Description: You won’t have any luck finding accommodations at the heavily guarded RV trailer cemetery up the road, so press on through Pray, MT, until you find Chico. Centered around an early 20th-century lodge, Chico Hot Springs Resort offers rural seclusion and a host of luxurious amenities for visitors, including a mineral hot-springs pool that can reach temperatures of up to 112°F.
A "historically romantic site since 1900" set amidst rolling hills in the Absaroka Beartooth Mountains, Chico began as a bathing spot for local miners, and later evolved into a boarding house, medical facility, gambling site, and dude ranch before settling into its current role as a relaxing getaway for families and honeymooners. The Georgian-inspired architecture and craftsman-style interiors of the main lodge are complimented by a variety of antiques throughout, while the Western-themed saloon boasts a pool table, big-screen TVs, and dance floor.
After a dip in the pool, with its shimmering blue waters that require no disinfecting chemicals, grab a bit to eat at The Dining Room, which serves some of the best cuisine in Yellowstone Country, or the less-formal Percie’s Poolside Grille, where I devoured a combination of potato soup and blue cheese and walnut salad; during the summer, the salad ingredients are taken straight from Chico’s beautiful organic garden.
Guests can choose from a variety of accommodations during their stay, from one- or two-bedroom log cabins with full bathrooms to Jacuzzi cabins equipped with a refrigerator, stereo, and private deck. Rooms in the main lodge start at $39/night, and the staff recommends calling ahead to make reservations. Pet owners will be happy to know that little Rover is welcome to stay, too, for a nominal fee.
Though the pool can undoubtedly lull you into whiling the day away in sun-drenched relaxation, Chico’s location affords visitors a variety of outdoors activities should action and adventure be the theme for the day. During the summer, rafting, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding are all easily accessible in Paradise Valley and nearby Yellowstone National Park, while the winter yields cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and even dogsledding opportunities.
For more information and to make reservations, please visit the Chico Hot Springs Resort website.
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