Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 7 72 With its historic main street and mountain-town cachet, Red Lodge offers great scenery and plenty of seasonal activities, either beneath the sunny Big Sky of summer or the white cloak of winter. Founded in the 1880s as a coal mining town, the community now beckons travelers from all over the world who want to experience a broad array of cultural and outdoor experiences. Red Lodge is perched at 5,555 feet at the threshold of the Absaroka Beartooth Range. South of town, Highway 212 ascends via scenic switchbacks, culminating at the Beartooth Pass (eleva- tion 10,947) and leading directly into Yellowstone National Park. is highway, dubbed "the most beautiful highway in America" by journalist Charles Kuralt, will not disappoint. It's open from Me- morial Day weekend, weather permitting, and closes for the winter around October 10. Spending the night in Yellowstone is highly recommended and allows visitors to learn about the Park's dramatic landscape and wildlife viewing. Call well ahead for lodging both in Red Lodge and especially Yellowstone National Park. Montana's premier music fest for 54 years, the Red Lodge Music Festival, is held in early June each year. Fine arts are well repre- sented at the Carbon County Arts Guild and Depot Gallery—the summer art season is bookended by their Art in the Beartooths event in late June and a lively outdoor Arts Fair on Labor Day. Different locations throughout Red Lodge, notably Honey's Café, sponsor an Artwalk that kicks off on the first Friday of each month. For the action-oriented, the traditional Home of Champions Rodeo ( July 2-3-4), is world famous and now offers a $1 million purse. e annual Beartooth Rally in late July welcomes motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world. Hundreds of hiking trails, from the easy Silver Run to the more daunting steeps of the Beartooths, provide opportunities for wildflower viewing, photography, glimps- es of mountain wildlife (bring bear spray for possible encounters with bear or moose), and countless campsites for making memories. Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop on Broadway is where you'll find expert advice on the status of any particular trail, and additional RED LODGE AN URBAN BASECAMP Downtown July 4th Parade by Tim Weamer D RIVING INTO TOWN, THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IS A CONVIVIAL SPIRIT ABOUT RED LODGE: tall brick Victorian store- fronts line the street, two ranchers in weathered Stetsons head into a restaurant, a vintage Yellowstone National Park bus comes around the corner, and the misty blue Beartooths rear their heads just down the road. For a moment you believe you've entered the Old West, and every- where you discover traditions and people you thought were long lost. Oh, there's the occasional rhinestone cowboy and plenty of selfie-staging along Broadway, but every visit to Red Lodge renews the authentic brightness of the Rocky Mountain West. by SARIE MACKAY

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