Never been and thinking about going with wifey for a few days in October.

Someone told me not much to do there if you aren't skiing, any truth to that? Looks like Yellowstone is an hour drive which is enticing.

Good restaurants or enough things to keep busy with up there?

Big Sky is cool. Lots of good restaurants in town. The Wilson is a good hotel. It's an easy trip to Yellowstone. Lots of outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, etc.

You would be too early for skiing, it would be shoulder season. Weather unpredictable and could spoil things and make navigating, esp Yellowstone a chore.

Went there in the summer a couple years ago. It's a good base for going fishing, hiking, going to Yellowstone(by far the highlight of the trip, everybody should go see it), etc. But there's not really much to do there as far as just staying and hanging out.

If you're just wanting to visit the area and explore, I would strongly recommend staying somewhere else like Paradise Valley (between Livingston and Gardiner). That area is a much better access point for Yellowstone and more interesting things to do. That is a great time of year in Montana, so y'all will have a great time, but you might catch a little early winter weather by October.

ETA: Not sure when exactly you're planning to go in October, but I strongly recommend earlier in the month. October is when the weather there transitions from peak fall to early winter, and by the end of the month you're running a much higher risk of weather derailing your plans.

So full disclosure we are a member at Gravity Haus and they just opened up a new hotel there. So the whole reason it came on the radar was we get extremely cheap accommodations and have never been to that area before. But in researching a little more sounds like parts of Yellowstone close down as well. Might wait till next summer.

The Silverback said:

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So full disclosure we are a member at Gravity Haus and they just opened up a new hotel there. So the whole reason it came on the radar was we get extremely cheap accommodations and have never been to that area before. But in researching a little more sounds like parts of Yellowstone close down as well. Might wait till next summer.

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I would still go. It's not entirely true that parts of Yellowstone close down in October. All the roads are open to travel until they close to prep for winter on October 31. There are some services within the park that close for the season at various dates starting by the end of September, but your access to any parts of the park would not be limited, and many of the stores/services do remain open through mid-October. The park website has a whole page about closure dates for all the services and roads.

Having been in and around Yellowstone many times at all seasons, I would say late September to early October is the best time of the year to visit the area. Crowds are drastically lower, weather is awesome, and foliage can be beautiful.

Scotts Tot said:

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The Silverback said:

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So full disclosure we are a member at Gravity Haus and they just opened up a new hotel there. So the whole reason it came on the radar was we get extremely cheap accommodations and have never been to that area before. But in researching a little more sounds like parts of Yellowstone close down as well. Might wait till next summer.

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I would still go. It's not entirely true that parts of Yellowstone close down in October. All the roads are open to travel until they close to prep for winter on October 31. There are some services within the park that close for the season at various dates starting by the end of September, but your access to any parts of the park would not be limited, and many of the stores/services do remain open through mid-October. The park website has a whole page about closure dates for all the services and roads.

Having been in and around Yellowstone many times at all seasons, I would say late September to early October is the best time of the year to visit the area. Crowds are drastically lower, weather is awesome, and foliage can be beautiful.

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We were up there at the end of May/early June and all of the locals kept saying the best time to come is early October.

You should go to this part of the country every chance you get. It's magnificent with some of the best wildlife viewing and scenery on the planet. Doesn't matter what time of year you go as every season is different and has its own advantages and disadvantages. One huge advantage you will have is low crowds, this is a big freaking deal if you have ever been there during peak summer with inescapable crowds everywhere.

Make yourway to Bar N Restaurant outside of West Yellowstone and have the Bison ribeye. You're welcome!

Also, we stayed in West Yellowstone as our base when visiting the park. Very convenient as you're only a few miles from the park entrance.

We went in early September after kids are back in school and while everything is open.

Go back in early June and do whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River. Fantastic!

We just got home from Big Sky and absolutely loved it. There's not a lot to do, but that's one of the things we liked most. We did a fishing guide on the Madison River one day, spent time on the river in town fishing, reading, and enjoying the scenery. We didn't stay on the mountain, so we drove there and hung out at the resort for a while. Spent 1 day in Bozeman and another day exploring Yellowstone, then we drove to Idaho and Jackson Hole (about a 3 hour drive) and stayed there for 3 nights. Incredible trip and would definitely stay in Big Sky again!