Big Sky Resort lists opening day as Wednesday, November 25. Getting around town changes two days earlier, on Monday, November 23. That morning Skyline switches to its winter schedule, with buses seven days a week through April 11, 2027. Big Sky Connect, the fare-free on-demand van service, moves to its winter zones and hours the same day.
The switch matters for evenings. In winter, local transit runs on two schedules. The vans run in set zones until they close for the night, and the fixed-route buses keep going after that. In Mountain Village, the vans stop at 9:30 p.m. and the last bus down the hill leaves at 12:30 a.m.
What Changes on Monday Morning
Connect has been on its fall schedule since September 21, and that schedule ends Sunday, November 22. Here's how the two seasons compare on Skyline's Big Sky Connect page.
| Fall service | Winter service | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Sep 21 to Nov 22, 2026 | Nov 23, 2026 to Apr 25, 2027 |
| Town Center & Meadow Village | 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with part of the canyon included | 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Mountain Village | Not served | 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| Fare | Free | Free |
In winter, the Town Center and Meadow Village zone gets two more hours in the morning and one more at night. Mountain Village becomes a separate on-demand zone with shorter hours. The canyon section from the fall schedule isn't part of either winter zone. From Monday on, Buck's T-4 and Whitewater Inn are served by the fixed-route buses on Routes 3 and 4.
Skyline's winter Connect map labels places across both zones, including Lone Mountain Ranch, Hidden Village Condos, Firelight, Big Sky Medical Center, Big Sky Nordic Center, Golden Eagle/Community Park, Meadow Village Center, BASE on Aspen Leaf Drive, the Lone Peak Parking Lot, Mountain Village Center, Levinski Lodge and The Lodges at Elkhorn Creek. You request rides in the Big Sky Connect app. Skyline lists 406-898-4438 for questions about the service.
Why the Vans Now Carry So Much of the Load
Mountain Village used to have a fixed-route bus called the Mountain Circulator. In 2025, Skyline replaced it with Connect, so this is the second winter of on-demand vans up there. Explore Big Sky reported in February that the old route picked people up once an hour, while Connect vans can arrive within minutes, depending on demand.
The ridership numbers back that up. Skyline carried 340,000 passenger trips in 2025, 42,000 more than in 2024. Big Sky Transportation District Executive Director Darren Brugmann credited much of that increase to Connect in Mountain Village. Connect trips rose 45% in December 2025 and January 2026, according to the same Explore Big Sky report. "Even with this year, this winter that we're all struggling with the snow, we are seeing an unprecedented number of passengers," Brugmann told the Big Sky Resort Area District board, as reported by Explore Big Sky.
In the same article, Brugmann said the district doesn't track whether riders are visitors or locals. Because the vans pick up at condos that people own or rent out to guests, he expects Connect serves visitors, homeowners and employees, and he believes many riders are employees housed in the area. That use pattern explains the Mountain Village hours. The vans cover the busy part of the day, and later trips run on the bus timetable.
The 9:30 Handoff in Mountain Village
Once winter service starts, a night out at the mountain runs on a fixed timetable after 9:30 p.m. Here is how the late evening runs on Skyline's winter timetable:
- 9:15 p.m. Route 4 leaves Mountain Village for Town Center, BASE, Meadow Village Center and Buck's T-4, where it's due at 9:56 p.m. That's the last trip with a scheduled stop at Buck's.
- 9:30 p.m. Connect stops running in the Mountain Village zone.
- 10:15 p.m. Route 4 leaves Mountain Village. It arrives at Town Center at 10:30 and leaves again at 10:40, stopping at BASE and Meadow Village Center.
- 11 p.m. Connect stops running in the Town Center and Meadow Village zone.
- 11:15 p.m. Route 4 leaves Mountain Village, reaching Town Center at 11:30 p.m.
- 12:30 a.m. The last Route 4 leaves Mountain Village and reaches Town Center, BASE and Meadow Village Center between 12:45 and 12:47 a.m.
Some late trips list Buck's T-4 and Whitewater Inn as whistle stops. Skyline defines a whistle stop as one where the bus pulls over only if a passenger already on board asks. So a later bus can still drop riders at Buck's T-4 or Whitewater Inn, but no one can board there on those trips.
Going uphill, Route 3 runs from Town Center about every half hour from 6:35 a.m. into the evening. The last trip up leaves Town Center at 11:35 p.m. and arrives in Mountain Village at 12:15 a.m.
The Canyon and Madison Base Have Fewer Buses
Away from Town Center and Mountain Village, fewer trips stop. On Route 3, the first two morning buses leave Buck's T-4 at 6:10 and 6:45 a.m. and treat Meadow Village Center as a whistle stop. The first scheduled uphill stop at Meadow Village Center is 8:20 a.m. The Meadow Village Connect zone opens at 6 a.m., so a van ride to Town Center can get someone to the 6:35 or 7:05 bus up.
Once the canyon drops out of Connect, Route 3 is its only local service. The last uphill bus from Buck's T-4 leaves at 10:10 p.m.
Madison Base gets less service still. Route 5 runs one morning trip, leaving Mountain Village Center at 7:30 a.m. by way of Levinski Lodge and Mountain Lodge/Hill Condos. It runs one afternoon trip, leaving Madison Base at 4:45 p.m. and arriving at Mountain Village Center at 5 p.m.
The Link to Bozeman Has Its Own Rules
The Link, Routes 1 and 2, is the only part of the system that charges a fare. It costs $5 each way, exact fare only, and multiple-ride passes are sold at participating businesses. Rides within Big Sky stay free.
Southbound buses leave the Walmart stop in Bozeman between 4:55 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. They stop at the 4 Corners Park & Ride, which is in the Cardinal Distributing lot on Avalanche Drive, and at the Gallatin Gateway Inn. The last one reaches Mountain Village Center at 6:55 p.m. Northbound buses run later. They leave Mountain Village Center as late as 12:30 a.m., and that last bus reaches Walmart at 2:05 a.m.
The Lone Peak Lot, near the Locker Room, is a whistle stop on the early Route 1 trips. Those buses stop there only if a rider already on board asks.
Driving Instead, and Dates for Later in the Season
If you'd rather drive, Big Sky Resort's help center says complimentary day parking is available at Mountain Village and Madison Base. Reserved parking is for the Exchange lot. It has to be bought online at least 24 hours ahead, and day-of spots are sold in person only if any are left.
On the mountain, the resort's October announcement named one new addition for this season: the Explorer Gondola Mid-Station Learning Center, a beginner area with its own surface lifts and beginner terrain. Opening day runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Mountain Village.
Two dining dates follow. M by The Alinea Group is back for a second winter with some new tasting-menu courses, running December 10, 2026, through April 3, 2027. Iglu returns with a larger footprint and lists December 24 as its winter opening. A dinner at either one that runs past 9:30 p.m. means riding home on the 10:15, 11:15 or 12:30 bus down, since the Mountain Village vans stop at 9:30.
Where a home sits on this map shapes how it works in winter: whether it's inside a Connect zone, near a timetable stop, or out where the bus runs a couple of times a day. If you're thinking about what your Big Sky property is worth, including how it connects to the mountain and to town, Brian Heck can walk you through it. Request a Home Valuation and we'll start with your address and your season.
