Join Us!
Whether it’s pulling weeds along the Gallatin River, learning about wildflowers on guided hikes,
or volunteering at the Crail Gardens, we want you to join us!
Many of our Big Sky Wildflower Festival events will be held at Crail Gardens, located at 2100 Spotted Elk Road.
Volunteer @
Our Gardens
All season long!
Join us in helping maintain our native demonstration garden at the Historic Crail Ranch and help us build a new pollinator garden under the moose sculpture at Ousel Falls!
Contact us and we'll put you on our volunteer list.
Give Big
Gallatin Valley
May 2-3
May 2 @ the Waypoint
Support Grow Wild during this 24-hour celebration of giving! Click on image above to donate.
Join us at Give Big Fest Big Sky Thursday May 2nd from 6-9pm at the Waypoint. This evening of fun includes a bingo card challenge, donation prizes, food, drinks, and more! Give Big Fest Sky is a collaborative effort bringing together organizations across Big Sky to showcase their missions and inspire giving.
Funds raised at the event directly support our conservation work!
Big Sky
Farmers Market
June 5 - Aug 28
Every Wednesday, 5-8pm
We're here to help answer your noxious weed management questions, identify those tricky plants you can't quite figure out, and chat about how much we love native plants (and our new trailer).
Catch us every week except in case of illness or inclement weather.
And because everyone needs a summer vacation, we're taking July 17th off!
Gallatin River
Weed Pull
June 8
9 to 11am
Pull together for the Gallatin!
Saturday, June 8 from 9 to 11am.
Join us and Madison-Gallatin Trout Unlimited for our 16th annual event!
To date, 509 volunteers have removed 10,139 lbs of noxious weeds from the banks of the Gallatin River.
Show your love for the canyon and dislike for noxious weeds by joining us!
Native Plant Sale
Fundraiser
June 9-10
& July 8
Grow Wild is selling native plants to raise funds in support of Crail Gardens and our ongoing conservation efforts.
Order online now on our "SHOP" page. Pick up:
June 9, 3-6 pm
Gallatin Valley @ Simms
June 10, 3-6 pm
Crail Gardens 2100 Spotted Elk Rd.
July 8, 4-6 pm
Crail Gardens 2100 Spotted Elk Rd.
Crail Garden
Open House
June 10
4 to 6pm
Join us to learn more about
Big Sky's inspiring demonstration garden at the Historic Crail Ranch!
Enjoy light refreshments & learn about the benefits of
water-wise, native landscapes.
For those who ordered plants, pick them up between 3-6pm.
Crail Gardens is located at 2100 Spotted Elk Road, Big Sky.
Wildflower
& Weed Hike
June 17
9 to 11am
Rendezvous at the Deer Creek trail-head.
The hike will last 2 hours and proceed at a "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
Big Sky Community Park Weed Pull
June 18
5 to 6:30pm
Join us for a 12th annual weed pull event at the park!
We'll be pulling weeds around the park and along Little Willow Way.
And if your enthusiasm for weeding isn't motivation enough, a tasty BBQ dinner will follow!
Rendezvous at River Pavilion at the park.
Big Sky Wildflower Festival
July 8-12
Join us to learn about the vital role native plants have in our ecosystem.
Events are listed individually, with a few requiring registration
Event details are a work in progress & will be finalized soon!
We're excited to celebrate Big Sky's unique flora beauty with you all!
Wildflower
& Weed Hike
July 8
9 to 11am
Rendezvous at the Ousel Falls trail-head.
Hikes will last 2 hours and proceed at "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
Ousel Falls Pollinator Garden Celebration
July 8
Noon to 1pm
We're building a pollinator garden under the moose pair sculpture at Ousel Falls!
If the garden gods are with us, we'll be celebrating our newly planted pollinator garden with community partners on July 8.
More details coming soon!
Alpenscapes Official Launch Party
July 8
4 to 7pm
Join us for the official launch party of Alpenscapes, a Big Sky partnership that promotes native and sustainable landscaping to reduce wildfire risk, decrease water use, and conserve native species. Through free resources, education, and community engagement, we are working to achieve a thriving coexistence for people and nature. Join us to learn more and celebrate this new resource for Big Sky.
Join us at Crail Gardens for this event - free and open to all!
Exploring Wildflowers Through Watercolor
July 9
9 to 11am
Join us and the Big Sky Arts Council to explore wildflowers through watercolors!
Participants will be guided on using watercolors to create unique artwork reflective of wildflowers found at Crail Gardens.
Art supplies will be provided. Event is free but limited to 15 participants. Register by clicking link below.
This event will be held at
Crail Gardens.
Big Sky Blooms - Flower Arranging Workshop
July 9
noon to 2pm
Join us and Kristen Kern from the Hungry Moose as we learn how to artfully prepare and arrange a bouquet of flowers that will be a beautiful addition to any kitchen table.
Participants will learn the basics of flower arranging along with flora mechanics and tips to elevate any arrangement.
Bring your own vase. Event is free, but limited to 10 participants. Register by clicking link below.
This event will be held at Crail Gardens.
Forestry Hike
July 9
3:30 to 5pm
Join our in-house forestry expert to learn about our forest's health and tree identification.
John Councilman, Grow Wild's board chair, had a 36-year career with the Forest Service as a silviculturist and forest management specialist.
Rendezvous at Porcupine trailhead at 3:30pm. Hike will proceed at "tree identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
Camp Big Sky Bug Bonanza
July 10
Noon to 2:30pm
We're headed to Camp Big Sky to lead a bug inspired scavenger hunt!
We'll start at the yurts, exploring the natural world while hunting for clues and items on our scavenger hunt list.
Kids will end the hunt at Crail Gardens, making bee & butterfly masks.
Noxious Weed Bouquet Contest
July 10
5:30 to 7:30pm
Pretty Wildflowers?
Think again!!
Let's pull those invaders and create something beautiful!
Make a bouquet of noxious & nuisance weeds and deliver entries to our booth at the Big Sky Farmers Market between 5:30 - 7pm.
Judging begins at 7 pm,
with awards to be handed
out at 7:30 pm.
Event is free and open to all!
Native Bees
of Montana
July 11
10 to 11am
Montana's diverse ecosystems are home to between 500-750 species of native bees, which can be found throughout our diverse ecosystems. These important pollinators provide essential pollination services to agriculture, home gardens, and native plant biodiversity. Abiya (Abi) Saeed, Extension Horticulture Specialist at Montana State University, will inform us on some simple steps that you can take to help conserve these important animals.
Event is free, open to all, and @ Crail Gardens!
Riparian Relationships
Trout & Native Plants
July 11
11 to 12:30pm
Join us on a walk to the newly reconstructed Little Coyote Pond to learn about the integral connections between trout and native plants.
This will be presented by Connor Parrish, Project Manager for Trout Unlimited. He has a B.S. in Natural Resource Sciences and an MS in Biology with an emphasis in fisheries ecology. Currently, Connor focuses on habitat and water quality issues impacting the Gallatin Watershed’s treasured trout fishery. Event is free, open to all, and @ Crail Gardens!
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Picnic Lunch in the Gardens
July 11
12:30 to 2pm
Nothing beats a picnic in the gardens, so join us for food and merriment.
More details coming soon!
Landscaping for Good: Native Plants 101
July 11
2 to 3pm
Join us for an informative talk about landscaping with native plants.
We're thrilled to have Monica Pokorny, Plant Materials Specialist with USDA‐NRCS, join us to discuss all things native plants! Did we mention she's an expert in land restoration?
We've been working to bring her to Big Sky for a couple years, so don't miss your chance to learn from one of the best.
Event is free, open to all, and @ Crail Gardens!
Capturing Wildflowers Photography Workshop
July 12
9 to 10:30 am
Join us for an introduction to capturing the beauty and diversity of wildflowers that Crail Gardens has to offer. All levels and equipment (yes, even your phone!) are welcome and encouraged.
Paul Holdorf of Singing Sky Photography will teach us the basics of composition and equip us to better share the beauty of our native Montana landscape.
Event is free, open to all, and @ Crail Gardens!
Relational Foraging Walk
July 12
Noon to 2pm
Join us to learn about the long relationship between people and plants, and ways to maintain these relationships through foraging and tending. Presented by Jacob Zimmerer, a PhD Candidate in Indigenous and Rural Health at Montana State University, this walk will explore the ways foraging can perpetuate the abundance of plants, teach us about our responsibilities to care for them, and bring us closer to our ancestors. Come prepared to hike in sunny weather.
Registration is free, but required. Limited to 20 participants.
Bag the Peak
Cornhole Fundraiser
August 6
5 to 8pm
We usually encourage bagging weeds, but this time let's
"bag the peak"! Teams of 2 will compete in a cornhole tournament to help raise funds for our conservation work.
Registration via link below (will go live in July).
Limited to 16 teams (food & drink included with team registration). Spectators are welcome too! Purchase a spectator ticket on our "shop" page and enjoy amazing food while cheering on your favorite team.
Wildflower
& Weed Hike
August 12
9 to 11am
Rendezvous at the Beehive Basin trail-head.
Hikes will last 2 hours and proceed at "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
Summer Wine Down
Volunteer Party
August 26
4 to 6pm
As the busyness of summer comes to an end, relax with us and enjoy a glass of wine, a game of cornhole, and the changing colors of the garden.
Our amazing volunteers' collective accomplishments are what make our conservation efforts possible, so let's celebrate them!"
Crail Gardens is located at 2100 Spotted Elk Road, Big Sky.