101 Things to do in Red Lodge

There's enough to do in and around Red Lodge to keep visitors busy all summer, winter, or any three months of Sundays in between.

1. Ski or snowboard Red Lodge Mountain. Improve with private or group lessons.
2. Catch big air on either skis or a snowboard in the mountain's terrain park.
3. Try telemark skiing. Equipment can be rented at Sylvan Peak in Red Lodge.
4. A summer ski race camp is held annually in the high country above Red Lodge. The Chamber of Commerce has details.
5. When the Beartooth Highway opens, local skiers head for Twin Lakes and Gardner Lake headwalls for some steep skiing. Be prepared for a long walk back up.
6. Go cross-country skiing on Forest Service trails (Lake Fork and West Fork of Rock Creek) or Red Lodge Nordic Center west of town.
7. Showshoe, either on Forest Service land or at the Nordic Center.
8. Information on local backcountry skiing and ice climbing is available through Beartooth Mountain Guides.
9. Take the kids (or your partner) sledding. Coal Miners Park is popular with locals.
10. Snowmobile. Many people ride to Cooke City from Red Lodge.
11. ATVs can be rented at Benbow ATV Rentals, (406) 328,4352.
12. Enter one of the local ski and snowboard competitions. The Hancock Cup and Citizen's Cup are held annually (call Red Lodge Mountain for details), and the Rocky Mountain Winter Games every two years.
13. Watch or enter the Cardboard Classic race during Winter Carnival, held in late winter each year.
14. Try your hand at ice sculpting during Winter Carnival.
15. Enjoy the unusual sport of ski-joring the second weekend in March, either as a competitor or a spectator.
16. A lighted public skating rink is maintained in Lions Club Park, across the street from Beartooth IGA.
17. Take part in the town's Christmas Stroll, held in early December. Local merchants offer special holiday discounts and treats.
18. Custer National Forest offers hundreds of miles for hikes of any length.
19. Horse-packing trips can be arranged through local outfitters, or
20. Let llamas carry your load on a backcountry trip.
21. Improve your horsemanship at Bill Crabtree Training Stables, located near Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course.
22. Great places to ride bikes include Silver Run Trails on the West Fork of Rock Creek; Meteetse Trail, southeast of town; the Beartooth Highway (not for the faint of heart); area back roads.
23. Compete in the Fat Tire Frenzy mountain bike events July 22 and 23.
24. Test your stamina in the Beartooth Run (eight miles running up the Beartooth Highway) on June 24, or the September Peaks to Plains triathlon (running, biking, paddling) from above Red Lodge to Billings.
25. A walking trail with wonderful views of the entire Rock Creek valley is located in Coal Miners Park. The trail also has benches and access to Rock Creek.
26. Cooney Reservoir provides opportunities for waterskiing and riding jet skis.
27. Explore magnificent Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, on the Wyoming-Montana border east of Red Lodge.
28. Enjoy boating the Stillwater or Yellowstone rivers. Local outfitters make it easy.
29. Fish at Rock Creek - rainbow, brook and brown trout.
30. Fish Stillwater River - rainbow and brown trout.
31. Fish the Clarks Fork River - trout and whitefish.
32. Fish at Cooney Reservoir - trout and warm-water fish such as bass and walleye.
33. Fish the Beartooth Mountain lakes - trout, including cutthroat and golden.
34. Fish at Wild Bill Lake - stocked rainbow trout.
35. Fish at Greenough Lake - stocked rainbow trout.
36. Both coniferous and aspen forests are found on Custer National Forest, with firs along waterways and up near timberline, on the high plateaus.
37. Try the Clarks Fork River near Edgar and Fromberg for water birds.
38. Many types of raptors can be seen in and around the Pryor Mountains.
39. For other suggestions, ask any local authority.
40. The forests and mountains around Red Lodge abound with wildlife. Good places to see animals are along the branches of Rock Creek, in high meadows, and on the cliffs south of town (mountain goats).
41. Try the East Side Road near the Sheridan and Rattin Campgrounds south of town for moose in the morning and toward dusk.
42. Wild horses are a popular attraction on the Pryor Mountains.
43. An elk-viewing turnout has been built on the Ski Hill Road. The cows and their young calves usually are seen here in early spring.
44. Beartooth Nature Center houses a variety of native animals that cannot be returned into the wild.
45. Aspen forests support a greater variety of plants than do coniferous forests. The Beartooth Ranger Station can suggest good spots for wildflowers.
46. In July and early August, the high plateaus are filled with a suprising variety of wildflowers.
47. The Pryor Mountains contain a web of different ecosystems ranging from alpine to desert, with associated plant communities. Several very rare species are found there.
48. Enjoy a drive over the Beartooth Pass. Early morning and late evening provide dramatic lighting and an increased chance of seeing wildlife. Memorial Day weekend marks the traditional opening of the road.
49. Visit the Big Ice Cave in the Pryor Mountains. Its flooded floor remains frozen all year.
50. For those with the time and stamina, Grasshopper Glacier (named for the millions of insects trapped in its snow) makes a rewarding and unusual destination. The Forest Service can tell you how to get there.
51. Retrace the flight of the Nez Perce tribe through the Sunlight Basin on the Chief Joseph Highway.
52. Hunt for fossils in the sedimentary rock of Beartooth Butte midway between Red Lodge and Yellowstone.
53. You'll get great views and photos from the top of the fire lookout tower just east of Yellowstone Park on the Beartooth Highway.
54. The Boiling River, just inside the north entrance to Yellowstone Park, is one of the few places in the park where you can soak in the famous geothermal heated water.
55. Picnic tables and grills are allocated at many Forest Service campgrounds as well as in Red Lodge City Park, on the east bank of Rock Creek.
56. Fly a kite. The areas mountains mean that there's usually a good breeze blowing somewhere, especially on the east and west benches.
57. Get married - at the Canyon Wedding Chapel in the valley of the Main Fork of Rock Creek, south of Red Lodge.
58. There are two golf courses in Red Lodge: Red Lodge Mountain and the Elks Golf Course, located along Ski Run Road. The Elks is the oldest continually-played course in Montana. In nearby Columbus, try the Stillwater Golf Course.
59. For different type of golf, a Frisbee golf course is located just before Coal Miners Park and Beartooth Nature Center.
60. Public tennis courts are located in Red Lodge at the corner of Villard and 9th St. near the supermarket.
61. For those who simply must play horseshoes while on vacation, pits can be found in Lions Club Park on 8th Street. Bring your own horseshoes.
62. Most local bars have pool tables, including and unusual L-shaped table at the Red Lodge Lounge.
63. Bowlers will enjoy the new lanes at the Silver Strike Casino.
64. Try your hand against Lady Luck. Many bars and restaurants feature video gaming machines.
65. Check out the nationally acclaimed pig races at the Bearcreek Saloon, run by the town's mayor. Pari-mutuel gaming proceeds go to a local scholarship fund.
66. Go out for ice cream. The 50's Soda Fountain will take you back in time and provide a great treat for the whole family.
67. You don't have to drop after shopping in Red Lodge. The compact downtown shopping district makes it easy to find that perfect gift for yourself or others.
68. The Red Lodge municipal pool is located at Hauser and 14th Street.
69. A children's playground is located in Lions Club Park, behind the Depot Gallery on 8th Street.
70. Try your hand at singing karaoke at the Red Lodge Lounge.
71. The historic Roman Theater shows current movies daily.
72. A week of ethnic food, costumes, music and dance is presented each year during the Festival of Nations.
73. Concerts by both professional musicians and students are presented during the Red Lodge Music Festival each June.
74. Famous singers such as Willie Nelson, Sawyer Brown, and many others hold concerts at the rodeo grounds annually.
75. Local bars often have live music, especially during the town's summer and winter events. A street dance is held during the Iron Horse Rodeo.
76. For a slightly different sound, stop in JK Variety Store for an accordion serenade by noted local character JK.
77. Take in a play. The Carbon County Arts Guild helps sponsor an annual "Shakespeare in the Parks" production, and local talents stage a variety of performances each year.
78. The Depot Gallery in Red Lodge features the work of local and regional artists and holds a variety of temporary displays throughout the year.
79. The Arts Guild's Flamboyant Furniture Festival offers the opportunity to bid on furniture reconditioned and reworked by local artists.
80. Each Labor Day an Arts Fair is held at the Depot Gallery, with area artisans selling a wide range of artwork and crafts.
81. See the human and natural history of the area, including a replica coal mine, displayed at the Peaks to Plains Museum.
82. The museum also has informational brochures that allow visitors to make an educational, self-guided tour of historic Red Lodge.
83. Learn about the life of the last great chief of the Crow tribe, Plenty Coups, at the state park that preserves his home. It is located in the nearby town of Pryor.
84. Visit the cabin of Red Lodge's first lawman, the famed Liver Eating Jonson (basis for the Robert Redford film "Jeremiah Johnson"), located just north of the intersection of highways 212 and 308 in south Red Lodge.
85. The vibrant paintings of Kevin Red Star present Crow history and culture in modern style. His gallery is located in downtown Red Lodge.
86. View the lush color photography of Merv Coleman, one of the states best, at his gallery on Main Street in Red Lodge.
87. Charles Ringer's kinetic and other sculptural work can be seen at his gallery in Joliet.
88. Pioneer Pottery in Roscoe offers a variety of utilitarian and other works in clay.
89. The gallery at Flash's Image Factory in Red Lodge presents a variety of local artwork, including paintings by the late Crow artist Earl Biss.
90. Lyle Johnson's statue of Chief Plenty Coups, located at the north entrance to Red Lodge, honors the great Crow leader and statesman, and a plaque outlines his life.
91. The Home of Champions Rodeo, held July 2-4 each year, attracts some of the top rodeo athletes and rough stock in the region. Little cowboys and cowgirls can compete in the Mutton Busting event (trying to ride a sheep).
92. Red Lodge is a city of parades, with at least a dozen each year. The Fourth of July and Festival of Nations parades are the largest and most colorful. The Wagons West Parade on Labor Day is for horses and horse-drawn vehicles only.
93. Harley Davidson enthusiasts convene in Red Lodge each July for the Iron Horse Rodeo and a "Hog Run" over the Beartooth Highway.
94. The Mountain Man Rendezvous, held each August, recreates the sights and sounds of a fur-trade era camp. Many artisans offer world-class traditional arts and goods for sale, and educational seminars are offered daily.
95. A Taste of Red Lodge, held November 4 this year, showcases the fine cuisine of the town, which has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Montana.
96. The town of Bridger holds a Jim Bridger Days celebration each July, including a variety of popular water games for the public.
97. Your friends will all be jealous when you tell them you got to see the annual Belt Sander Drag Races, held at Rock Creek Home and Garden Center at the north end of Red Lodge.
98. Coal Miners Park on the northeast side of the city honors the coal miners killed in the Smith Mine disaster of 1943. A plaque and a grove of memorial trees pay tribute to the 74 men.
99. Want to see tomorrow's trophy trout today? The Blue Water Fish Hatchery east of Bridger uses water from an extremely deep spring, which also creates an oasis-like environment for birds and wildlife. Another fish hatchery is located near the town of Clark, Wyoming.
100. Cruise Main Street the old-fashioned way on the free wagon rides offered each summer evening.
101. Red Lodge Carnegie Library has several computers for public internet access. Many travelers check their e-mail while on the road this way.
     

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