BILLINGS & RED LODGE
Red Lodge began as a coal mining town, but when the Depression took its toll on mining, a local physician came up with a brilliant idea to boost the local economy: he successfully lobbied Congress for a scenic approach highway to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Highway 212, more commonly known as the Beartooth Highway, opened in 1936 and continues to awe travelers as it climbs to the 10,974foot summit pass, offering jaw-dropping panoramas of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness before descending to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone. 10 8
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2022-2023
Red Lodge remains a vibrant community of 2,200 year-round residents and was just named the #1 Tourism Destination of the Year in Montana. Its charming historic downtown is packed with restaurants, galleries, and shops, including stores to outfit you for any of the area’s endless recreation opportunities, from fly fishing the Yellowstone River to carving turns on Red Lodge Mountain. Billings’ fortunes were made as a major railroad hub. In fact, Billings is named for Northern Pacific Railway President Frederick Billings, who was also a major voice for the conservation of Yellowstone National Park. The town earned the nickname “Magic City” because it went from a settlement of three houses to a population
PHOTO CREDIT: HUNTER D’ANTUONO
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he Big Sky State gets even bigger as you travel from Red Lodge, nestled in the Beartooth Mountains and surrounded by the Custer Gallatin National Forest, to Billings, where the foothills of the Rockies roll gently out into the endless vistas of central Montana. These neighboring towns started from two storied Montana industries: mining and the railroad.
