Sights and Sounds
Making the most out of Music in the Mountains.
Live music is like nothing else. The sound is raw, the lights are blinding, the volume is cranked, and nothing tastes better than an $8 Bud Light after a couple of hours of jamming to your favorite band. To be in a crowd, listening to a ripping live performer is to be a part of something unique and special. Luckily, Big Sky Resort offers free (!) Music in the Mountains every week from June through September, the Big Sky Classical Music Festival, and rock n’ roll events like the Spruce Moose Festival. Big Sky’s venue has seen acts like the Beach Boys, Michael Franti, John Butler Trio, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. There’s lots to see.
But even if you’re rocking really hard, going to a show can still be rather sedentary, and sedentary isn’t really Bozeman. Bozeman-ize your musical experiences this year by making your Big Sky concert session an all-day sound-venture. Here are a few ideas for rockin’ preludes to this summer’s best shows.
1. Run (or walk) Beehive Basin
Beehive is a perennial summer favorite for its buffed path, spectacular scenery, diverse wildlife, and cool, high-altitude temperatures. After running or walking 3.5 miles (each way) to beautiful Beehive Lake, you’ll be ready to rock after this eye-popping trail.
2. Lift-served mountain biking at Big Sky
Enjoy all the fun with none of the grunt at Big Sky Resort. For just $33 a day, a lift takes you and your bike to the top for downhill-oriented fun. From mellow cruisers to sphincter-tightening freeride terrain, Big Sky has something for every level of rider. Downhill with no uphill is like an endless encore from your favorite band.
3. Rafting the Gallatin
The Gallatin isn’t just pretty scenery and fat trout—there’s whitewater to tame. Bring your boat for a few pre-party laps; novices can call Montana Whitewater for a run through the churning fun of the Mad Mile and House Rock before you wind down listening to live tunes under the stars.
4. Climb Red Cliff
Just a few minutes from the Meadow Village, Red Cliff is a local sport-climbing haunt that has it all: beautiful stone, an array of routes from 5.6-5.10, and one of the easiest approaches anywhere. After you’re completely pumped, grab a beer and head for the stage.
5. Golf Big Sky
At 6,500 feet, your drives fly further, your views of Lone Peak seem clearer, and the beer in your cart tastes sweeter. Play nine or 18 holes on Big Sky’s Arnold Palmer–designed course before the show, and you’ll ready to kick back and relax.
