THINGS TO DO IN RED LODGE

Spring ------------------10,000 Feet--------------------------------------------------------------5,000 Feet

YEARLY SPRING EVENTS

April 22, 2007 Peaks to Prairie race is held every spring which starts up on the Beartooth highway with an 8 mile race, biking from Red Lodge to Laurel and kayaking from Laurel to Billings. Mostly 3 person teams do one leg of the race each, but several people compete in the whole race and do all the legs of the race themselves.

April 28, 2007 Annual Beartooth Hospital Health Care Center Ball at Rock Creek Resort

Early June The annual Red Lodge Music Festival is held in town in early June. Montana’s premier music camp featuring professionals from major symphonies who work with the students. Performances are open to the public.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA

1. Fish for ling in the Clarks Fork or the Yellowstone river.

 2. Watch the Siver Run elk herd on the Wapiti calfing grounds just south of Red Lodge.

3. Ice climbing in the Custer National Forest and Absaroka Beartooth Mountains.

4. Visit Pompeys Pillar which is 28 miles east of Billings, Montana. It was on the Lewis and Clark Expedition that William Clark carved his name into this sandstone lookout rock.

5. Take a day trip to the Buffalo Bill Historic Center in Cody, Wymoing. It's only 60 miles south of Red Lodge. It has over 200,000 square feet of well-organized exhibit space, and its divided into four major museums.

6. Take a trip to see Little Bighorn Battlefield. It is the site of Custer’s last stand and is a easy day trip from Red Lodge.

7. The Beartooth Highway Scenic Drive is a must when in the Red Lodge area. It opens around Memorial Day and stays open mostly till the Fall. This is the highway that Charles Kuralt called “the most beautiful road in America”.

8. Once the beartooth highway opens there is steep downhill skiing in a couple of places next to the road. Gardner Lake and Twin Lakes headwalls. There are no chair lifts open, so its climb back up the hill or get a ride in a vehicle back up.

9. Whitewater rafting is available on the Stillwater, East and West Rosebud, Clarks’ Fork and Yellowstone rivers. The sport is fun for the whole family, although you can expect to get wet and to scream a little.

Summer

YEARLY SUMMER EVENTS

Late June The Beartooth Run takes place in late June. Top runners from across the country race eight miles up the spectacular Beartooth pass.

July 2,3 and 4 The Home of Champions Rodeo is held every July 2,3 and 4th. The professional rodeo features top cowboys and cowgirls who compete for $25,000 purse daily. Prior to the rodeo, a daily parade is held in downtown Red Lodge.

 July 20 - 22, 2007 The annual Beartooth Rally is held in late July every year. Harley rider’s gather for a weekend of activities including The HWY 212 Poker Run, street dances, golf tournament and the must see Iron Horse Rodeo.

July Montana State Old-Time Fiddlers Contest is held in late July. In 2005 it will be the 36th annual state competition for fiddlers of all levels. dates to be announced Carbon County 4-H Fair Last part of July

July 20 - 29, 2007 Red Lodge Mountain Man Rendezvous is held each year. Step back 150 years in time to the sights and sounds of the fur-trade era. Activities include staged gunfights, music, melodrama, period arts and crafts and more.

August 4 - 5, 2007 Festival of Nations is the largest and oldest multicultural event in Montana. Celebrates diverse heritages through arts, crafts, tours, dancing, food and nightly performances.

Mid August The Fat Tire Frenzy is also held in mid August. It is a nationally sanctioned mountain bike race. Downhill, Criterion, Crosscountry and Trial events are conducted.

Beartooth Hot Rod Rally BMW Rally @ Lions Camp Red Lodge Bluegrass Festival

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA

1. The Red Lodge area has some of Montana’s best fishing. From high mountain lakes to some of the best river trout fishing there is anywhere. The Big Horn river below Yellow Tail Dam is a world renowned trout fishery. The Yellowstone river inside and outside the National Park has some great fishing. Rock Creek and the Stillwater River are also very good fisheries. If you want bigger lake fishing there is Cooney Reservoir and Big Horn Lake.

2. There are numerous exhilerating hikes in the Red Lodge area. Custer National Forest and Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness offer hundreds of miles of hiking and backpacking.

3. Mountain climbing. The Red Lodge area is home to a number of serious climbs. Granite Peak, Montana’s highest point, is a few miles(but a long walk) away.

4. Over the hill to the east is Bear Creek which is home to the Bear Creek Saloon where pig races are conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights until Labor Day. The pig races have been featured on Good Morning America. It's lots of fun.

YEARLY FALL EVENTS

September 1, 2007 Fun run will include 10K and 5K competitive runs and 2K fun walk.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA

1. Chief Joseph Highway is a very scenic drive especially when the fall colors are showing. Passing across Dead Indian Pass trough Sunlight Basin, you will view dramatic red rock mesas and deep gorges. Watch for wildlife along this route.

2. Horseback riding is definetly something that you should consider when in the Red Lodge area. You’ll see snow-capped mountains, wooded trails, working ranches, and inquisitive wildlife from your horseback perch. Most of the hundreds of miles of hiking trails can be used for horseback riding.

3. Before winter settles in you will want to go golfing at one of the two golf courses in Red Lodge. The 18-hole Red Lodge Resort golf course and the smaller, more rustic Elks Club golf course.

4. The country around Red Lodge is teeming with large game, from elk, moose, deer, mountain lion, mountain goats, big horn sheep and bear. There are also pheasants, grouse, chukers, Hungarian partiage, and waterfowl to hunt in the Red Lodge area.

5. The Carbon County Peaks to Plains Museum of History is in downtown Red Lodge. The museum shows how Red Lodge started as a coal mining town and developed into what it is today.

6. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a good place to go to watch wild horses.

7. Mountain biking is becoming more popular and there are great places to ride such as Silver Run Trails on the West Fork of Rock Creek, Meteetsee Trail southeast of town, the Beartooth Pass and many U.S. Forest Service roads and back county roads.

8. Bird watching at the Waterfowl Refuge area near Bridger and near the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River at Edgar and Fromberg.

9. Eagles, falcons, osprey, and hawks can be seen around the river areas and the Pryor mountains south of Bridger.

10. The Beartooth Nature Center gives young and old alike the chance to see the wild animals of the area up close and personal. A variety of native animals are cared for there before they are returned to the wild or stay there because they can't be returned.

Winter

YEARLY WINTER EVENTS

November 30 & December 1, 2007 Take the Christmas Stroll through Red Lodge the first part of December. The stores are open late and have special sales and food

December (date to be announced) Beartooth Nature Center Fund Raiser

February 23 - 25, 2007 Attend winter carnival at Red Lodge Mountain. Some of the popular races to watch or compete in are the Fire Hose race and the Cardboard Classic. Also watch the Winter Carnival Parade in downtown Red Lodge. Watch or participate in the ice or snow sculpting contest.

March 9 - 11, 2007 Watch the National Finals Ski-Joring Finals held in Red Lodge. Has been shown on ESPN2.

Labor Day Arts Fair Held at the Arts Guild Harvest Hoedown -- Fundraiser for the Carbon County Historical Society

Beartooth Nature Center Golf Tournament Jaycee's Halloween Festival

November A popular local event in November each year is the "Taste of Red Lodge". Features the fine cuisine of the town -- which is very impressive and fun for all.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA

1. Ski or snowboard Red Lodge Mountain.

2. Crosscountry skiing at the Red Lodge Nordic Center or on trails in Custer National Forest.

3. Snowmobiling between Red Lodge and Cooke City and surrounding areas.

4. Ice fishing at Cooney Reservoir and Barry’s Landing.

5. Waterfowl hunting near the Clarks Fork River.

6. Snowshoeing in Custer National Forest or Red Lodge Nordic Center.

7. Ice skating on the Lion’s Club pond on the north end of Red Lodge.