Overview

If you are lucky enough to be visiting Red Lodge, Montana during the winter and you want a great outdoor experience while you get some hearty exercise, go snowshoeing with your family. Young kids, grandma and grandpa, novices and experts – everyone can enjoy the beautiful Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains.

Take a camera and a hot thermos of hot chocolate and enjoy the serenity and lack of congested recreation area.

Where to Go Snowshoeing in Red Lodge

You can snowshoe basically anywhere you might hike in Red Lodge during the summer. To get current information on trails, call Beartooth Recreational Trails Association at 406-425-0698.

• Red Lodge Nordic Center
  Location: Just three miles West of Red Lodge, take Highway 78 for one mile. Continue West on Fox Road for two miles. Turn North on Smith Road to park.
  Description: This popular cross country and snowshoeing facility operates late November to March and offers 15 kilometers of trails.
  For the snow report, call 406-425-0698

Some Popular Snowshoeing Trails

A few popular trails to hike and backpack in the Red Lodge area include:

West Fork of Rock Creek

• Willow Creek (also called Palisades Campground Trail) is a 2-mile jaunt to the Red Lodge Mountain Resort parking lot.
• Silver Run Trails range from easy, moderate to somewhat challenging loops located about two miles south of Red Lodge, ranging from 2 ½ miles roundtrip to slightly more than 5 miles roundtrip.
• Basin Creek Lakes Trail is located off Ski Run Road, and is a 4-mile uphill journey for snowshoers.
• Timberline Lake Trail is a 4-mile trail through burned forest caused by the 2008 Cascade fire.

US Highway 212 (Beartooth Highway)

• Mount Maurice Trail is 3 miles from Rock Creek Resort footbridge to Line Creek Plateau.

Rentals & Fees

The area retailers and outfitters listed here on the page can make sure you have top-notch equipment and Winter gear to make your Red Lodge snowshoeing adventure the best it can be.

Usage Fees at the Red Lodge Nordic Center are:

• $5/Daily for Adults and Teens
• Kids 12 and under and seniors 65 and over are free each day
• $40 for individual season pass, $80 for a family season pass

Hire a Guide

Hiring an experienced local guide will help keep you safe and take the stress of worrying about getting lost off your mind. Guides know the area and can advise you properly about rapidly changing weather conditions.

If you don’t hire a guide, be sure to tell someone where you are snowshoeing and when you expect to return.