Marta and Brendan will be celebrating their wedding in beautiful Red Lodge, Montana!



The resort town of Red Lodge, population 2,566, is situated at 5,568 feet elevation in the Beartooth Mountains, near the Custer National Forest. The warm season lasts for almost three months, from June 14 to September 9, with an average daily high temperature above 71 degrees F.


Coal and gold attracted prospectors in the 1860s to Red Lodge. A diverse group of settlers from all over Europe soon joined a large population of Crow Indians that lived in the area a few decades later. The rowdy mountain town boasted 20 saloons before the end of the 19th century.

Red Lodge abounds with summer recreational opportunities – hiking, backpacking, fly fishing, mountain biking, horse riding, shopping and, of course, skiing and skijoring in the winter:

- Drop a fishing line in a nearby lake, pond or spring creek or take a guided fly-fishing tour. Mountain rivers in late June usually are still running fast and muddy, but Wild Bill Lake is accessible from Red Lodge and offers a great fishery for families and novices to the fly fishing world. In addition, hundreds of high mountain lakes along the scenic Beartooth Highway hold brook and cutthroat trout. Many of these waters are just a few steps off the roadside. Rocky Fork Outfitters & Guide Services, (406) 426-8002, and Front Range Drifters, (406) 698-4763, offer fishing guide services for areas around Red Lodge.

- Root for your favorite piggy at Bear Creek Downs Live Pig Racing at the Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse. The restaurant is located seven miles east of Red Lodge on Highway 308. Races run from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday, every week. The bar opens at 4 pm, the dining room opens at 5 pm with the pig races starting at 7 pm. Reservations can be made at (406) 446-3481.

- Drive or bike, if you dare, the Beartooth Highway. Have a few hours or a few days? Take an exhilarating drive up the switchbacks and steep cliff ledges of the Beartooth Highway, “the most beautiful drive in America,” according to Charles Kuralt, the CBS News correspondent. Drive south on U.S. Route 212 from Red Lodge and climb over 5,000 feet into the sky! You will be rewarded with scenic pullouts that offer views of lakes, glaciers, the Beartooth formation, wildflowers and wildlife with plenty of hiking trails and campsites. This road connects with the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, 69 miles away.

- Golf at the Red Lodge Mountain 18-Hole Golf Course. Contact the golf shop at (406) 446-3344 for a tee time. They will open in May, and their hours are 8 am to 7 pm. Mention that you are here for the Sharkey/Prosinski wedding and get a 25% discount!

- Ride a horse near Red Lodge or further away in the Beartooths. Make a trail-riding reservation with Whispering Winds Horse Adventures, (406) 671-6836, located in Roberts, Montana, 10 miles north of Red Lodge. Remington Alpine Outfitters provides trail rides starting at any trailhead in the Custer National Forest. Guided trail rides of hourly, half-day and full-day duration, along with multi-day pack trips are offered.

- Take a hike in Custer Gallatin National Forest. There are a variety of hikes, short and long, easy and hard. Accessing the Alltrails app will yield over 30 trails to choose from. Easy scenic trails include Wild Bill Lake Loop (.4 miles – 7 minute loop), Greenough Lake Campground (3.6 miles – 1 hour 20 minute loop) and Basin Creek Lakes Trail (7.4 miles – 4 hour 19 minute out and back hike). For hardcore climbing enthusiasts with a few days to spare, try to summit Granite Peak, the highest point in Montana. It is a 4.5 hour drive to the trailhead from Red Lodge.

- Swim or canoe at Cooney State Park, 12 miles north of Red Lodge. See fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/cooney for more information.

- Explore Yellowstone National Park via the Northeast Entrance 69 miles away, through Cooke City/Silvergate. You may also enter Yellowstone through the North Entrance at Gardiner and access Mammoth Hot Springs and the western side of the park.

- Tour the town and learn about its interesting history at the Carbon County Historical Society & Museum and the Carbon County Art Guild & Depot.

- Pitch a tent in a campsite close to town or a few miles up a trail. Recreation.gov lists campgrounds along the Beartooth Highway and West Fork Road.

- Rent a UTV and ride up to Hellroaring Plateau, Glacier Lake Road, West Fork of Rock Creek, Meteesee Trail and Beartooth Pass. Red Lodge Powersports, (406) 446-3199, offers half-day, full-day or multi-day UTV rentals in the summer.

- Listen, dance and sing at the annual Red Lodge Songwriter Fest (June 20-22). For three days, the streets, bars, cafes and parks become a gathering place for hit Nashville songwriters and the best songwriters from Montana and around the country to perform and network with each other.

- Raft down the Yellowstone or Stillwater Rivers on a guided tour. The Absaroka River Adventures Company, (800) 334-RAFT, offers guided river float trips on the Stillwater and Yellowstone rivers. They also rent a variety of floating equipment. Adventure Whitewater, (406) 446-3061, is another rafting company, specializing in personal trips

- View wildlife at the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary in Red Lodge. It is open every day except Tuesday, 10 am – 4 pm. Get details about the tours and encounters offered by calling (406) 446-1133 or visiting www.yellowstonewildlifesanctuary.org.

- If you stay longer, there is more fun to be had …
+ PRCA Xtreme Bulls, July 1 at 6 pm, more info at redlodgetickets.com
+ Annual Home of Champions Rodeo, July 2 and 4, tickets at redlodgerodeo.com
+ Fourth of July Fireworks Show
+ 30th Annual Beartooth Motorcycle Rally & Iron Horse Rodeo, July 18-21, more info at www.beartoothrally.com and Bone Daddy’s at (406) 425-3451, promises lots of rides, food, fun and dancing under the stars.