Luther

Luther is the kind of place where silence stretches out across the plains and the stars put on a nightly show. Tucked in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains northwest of Red Lodge, this low-key community draws outdoor lovers who prefer quiet campsites and slower roads.

There’s not much to Luther itself — just a handful of residences and plenty of wide-open space — but that’s part of the appeal. Nearby Cooney State Park offers year-round recreation, from boating and swimming to fishing and stargazing. Cooney Reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout and walleye, and the dark skies make it an excellent spot to glimpse the Milky Way.

A standout experience here is the Luther-Roscoe Scenic Drive, an 18-mile loop of gravel road winding through soft hills, grasslands and East Rosebud Creek. Several pullouts offer interpretive signs, including one that tells the story of the Bozeman Trail — a mid-1800s route that carried gold seekers and settlers through the region, sparking conflict with the Indigenous tribes whose homelands it crossed. It's not a fast drive, and that’s the point — take your time, enjoy the views, and don’t be surprised if you have the road mostly to yourself.