“When it comes to colossal Big Sky vistas and brilliant starlit nights, nothing quite compares to this heroically timbered lodge capping a sweeping 7,500 foot wooded ridge, an hour north of Yellowstone National Park.”
-Andrew Harper,
the Hideaway Report
Life is easy at the Big EZ!
Big Sky, Big EZ, do you sense a theme here…? Come discover big beautiful space in Montana! Big Sky Yoga Retreats is proud to partner with the Big EZ Lodge as our retreat host. A true sanctuary, the Big EZ Lodge is a uniquely beautiful, uniquely private retreat, the ideal setting for adventurous play and peaceful solitude. The inspiring setting of the Big EZ will nurture and support your yoga experience and the transformation your week with us will bring about. Our goal is to take care of your every need so that you are able to focus your energies on your personal growth and development.
Located at 7,500 feet elevation in the Madison mountain range just north of Yellowstone, the Big EZ is a blend of award-winning architectural design and exquisite appointments that bring the majesty of the natural surroundings inside. Native timber, fireplaces crafted of ancient river rock, and original hand-painted murals are part of the warmth crafted from the land that is a hallmark of the Rocky Mountain experience.
The Big EZ is a place where simply gazing from a window at breathtaking vistas can be a remarkably satisfying experience in itself. Feel snug inside any of the 13 luxurious guest rooms named for the various states from which their décor was inspired, fitted with thoughtful amenities and comfy robes. Few places can actually boast of such a relaxing, yet engaging ambiance.
The Big EZ meal plan includes three gourmet meals per day along with 24 hour amenities should you need a midnight snack. Vegetarian meals are an option, and of course please advise us of any special dietary needs you may have.
Read on for Big EZ press!
American Splendor
Five privately owned lodges in the greater Yellowstone area give instant access to the park-far from the madding crowd.
From June 2004
By John Heminway
During the summer in Yellowstone, RV's are more numerous than bison. The daytime crush in the lobby of the Old Faithful Lodge induces claustrophobia. And "bear jams"—multiple-car pileups occasioned by the sighting of a far-off sow—are greater hazards than the bears themselves. But thanks to a collection of singular lodges surrounding the park, there's a novel way to appreciate the wilderness without the bedlam.
In my 25 years as a part-time resident of the northern Rockies, I've come to know many retreats within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—18 million acres of park, plateaus, mountains, forests, and rivers. These five lodges may not be the most luxurious, but they are the most comforting. I especially like their owners—always friendly, occasionally eccentric backcountry enthusiasts who treat their guests like family. I, in turn, have no trouble embracing them as long-lost relatives. So it is with the other guests. After a week at the lodge, they, too, assume the manners of the seigneur: jokey with the staff, sentimental about the horse, possessive of the land.
Those of us lucky enough to live in this open space know not to compete with the landscape through self-important architecture—a point of wisdom thankfully adopted by these proprietors. For them, a sunset, a wolf track sighting, a lazy interval on the porch are moments of note, maybe even worthy of a war whoop.
MONTANA - Big EZ Lodge
Everyone should commit at least one folly. This mountaintop compound is Donna and Steve Hicks's. Steve first conceived the Big EZ Lodge as a corporate retreat for his company, AM/FM Corp., but by the time the final log was in place, he had sold the company, and the firm's empty $12 million getaway was fast becoming a white elephant.
The Hickses now share the several thousand acres surrounding the Big EZ with guests, most of whom are regulars. Donna, tall, vivacious, and rarely short of words, believes the lodge will always be a work in progress. Every year, she adds to the Hickses' considerable collection of Sandra Blair and Peter Hayes pottery and Nelson Boren and Beth Loftin oils. A full-time decorator—her clients include Dennis Quaid—Donna has brought her Texas influence to each of the 13 cavernous guest rooms and every adjacent corner of the Big EZ. The bronze bears cavorting near the lodge's entrance are bigger than any grizzly in Montana. The lone star inlaid in the floor bears a striking resemblance to the one in the capitol rotunda in Austin, her hometown. After a day spent fishing deep pools along the roaring Gallatin or hiking into Beehive Basin to catch glimpses of moose and bighorn sheep, guests can book an hour with the resident massage therapist before tackling one of chef's creations, such as pan-roasted caribou tenderloin accompanied by curried tomato purée. I prefer to sit on my terrace and study the moon-dappled crest of the Spanish Peaks, a skyline that appears to be mine alone.
Take it EZ
From December 2006
By Kathleen Fritsche
Get pampered in high style at The Big EZ Lodge near Big Sky, Montana. One hour from Yellowstone National Park and only minutes by complimentary shuttle from the ski slopes of Big Sky Resort and Moonlight Basin, this 13-unit lodge perches at 7,500 feet above Porcupine Valley. Designed by architect Frank Cikan for owners Steve Hicks and Donna Stockton-Hicks of Austin, Texas, The Big EZ received a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architecture for its use of natural materials, its expression of vernacular Montana architecture, and its extraordinary attention to detail. "I wanted something elegant and beautiful that still invites you to put your feet on the coffee table", says Donna, who created the Arts-and-Crafts-meets-the-West interiors. A great place to call home after skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, trail riding, or winter fly-fishing, the lodge serves gourmet meals with wild game specialties and offers a wine list with an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. A billiards and game room, a workout room, and a Montana-size hot tub, complete with waterfall, will round out your day before you settle into the luxurious comfort of a uniquely appointed suite.