A Summer Red Lodge Itinerary
There are so many things to do in Red Lodge, Montana during the summer. Explore this charming small town at the base of the Beartooth Mountains.
Montana
John Steinbeck said, “I am in love with Montana. For other states, I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
We couldn’t agree more. Montana is home and travel for us. We love nesting in our chosen town at the Original Gateway to Yellowstone National Park. And we love traversing the state–climbing mountains, floating rivers, wandering through small towns and large ones (by Montana standards), and getting to know the people that, combined with an astounding landscape, make this state great.
Montana is bigger than many of the countries we visit, so there is a lot to see here.
Barley to beer
One of the stories I am working for MSU News Service is about following the barley trail from our research at MSU to a farmer’s field to a malt house and finally to a microbrewery in Belgrade (about 10 miles west of Bozeman). Two weeks ago our photographer, Kelly, and I drove up to Great …
First ski of the season: Bear Creek
Emulating some friends of ours who always stop at Chico for a swim before heading out for a hike, ski, or bike ride, we spent an hour or so this morning soaking in our local hot springs. The idea was to tire Anders out for the ride down to Gardiner and keep him sleepy while …
Yellowstone River Trail
Sunday we went for a hike along the Yellowstone River Trail. The route follows the Yellowstone River from Gardiner (and the confluence of the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers)18.5 miles into the park. Through-hikers start at the other end since you lose more elevation that way, but we were only going a short distance, so it …
Cross-Country Skiing at Homestake Lodge
Today Rigby, Diesel, Anders, and I headed west to Homestake Pass. That’s about 10 miles east of Butte for you non-Montanans. My friends Mandy and Chris bought land there last summer and quickly whipped it into a Nordic center with 20 kilometers of ski trails, a warming hut/yurt and beautiful scenery. By next winter Homestake …
Cross Country Skiing at B Bar Ranch, Montana
Nordic Ski Trails in Montana With Henry gone we’ve had to figure out how to make our own fun. So, on Sunday Anders and I headed down to the B Bar Ranch up the Tom Miner drainage in Paradise Valley. This private guest ranch has 30 km of groomed cross-country ski trails and they …
Norris Hot Springs–Water of the Gods
On our way home from a great Thanksgiving weekend in West Yellowstone (more about that in the coming days), Henry, Anders and I stopped at Norris Hot Springs to soak and grub. Read about more Hot Springs in Montana. Normally, you pay to get in, but last night some pipes froze and the pool didn’t …
Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley, Montana
I can’t say enough about Chico Hot Springs in Pray, Montana. (That’s about 25 miles south of Livingston and about the same distance north of the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park). Read more about Montana’s Hot Springs. Of course there are the hot pools. One large swimming pool that is just the right temperature …
Drive the Beartooth Scenic Highway from Red Lodge to Cooke City
When driving the Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge to Cooke City (68.7 miles), youll pass through sylvan stretches, fragile tundra, alpine lakes, hanging valleys and a landscape that normally takes a day of hiking to get to. Beartooth Highway Heres a little history of the highway: The First crossing was made by General Phillip …
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Hike South Fork Grove Creek Near Red Lodge, Montana
Continuing on the Red Lodge theme, heres another hike not too far from town. The dirt road from Red Lodge to the trailhead is only about 7.5 miles, but it is a slow drive. Most of the route is pretty good, but there are some rocky sections. And watch out for the cows that hang …
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