It runs between Red Lodge and Cooke City, two small towns in southern Montana. In order to traverse the 35 miles (56 kilometers) between the two towns, it meanders nearly 65 miles 105 kilimeters). It is open for a scant four to five months of every year. During that time the number of vehicles travelling the road on a typical day can be several hundred to several thousand. It is one of the principal entry routes to Yellowstone National Park. Definitely not the sort of road you want to use if you are in a hurry to reach the Park, whose northeast entrance lies several miles to the west of Cooke City.

The real reason why people travel the Beartooth Highway is to experience the indescribable grandeur of its mountain setting. It crosses Montana's highest mountain range, at altitudes up to 10,947 feet (3337 meters). To accomplish that feat, it doesn't follow a well defined low pass between the mountains; it goes right over the mountains. Along the way are forests, deep canyons, rugged cliffs, high mountains, clear blue lakes, alpine tundra, snow banks that last until August, and almost every kind of mountain scenery known. There was little dispute when Charles Kuralt called it "America's most beautiful highway."

There are many guide books to the Beartooth highway. One of the best is The Beartooth Highway by H. L. James. It is available from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology as Special Publication 110.

Here are some of the sights to be seen along the road.

Notice: Clicking on the icon-images displays the full-sized images.

From Red Lodge (altitude 5500 feet above sea level), the road ascends for about 15 miles along the floor of Rock Creek Canyon. The grade doesn't look very steep, but the road actually climbs at nearly 100 feet every mile. Then it starts up the side of the canyon by a series of hair-raising switchbacks.

After passing the fourth switchback, the road follows the rim of the canyou for several miles. There are breathtaking views of the canyon and the mountains on the other side. Rock Creek Canyon is one of the most perfect examples of a U-shaped glaciated valley. Imagine the valley as it appeared more than 15,000 years ago, filled nearly to its rim with an immense river of ice. The glacier that filled the valley during the last ice age extended far past the town of Red Lodge.

Another view, looking over the rim of the canyon at the switchbacks on the highway below.

On passing out of the canyon the traveller finds himself in a land of gently rolling hills, at altitudes of 9,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level. This is the Beartooth Plateau, which was raised above the surrounding terrain as a single huge block. Over millions of years the plateau has risen several miles, but the overlaying rocks and soils have been eroded away, leaving mostly granite.

One of the most popular views is of the twin lakes, occupying a natural bowl perched high on the south side of the Canyon.

From high points along the road are wonderful views of the high mountains towering above Rock Creek Canyon. This is the view from the summit, looking toward the north. About a mile beyond the summit, on the Cooke City side, is a hairpin bend, which offers this spectacular view into the Canyon

Near the summit, in early summer, one often drives along snow higher than the car.

Inhabiting the rock piles along the road are shy Picas and Marmots. They spend most of the year hibernating beneath deep snow drifts, but come out for several months during the summer and early fall. The best places to see the tiny Picas are several hundred feet from the road, and away from crowds.

Snow on the high Beartooth Plateau often stays until the end of June. In early summer it is often many feet deep along the road.

Along the road, as it descnds into Cooke City, are many lakes and ponds with incredibly clear water.

About ten miles west of the highest point, the road passes Beartooth Butte and Beartooth Lake. The Butte is a curious remnant of the sedimentary rocks that originally lay atop the entire plateau.

As the road descends into the valley of the Clark Fork River, it offers spendid views of Pilot and Index Peaks on the edge of Yellowstone Park.

The Beartooth Highway is usually open from the end of May (Memorial Day) to late October. For those who wish to visit the Highway, the best times are early June, when snow often lies deep along the road, and mid September, when the trees put on their most spetactular displays. Autumn comes early here, so the leaves at the highest altitudes drop before the end of September.

Visitors should also keep in mind that the road can be blocked by snow on any day of the year. In the summer the road is usually cleared quickly. After September a heavy snow fall can come at any time; the road is then closed for the season.