Things to Do in Red Lodge, Montana: Beartooth Highway & More (2026)

The best things to do in Red Lodge, Montana, are driving the Beartooth Highway toward Yellowstone, skiing Red Lodge Mountain and walking the historic Broadway downtown. Red Lodge is a city of 2,257 people and the seat of Carbon County, right against the Beartooth Mountains.

Coal built this town. Mining defined Red Lodge from the 1890s into the 1930s, and the population peaked around 6,000 in 1915. In 1943 an explosion at Smith Mine #3 near Bearcreek killed 74 men, the worst coal mine disaster in Montana history.

Beartooth Highway

This All-American Road runs 69 miles on US 212 from Red Lodge to Cooke City and Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance. It climbs from about 5,200 feet to 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass in roughly 12 miles of switchbacks. It opened on June 14, 1936, and CBS’s Charles Kuralt called it “the most beautiful drive in America.”

★ Good to know Plan on at least two hours to Cooke City. The pass usually opens around Memorial Day weekend and closes in mid-October, and snow can fall even in midsummer.

Red Lodge Mountain

The ski area on Grizzly Peak above town has 1,635 acres, 70 runs and 2,400 feet of vertical drop. The summit sits at 9,416 feet, and the mountain averages about 250 inches of snow. It has the second-largest snowmaking system in Montana.

★ Good to know The season typically runs from the day after Thanksgiving to the second Sunday in April.

Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary

This nonprofit sanctuary gives lifelong homes to wild animals from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that can’t go back to the wild. You can wander on your own or take a guided tour. Tours run 60 to 90 minutes and explain how each animal ended up here.

★ Good to know Come in the morning, when the animals are most active, and book a guided tour online since they’re capped at 20 people.

Carbon County Historical Society & Museum

The museum fills the Labor Temple, a four-story brick building that Red Lodge Miners Local No. 1771 finished in 1909. It served more than 1,000 union miners and later housed a roller rink and a car dealership. After an anonymous donation in 1990, it reopened as the county museum in June 1999.

★ Good to know The building is fully accessible, with a ramp and an elevator to all four levels.

The Pollard Hotel and Historic Broadway

Red Lodge’s first brick building went up in 1893 as the Spofford Hotel, and Thomas Pollard bought and renamed it in 1902. Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane are part of its guest lore. The downtown around it has been restored since the mid-1980s as the Red Lodge Commercial Historic District.

★ Good to know Stop at the Montana Candy Emporium on Broadway for old-time candy, fudge and huckleberry treats.

Wild Bill Lake

This small lake sits about 6 miles west of town on West Fork Rock Creek Road in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. There’s a picnic area with four sites and an accessible vault toilet. It’s a short drive for a lakeside lunch.

★ Good to know Pack in what you need, since there’s no firewood or other services at the site.

Red Lodge Ales and Sam’s Tap Room

Sam’s Tap Room & Kitchen is the public bar and restaurant attached to Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company. The menu leans on barbecue, and there’s a patio and a backyard beer garden. It’s a natural stop after a day on the Beartooth.

★ Good to know Pets aren’t allowed in the tap room, patio or beer garden.

Also in town

The Home of Champions Rodeo and its parade take over the Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds on Rodeo Drive around the Fourth of July.

When to goLate May through mid-October for the Beartooth Highway, with early July for the rodeo. Late November through mid-April for skiing.

How long to stayTwo days: one for the Beartooth Highway and one for the town, the museum and the sanctuary.

Heads upBeartooth Pass tops 10,900 feet, so expect cold wind, sudden storms and thin air. Check road status with the Red Lodge Chamber before you go.

Getting hereBillings Logan International Airport (BIL) is the closest airport with scheduled airline service, about 1 hour 15 minutes northeast by car.

When is the Beartooth Highway open?

It usually opens to the public around Memorial Day weekend and closes in mid-October, depending on snow. Closure can come as early as September in a bad year.

How long does it take to drive from Red Lodge to Yellowstone?

Plan on at least two hours for the 69 miles to Cooke City, just outside Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance. Most people stop often at the overlooks and lakes, so it usually takes longer.

Is Red Lodge worth visiting in winter?

Yes, for skiing at Red Lodge Mountain, which typically runs from late November to mid-April. The Beartooth Highway is closed in winter, though.

What other Montana towns pair well with Red Lodge?

Livingston, at the top of Paradise Valley, is another Yellowstone gateway town; see things to do in Livingston. For more, browse our small towns in Montana.

Where to find them

Beartooth Highway US 212, Red Lodge, MT 59068 Website Directions
Red Lodge Mountain Website Directions
Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary Website Directions
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum Website Directions
The Pollard Hotel Website Directions
Wild Bill Lake West Fork Rock Creek Rd., Red Lodge, MT 59068 Website Directions
Red Lodge Ales and Sam's Tap Room Website Directions
Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds (Home of Champions Rodeo) 101 Rodeo Dr., Red Lodge, MT 59068 Website Directions