Community Information
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Area Info //
Red Lodge, Montana sits nestled in a valley carved by glaciation and the swift waters of Rock Creek. Located at the northern edge of the "Greater Yellowstone" region, it offers easy access to a diversity of landscapes and lifestyles.
Red Lodge is a resort and ranching community with a colorful coal-mining past that looks onto 28 peaks rising over 12,000 feet. This charming alpine town is situated at 5,555 feet in the foothills of the magnificent Beartooth Mountains and is surrounded by Custer National Forest. The 69-mile Beartooth Scenic Drive has dramatic switchbacks overlooking snow-capped peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes and plateaus. The Beartooth Pass has been described as the most scenic drive in America.
The quaint little town of Red Lodge is a place you may see cowboys, Indians, and mountain men roaming a downtown that is on the National Register of Historic Places. On and off Main Street are homes and buildings constructed during the coal-mining boom from 1893 to 1910. Originally a resting place for Crow Indians, this valley was eventually discovered by European settlers, and with the opening of a post office in 1884, the town of Red Lodge was officially established.
Red Lodge is the kind of town that welcomes you with open arms. The town of nearly 2,000 residents is composed of an active community celebrating its natural surroundings and the people who have added to its diverse and rich history. The numerous year-round events draw interest not just from locals but its neighboring communities and tourists.
The Red Lodge Music Festival brings young musicians every summer for instruction and evening concerts. This event runs in the month of June. The community celebrates the 4th of July every year with its popular Home of Champions Rodeo. The Festival of Nations in August is an annual celebration. The festival presents eight days of enjoyable history, culture, traditions, crafts, music, costumes and treasures of the countries whose people came to Red Lodge around the turn of the century to seek their livelihoods in the coal mines. Other events are the Peaks to Prairie triathlon race in September, in which teams run from Parkside Campground in Red Lodge, bike to Laurel and canoe to Billings, and the annual Beartooth Run, uphill from Parkside to Vista Point is held in June.
For the winter outdoor enthusiast, Red Lodge Mountain Resort offers excellent downhill skiing enjoyed November through April. Nordic skiers can enjoy private, groomed trailes or those in the forest. The National Ski-Joring Finals are held the second weekend of March, an event combining horsemandship and ski technique for a truly spectacular sport. Red Lodge Mountain Resort will also satisfy the golfer enthusiast. The Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course and the Elks Golf Course are two beautiful courses, located off the ski hill road. There are tennis courts in Red Lodge and Rock Creek Resort.
Red Lodge, MT is an exciting mountain town that has become a popular year-round destination. Tourists are attracted to its rich historical character and charm, along with its close proximity to Yellowstone. Its abundance of outdoor recreational activites and cultural events has also caputured interest from its surrounding communities. Tourism and ranching have replaced coal as the town's main source of income. There are plenty of accommodations and eateries in Red Lodge, known to have more restaurants per capita than any other community in Montana. Come and join in the fun at Red Lodge. See for yourself the true character of this Rocky Mountain community.
Other Online Resources
Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development Area is supported by the local community, working for the local community and the resources that surround it.
The Bridger Plant Materials Center is a government agency that creates plant solutions for ecosystems in the area.
Official site for Carbon County, Montana.
The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation choses and supports projects that compliment the surrounding community.
Website for Red Lodge School District.
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