Photos
Make sure you have a lodging reservation at the end of the day, and forgo any kind of time schedule.
The 68 miles of Beartooth Highway, officially known as the Beartooth All-American Road, is the destination itself. Each turn brings new vistas, each pullout another photo opportunity, each stop a new adventure.
My wife, two children and I devoted a day earlier this month to traveling the famed highway. Along the way, we oohed at the distant mountains stretching for the clouds, laughed at the brazen chipmunk that jumped atop a man’s head in search of a free meal, huddled from the cold wind that swept over us atop the 10,947-foot pass and stopped to take scores of photos – the next turn seemed to always reveal a better view.
We arranged our travels – and reservations – so we would cross the road east to west from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Mont.
Making lodging arrangements is crucial. The normal summer vacation traffic is increased in late July and early August by the constant rumble of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, many headed to or coming from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Cooke City also is the gateway community at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Both towns have varied lodging options, but many are full weeks in advance.
My favorite stretch of the Beartooth was from Rock Creek Vista Point to Beartooth Pass, the highest point on the road. The road climbed through the final few trees, then opened into expansive meadows filled with wildflowers. In spots, the meadows seemed more blue than green because of the lush carpet of lupine.
The vistas seemed to stretch forever. From the Rock Creek vista, you could see people camping along the creek thousands of feet below you. The snow-capped peaks of the Absaroka Range stretched north and south.
At Beartooth Pass ski area, we briefly played in a snow bank, then looked down the Twin Lakes Headwall into a valley pocked with lakes of all sizes.
All along the way, there are numerous places to stop and explore – waterfalls, a fire tower, trails, picnic spots, historical sites and a small store amid the mountain splendor.
Not even a delay for road construction could distract us. My son and I passed the time plucking bugs from the grill of our vehicle, tossing them off a small bridge to small trout in the stream below.
Most publications say it takes two hours to make the trip from Red Lodge to Cooke City. Forget that. The numerous switchbacks, pullouts and views require travel at a slower pace. The Beartooth Highway is a journey that should not be bound by time.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
BEARTOOTH FACTS
Built: The road opened on June 14, 1936, after five years of construction costing $1.1 million.
Length: 68.7 miles of U.S. 212 from Red Lodge, Mont., to the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Official designation: Designated a National Scenic Byways All-American Road on June 13, 2002.
Elevation of Beartooth Pass: 10,947 feet, more than 750 feet higher than Camp Muir on Mount Rainier.
High points: The road is the highest highway in Wyoming (10,947 feet) and Montana (10,350 feet). It also is the highest highway in the Northern Rockies.
Popular route: The Montana Department of Transportation said an average of about 1,200 vehicles travel the highway each day.
When to go: Generally open the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to mid October, depending on snow conditions.
Information: beartoothhighway.com, byways.org/explore/byways/2281/index.html.
See attached map for the following:
1. Red Lodge, Mont.
Elevation: 5,568 feet
There are plenty of things to see and do in this former mining town. The Montana Candy Emporium is a must for kids. The shelves at Red Lodge Books are filled with plenty of local and regional titles. Visitors have plenty of dining options. Our choice was Red Lodge Pizza Co., where we noshed on pizza, calzones, bread sticks and garlic cheese bread. Lodging options range from standard motels to bed-and-breakfast operations. There are several private campgrounds outside of town, as well as a number of campgrounds in the Custer National Forest along U.S. 212.
Information: redlodge.com
2. Rock Creek Vista Point
Elevation: 9,100 feet
Views up Rock Creek Canyon and of the snowfields dotting Hellroaring Plateau. There are interpretive signs and rest rooms.
3. Wyoming-Montana border
Elevation: 10,250 feet
Not far from Rock Creek viewpoint, you pass the treeline and reach the Beartooth Plateau. Blue lupine and yellow buttercups created a colorful carpet. Pullouts in this stretch offer good views of Bear’s Tooth, a rocky spire that reaches 11,089 feet.
4. West Summit Beartooth Pass
Elevation: 10,947 feet
Take the short walk out along the rocky trail for great views to the south. You can see seemingly forever on a clear day, including Heart Mountain more than 25 miles away near Cody, Wyo.
5. Top of the World Store
Elevation: 9,400 feet
The small store is packed with trinkets, food, clothes, liquor, even an ATM machine. The prices for most items were quite reasonable compared with gift shops in Yellowstone National Park.
6. Beartooth Lake
Elevation: 8,900 feet
Heading west from the store, the habitat changes to what you might see along the North Cascades Highway, pine-covered mountains, lakes and streams.
7. Pilot and Index Peak Overlook
Elevation: 8,718 feet
Look for the pullout on the right side of the road.
8. Lake Creek Falls
Elevation: 7,329 feet
It is worth your time to take the short hike to the bridge that carries hikers over the cascade.
9. Clark’s Fork Trailhead
Elevation: 7,900 feet
For those traveling the highway east-west, this is a great final stop. There is a nice picnic spot right next to the Clark’s Ford of the Yellowstone River.
10. Cooke City, Mont.
Elevation: 7,600 feet
Just four miles from the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, many people use this small town at the western terminus for the highway. A good stop is the Cooke City Store, in operation since 1886. You can get treats, souvenirs, park fishing licenses, food and more.
Information: cookecitychamber.org
