Places like Emigrant? (Great Falls, Bozeman, Kalispell: rentals, price, airport)

[flyboy216]

Howdy!

Last year I stayed at a vacation rental in Emigrant, MT, and absolutely loved the location. Soon (Sept) I intend to spend 3 months meditating in a relatively remote location (but with access to services, should I need them), and Montana is my top choice.

It's really hard to find rentals on airbnb or vrbo. Where else should I look if I want a huge wide-open place with sparse population and epic mountain scenery around? Relative access to an airport is a plus (so friends and family can occasionally drop in).

I'm considering Kalispell as well, and will probably have to branch out to WY and CO (I've stayed in Crestone before, and that was wonderful).

Cheers,
Fly

[NW Crow]

There are lots of places that could fit the bill.

The Crazy Mountains NE of Bozeman is near where you were before but somewhat different.

These would be nice in fall:
Outside Sheridan WY.
Around Stanley ID. Or McCall ID. Or an hour outside of Ketchum.
In Colorado you could look within a hour of Durango or maybe a place like Kremmling. Or in Teller County CO.
Or north or west of Taos, New Mexico.

If you aren't afraid of winter arriving:
A place outside Red Lodge MT.
West of Great Falls MT.
Outside Lander or Pinedale WY. Or Saratoga WY.

There are so many places that might work. To get more or better suggestions you might have to add detail about how close to how big of an airport, the rental price range, how close to how big a town / city you want to be for basic services & amenities, if you want contact with other like-minded folks, etc.

[michael11747]

Well close to an airport really makes the quality of your choices go way down. I was going to say Island Park, ID, just over the border from West Yellowstone, but the airport is about 2 hours away in Bozeman, maybe 2.5 with road work and traffic. Emigrant is awesome. I never stayed there, but always stop at the Sinclair and eat in the Old Saloon. Did you check out Chico? If not you missed out. And all the mountains to climb...

So depending on how far away from an airport you want to be, I would suggest Island Park, lots of recreation, and fun things to do. Lots of rentals, just check craigslist, the mininickel, or call a property management company.