The Resort at Paws Up — Glamdom Fandom

Have you ever imagined yourself inside a Hallmark Christmas Card? The Resort at Paws Up in Montana is the perfect place to live out all of your Winter Wonderland fantasies.

This was us on our first visit to the Resort, December 2015

We have a family tradition of taking a vacation to someplace new during our winter breaks, each year. We have been to some fun and memorable places… Aulani Resort, New York City, a journey across Western Canada via train, and Walt Disney World. When we thought about where we would go this year, it was an easy decision. We wanted to return to the Resort at Paws Up in Montana. We were there during Christmas on our first visit. It was the most magical vacation we have ever been on. Everything was perfect. We hit the jackpot with the weather because there had been a huge storm that dumped a ton of fluffy snow, just before our arrival. We had heard and read about how amazing the all-inclusive resort is… but we had no idea to what extent. We knew going into this trip that things may not be as perfect as they were the first time, but it was still incredible. There wasn’t as much snow on the ground as last time, but hey, we live in Los Angeles and any snow is good snow to us.

The kids have grown, but Paws Up was just as magical as we remembered it!

The Resort at Paws Up is a very glamorous vacation destination. (Insert the Glamdom into our intense Fandom for this magical property). We hear that it is equally fabulous to visit, year round. They are well known for their Spring/Summer glamping options and offer a ton of activities for every kind of adventurer.

Upon booking our trip we were assigned a personal concierge that helped us coordinate all of the details of our trip. We spoke with her over the phone and chatted via email, as the vacation approached. She got a sense of who we are by asking us about our interests and likes/dislikes. (We aren’t morning people, we have particular food needs, we definitely wanted to a sleigh ride again, etc..) She helped us customize our dream vacation. It helped that we had been there before, as it was easier to narrow down which activities we wanted to do, But it was just as easy the first time.

When we arrived to the airport in Missoula, we were met by a driver with a big, comfortable van. As it happened, there were three families going to the resort but we were all assigned different drivers/vehicles.

Our driver was holding this sign when he greeted us at Arrivals

Knowing that we would have a kitchen in our cabin, we requested that we stop by a grocery store on our way to the resort. We loaded up on provisions for the week and began our journey to Greenough, which is about 40 minutes away from Missoula.

Our Meadow Home/Cabin for both trips. We stayed on the left in ‘15 and on the right in ‘18

The property at Paws Up is extensive. In the winter, they only offer cabin accommodations because canvas tents don’t mix well with snow. We chose to stay in a cozy Meadow Home, like we did the first time because it was the perfect size for the 4 of us. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen and living room, a washer/dryer and a big deck with a jacuzzi. We were happy to discover that we were assigned the same building as our last trip (just next door) because it is located close enough to the Village (dining and other activities) to walk to. And if we didn’t feel like walking we made use of the Kia that was assigned to us for our visit.

Our very own Kia. We love these cars. Easy to drive, especially with snow tires.

They did a cabin check-in for us. Meaning, we didn’t have to go to reception to check in. Our driver took us, our luggage and our groceries right to where were were staying. A concierge greeted us there with our itinerary for the week. They had us sign a waiver for the car and we were on our way.

Part of the reason that Paws Up is so magical is that the very attentive staff does whatever they can to make their guests comfortable. We arrived on December 26 and I knew that I would still be in the Christmas spirit. So I asked, Heidi (great name!) our concierge, if we could have a Christmas tree put into our cabin. She was happy to take care of this for us and even gave us the option of decorating the tree ourselves. I passed on that because I had already decorated several trees over the season. We were very happy with what they gave us. If you stay there during Christmas, they have a fun gingerbread decorating contest for everyone at the resort. People who are repeat visitors, in particular, take this challenge very seriously. We were warned about it last time we came and because I am insane, I brought in special candy to decorate the house. Heidi asked us if we wanted to decorate a gingerbread house this time, even though it wouldn’t be in a competition. We took her up on the offer. The gingerbread kit was wrapped and waiting for us under the tree when we arrived.

Our gingerbread house in ‘15. We tied for second place!

This year’s version. Sort of a sloppy mess, but I still had fun putting it together.

There is so much to see and do at Paws Up. They offer a ton of activities. In the winter there is snowmobiling, sleigh rides, tubing, ice skating, cross country skiing, dog sledding, show shoeing, spa treatments and on and on. They also offer a kids camp with specialized activities for little ones. Because we like to take it easy on our winter vacations we tried to only schedule one or two activities each day.

We love to snowmobile and made sure that this was one of the first things we did on our trip. We booked a 2 hour excursion that took us along a pristine, snow covered path into the woods. There really is nothing like it.

It can get pretty chilly on the ride. Dressing in multiple layers is key to enjoying the journey.

We have heard stories of people getting hurt on snowmobiles. It seems like the key to a safe ride is to not go too fast. And it is important to leave space between your vehicles to enough room to slide into a stop. The driver’s controls have hand warmers and that may be the best thing that has ever been invented. Our guide took us up to a vista that overlooks the valley and it was so peaceful and unforgettable.

Dog Sledding is one of the very special activities that the resort has to offer. We loved doing this when we were there, previously. But we elected to not do it this time because we wanted to try something new.

I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time on skis, growing up. But Gabe and the kids have only been a couple of times. (Paws Up doesn’t have downhill skiing on their property but there is a place that guests can go to, if they so desire.) Knowing that it would be a solid workout and hopefully a fun experience for the family, we tried our hand at cross country skiing.

One of my best friends (a snowboarder) likes to call me “Wanker Two Planker”, a title I wear with honor

One of the things that I am most grateful to my parents for is that they put my sister and I on skis when we were very young. There is something about winter sports that toughens a person up in the best possible way. You can look fashionable and cute but there really isn’t time to be precious. My Dad always made us carry our own gear and it was a very good lesson in self sufficiency. I appreciate all of my parents’ patience when there were tears. And I am sure there were many. Learning a new skill is never easy, especially in the snow. The kids had a hard time at first, but I tried to remain calm and patient, as my parents were for me.

There were lots of tears on the 2 hr trek. Here is one of the harder moments. Thankfully, we survived.

One of our very favorite activities from the last trip was sleigh riding. Is there anything more iconic to a winter fantasy? Hearing sleigh bells as horse hooves gallop along in fresh snow is a mini piece of heaven. We were lucky enough to get in two rides on this visit. One of the rides was at a special event at their Equestrian Center where they had dinner, music, crafts, and night skating and sleigh rides. Pete and Repeat (the two horses) pulled us around in the dark. And then we got to take a longer trip a couple of days later.

This is an absolute MUST when visiting the resort

The horses are so beautiful and are very “chill”

Since Paws Up is a high end resort, they also have a spa to help assist with relaxation. During the summer, their spa is a bunch of canvas yurts in the middle of a meadow. They call it “Spa Town” and I am sure it is a tranquil place to be. In the winter, they move their facilities inside one of the cabins. This time, the spa was located inside the Morris Ranch House. The kids and I indulged in some fantastic treatments. I had a 60 minute Shaman massage that involved some crystals and a whole lot of sage burning. Milo had the “Chillax” massage that included a cotton candy body scrub. Ella had a more traditional massage and was very pleased with the selection of teas before, during and after her treatment.

The Winter Spa at the Morris Ranch House

You cannot have all of this fun on an empty stomach. Paws Up is known as a foodie destination. On both trips we selected a package that included meals at the resort restaurants. There are three places to get food on property. Tank, is a bar lounge where you can sit in front of the fire, sipping cider or feasting on s’mores. Trough, is where breakfast and lunch are served. They have changed things a bit since our last visit. They now offer a buffet for both meals. You are also able to order off a menu but we found that the daily offerings at the buffet were a great way to go. We appreciated the variety of foods that were served. At each service there was a chef making pancakes and omelets for breakfast and a carving station for lunch. Our meal plan included drinks, a house selection of wine, beer and well drinks.

Serve-yourself hot beverages at Trough. I am still drooling over these earthenware mugs.

Dinner is served at Pomp, the resort’s high end steakhouse. They have a kid’s buffet set up for eager eaters and the chef changes the menu daily. They have a “come as you are” policy at Paws Up, meaning that you are not expected to get dressed up for dinner. Often times people were dressed fancier but it never felt stuffy.

The chefs at Paws Up excel at meat preparation. After all, this is what you would expect from a ranch in Montana. Gabe and I have recently joined Ella and have become vegetarians and we probably should have waited until after our trip to give up meat. Milo, who never met an animal that he didn’t want to eat, lived like a king. The rest of us made meals out of appetizers, pastas and sides. We were almost always too full to order dessert but everything looked amazing.

The one night that we didn’t eat at Pomp was when they had the special dinner at the Equestrian Center. The chef prepared a roasted pig. Milo enjoyed getting to see it turning on the spit. The dinner was a buffet and it was an exceptional meal. It was definitely our favorite evening at the resort.

This was our first visit to the incredible Equestrian Center. It was a true treat to get to be at a private event here.

And speaking of treats, we very much enjoyed the dessert buffet at the Equestrian Center

And our sleigh ride in the dark. Thanks for the stroll, Pete and Repeat!

It would be very easy for me to write an entire article about all of the details at the resort. In particular, I loved all of the decor. And I cannot end this article without mentioning the shopping. WOW! Talk about a well-curated collection of treasures! The Wilderness Outpost is a wonderful place to find just the right keepsake to bring home. (I may have found several.)

In addition to all of this, there is a Bull Barn that has activities for kids of all ages. Including a gaming system with big screens and bean bags, traditional board games, ping pong, crafts, movie viewing and lots of big leather chairs to watch the game from.

We hope to get a chance to visit the resort during the spring/summer months, one day. I am sure that it is just as amazing, in a completely different way. If you are considering booking a trip, yourself, you won’t regret it!

Thank you, Paws Up for making all of our winter dreams come true!