Red Lodge

An old mining town at the north end of the Beartooth Highway. Crossing the 3,337 m Beartooth Pass leads straight to Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance, and the Red Lodge Mountain ski area opens in winter.

Red Lodge is the county seat of Carbon County in Montana. It has about 2,300 residents and sits at about 1,700 m above sea level, on the eastern foothills of the Beartooth Mountains at the mouth of Rock Creek canyon. The town grew in the 1880s on coal mining and drew miners from Finland, Italy and Eastern Europe. After mining declined, it became an outdoor recreation town. The late-19th-century red brick buildings along Broadway, the main street, are listed as a National Historic District, and bars, steakhouses, craft breweries and outdoor gear shops line the street.

The town's biggest draw is the Beartooth Highway. Starting from town, it winds southwest up through the Rock Creek Vista Point, Twin Lakes, Beartooth Pass (3,337 m) and Beartooth Lake. The road passes alpine tundra and dozens of cirque lakes. After about 109 km, it reaches Cooke City and the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. You can make a round trip in one day or continue into Yellowstone. On the edge of town is a wildlife preserve. The nearby town of Bearcreek hosts summer pig races and the site of the Smith Mine disaster. In winter, the Red Lodge Mountain ski area is the main draw.

Getting there: the nearest major airport is Billings, about 95 km northeast (about 1 hour 15 minutes' drive). A car is necessary. The Beartooth Highway is usually open from late May to mid-October, depending on snowfall. July and August are best for driving and alpine hiking. December to April is ski season. Plan 2-3 days: one day for the old town and surroundings, and one day for a round trip on the Beartooth Highway or a crossing into Yellowstone.

Notes: weather on the high passes changes quickly, and snow or thunderstorms can occur even in summer, so bring warm clothing. There are no gas stations on the mountain, and cell service is spotty. The Beartooth area is grizzly bear habitat, so carry bear spray when hiking.

Top sights

• Beartooth Highway & Rock Creek Vista Point – One of America's most spectacular scenic drives, climbing in switchbacks from Red Lodge. The Rock Creek Vista Point overlooks the zigzaggin…
• Red Lodge Historic District – Late-19th-century brick and stone buildings line Broadway Avenue, now home to bars, restaurants, galleries and outdoor shops. They preserve…
• Red Lodge Mountain – A family-friendly ski area about 10 km west of town, with a vertical drop of roughly 700 m. Less crowded, with good snow and more affordabl…
• Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary – A nonprofit wildlife rescue center on the edge of town where you can see wolves, black bears, cougars, bison and birds of prey that cannot…
• Twin Lakes & Beartooth Basin – Glacial lakes in cirques below Beartooth Pass. The steep snowfields above the lakes host one of the rare summer ski areas in North America…
• Beartooth Lake & Beartooth Butte – Beartooth Butte, with its striped red layers, reflected in the lake. It is one of the most photogenic lake views on the Beartooth Highway…
• Clay Butte Fire Lookout – A forest fire lookout tower from the 1940s at about 3,000 m, with 360-degree views of the Beartooth Mountains, the Absaroka Range and the d…
• Cooke City – An old mining town at the western end of the Beartooth Highway, about 6 km from Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance, and the staging point for…
• Bear Creek Saloon Pig Races – An old saloon in the small town of Bearcreek, east of Red Lodge, that hosts pig races on a track behind the building on summer nights. Spec…
• Smith Mine Historic District – The site of Montana's worst mining disaster, where 74 miners died in 1943. The weathered timber mine buildings still stand beside the road.

Where to eat

• Carbon County Steakhouse – Red Lodge's most celebrated steakhouse, serving beef from a Wyoming family ranch, with the coffee-rubbed ribeye as its…
• Cafe Regis – A brunch favorite that uses ingredients from its own greenhouses and gardens. The garden patio fills up quickly on week…