Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 73 information can be found online at beartoothtrails.org/trails/ or at the US Forest Services ranger station just south of town (6811 US Highway 212). Winter in Red Lodge brings with it a romantic, Old World feel. e Christmas Stroll kicks off the holiday season the first weekend of December. Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort opens late November and draws tens of thousands of visi- tors to its family-friendly variety of ski trails. With a summit elevation of 9,413 feet, its lift capacity is 11,000 skiers per hour—although you'll never see a crowd of those proportions. e Web site (redlodgemountain.com) offers an apt descrip- tion: "no lift lines, no attitudes, no big prices." Nordic (cross-country) skiers will find, for a modest honor-system fee, miles of trails through meadows or aspen groves at the Red Lodge Nordic Center. Run by conscientious volunteers, this is an undiscovered gem where silence and sunshine refresh the spirit. Skijoring is a winter sport where a skier is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs) or a motor vehicle. National Skijoring Finals are held in Red Lodge in March of each year. Visitors can observe the spills and thrills from bleachers and sip their favorite beverages. And, speaking of beverages, no description of Red Lodge is complete without an overview of restaurants and taverns. A few noteworthy dining options—almost all are located on Broadway, which is often referred to as Main Street—include: e historic Pollard Hotel Restaurant and Pub; Pom Italian, Regis Café, a noteworthy new Bakery called simply "e Bakery," Mas Taco, Carbon County Steakhouse, Scoops Ice Cream, La Palmita Mexican, the Wild Table, Prindy's, the iconic Red Lodge Café, the elegant Ox Pasture, and many more. If you're looking for great breakfasts, the Regis Café specializes in home-style cooking, while hearty American morning fare is offered at e Red Lodge Café and at Prindy's. e chic gourmet specialty shop Babcock & Miles (one block off Broadway) has an impressive array of the finest wines, cheeses, teas, cookies, mustards, olive oil, and more. ey're now serving sandwiches as well. In addition, the shops and galleries of downtown Red Lodge offer clothing, handmade pottery, jewelry, gifts, food specialties, teas and coffees, original art, technical sports clothing and equipment for the both the serious and novice explorer and skier / snowboarder. Health care options are surprisingly extensive. e award-winning rural access hospital, Beartooth Billings Clinic, has a full staff of primary care physicians and hosts visiting specialists each week. Radiology and CT scanning, along with an inhouse Beartooth Run by Tim Weamer Beartooth Highway by Merv Coleman The Pollard Hotel by Rene Lund

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