Arrive at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport and pick up a rental car.

Head to the town of Big Sky, situated an easy one-hour drive southwest. Though Big Sky is well known for its top-notch skiing and convenient proximity to Yellowstone National Park, surprisingly enough, there was no hotel that met Andrew Harper standards until the opening of Montage Big Sky in December 2021. Settle in to enjoy the sweeping vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains from either your room’s private balcony or the cozy couch set beside a fireplace before going down to the signature restaurant, Cortina, for a dinner of authentic and tasty Italian cuisine.

This ski-in/ski-out resort offers a wide array of activities, so plan on staying a few days. The idyllic location allows guests complimentary admittance to the exclusive Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course at the Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, as well as access to the lift system of Big Sky Resort. The Montage is suitable in all seasons, with fishing, hiking and golf in summer and downhill skiing and snowmobiling in winter. Activities designated specifically for children include arts-and-crafts sessions and fly-casting lessons, and the Beartooth Pub & Rec, encompassing a bowling alley and arcade games, is ideal for families. After a day on the slopes, adults may want to head to the romantic La Grande Après at Backcast, a bar created in partnership with Veuve Clicquot, to sip on Champagne while enjoying a traditional caviar service.

During your time in Big Sky, book a guided tour of Yellowstone National Park with the help of the Andrew Harper Travel Office. Because we were there in winter, we arranged a private snowshoeing tour of the park. After admiring Mammoth Hot Springs, with its steaming geothermal formations, we buckled into snowshoes and wandered off-the-beaten-path with our guide to explore this mecca for outdoor enthusiasts that draws more than 3 million visitors per year.

Start early with breakfast at the Montage’s bakery-café, Wildflower Market. Your next destination is four-and-a-half hours northwest of Big Sky, a smooth direct drive that’s primarily along the immaculately maintained I-90. This scenic corridor runs along the Clark Fork River and offers stupendous mountain views. We barely felt the time go by.

To reach your hotel, The Green O, you must pass through the gates of The Resort at Paws Up, a 37,000-acre cattle ranch encompassing 28 one- to four-bedroom vacation homes and, from May to October, six camps, each comprising six luxurious safari-style tents. This resort would also be a fine place to spend a night or two, but we prefer The Green O, which is the property’s unique resort-within-a-resort. Nestled within the middle of a densely timbered section of the estate, it offers just 12 architecturally stunning “hauses,” which feature a Scandinavian-inspired design and private hot tubs. The two-story Tree Haus accommodations stand on tall stilts 23 feet above the ground. The heart of the hotel is Social Haus, a buzzing spot serving gastronomic multicourse meals.

Guests at The Green O have access to all facilities at Paws Up — including its more than 50 wilderness experiences, such as horseback riding, dog-sledding and fly-fishing, as well as a spa and three drinking and dining options — but that relationship is not reciprocal. Thus The Green O combines absolute privacy, laid-back luxury, epicurean delights and unlimited dude ranch activities. It’s an absolutely blissful retreat.

Today, transfer to the airport in Missoula, situated 40 minutes west of the resort, and return your car. The airport is very small but offers nonstop flights to 14 major U.S. cities, making it easy to return home.