Yellowstone’s Open! The WEST won. The floods were tough but Montana folk are tougher.
I honestly can’t wait to return to Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa in Pray Montana! I’d kept owner Colin Kurth Davis’ card that I took off the counter when we checked out back in August 2019. My guy Dave had lived in Montana for 12 years and pined for it. I’d never been to Montana or even out West before. Closest I ever got was watching the TV Western Bonanza and fantasizing about riding a horse across the plains with Hos and Little Joe. I’ve always been attracted to cowboy stuff, which likely accounts for my over enthusiasm for suede fringe. I took all my cowgirl fringe on this trip to Montana. Yes I was a fake cowgirl from NY. I loved every minute.
I always meant to call or write Chico Hot Springs owner Colin about the magic of his place and how I need to come back and celebrate.
It was that fabulous and fateful first day at Chico 3 summers ago, that my guy Dave and I met up with fun friends to raft the Yellowstone River. Amazing experience! I attribute rowing 4 hours on my right side (below) to helping me discover the painful lump first night in our cottage at Chico. As I suspected, it turned out to be breast cancer. Boy was I nerved up the whole time I was there. I’m very grateful I made it through, and I need to go back to Chico Hot Springs and enjoy the place without ‘agida’.
I decided to give Colin a call this week to ask how things were going out there and if the resort was affected by the floods and could I help in any way.
Boy was he thrilled I called, because yes the floods happened and they had a really tough couple of days because nobody knew what the outcome of the damage would be, but people really need to know they’re back in action.
Luckily said Colin, “It was a ‘wrinkle in time”. It left as fast as it came. It was truly amazing how fast everyone in Montana rallied to clean up.
But he and many others in Montana are left with a really frustrating situation. Colin says, “All that people are left thinking about was the visual of that house breaking away from the banks of the Yellowstone River and floating away. The press played it over and over again. Where was the press showing all the neighbors putting their political and personal differences aside to help each other secure and piece everything back? Where has the press been to let everyone know just about everything is open, and Paradise Valley is …well Paradise.
People who rely on tourism here are hurting because nobody’s sharing the current situation. There are people out there happily rafting the Yellowstone river as we speak.”
Colin said, as expected his resort had to deal with many cancellations after that natural disaster, but for every cancellation another phone rang with a ‘local’ looking to book. Locals were like ‘wow you have openings’? Montana locals even started a new hashtag #SummerLikeALocal.
And speaking of locals, the negative press was so overdone that ‘local’ singer songwriter John Mayer, a regular you might mingle with at the saloon at Chico and other venues in Montana, was one of the first to be proactive helping get the word out. He used his social media to tell those who had planned to vacation in Montana to come out. He’s even planning a few concerts in the Summer in The Valley and in Gardiner Montana which was hit hardest because they’re a little landlocked. His mission is to drive some revenue for those who depend on tourist dollars to stay in business.
Yes, the north entrance to Yellowstone Park is still closed, but everywhere else is the area is like a giant playground says Colin.
So I’m doing my part here on the East Coast to share that Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa is open and as great as ever and so is Montana.
If you never swam in an all natural unchlorinated hot springs pool you’re missing an incredible experience. The pool at Chico Hot Springs is filled with 80,000 gallons of water that gets drained every night so they can clean the pool, and the water pours back in so quickly it fills right back up every day, 365 days a year. The water temperature is 103 degrees but dips to 98 degrees in the more open area that gets surface cooled.
Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa has been going strong for 120 years. Guests range from Grandpas and Grandmas to Young Kids and everyone in between. There’s something for everybody. Music, fishing, hiking , biking, world class barbecues, a family restaurant off the pool where you can eat in your bathing suit, cowboy suites, honeymoon cottages, a spa, saloon, all the nature adventures you can dream up and the best breakfast in the west. The food is a BIG draw too. The main dining room serves up outrageously delicious food made by their 3 time finalist James Beard Award Winning Chef.
And the hospitality is enchanting. Colin Kurth Davis worked at Chico Hot Springs long before he became proprietor. He continued to work over the years and built up equity and as the owners aged out he said, took over the resort with his wife Seabring starting 8 years ago. They’re great partners in life and business and run the resort together. Seabring has a special talent for journalism and is behind many of the amazing Montana cookbooks.
Boyfriend Dave and I must have been very fun guests there because after dinner our last night there, we were given a cookbook as a gift signed by everyone on staff. We were so surprised and flattered we couldn’t imagine what we did to earn such a beautiful gift. I only found out during this conversation with Colin that the staff has the power to make the gift to patrons they deem worthy. Worthy as in having the ‘right spirit’. Colin said, it’s a honor bestowed on those they deem ‘one of us’. Sweet eh?
Chico Hot Springs Resort & Spa in Pray. Montana is a perfect runaway for anyone out East to go West and do everything or nothing.
Funny though that Chico Owner Colin’s idea of a runaway is reverse. He craves a runaway to NYC to the Beacon theater to hear live music.
Enjoy our conversation and if you decide to go experience Chico Hot Springs tell them Debbie sent you. If they think you’re one of ‘us’ you might get you your own cookbook. wink.
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Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa is in the heart of Paradise Valley. Surrounded by mountains, a stone’s throw from the Yellowstone River and a short, scenic drive into Yellowstone National Park, this historic hotel and restaurant offers guests a wide range of experiences, from boutique hotel to luxury cabins, rustic lodging to spa retreats and an unforgettable hot springs pool. Ideally situated between Livingston, Montana and Yellowstone National Park, Chico is the perfect home base for exploring the wonders of the region. Whether it’s a day trip into Bozeman for shopping or a shorter trip to the private day spa, this historic lodge offers year-round access to an authentic western experience.
