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Pull Over Info
There is a lot to see along this path. Expect to see wildlife as we take the road east through the park. There might be a couple of spots you saw when we entered the park that you would like to get a second shot at. Finally, as we traverse Beartooth Pass we will make frequent stops at the many Kodak® moment turnouts so you can absorb the scenic views and get your photos.
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Hotel Info
There is a lot happening in Red Lodge for most of the summer. Obtaining lodging as far as a year in advance is difficult. As a result different tours will be lodging at different locations. The July tour had to lodge in Billings due to a big motorcycle event in Red Lodge during our tour. We will participate in the event and then ride to Billings for our overnight stay. For details see the Events Calendar and the Lodging page. |
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After two action packed days in Yellowstone National Park, we climb aboard our bikes and begin day six of the ride. We will journey along the most northern road of the park leading us to Tower Junction. We usually see lots of wild life along this route. Leaving Yellowstone National Park, we exit through the northeast entrance, pass through Cooke City, and travel the famous “Beartooth Scenic Highway”, US Hwy 212, as we proceed north to Red Lodge, Montana. The highway opened in 1936 and was designated a National Scenic Byway in 1989. The Beartooth Scenic Highway has been blessed as “America’s most beautiful road" by no less an expert than Charles Kuralt.
This Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park is the least traveled of all entrances, with just a few hundred cars traveling the highway every year. Because of the weather, Beartooth Highway is only opened 4.5 months of the year, from the end of May until mid-October.
In the early season there is likely to be snow along the road. As we travel up the road to the pass we often find the weather to be quite variable. The dynamic of this road is that it is challenging to ride and the rider constantly wants to check out the beauty and scenery all to often taking their eyes off the road. So you are warned, pay attention, we will make frequent stops along the way to get the photos you will want, drive safely and pay attention. Remember the traffic going the other way will also be distracted and sometimes cross into your lane. Be alert!!
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 Beartooth's 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.
One of the Most Breathtaking Drives in the United States, the Beartooth Highway quickly starts climbing over steep switchbacks. After winding through 50-60 million year-old mountains, you come to a pullout that provides excellent panoramas of the Beartooth Plateau. From here you can see the Hell Roaring and Silver Run Plateaus to the north. Glacier Lake is also visible, and if you look hard enough, you might even spot a mountain goat or other wildlife. From here, the road keeps ascending and reveals magnificent canyons carved by the Clarks Fork River. Thirty miles from Red Lodge, you reach the summit of the pass at 10,974 feet. Shortly after, you come upon the only service area along the entire highway at the tiny settlement of Top of the World. The descent provides views of thousands of mountain lakes.
Besides breathtaking landscapes, look for wildflowers and wildlife. Wildflowers grow below the tree line in the summers. Indian paintbrush, monkey flower, senecio, buttercups, lupine, arrow leaf, balsamroot, beardstounge, and forget-me-nots, are among the wildflowers that carpet the country along the Beartooth Highway. Drive with caution and keep your eyes peeled for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bears, grizzly bears, and moose.
As we traverse the switchbacks and hairpin turns of Beartooth Highway, we will descend almost 4,000 feet in elevation before arriving in Red Lodge. The ride will take us past Precambrian rockslides 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 Wyoming and enter Montana. The descent takes you along switchbacks, which meander through rolling hills saturated with lakes, forests, and wildlife.
Sadly, we complete the breathtaking ride over Beartooth Scenic Highway and arrive at Red Lodge for the evening. Red Lodge got its start as a coal-mining town and boomed during the late 19th century. Today the town retains much of its character from those early years, with its main street lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places |
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