National S’mores Day at Paws Up

S'mores at Paws Up

Sure, other important things are happening in August, but National S’mores Day is an event we take seriously at The Resort at Paws Up. This year, we’re hosting our first-ever full Resort competition dedicated to the simple, rustic treat we love. The Paws Up S’mores Challenge: We’re taking gooiness to the next level!

Classic ingredients will be provided to all of our guests on property, but unique “secret” ingredients will only be available as part of a special geo-cache adventure earlier in the day.

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Guests won’t have to travel far to compete in the preliminary rounds. Vacation home guests will line up on The Yard at the Cook Shack. Campers will convene at their individual campsites. And the top competitors will be selected to for the Championship round. Fans will be watching as four esteemed s’mores experts rank thier tasty, toasted treat on a scale from 1 to 10. The crowd will go be waiting patiently for samples.

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The grand-prize winner of the Paws Up S’mores Challenge will receive a one-hour photography session from our official on-site photographer. And, naturally, we’ll add their portrait to the Paws Up Hall of Fame.

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Here’s our lineup for Wednesday, August 10, 2016

9:00AM–12:00PM Ingredients-finding Geo-Cache adventure begins from the Wilderness Outpost

4:30PM–8:30PM Campsite competition at individual campsites around The Resort

6:30PM–8:30PM Vacation homes competition on The Yard at the Cook Shack

9:00PM Championship round at The Cook Shack fire pits

9:30PM Awards ceremony at the Cook Shack Stage

Afterwards, guests will enjoy a special musical performance by local favorites . How fun does sound?

smores paws up

5 Things to Learn In Montana This Summer

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This summer The Resort at Paws Up is offering inspirational Wilderness Workshops where guests can grow their artistic, equestrian and literary skills, as well as their outdoor expertise. The Resort’s newest offerings (which start today) include a writing course, an outdoor watercolor workshop, photography workshop, hands-on training sessions in woodsman skills and more. Our top picks include:

activities at Paws Up

Gettin’ Primitive: July 10–16 and August 7–13

Learn about the old ways of the great outdoors from mountain man Gary Steele at his self-built camp, where guests receive hands-on instruction in “primitive” skills such as edible plant identification, fire making, knot tying, longbow archery, music making, orienteering, shelter building, storytelling, tomahawk throwing, tracking and woodsmanship.

Starry Night Photography

Starry Night Photography and Champion Horsemanship: July 18—21

Aspiring cowboys and cowgirls join acclaimed ranch-life photographer and Cowgirl Hall of Fame member Barbara Van Cleve for a captivating photography workshop. Enjoy photographing all the incredible beauty Montana has to offer. Van Cleve, known for her spectacular nighttime imagery, will instruct guests on how to capture vivid, dreamy photographs under a starry, moonlit sky. Additionally, guests can take their horsemanship skills to a whole new level with an emphasis on mental toughness. Participants will focus on control as they wind through obstacle courses along scenic trails and practice their aims on horseback with mounted water pistol shooting.

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Block Printing and Mosaics: July 24–30, 2016

Artist in Residency Jill Schulman will teach adults and children alike the art of block carving and printing, as well as mosaic making in this Paws Up Wilderness Workshop. Schulman is a renowned sculptor and ceramic artist who thrives on teaching her craft to others. No previous experience is required to take part in the workshop—just a willingness to think “outside the block.”

Schulman will demonstrate the art of block printing, and then workshop participants will design, carve and pull prints with their own linoleum stamps. In the afternoon, participants will make a mosaic, filling a stepping-stone with colorful tiles and other materials. These stones will then be installed on a special path at the Kids Corps of Discovery. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

Wild Writing: July 29—30th

Learn writing skills from veteran writer Laura Munson as she leads the Wild Writing workshop. Munson is the author of New York Times bestselling memoir “This Is Not the Story You Think It Is.” Participants will leave with a renewed feeling of empowerment through self-expression in the heart of beautiful Montana.

National Trail Day: The Best Trails at Paws Up

“Going to the woods is going home.”—John Muir

June 4, 2016, is the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, the country’s largest celebration of trails. The Resort at Paws Up offers more than 30 miles of marked trails for hiking on your own or with a naturalist guide. Choose from a variety of excursions through our 37,000 acres that will allow you to seek quiet, peace, solitude and inspiration. Our guides can offer information about native plants, wildlife and the history of the Blackfoot Valley.

“The top two favorite trails on our property would be the Sunset Trail and Jones Pond Trail through Lubrecht Experimental Forest,” says Justyne Palermo, Resort Reservations Manager at The Resort at Paws Up. “The Sunset Trail follows the Blackfoot River, and then you hike up to Lookout Rock, which provides grand views of the Blackfoot River and Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The Jones Pond Trail is the perfect hike for wildlife viewing with many visible tracks of elk, deer and bears near the pond. The hike through Lubrecht Experimental Forest is also interesting as it’s a track of land owned by the university, which provides a location for forestry research, resource management and ecosystem science,” says Palermo.

All trails are accessible to all ranch guests and free-of-charge to visit, so don’t miss a chance to explore our rolling hills and expansive meadows.

Six Paws Up Trails Not to Miss

For a quick, easy hike, choose Sacagawea Trail, an easy one-mile hike that is nearest to the Paws Up Village. Another option is the Grizzlyman Fitness Trail—a one-mile course near Spa Town that includes 12 fitness stations. Each station features equipment made from surrounding timber as well as unique challenges, including climbing, balancing, swinging and more. It’s a great way to relish in nature and burn calories at the same time.

Ponderosa Trail is The Resort’s 2.5-mile hike with a slight elevation through Lowland Forest (considered a moderate hike).

Anaconda Trail is four miles long with elevation changes, forest areas and a historic mining area.

Sunset Trail is filled with beauty for three miles as it follows Elk Creek and spans from the Camp to Village.

Jones Pond Trail is 2.5 miles uphill into Lubrecht, and it is considered a moderate to difficult path, more suitable for the avid hiker.