Karst Camp, Big Sky Montana

Historic Karst Camp is a popular tourist destination in Big Sky, Montana. Everyone enjoys touring this ghost town, previously a dude ranch from the early 1900s. You can see some of the original buildings and get the feel of the Old West, the reality of how it used to be.

Pete Karst founded Karst's Camp in 1901 in south central Montana, designing it originally as a dude ranch. He had the property awarded to him as back pay from the Cooper Tie Company. The first thing he did was to build a cabin for himself, and then he added another 25 cabins so that they could house up to one hundred people. The idea he had was creating a resort for recreation. Later, he put in a rope tow for skiers, and created a bar and a brothel for the miners who lived locally.

Although the ski lift no longer is in existence, you can still tour the original cabins. The old asbestos mine can still be seen by hiking up a short trail. You can reach Karst's Camp near Big Sky on Highway 191, between Bozeman and Yellowstone. It's easily accessible and a lot of fun for the whole family.