Getting There

Cell phone service is spotty in the Gallatin Valley, so it is important to make travel plans ahead of time. There is little or no cell phone service at the 320 Lodge.

Flights

To get to Big Sky, we recommend that you fly into the Gallatin Field Airport (BZN) in Bozeman. There are direct flights to Bozeman from Seattle on Horizon Air Lines, which are usually affordable, convenient, and short. People coming from the east should look for flights connecting through Minneapolis, Denver or Salt Lake City. If flying into Bozeman presents a problem, you can also look for flights into Billings or Helena, which are each about two hours from Bozeman.

From Bozeman to Big Sky

From Bozeman, you have a number of options for traveling to Big Sky. If you want to explore the Big Sky or Yellowstone National Park area on your own, it’s probably easiest to rent a car in Bozeman and drive up the canyon. It takes about an hour to drive from the airport to Big Sky (weather and wildlife permitting); from there, the 320 Ranch is another fifteen minutes down the road. These directions take you from the Bozeman airport to the 320 Ranch. There are also few shuttle services, such as Karst Stage, that run vans between Bozeman and Big Sky.

If you rent a car, we recommend that you coordinate with other guests. We’ll put up a spreadsheet for coordinating transportation between Bozeman and Big Sky once people begin to make plans.

Alternatives

You may also want to consider driving up from Salt Lake City. From there, it’s approximately a six hour drive north through Utah and Idaho and through the western edge of Yellowstone to get to Big Sky.

Look Out!

If you are driving, be aware that the weather in October can be unpredictable. Big Sky is at an elevation of over 6,000 feet, and snow is a real possibility. The main route between Bozeman and Big Sky is US-191, which follows the Gallatin River through a narrow canyon. The scenery is beautiful, but the road can be dangerous. In addition to the other traffic, there may be wildlife such as bighorn sheep, elk, and bison crossing the road. It’s best to avoid travelling through the canyon late at night or in bad weather.