Coming through on a road trip, looking for some advice. (Missoula: rentals, hotels)

[Nesbittaudia4]

Hello everybody,

The wife and I are driving across the country in a few months and after leaving seattle we were thinking to go to a secluded hotel somewhere in MT and just be with nature. I have been "googling" (I assume thats a word now) ...and the obvious problem I keep having is not know the town names and where things are located and such.

What I am looking for: An area in western MT that is no more than an hour (north or south) of I90 that has hotels tucked away in the mountains. I looked at going the cabin way, but the majority I saw at a 3 night min and we wont have time for 3 nights.

Any suggestions of any areas that I should would be great. The local opinions are always better than sites like priceline etc.

Thanks

[ICBM99]

We stayed one night at the Bigfork Stage Cabins, but its about 2 hours north of I90. They've got 3 cabins, and the one we stayed in was very nice.

I might be out of your way, but it is beautiful up there. I don't know what the conditions would be like in a few months though.

You might look into rentals in the Bitterroot Valley, those might be closer to Missoula, and I90.

Found this: Fairmont Chalets - Vacation Cabins near Butte & Anaconda Montana near Anaconda, MT

Another suggestion is use maps.google.com, and pan around the area to get the names of towns along your route. You can also put in rental cabins as a search criteria and they will pop up as you move the map. But I don't think everything is listed.

Good Luck.

[happiness is]

I've stayed at Fairmont Chalets cabins. (They used to be advertising clients of mine).

It is an easy drive from the interstate to the cabins. There are only a few cabins, and they are booked during holidays and hunting season, so call in advance and reserve a cabin. I can recommend them.

The Chalets are on the road next to Fairmont Hot Springs Resort (another place I've stayed often). There is a large hot springs fed swimming pool at the resort, so you can go over to the resort hotel and buy some time at the hot springs while you stay at the Chalet cabin.

Winter is starting now in Montana, so be prepared.

Have fun!

[happiness is]

If the Chalet cabins are booked, stay at Fairmont Hot Springs. It is a large hotel built over the hot springs, a 1970's style. It includes a cafe and dining room in the main building, sauna, spa with massage, and there is a lounge/bar with live music.
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, Montana Resorts, Spas and Golf Courses, Montana Vacations

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Look for "lodges"! Here's a good website where you can select areas and find lodges/resorts:
Montana Resorts and Lodges - ResortsandLodges.com

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by Nesbittaudia4

Hello everybody,

The wife and I are driving across the country in a few months and after leaving seattle we were thinking to go to a secluded hotel somewhere in MT and just be with nature. Thanks

....".....we were thinking to go to a secluded hotel somewhere in MT and just be with nature......"..

I obviously have no idea how familiar you are with Montana, and what our weather can possibly be like in the middle of January........So, I might suggest that you substitute the word(s)....."snow & cold"....for the word "nature".

It's quite possible you may "hit" a spell of "nice" weather......however, be prepared (and that includes your vehicle) for the unexpected!!

[bongo403]

I can think of two places that might fit what you're looking for. In the winter in Montana, you won't want to be too secluded, but both of these would have peace and quiet and charm.

1. Chico Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa (http://www.chicohotsprings.com/index.html - broken link)

It's not far from Livingston, and is a very nice place. They have a combination of the old quaint historic hotel (complete with rumored resident ghost), a nice modern hotel building, and some cabins. They have a nice restaurant as well as the hot springs, and a complete spa. It's usually not busy in the winter, and they have some good winter getaway packages on their website. It's a lot more quaint and out of the way than Fairmont Hot Springs that people have suggested (Fairmont is nice, but I'd take Chico any day - especially in the winter when golf isn't an option).


2.The Double Arrow in Seeley Lake http://doublearrowresort.com/ About an hour's drive NE of Missoula. They have some nice cabins as well as a lodge, and I believe they do things in the winter like organized sleigh rides. The town of Seeley Lake is also big on snowmobiling, and there are a couple of places where you can rent sleds for the day. There are also lots of opportunities for snowshoing, cross country skiing, and ice fishing. It might be just what you're looking for.

You also might want to check out the towns of Philipsburg and Red Lodge. I don't have particular places there that I can recommend, but the towns are small and charming and fit your distance from I90 criteria, and they both have some options.

[happiness is]

You can also stop in a small town, Three Forks, which is on I-90, and stay at a historic old hotel. Three Forks is at the headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers come together to form the Missouri.
Home - Sacajawea Hotel - Three Forks, Montana

[NW Crow]

A simple motel option by the woods:
Little River Motel - St. Regis, MT
about an hour west of Missoula, right off I-90.


As suggested above, Seeley Lake or the Bitterroot Valley could be good areas to look at. Flathead Lake might be as well. The southern part of the lake is not much more than a hour from the interstate (in good weather).

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by Nesbittaudia4

Hello everybody,

The wife and I are driving across the country in a few months and after leaving seattle we were thinking to go to a secluded hotel somewhere in MT and just be with nature. I have been "googling" (I assume thats a word now) ...and the obvious problem I keep having is not know the town names and where things are located and such.

What I am looking for: An area in western MT that is no more than an hour (north or south) of I90 that has hotels tucked away in the mountains. I looked at going the cabin way, but the majority I saw at a 3 night min and we wont have time for 3 nights.

Any suggestions of any areas that I should would be great. The local opinions are always better than sites like priceline etc.

Thanks

..................Well,........I was going to keep this a "secret",......but I will "weaken" and mention a place that "half the residents of the B.R. Valley" do not know it exists!!!!!

Bitterroot River Lodge