Red Lodge Mountain Plans to Open November 27. The Town Has the First Weekend of December Booked Either Way.

Red Lodge Mountain's daily snow report says "Opening day is scheduled for Friday, November 27!" The same report, dated Sunday, November 8, 2026, showed 0 inches of new snow overnight, 0 over 24 and 48 hours, 0 over seven days, and a base depth of 0.

The posted date is a goal. Snow decides whether it holds. On the town side, the calendar's anchor events don't wait for snow. The Christmas Stroll runs Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5. Last season, Red Lodge Mountain's opening ended up on Friday, December 5. If the snow cooperates, you get lifts and the Stroll in the same stretch. If it doesn't, that first December weekend is still full.

What happened to last year's opening

Red Lodge Mountain usually opens the day after Thanksgiving, and the 2025 season was set to start November 28. On November 20, 2025, the resort moved opening day to Friday, December 5. KTVQ reported that resort officials blamed unseasonably warm temperatures and no natural snowfall, and it ran the resort's full social media post:

Not unlike other resorts, we too are facing warmer than average weather conditions. With our priority to deliver a quality product for our guests and employees, we believe rescheduling our opening day is the right decision.

A few days later the weather turned. In a KTVQ interview on November 25, 2025, general manager Jean Mikulas said close to four inches of fresh snow had fallen overnight. "It is absolutely amazing that Mother Nature showed up for us," she said. About the decision to delay, she said, "at the end of the day, we work on what we can control."

The resort can control snowmaking, which covers 28% of its trails. That helps on a dry year, but most of the mountain still needs natural snow. This fall started out a lot like last fall, so the November 27 date is worth watching closely.

How to know the actual opening day

The resort runs text alerts and keeps its daily report current, so the real answer is easy to get once it exists:

1. Operations alerts. Text "RLMAlerts" to 844-928-4336 for operations updates from the mountain.
2. The daily snow report. The snow report page is dated each day and lists overnight, 24-hour, 48-hour and seven-day snowfall plus base depth.
3. Uphill alerts. Uphill hiking is open now at your own risk. Text "UPHILL" to 844-928-4336 for real-time uphill travel alerts. Uphill parking moves back to the Lower Lot because the Upper Lot gate is locked in the evening.
4. The resort's Facebook page. Last year the delay was first announced on social media, and KTVQ sent readers to the Red Lodge Mountain Facebook page for updates.

The Red Lodge Area Chamber's events calendar also lists Opening Day at Red Lodge Mountain on Friday, November 27.

If you haven't bought a pass yet, the 2026/27 season pass page lists Adult (25–69) at $929, Young Adult (19–24) and Teen (13–18) at $509, Child (6–12) at $339, Senior (70+) at $449, and 5 & Under at $20. A "PRICE DEADLINE EXTENDED!" banner sits on the page. Two new partner resorts are listed this year. Passholders get two free days at Kelly Canyon Resort and three free days at Monarch Mountain.

The weekend that doesn't need snow

The Christmas Stroll takes over downtown for two evenings. Shops stay open late with treats, and the Chamber's listing says stores stay open until around 9 p.m. The best-known part is the Blade Parade, made up of decorated vehicles and people "equipped with snow removing blades," and prizes are awarded. The Chamber puts it this way: "who knew there were so many ways to decorate a snowplow?" To enter, meet at the library at 5:15 p.m. A parade of plows shows up whether or not it has snowed.

The Chamber lists this as a tentative schedule for Friday, December 4:

• 3:00 p.m.: Children's Christmas Story Time at Beartooth Books
• 4:00 p.m.: Cars move off Broadway from 8th to 14th Street
• 5:30 p.m.: Community Lantern Walk down Broadway, gathering in front of the library at 5:15. You're welcome to bring your own lantern.
• 6:00 p.m.: The Blade Parade heads south from the library
• 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: Alte Kameraden Band at the Carbon County Steakhouse
• 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.: Red Lodge dancers pose in the windows of Red Lodge Drug
• 6:30 p.m.: Absaroka Mountain Thunder cloggers at the corner of 11th and Broadway
• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Horse-drawn wagon rides, and Santa at the Beartooth Elks, 114 N. Broadway

Saturday, December 5, follows a similar tentative schedule. Story time at Beartooth Books is at 3 p.m., the Stroll begins at 5, the Blade Parade rolls at 6, and Santa arrives downtown in the horse-drawn wagon at 6. The Red Lodge Dancers perform at Red Lodge School of Dance at 6:15 p.m., and wagon rides and Santa at the Elks run from 6:30 to 8:30.

Earlier that Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m., the Carbon County Arts Guild hosts its Holiday Home & Art Tour. Five area homes host artists, private art collections and holiday décor, and tickets are sold through the organizer's website. With the tour in the afternoon and the Stroll in the evening, Saturday works as a full day in town with no lift ticket needed.

Late November through mid-December at a glance

The Red Lodge Farmers Market lists its winter market for the Saturday after the Stroll, with seasonal produce, baked goods and other vendors. Counting from the mountain's scheduled opening on November 27, that makes three weekends in a row with something on the calendar, running through December 12.

The other ways to get on snow close to town

Groomed Nordic trails and the outdoor rink depend on weather just like the lifts, but they're cheap and close by. Beartooth Trails runs the Red Lodge Nordic Center, two miles west of town, with more than 15K of groomed trails, a warming hut and a restroom. Grooming usually happens Saturday through Monday, depending on conditions. Through the 2026–27 pass registration, an individual season pass costs $83.03 and a family pass costs $180.79, fees included. The registration page says the grooming report isn't active until November 1, 2026. For comparison, an adult downhill pass is $929. A Nordic family pass costs less than a single 6–12 child pass at the mountain.

Red Lodge Ice runs the public rink at Lions Park. It says the rink is open "while the weather permits."

Groomed trails, a rink and the hill all depend on cold and snow. Even if the mountain slips past November 27, the Stroll, the Home & Art Tour and the December 12 market are still on the calendar.

If you're thinking about a place within reach of both the lifts and Broadway on Stroll night, Live. Laugh. Montana. knows how a Red Lodge winter runs, from the first snow report to the last wagon ride. Get your instant home valuation and schedule a consultation with our team.