There are many beautiful drives in the U.S. but few that make you feel like you’re on a European road trip. driving in the Alps in another era—with constant mountain views, tight switchbacks, and an open road. You’ll find it even more rare to drive in such a way that you can see wild animals like moose, grizzly and black bears from the comfort of your vehicle.
Meet Montana’s Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) is an almost 69 mile stretch of highway connecting the mountain town Red Lodge, Montana with Yellowstone National Park. Yes, the route really is as beautiful and breathtaking as you heard.
It is usually possible to drive the road from Memorial Day until mid-October. The road opens once the snow melts enough to be plowed, and closes again when snow falls. It opened at the end of May this year.
Noah Couser/Courtesy Visit Montana
While the highway can be touchy in the early season, with frequent closures due to weather, it is still what many people call a drive that everyone should do at least once—and easily the most stunning way to access Yellowstone National Park. The Beartooth Highway takes you to the Northeast Entrance of the park, located near the Montana/Wyoming Border and known for its wildlife.
Travelers who don’t wish to enter the park may turn back at Beartooth Pass Summit (10,947 ft above sea level) or continue across the pass towards the towns of Cooke City, Montana, or Silver Gate. The Northeast Entrance can be found just one mile after Silver Gate.
Beartooth works well with any other animal. Montana’s Great Wide OpenThere are three road trips in Montana that take travelers through different landscapes. The routes include a three-day journey The Beartooth Mountains and the Beartooth Highway are two of the most popular routes through the Beartooth Mountains. eight-day, 1,319-mile road trip The tour takes you through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the state, including, of course, Beartooth.
It is important to check the road condition and the weather before driving on the Beartooth Highway. The Montana Department of Transportation The Montana-Wyoming Border Highway is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service From the first border crossing into Yellowstone National Park, road maintenance is the responsibility.
