Beartooth Mountains, Montana

Take a side trip from your Yellowstone vacation and travel through the Beartooth Mountains for an impressive journey on what has been called “the most beautiful drive in America.”

Overview

A truly dramatic and most breathtaking route is the Beartooth Highway that winds through the Beartooth Mountains, with views that stagger the mind.

Seasons

The highway over the Beartooth Mountains is open from the end of May until Labor Day in September.

More Info

Driving the 65-mile route over the Beartooth Mountains takes you from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana and shows you vistas of unprecedented beauty.

You will negotiate hairpin curves, climb to canyon rims, view sparkling lakes and alpine tundra. Cross the highest point on the trip at 10,974 feet and enter Wyoming. As you descend, you will see lovely rolling hills and forests with wildlife meandering about.

There are plenty of summer outdoor activities to enjoy in the area. Hiking, fly-fishing, and horseback riding are among the favorites. Even in winter, when the roads are closed to cars, you can get access via snowmobile. Cross-country skiing is also popular, and you can find this sport in June or July in the Beartooth Mountains.

Wildlife is abundant, with elk, bison, grizzly bears, mountain goats and mule deer.

Getting Here

To get to Yellowstone on your Beartooth Mountain journey, take Highway US 212 (the Beartooth Highway) from Red Lodge, Montana to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway near Cooke City, the northeast gateway to Yellowstone National Park.