The Green-O: A Montana Forest Retreat Where Food and Design Inspire

When the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic back in March 2020, Jessie Royer was among the last people to know. At the time, she was in the wilderness of Alaska, undertaking her 18th Iditarod race. She ended up finishing third, but when she pulled into Nome, “they said, ‘hi, congratulations, but you’ve got to go,’” she remembers. Royer is recounting the surreal experience to me from her sled as eight of her Alaskan huskies pull us through the snow near Montana’s Placid Lake. I feel like a kid again, wanting to know every detail about the dogs and their careers.

Dog-sledding is just the latest experience that’s provided an ideal balance of relaxation and stimulation during my long weekend out west. I’m staying at The Green-O, a new resort concept opened in June 2021 by the owners of Paws Up, a working cattle ranch that has become famous for its expansion into hospitality. Earlier this morning I took a trail ride along the Blackfoot River and stared up at a bald eagle sitting nonchalantly on a telephone pole. When my guides and I returned to the hitching post, they served me cider that had been simmering on a campfire. At last night’s dinner—which I watched the chefs prepare from a seat at the bar—each dish offered unexpected delight: A “swede and alliums” course, adjusted for me as a vegetarian, starred a thick slice of tender rutabaga that had been sous-vided in shallot oil. The pre-dessert palate cleanser was a gin frozen yogurt served with bright green pearls of tarragon tapioca. These were just two of the evening’s nine courses.

Paws Up, a sprawling array of cabins and seasonal camps on 37,000 acres of ranchland, has been expanding at a steady clip ever since its founding in 2005. Back then, the word “glamping”—which Paws Up takes credit for—might be said hesitantly or sarcastically. Now, it’s a $569 million market set to grow nearly 20% by 2026. “As we kept building more and more tents, we were attracting more and more families,” says co-owner Laurence Lipson. “…so every time we’d build a new camp, we’d make the tents bigger or we’d add bedrooms.” But while a three-bedroom tent would be the perfect setup for a multi-generational group, it became clear the property needed to create a more intimate place to stay for couples and single adults. Green-O guests get every amenity available to those at Paws Up, just with more secluded, architecturally intriguing accommodations (and those aforementioned nine-course meals).

The Green-O is made up of 12 villas arranged in a circle around the property’s restaurant, the Social Haus. I’m staying in a “Tree Haus,” whose spiral staircase leads up to a spacious living room and then, up another level, a bedroom. Fireplaces bring cozy heat to both levels. Floor to ceiling windows invite an afternoon of nature observation—I spot deer and squirrels among the Ponderosa pines, though bears have been known to wander by as well—and a metal roof makes it all the more romantic when it rains. On the 40-minute drive from the Missoula airport, my driver recommends getting a gourmet pizza (another one of the Social Haus’s offerings) delivered directly to the private hot tub which sits beneath my perch.