Pro Tips for Packing the Perfect Picnic

Are you dreaming of summer already? We sure are. And this year, we’re going all-out for al fresco, starting with a Chicago-style picnic in a Montana-size park.

Join us on June 16 for our Montana Long Table: Artisanal Picnic, and you’ll have a chance to chat and dine with illustrious Windy City chefs known for their Chicago dogs and gourmet sausages, honey butter fried chicken and hand-crafted pies.

But you don’t have to travel far to enjoy an epic picnic. Let Paws Up Executive Chef Sunny Jin share some inspiring thoughts on dining outside during those dreamy months ahead:

What do you love about eating outside?

The greatest advantage to eating outside is the wholeness of the experience. It allows us to focus on what’s important, and I believe that simply to mean being present and enjoying the moment in front of us.

What are a few of your favorite things to take on a picnic? 

I’m big on variety and small bites. That doesn’t mean extravagance and significant labor. My choices usually consist of cured meats, pickles, olives, cheeses, whole fruits and the best bread I can find. Every region has local favorites of each item, so an assortment is easy to come by.

Other than food, what else might you take? 

My picnic spots are usually at places where cell service and paved roads are absent. That creates a place with less exposure to human contact, so I carry along a book on plant identification. I’m still amazed what I’m able to find now that my eyes have adjusted to the edible surfaces around all of us.

If you were planning a leisurely rafting trip, what would be on the menu? 

Being respectful and observant of fire bans, regulations and conservation should always come first. It would be a bummer to pack for a riverside BBQ, and then come to find that fires are not permissible. I love to grill as much as the next person and would if the opportunity were there. However, to be safe, I try to stick to cold, no-fuss items that travel well. 

Chef Sunny Jin’s Rafting Trip Menu:

Chilled Prime Rib Wraps with Watercress, Pickled Goat Horn Peppers and Cucumber-Horseradish Slaw

Roasted Eggplant Panzanella with Chorizo, Toybox Tomatoes, Chèvre and Banyuls Vinaigrette

Fresh Fruit Bites with Wildflower Honey and Greek Yogurt

Homemade Jerky: My freezer is always stocked with experimental jerky made from earlier hunting and fishing trips.

Dill Pickle Chips: We all have our vices.

Ice Cold IPA: Some have more vices than others.

Kick off the holidays with something spectacular

This Thanksgiving, create new traditions with a family vacation to The Resort at Paws Up. With an abundance of activities to choose from, there’s something on the menu for everyone. Get cozy inside with family movie nights and football and parade viewing parties, or satisfy your appetite for outdoor adventure with horseback riding, ATV rides, hayrides, touch football, bird watching and more.

Of course, we haven’t forgotten the feast itself. For Thanksgiving dinner, you and yours can sit down to a spectacular spread at Pomp or opt to have a private, plentiful meal brought to your home, which will be whisked away when you’re done. That’s just one portion of a weekend filled with sumptuous, locally sourced fare brought to you by our world-renowned Executive Chef Ben Jones.

We sincerely hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable Thanksgiving weekend at The Resort at Paws Up. We’ll take care of everything—you just make the memories.

Along with five-star cuisine, you’ll enjoy exquisite vintage wine all weekend long from our featured vintner, Rombauer Vineyards. Established in 1980, Rombauer Vineyards is a family-owned and operated business with deep roots in food and wine. Owner KR Rombauer is a great-nephew of The Joy of Cooking author Irma Rombauer, and his ancestors originated from the winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine is considered an essential complement to a meal. This rich history has led to an award-winning selection of wines that will make for an ideal pairing for your
Thanksgiving weekend.

Paws Up welcomes Dan Dubuque as the special musical guest for our Thanksgiving celebration. A solo acoustic guitarist, Dubuque is known for his unique approach to the Weissenborn, a slide guitar that’s played lap-style. Dubuque often adds percussive effects, playing the guitar like a drum while infusing every song with his free-sounding style.

Swing into Spring at Paws Up

spring at The resort at paws up

Here at Paws Up, we have the secret cure for the winter blues: plan a trip around one of our upcoming spring events. Banish the blahs with Valentine’s Day festivities or with the Eat, Drink and Meet Merry Wine Weekend or plan to attend WildFlavor or the Cowgirl Spring Roundup. Relax with gourmet dinners, wine tastings and spa treatments or amp up your adrenaline with snowmobiling or horseback riding on the Montana terrain. You could even learn to wrangle and shoot at our world-class property. (Psst: We’ve also had a few opportunities to rub cowboy boots with super special celeb guests who’ve recently visited The Resort.) From food to fauna and wine to wilderness, spring at Paws Up is going to be spectacular.

Valentines Day Paws Up

Valentine’s Day at The Resort at Paws Up

It might not be balmy outdoors yet, but we guarantee this event will warm you right up. We’re pulling out all the sweet stops this year for a twosome getaway, available February 11—15. Dream up a list of all things romantic, and we can make all your wishes come true, including:

  • A private wilderness chic rustic cabin
  • Crackling fires
  • Intimate dinners
  • Spa treatments for two
  • Private outdoor adventures

paws up winter

There’s always room for more love, so we’ll include a welcome basket with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries; (more) champagne, oysters and caviar during one dinner; a half-day activity credit per person and accommodations with a hot tub and bottle of wine.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t get any better than this, and it’s all here waiting for you at The Resort at Paws Up.

merry edwards winery

Eat Drink and Meet Merry

We hinted at celeb sightings, and the first of famous folks to visit Paws Up in 2017 will be Vintners Hall of Fame inductee Merry Edwards, one of California’s first woman winemakers. As part of our inaugural Wine Weekend event, you will clink glasses with Edwards and her vintner partner, Ken Coopersmith.

Highlights include a wine seminar and outdoor adventuring with the winemakers. The crown jewel will be enjoying mouthwatering dinners with expert vino pairings from the Merry Edwards Winery, known for its exquisite Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs. Wine Weekend corresponds with the 20th anniversary of the Merry Edwards Winery, founded in 1997.

This first-ever Wine Weekend will also feature live entertainment, tastings and plenty of hands-on learning (read: plenty of wine sipping!) so you can impress friends at home with your sommelier-like expertise. Burn off the extra indulgences with adrenaline-pumping adventures such as snow tubing, horseback riding or sporting clays shooting. We hope to see you March 16—18. Cheers!

 wildflavor chefs at paws up

WildFlavor

Saddle up for the ultimate culinary ride with flora, fauna and flavor at our WildFlavor event, April 20—23. The first of its kind at The Resort, WildFlavor will feature cream-of-the-crop culinary talent with four Top Chef stars including Kristen Kish (winner, Season 10), Sam Talbot (finalist, Season 2) Casey Thompson (finalist, Season 3) and Brooke Williamson (runner-up, Season 10). Guests will have a prime spot to watch these chefs “fork it out” during a live cook-off challenge. A trio of expertly crafted meals will be served during the tasty four-day event.

wildflavor at paws

WildFlavor is the perfect blend of food, fun and live entertainment, plus enough outdoor activities to fill up any spaces in between. Special guest singer-songwriter Austin Jenckes (The Voice, Season 5) will be on hand for a soulful Saturday night performance of his folk-rock guitar-based melodies.

Fun spoiler alert: Be sure to tune in to Top Chef before you come for WildFlavor, as Talbot, Thompson and Williamson are all returning to compete in Season 14.

081616PawsUpSelects-3

Cowgirl Spring Roundup

We bill this April 27—30 event as the ultimate immersion Into Cowgirl Culture, and that’s a description we take seriously. You can swap Wild West Stories and ride alongside Cowgirl Hall of Fame honorees, including champion rider Sandy Collier, famed artist  Deborah Fellows and equestrian trailblazer Patricia E. Kelly. For three days you will participate in cowgirl skills workshops and a special ranch photography clinic with award-winning photographer Barbara Van Cleve. The Roundup will feature trail rides on horseback, hiking on breathtaking paths across The Resort and relaxing in front of a campfire by every night. You’ll also wrangle and herd cattle across the vast Montana landscape and test your aim at our sporting clays course.

cowgirl spring roundup at paws up

Grab the girls and book a getaway for the Cowgirl Spring Roundup. Just like every other top-notch event at The Resort, you’ll enjoy your fill of gourmet food, perfect wine and cocktail pairings, luxe accommodations and spa treatments. It’s the perfect way to finish out a spring break getaway.

sunset paws up

Curling Comes to The Resort at Paws Up

curling-the-resort-at-paws-up

Once again, during WinterFest 2017, the Missoula Curling Club (MCC) will join us at Paws Up to demonstrate and teach the enigmatic sport known as curling. Like last year, the club and Paws Up guests will get a chance to play at The Resort’s “official” curling court (otherwise known as the Paws Up Ice Rink).

curling-WinterFest paws up

The sport involves two teams sliding (and guiding through the sweeping of brooms) 40-pound hunks of granite down a “sheet,” or playing field, of ice. The team that repeatedly gets its so-called stones closest to the center of a target at each end of the sheet eventually wins a curling match. The sport, which gained medal status in the Winter Olympics in 1998, is often misunderstood but actually easy to learn and fun to play, according to most curling enthusiasts.

The nonprofit Missoula Curling Club was formed in 2010. “We have 130 members playing on 28 teams in the Competitive and Recreational League. We began in Fall 2010 after the February 2010 Olympic games— which got a few folks in Missoula saying ‘we can do that,’ so a club was born,” says MCC President Barry Bollenbacher. He estimates that about 20,000 people in the United States play the sport of curling. But in Canada, the sport is huge, with about 2.1 million active curlers. The sport is hard to excel at, but easy to enjoy, says Bollenbacher, and the fact that you can enjoy a beverage during a match adds to the fun.

He recommends coming out early to the Paws Up “sheet” this year to experience curling for yourself. Lessons will take place at WinterFest on Friday, January 20, from 3 to 5 p.m., so you’ll be well prepared to take part in the exhibition game later that night, from 8:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Be sure to check out the amazing chefs, distillery, brewer and musicians at WinterFest 2017!

012316pawsupwinterfest-60-copy

Get Cozy with Red Wine and Hot Chocolate at The Resort at Paws Up

Red Wine and Hot Chocolate

Move over Irish coffee. Have you heard the buzz about the latest trending winter beverage, Red Wine and Hot Chocolate? The bartenders at The Resort at Paws Up have, and they’re already serving it up this season. Red Wine and Hot Chocolate is easy to make. All you need is milk, red wine, your favorite dark chocolate and cinnamon. Our staff tops the beverage off with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.

rombauer-merlot-and-paws-up

This warming drink is simply hot chocolate spiked with red wine. It is similar to mulled wine but rich and chocolaty! Use three parts hot chocolate to one part red wine. We used Rombauer Merlot. The Rombauer family members are big fans of this varietal’s rich, silky textures and supple tannins, as well as its versatility with food. It is medium-bodied and ripe and plush, with flavors of plums, cherries and figs. It makes a perfect pairing with melted dark chocolate.

102516pawsupselects-49-copy

After a day of cross-country skiing, horseback riding, or snow tubing at Paws Up, take a sip of Red Wine and Hot Chocolate, and you’ll be feeling warm and cozy in no time. We love drinking it fireside. So if you’re visiting us this season, come by Tank and try one (or two). Otherwise, make one at home, and let us know how you liked it.

Where to Achieve Amazing Baking and Horseback Riding Skills in One Weekend

Upper Crust Culinary Event at The Resort at Paws Up

What do horseback riding, fly-fishing, ATV rides, pizza, cookies and pies have in common? We have the simple answer: Upper Crust at the Resort at Paws Up. Spend October 7th-10th getting your hands doughy during this one-of-a-kind kitchen adventure in Montana, which offers more than flour and sugar—glamping®, spa treatments, cattle drives and live music are also on the menu.The Resort at Paws Up

Join us this year to learn new skills in the kitchen as well as participate in outdoor activities on our 37,000-acre ranch, including fly-fishing, ATV tours, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian lessons, sporting clays, repelling, archery, go-karts and more.

Horseback Riding at Paws Up

The Resort also welcomes back the “pie whisperer” herself, Kate McDermott, along with Portland’s Ken Forkish and Chicago’s Mindy Segal for Upper Crust, a culinary weekend of sophisticated cookie, pie and pizza baking. During both events, guests will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with world-class chefs, bakers and winemakers as well as work up an appetite on adventures and excursions in the breathtaking Montana wilderness.

Upper Crust Event at Paws Up

By day, you’ll be creating works of edible art from fresh local ingredients. And by night, you’ll be dining on the cuisine of Paws Up’s Executive Chef, Ben Jones, masterfully executed and paired with exquisite wines.

Ken Forkish Upper Crust Paws Up

Afterwards, you’ll retire to the unparalleled comforts of your very own luxury vacation home.

glamping at The Resort at Paws Up

Upper Crust Event Highlights

Upper Crust Culinary Event at The Resort at Paws Up

Friday, October 7, 2016

Welcome reception

Dinner featuring Executive Chef Ben Jones

Fire and Fondue in Tank

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Culinary workshops including kolachke and rugelach cookies,

American apple pie and pizza making a variety of wilderness adventures

Live entertainment in Tank

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Culinary workshops including thumbprint cookies, sweet cherry pie and pizza making

A variety of wilderness adventures

Live entertainment in Tank

outdoor adventure at the resort at Paws up

Upper Crust is the perfect treat for anyone who’s passionate about homemade, just-out-of-the-oven desserts and pizzas and outdoor bucket-list adventure. Find out more here.

glamping at the Resort at Paws Up

Where to Shop at The Resort at Paws Up

Wilderness Outpost Paws Up

What you typically see in hotel gift shops, you won’t see at The Resort at Paws Up. We don’t do the typical gift shop thing around here. Instead, we’ve constructed the ultimate 11,000-square-foot rural boutique. The all-new Wilderness Outpost is the antithesis of a multipurpose building, but it serves multiple purposes.

The Resort at Paws Up Wilderness Ouptost main floor

This is the place where you can check in for your horseback ride or river rafting excursion and the location where you’ll relax in our loft and enjoy coffee and organic snacks (sure beats a food court at the local mall). You can snag that pair of Frye boots you’ve had your eye on or purchase a masterpiece from renowned artists. It’s also the place to chill in the afternoon, with outdoor seating and happy hour 4 p.m. to 6 p.m in the summertime.

The Resort at Paws Up Wilderness Ouptost

You see, the Wilderness Outpost (formerly called the Paws Up General Store) is all about sourcing items with a story.

paws up store

Featured brands include iconic names such as Chaco, Filson, Lucchese, Old Gringo, Stetson, Will Leather Goods, Woolrich and more. Featured artists/vendors include Behring Made KnivesC.Martini Jewelry, Michael Haykin, Kendahl Jan Jubb, Jayne Piazza, T Bird Leather, George Van Hook, Diane Whitehead and Antonia Wolf. Every Friday, you’ll get a chance to meet and chat with one of these artists in residence as they proudly display their work. This is not Rodeo Drive. It’s Whoa Road—home to the most unique shopping experience you’ll ever have.

The Resort at Paws Up Wilderness Outpost

How to Put the Glam into Camping at Paws Up

glamping Paws Up

Luxury camping at The Resort at Paws Up is nature served on a gleaming silver platter. Known as North America’s premier glamping® destination, The Resort at Paws Up features five luxe tented camps that cater to families, couples and groups. Each safari-style tent features fine linens, comfortable beds, chic rustic furnishings, art-adorned walls, electricity, air-conditioning, heat and—most importantly—a camping butler at your beck and call. Learn from our Resort Manager, Charles Daenen, and our Glamping Operations Manager, Eddie Young, how we turned old-fashioned camping into glorified glamping.

Glamping Paws Up

1. What are the necessities to “glamp” up a camping experience?

Charles: Be flexible. You are not checking into a five-star suite with a 50-inch television and a minibar, but you are getting ready for an experience of a lifetime.

Eddie: Lots of s’mores, a sturdy pair of boots and a mind that’s open to new and fun experiences.

2. What’s the funniest request you’ve received from a guest?

Charles: I was once asked to sing happy birthday in my native language—Dutch—and it sounded awful, as I cannot sing. But I made the entire group laugh.

Eddie: A guest once asked me to remove ants from a tent, without harming them. (All ants were safely removed.)

3. What about a guest’s most unique request?

Charles: A guest wanted to have one of our ponies come to a camp and stay next to her child’s bed inside the tent until she fell asleep.

Eddie: I had a guest who wanted me to try to get an elk close enough to touch.

glamping tents Paws Up

4. What necessities should a guest bring to Paws Up glamping tents?

Charles: An open-minded attitude. You are going to experience a vacation like nothing you’ve done before.

Eddie: The tents have pretty much everything you could need, and if they don’t, we can get it for you.

5. What is the most unique aspect of Paws Up?

Charles: There are actually two things that make the glamping adventure unique: the location and the willingness of the staff to go the extra mile time after time. If one of those two things was missing, it just would not be the same experience.

Eddie: Our employees at Paws Up are special. They are friendly, genuine and passionate about giving our guests a great glamping experience.

6. Where is your personal ultimate favorite place to camp?

Charles: The deck of Cliffside Camp early in the morning, drinking coffee and watch the sunrise while eagles soar above the Blackfoot River looking for breakfast.

Eddie: All camps have features that make them individual, and I can honestly make a case for each being my favorite. Moonlight Camp has a special place in my heart, as it was the first camp I worked. It has the true feel of camping, being out in the open meadow and away from most of The Resort, so you definitely feel like you’ve stolen away.

The Resort at Paws Up Montana June 2013Dining Pavilion at River Camp

7. If you could tell guests one thing before they visit Paws Up, what would it be?

Charles: Do not hesitate to ask us anything, no matter how crazy your request is. We want to know what you like, but we are also really good at anticipating your needs. 

Eddie: Be prepared to get dirty! Whether you are on ATVs, horseback riding or sitting around the campfire, it’s the great outdoors, so—naturally—it can be dusty and dirty. A good pair of old jeans is sufficient here, as we don’t want to ruin your good pair.

8. What’s the one thing you see guests most often forget to pack?

Charles: Sunscreen.

Eddie: A cowboy hat. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. We have a huge selection of hats in the Wilderness Outpost, and you will be feeling country in no time!

9. If you could have one famous camper come stay at the ranch, who would it be?

 Charles: Bear Grylls—I’d love to have him run a wilderness workshop.

Eddie: Louis L’Amour. I grew up reading my dad’s old books while we were camping, and he was by far my favorite storyteller. I would love to sit around the crackling fire as he told stories of the Old West, gun-slinging cowboys, outlaws and bandits that would keep me intrigued for hours.

10. How did you become a camping butler?

Charles: I am too old for that now, but if I—just like Cher—could turn back time, this would have been my favorite summer job. Most of our butlers are referrals from other employees.

Eddie: I started working at the Resort as a summer job during college, and it has easily become one of my favorite jobs I have ever held. Being outdoors and helping guests enjoy themselves while glamping is a fun and challenging job, but it is highly rewarding when you see the smiles and continually have guests who don’t want to leave at the end of their stays!

children at The Resort at Paws Up

Where You Can Learn to Paint with Water and Wine

We love summer workshops, and last month our brand new Wilderness Workshop, Brushes with Greatness, offered participants a chance to paint alongside a true American master in a breathtaking Montana landscape. Artist George Van Hook is renowned for his impressionistic paintings. His five-day “plein air” watercolor workshop was hosted in a variety of inspiring outdoor settings throughout The Resort. Van Hook has exhibited his award-winning works on three continents and has been teaching art and presenting workshops for more than 30 years. Beginning painting at an early age, Van Hook also spent his formative years traveling overseas to study art and copy other artists’ master works at Europe’s legendary museums, including the Louvre.

Mark your calendars for Bottle & Bottega with Stephanie King-Myers and Nick Myers from June 21—26, 2016. One day in March 2009, Bottle & Bottega founder Stephanie King-Myers and her artist husband, Nick Myers successfully convinced a friend with no artistic skills that she could in fact paint, with the right inspiration. So with a glass of wine in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, the friend successfully created her first masterpiece, and the Bottle & Bottega concept was born! In their workshops, King-Myers and Myers offer a variety of art and media experiences, including canvas painting, mosaics, glass painting, live models and more. Now with three young children of their own, they love introducing families to painting so that together they can create lasting memories! Whether you’re the family Rembrandt or struggle drawing stick figures, Bottle & Bottega will bring out your inner artist. No matter what your skill level is, you’ll produce a painting to be proud of. Also, there’s plenty of wine to help get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy painting at inspiring locations on the ranch, some sunset sessions and some alfresco evening sessions at individual luxury camps. There will also be some vino-free sessions at the Kids Corps of Discovery, so family members of all ages will have a chance to express themselves.