Yellowstone River falls view sites. There will be turnouts to view bison, eagles, elk, coyotes, moose, and many geyser basins throughout the park. This time of year, you can also swim in the Fire Hole River warmed by the geysers in the Fire Hole River and Falls Canyon ( a short one way turnoff just past the Madison Junction on your way to Old Faithful). it’s well marked and their stairs down to the river to this famous swimming hole within Yellowstone Park). 
No matter which of these excursions you take, or if you try both, you can get dinner in the town of West Yellowstone as you exit the park.  We seem to always migrate to Scozzi’s Bar and Pizza, just one block over on your right as you exit the park.  It’s great casual pizza , salads, and soda or beer ( kids are very welcome - try the shredded pork, bbq beans and cheese pizza!)



West Yellowstone Rodeo

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We try and catch the local West Yellowstone Rodeo if we are coming out of the Park on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  The Rodeo starts at 8:00PM about five or six miles outside of West Yellowstone on Highway 20.  Tickets are available at the gate for $10 for Adults ($15 under a roof) and goes to about 9:30PM. It is a small local rodeo but lots of fun and a perfect Montana style event. There are many posters and signs in town with directions and more info.

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About an hour and a half away from Big Sky is a wonderful Montana State Park, The Lewis & Clark Caverns.  Theses caves were discovered in the 1800’s and now include a two hour tour into these deep caves with beautiful rock formations and cool clear pools within the caves. It is a nice tour for all ages and is a nice diversion from the hot summer days with cave temperatures about 48 degrees all year long summer or winter. To visit Lewis & Clark Caverns drive north on Highway 191 from Big Sky toward Bozeman and the Airport.  Stay on Highway 191 past four corners to Interstate 90, go left or west on Interstate 90 toward Three Forks.  Get off at Three Forks following the signs for state route 2 south.  This roar wanders south and eventually west again ( don’t stay on it toward Ennis, but rather go west (right) on State Route 2 toward Butte and you’ll see signs directing you toward the caverns

Hikes
We have many favorite hikes in the area and will list them and rank them here for best and easiest to hardest etc.


Ousel Falls Hike

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1.75 miles each way

This is an easy and well marked hike of about 1.75 miles each way and culminates at a beautiful 30 foot waterfall on the South Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River. This hike is nice anytime of day and is fairly well sheltered by large trees and forest along a scenic mountain stream.

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1.5 Hours. 2.5 miles.

This is an easy morning or early evening hike just outside our door on our own property. The last time we took this hike we startled about 30 elk at early evening and a small herd of about 8 deer just down our road near sunset. Feel free to use the walking sticks by the front door but please return them for future hikers. We also encourage adults to familiarize yourselves with the bear spray and small fanny packs which have everything you may need on hikes anywhere in the Yellowstone and Big Sky areas. There are bears, don’t chase or stick around if your see cubs withy mommas, make noise, where the bells, blow the whistles and talk as you hike in groups. If you are not with others, don’t wander further than from where you can see the house. We’ve had bears on the property, but have never had problems.  Just do not leave food out, leave the trash inside until you take it to the dumpster down Beaver Creek Road and pick up after yourself, without food around the bears don’t stay long.  Start this hike at the log road just above the small cabins as you walk down the driveway to the cabins you will see it on your right. This is an old loggers road that heads north and wanders along our property line, it is easy to follow and eventually heads west across a sloping meadow into some trees near a small brook, follow the road around below the backside of the main lodge and you will come to a small pond ( the one you can see from our back porch), follow the road up hill again where it will meet our driveway about 300 yards before the small cabins.  Head back toward the main house and you’re done.


Swan Creek

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About 4 miles. 2-3 hours.

This is an easy flat two to three hour hike total of about 4 miles that wanders along Swan Creek and leads to a beautiful meadow with a large Beaver Dam. It is best in the morning or afternoon to avoid the heat of day and maybe catch the beavers swimming n their pond. It starts about 7 miles north of Beaver Creek Road on highway 191 as if you’re driving north into Bozeman. You will see the signs fro Swan Creek Trail well marked on your right along the river.  You’ll take the Swan Creek Turnoff and drive in about a quarter mile to a parking area, The hike is due east into the small canyon and as it clears you’ll se he meadow, ponds, and beaver dam.  Be careful walking up close as there are numerous mud holes and tunnels dug by our furry friends.


Lava Lake

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About 6 miles

This is a beautiful but moderately difficult hike up into the mountains about 10 miles north of the Beaver Creek Road turnoff (not far from Swan Creek). This hike is about 6 miles round trip but goes up fairly steep near the end before you get to a clear mountain lake. It is very pretty and a nice spot for lunch or swimming.



Beehive Basin

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Beehive basin is a beautiful high mountain alpine meadow area about ten miles up the Big Sky Spur Road.  It is accessible from a road on your right just after you pass the entrance to the Big Sky Ski Resort near the Mountain Village at Lone Mountain. Hikes in Beehive Basin can be as long or short as you like and as easy or difficult as you want depending on your experience and energy.  The vistas are gorgeous at the foot of the Spanish Peaks and the wild flowers are unbelievable at certain times of the year.



Bacon Rind Creek

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We just took this hike for the first time in June this year and it was very nice and easy.  It is about 2.1 miles each way and wanders through a flat meadow along Bacon Rind Creek just inside the Yellowstone Park boundary, but not inside the gates of the park. It is accessible by driving 17 miles south of the Beaver Creek Road junction with Highway 191.  The trailhead is simply marked “trailhead” with a wooden sign along the highway on your right and the parking lot is about 100 yards up the dirt road. The trail is well marked and there are beaver dams and a nice creek running alongside most of the hike. When the trail begins to head uphill to the mountains we circled back along the creek through the meadow to watch the beaver dams.


Green Trestle Bridge

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This green bridge is not so much a hike as it is an afternoon destination on the Gallatin River. It is located about 5 or 6 miles north on Highway 191 from the Big Sky Spur Road and you just can’t miss the big green trestle bridge across the river on your left. It is a favorite swimming hole with parking across the bridge on the other side of the Gallatin River. Kids will swim most summer afternoons by jumping in off the bridge’s north side into a deep hole in the river water. Fishermen sometimes give them the evil eye, but there is plenty of river for them to fish and only one green trestle bridge to jump off of.