Distinctly Montana Magazine

96 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 3 4181 Fallon St., Bozeman, MT • (406) 586-1737 111 E. Mendenhall St., Bozeman, MT • (406) 586-0077 ridgeathletic.com ONE GREAT MEMBERSHIP. TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS! Contact us today at (406) 586-1737 to find out about our great membership opportunities. northern and central portions of the county. This is thanks large- ly to the abundant water flowing out of the Beartooth and Pryor Mountains to the south and east. Tourists are drawn to the spectacular scenery, especially the Beartooth Pass National Scenic Byway, US 212, which connects Red Lodge with Cooke City, Montana, and the northesterrn entrance to Yellowstone, after a brief sojourn through northern Wyoming. CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt called it "the most beautiful drive in America." It is not for the faint of heart. And while the state of Montana claims that the highway is usually open by Memorial Day, I have found the road closed due to snow in July. Thanks to my father's photography, I can even recollect a Red Lodge Chamber of Commerce "Top of the World Buffet." This "party," held on August 2nd, 1951, used heavy snowbanks along the highway to keep the beer and soft drinks chilled. All I'm saying is that if you drive the Beartooth Highway, don't be surprised if you encounter snow—any time of the year. And if you're looking for snow, Red Lodge Mountain has seven lifts and seventy runs. Normally open for skiing from November till April, the mountain has hosted the U.S. Olympic teams for summer practice runs. Not this year, though. Fishing is one of the more popular pastimes in Carbon Coun- ty. Cooney State Park, just over eight miles west of the town of Boyd, offers camping, boating, hiking, and fishing for walleye MONTANA TITLE DISTINCTLY MONTANA - 2023 FALL 1/4 PAGE Committed to bringing exceptional title and escrow services to Park, Gallatin & Madison Counties RESIDENTIAL & REFINANCE • COMMERCIAL BUILDER/ DEVELOPER SERVICES • LENDER SERVICES MISSOULA COMING SOON! T H E choice I S yours! D E M A N D T H E best! BIG SKY 11 Lone Peak Dr #102 Big Sky, MT 59716 O: 406.993.2644 BOZEMAN 1925 N 22nd Ave #102 Bozeman, MT 59718 O: 406.587.7702 LIVINGSTON 207 S Main St Livingston, MT 59047 O: 406.333.0013

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