Beartooth Highway
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The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road that has been called "the most beautiful drive in America," by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt.[1] (http://www.redlodge.com/recreation/sights/byway.htm) Due to heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from Memorial Day in late May through Labor Day in September.
US route 212 initiates in Red Lodge, Montana and traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks, along the Montana-Wyoming border to the 10,974 foot (3,345 meter) high Beartooth Pass. The elevation rises from 5,200 feet to almost 8,000 feet in 12 miles (from 1,600 m to 2,400 m in 20 km) in the most daring landscapes.
When driving from the east to the west, the highest parts of Beartooth Pass level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, and then descend to Cooke City, Montana - and form the north-east gateway to Yellowstone National Park.
The highway officially opened June 14, 1936.
Due to the high altitutes, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer and the pass is also known for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. Plan on a driving time of at least two hours for the 69 mile (111 kilometer) long trip from Red Lodge to Cooke City.
2005 Closure
The Montana side of the Beartooth Highway is currently closed for repairs. Several large mudslides and rockslides have damaged or destroyed the road in a dozen places between mile markers 39 and 51. The Wyoming side is open all the way to the state line, so skiers still have access to the ski area at the top. The construction contract stipulates an October, 2005 completion date with early completion bonuses. If construction is completed on time, it will finish just in time to close the road for the winter, so do not expect to drive this highway before May of 2006.
Travelers can still go from Red Lodge to Cooke City (and into Yellowstone National Park) by taking the Chief Joseph Highway. Although longer in miles, the travel time is approximately the same because the Chief Joseph Highway doesn't have the steep slopes and switchbacks that the Beartooth Highway does.