Beartooth Mountains
Beartooth Pass
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Driving the Scenic Beartooth Mountains
One of the most dramatic and breathtaking routes into West Yellowstone is via the Beartooth Highway, US 212. However, do not attempt this passage if time is a factor; the drive takes 2-3 hours. Stretching from Red Lodge to Cooke City, the Beartooth Highway winds 65 miles through mountainous terrain to connect the two small Montana towns that are only 35 miles apart. Built in the 1936, the Beartooth Highway is still an engineering astonishment. more info
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Cooke City - Yellowstone's Hidden Treasure
Just outside the Park's northeast entrance, experience unspoiled beauty, rich in wildlife, abundant in family activities & adventure, all at affordable rates for everyone.
(406) 838-2495
This Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park is the least traveled, bringing just a few hundred cars over every year. The Beartooth Highway is only opened 4.5 months of the year, from the end of May until mid-October.
The first 15 miles out of Red Lodge takes you from the canyon floor and climbs almost 4,000 feet in elevation, taking you past Precambrian rock slides and red and yellow rock outcroppings. Expect hairpin curves, U-curves, and sinuous S-curves in the road as you climb to the canyon rim past forests, rugged cliffs, pristine lakes, mountain peaks, alpine tundra, and snow banks even in August. At 45 miles in length, you will cross the highest point in the Beartooth Highway at 10,974. Here, you leave Montana and enter Wyoming. The decent takes you along switchbacks which meander through rolling hills saturated with lakes, forests, and wildlife.
The Beartooth Mountains boast some of the highest elevations in the lower 48 states, and have 20 peaks over 12,000 feet in elevation. Glaciers are abundant in the Beartooths and can be found on the north face on almost every mountain peak over 11,500 feet. Hundreds of lakes, forests, and an eclectic array of wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, bison, mountain goats, marmots, and mule deer can be found in the 900,000 acres that make up the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness.
Because of its vast size, the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness offers serene solitude and abundance of outdoor recreational activities. Hundreds of miles of trails provide spectacular hiking, and with many of the trails being interconnected, long expeditions are possible. Cross-country skiing is available even in June and July. Fly fishing is excellent and many of the lakes bear cutthroat, brook, rainbow, and golden trout. However, if you decide to go fishing, make sure the lake you choose has fish; winter kill makes some lakes barren. Horseback riding is allowed and camping is also of high quality. In the winter, when the road is closed to automobiles, snowmobilers are granted permission to soak up the winter beauty.
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Beartooth Pass Highway Information
Information about the Beartooth Pass Highway on our ALL Red Lodge Montana site!
