What's on in Big Sky, United States through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas to New Year ski peak, Winter / Christmas break in United States

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 25 Apr (usually)), Christmas to New Year ski peak (20 Dec – 3 Jan (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 25 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Opening

  Yellowstone roads open

  15 Apr – 5 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonClosures

  The interior roads out of West Yellowstone are ploughed open in stages from mid-April and close again to cars in early November, after which it is snowcoach or nothing. Big Sky is an hour from that gate. Source ↗

• Season

  Spring mud season

  20 Apr – 10 JunOff-season shutdownClosures

  Lifts stop, half the restaurants close, the trails are wet snow and the Yellowstone roads are still shut. Locals leave; the few who come get an empty valley at the cheapest rates of the year.

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 25 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Spring mud season (20 Apr – 10 Jun)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Music in the Mountains

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyMusic festival

  Free Thursday-evening concerts in Town Center park from early June to the start of September. Bring a blanket and something warm; the temperature drops the moment the sun goes behind Lone Peak. Source ↗

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Spring mud season (20 Apr – 10 Jun)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Fourth of July in the mountains

• Holiday

  Fourth of July in the mountains

  3–5 JulNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  The Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest of the mountain summer: lodging and campsites book out and roads into town are slow. Fireworks are often cancelled or replaced by drone shows when wildfire danger runs high. Source ↗

• Festival

  Big Sky PBR

  17–19 JulSporting eventCrowdedBook early

  Three nights of professional bull riding in the events arena in the middle of July, and the busiest week of the Big Sky summer. Rooms in the valley go months ahead and the concerts run after the last ride. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Wildfire smoke season

  15 Jul – 30 Sep · usually

  Most Augusts bring some smoke into the Gallatin Canyon from fires in Montana, Idaho and further west. The county issues air quality alerts, Lone Peak goes hazy, and hard hikes and lift-served biking are best moved to clear days. Source ↗

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Music in the Mountains (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Music in the Mountains (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke season (15 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Music in the Mountains (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Wildfire smoke season (15 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Autumn shoulder

  1 Oct – 20 NovOff-season shutdown

  The aspens turn, the elk bugle in the Gallatin canyon and the summer operations wind down before the snow arrives. Services thin out through October, so check what is open before driving up.

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Season

  Ski season

  25 Nov – 25 Apr · usuallyBook early

  Lifts usually turn from the week of American Thanksgiving to late April, with the Lone Peak tram the reason people come. February and the holiday weeks are the expensive ones; early December is the same mountain for half the money.

Still on: Yellowstone roads open (15 Apr – 5 Nov (usually)), Autumn shoulder (1 Oct – 20 Nov)

Peak crowds — Christmas to New Year ski peak, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Holiday

  Christmas to New Year ski peak

  20 Dec – 3 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The week from Christmas to New Year is the busiest of the ski season: lodging and lift-ticket prices reach their highs, ski school and rentals book out and lift lines are longest. Book months ahead, and early-season snow cover varies year to year. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (25 Nov – 25 Apr (usually))