Bob's Rocky Mountain Blog

Life from God's Country

2021 Glacier National Park with Karen and Wayne: Day Five

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SECOND TRIP—BEARTOOTH AND CHIEF JOSEPH SCENIC BYWAYS

Karen and Wayne, perched atop a mountain along the Beartooth Highway.

After returning home, on Friday, July 30, my friends and I headed out, the following day, to see the sights along the Beartooth and Chief Joseph Scenic Highways. My brother Doug went with us on this trip, a single-day excursion. There are so many beautiful sights to see within an easy drive of Billings, and this is one of my favorites.

The drive from Billings to Red Lodge, via I-90 to Laurel and US-212 to Red Lodge, is about sixty-two miles over a nice but not spectacular corridor between the largest city in Montana and Red Lodge, the southern gateway to the Beartooth Highway. It’s only during the last half dozen miles that you start seeing these magnificent mountains.

US Highway 212, which becomes Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge, is the main thoroughfare through the city of around 2,300 residents. It does not become the Beartooth Highway until you exit its southern border.

The Beartooth Highway All-Americans Scenic Byway is almost sixty-nine miles of the finest driving anywhere on God’s green earth. It ranks high up there, along with the San Juan Skyway, in Colorado, and the Going-to-the-Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, as one of the most scenic drives in America

Another scenic drive, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, or Wyoming State Route 296, starts at the junction with this iconic route through the Beartooth Mountains after you have driven about fifty miles. Though not nearly as impressive as it’s better known, more northern cousin, the road named for famed Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, was still a nice drive, and we followed it on our return trip to Billings.

Bronze Statue of Chief Plenty Coups.

That’s Crow Chief Plenty Coups at the Red Lodge Visitor Center. Doug and Wayne are reading the plaque about the famed chief.

The Beartooth Highway

It is almost fifty-nine miles from my apartment, in Billings, to the town of Red Lodge, Montana, and we left around 9 AM on a bright sunny Saturday morning. This charming little metropolis at the base of the Beartooth Mountains has a population of around 2,300 inhabitants. With Wayne driving, we headed west via I-90 and then south on US Highway 212 for our trek to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. There is a nice rest area near mile marker 84, about thirty miles south of Laurel, near the tiny burg known as Roberts, a CDP, or Census Designated Place with a little over 400 citizens. It is a seasonal rest area though, only open from the middle of April thru the middle of November. A quarter hour later saw us pulling into Red Lodge. I have always loved this quaint little village on Rock Creek.

A magnificent statue at the Red Lodge Visitor Center. That is Plenty Coups, famed chief of the Crow tribe.
If you have seen the movie Jeremiah Johnson starring Robert Redford, then be aware that the character was based on real-life John “Liver-Eating” Johnson, a mid-nineteenth century Montanan-figure. After moving to the town of Red Lodge, Johnson served as its first constable for several years.

The cabin that Liver-Eating Johnson lived in while serving as constable for Red Lodge during the later part of the nineteenth century. This structure sits just outside the Visitor Center.

The first fifteen miles, of this scenic sixty-nine mile journey, along God’s pathway to Yellowstone National Park was easy driving. So were the last two miles, from Colter Pass to Cooke City, the northeastern entrance of the first national park. In S.A. Snyder’s Scenic Driving MONTANA this is Scenic Drive #13 Beartooth Highway: Silver Gate to Red Lodge. It’s the central portion, or “alpine” stretch of US-212, otherwise known as the Beartooth Highway, that is so spectacular. After this easy stretch the road enters the Custer Gallatin National Forest and climbs the switchbacks to the Montana/Wyoming state line before crossing the Beartooth Pass.

The first major waypoint along this spectacular journey, into God’s Country, is the Rock Creek Vista Point Rest Area. It is a well set-up place to park and rest for a while and is a little over twenty miles from Red Lodge. If you are like me, you will need a break after driving through all the s-curves, U-turns and switchbacks that cover about five miles of the Beartooth Highway. There are restrooms here, and even more important, the magnificent views of Rock Creek Canyon. There is a paved walkway behind the restrooms that leads to a platform overlooking the magnificent valley. The views from this vista, at 9,190 feet, are truly astounding. But beware, if you have a fear of heights, as I do, it is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, there are guard rails!

Rock Creek Vista Point, the first major vantage point along this great scenic drive. At an elevation of 9,190 feet the views from this place were unbelievable. And don’t just settle for those from the parking area. Take the short trail, behind the restrooms, to the observation platform overlooking the Rock Creek Valley. You won’t be sorry.

The walkway to the scenic overlook at the Rock Creek Vista Point.

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Rocky Creek Valley, looking down from the Rock Creek Vista Point Rest Area

Another view from Rock Creek Vista

These cute little beggars are Uinta chipmunks. We saw many of these gregarious little guys while at the Rock Creek Vista Point.
There were chipmunks all over the Rock Creek Vista.
The Uinta chipmunk are notorious beggars. They were everywhere, and as you can see, they would eat right out of your hand. Many People brought bags of sunflower seeds to lure them in. I got some great shots while watching.

The other side of the trail to the Rock Creek Vista Point observation platform. That little ribbon way down below is the Beartooth Highway.

From Rock Creek Vista Point
Another shot from Rock Creek Vista

Doug, Karen and Wayne at the Rock Creek Vista Overlook.
That road is a long way down. Look even further and you can see the lower level of the snaking Beartooth Highway.

Just after crossing the Montana/Wyoming state line, we entered the Shoshone National Forest. A short distance later, we came upon a pullout from which you can gaze down on Gardner Lake. At this point my companions and I were 10,536 feet above sea level. The trailhead for the Beartooth Loop National Recreation Trail starts here. It is also a great location for viewing the Bear’s Tooth (11,920 feet), the namesake of the Beartooth Mountains.

That is Gardner Lake. If you look closely, in the center just beyond the first rock formations after the lake, that little hump, or spire in the distant line of mountains is the Bear’s Tooth. The Beartooth Mountains received their name from this chunk of rock that stands at 11,920 feet above sea level.

This trailhead is one of the highest in the Beartooth Mountains, at 10,550 feet above sea level, so take it easy. It loses 580 feet in three quarters of a mile, so you’ll take about three times as long to hike back out, than you did going down to the lake. For those of you who like to fish, however, I hear the Brook trout are almost always biting. Gardner Lake is part of the Beartooth Loop, a National Recreational Trail that runs for approximately ten miles. Although most hikers start this trail at Hauser Lake, Gardner Lake is just as worthy as a starting point.

I don’t know what lake this is, though we had not quite reached the Beartooth Pass. It was quite pretty, though.

There were a lot of nice lakes viewed from the Beartooth Highway. I don’t know which one this is.

There was no snow on the ground at Beartooth Pass when we were here at the end of July. This photo is from a previous trip in 2019.

Beartooth Pass Overlook, at 10,947 feet, is the highest point along the highway, with spectacular views in every direction. In late May and early June, this high elevation can produce harsh weather conditions including blowing snow and fog, resulting in short term (usually less than 24 hours) highway closures. I can attest to this. When I crossed over the Beartooth Pass in June 2019, I was trying to beat a thunderstorm which also included snow. Fortunately, it did not prove too difficult for me to drive. It can, also, produce extreme storms in August. Ask my brother, who had to drive through a blizzard back in the 1970s.

From Beartooth Pass we saw the picturesque little body of water known as Houser Lake. Island Lake was just two miles further, and there was a “pit” toilet at the Island Lake Recreation Area. It’s always good to know where you can take a bathroom break in the wild. This is a high-mountain lake that sits at 9,518 feet above sea level. Another two miles saw us reach the Top of the World Store and Motel. This pitstop, on the way to Yellowstone National Park, sits at 9,400 feet and is only open for a few months out of the year. It is around thirty-eight miles from Red Lodge. This leaves a distance of twenty-five additional miles to the terminus of the Beartooth Highway at Cooke City, Montana. From there, US-212 takes you the final six miles to Yellowstone.

From Beartooth Pass, you can look down upon Houser Lake.
These white flowers were found on the slop coming down from Beartooth Pass. I do not know what they are. Perhaps you do?

Just a few of the many lakes along the Beartooth Highway

What a lovely couple, and what a great view. This was at Beartooth Pass.
Karen and Wayne at Beartooth Pass. Keep up the love!

My man Wayne! Can’t wait ’til next year!

That’s my big brother Doug at Beartooth Pass

Top of the World is a scenic area, inhabited by a store and motel and is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Even during those times, however, the road is subject to being closed due to bad weather. Sudden snowstorms can arise any month of the year. And though snow may close the upper portion of the Beartooth Highway as early as September, snowplows will arrive once the sun comes out. There finally comes a time, however, when it’s just not worth the effort, and the Beartooth Highway is closed for the winter. The only way to reach this mecca on US Highway 212, during those long cold months, is by ski or snowmobile.

It’s a little over two miles from Top of the World to Beartooth Lake. There is a great view of Beartooth Butte behind the lake. Another two miles brought us to the first viewing point of Pilot and Index Peaks, one of the most iconic scenes along the Beartooth Highway. These two mountains, Pilot at 11,522 feet and Index at 10,709 feet, respectively, are right on the border of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness and the North Absaroka Wilderness areas.

The Pilot and Index Peak Overlook, from 8,718 feet, gives a good, “first” view of those mighty bumps of rock along the Beartooth Highway. Although these two pinnacles are famous for their view from the scenic highway, they are not part of that mighty mountain range, rather they belong to the Absaroka range of mountains, which form most of the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park.

The Clark’s Fork Overlook was a couple miles past the Pilot and Index Peak Overlook. At 8,000 feet, this pull-off is not as high as the previous one, but it was closer and offers better views of the Clark’s Fork River Valley.

About one mile past the Clark’s Fork Overlook we came to the junction with Wyoming State Highway 296, otherwise known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. In Laurent Parent’s Scenic Driving WYOMING, it is Scenic Drive #4 Chief Joseph Scenic Highway: Cody to US 212/WY 296 Junction. Shortly after that, we came to a pullout on the left side of the road. When on a journey through what I have always called God’s Country, I utilize every opportunity to get in photo sessions. This was one of them.

Not the first, nor the highest overlook of Pilot and Index Peaks, but perhaps the best one was at the Clarks Fork Overlook. And there is even a “pit” toilet for those in need.

From the Clarks Fork Overlook, a great vantage point for viewing Pilot and Index Peaks. Although these mountains were on the Beartooth Highway, they are actually part of the Absaroka range.

From the Clarks Fork Overlook. Pilot and Index Peak. Notice the haze. There was residual smoke from west coast wildfires. The fires from California have really put a hamper on travel throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains during the last two years.

Zoomed in, Pilot, to the left, and Index Peaks at 11,699 and 10,709 feet respectively, are a very prominent iconic image along the Beartooth Highway.

We left home about 9 AM and 127 miles later entered the town of Cooke City, gateway to the northeastern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. There weren’t many eating options, perhaps due to Covid, but after a quick lunch it was time to head home, this time driving back down US-212 for about fourteen miles to the junction with Wyoming State Highway 296. Rather than backtrack along the Beartooth Highway, we turned onto this southerly route, known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

WY-296 is a forty-six mile state route that connects Wyoming State Highway 120 with the Beartooth Highway. The road winds through the Shoshone National Forest with some good views of the Absaroka Mountains. Starting at US-212, or Beartooth Highway, this thoroughfare ends at WY-120, some seventeen miles north of Cody, Wyoming.

The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway

Wyoming State Highway 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway

As you travel southeast along WY-296 be sure to look back. One can see the towering outline of Pilot Peak in the rear view mirror for some distance. This gives a different viewpoint of that majestic mountain. From this angle you don’t see the accompanying Index Peak as you did along the Beartooth Highway.

We came to a nice scenic pull-out a little less than ten miles from the junction with US-212. Another fifteen miles brought us to my favorite spot on the Chief Joseph Highway. At mile marker 23, we crossed a bridge over the Sunlight Creek gorge. Although the overpass is not very long, it is not for the faint of heart. At eighty-seven meters (roughly 284 feet) above the creek, this is the highest bridge in the entire state. There is a parking area (with pit toilet) just after crossing this span. If you can handle heights, walk to the middle of this structure, and look down. I got some pretty good photos from there, but my stomach was more than a little queasy while I stood on that platform. To get a view of this magnificent scene, check out a YouTube video entitled “Sunlight Bridge Chief Joseph Highway Wyoming.” It’s only 1:46 long, but the video will give you an idea of the area.

That’s Sunlight Creek, and that is the Sunlight Creek Gorge. Despite my fear of heights I walked out to the middle of the bridge over this gorge
Another shot of Sunlight Creek Gorge

Sunlight Creek

The Gorge, Sunlight Creek Gorge.

From the bridge over Sunlight Creek Gorge. I don’t know what the name of that peak to the left is, unless it is Trout Peak.

Trout Peak, perhaps? If it is, then at 12,244 feet this is one of the forty-seven mountains in the Absaroka range that top 12,000 feet.
Maybe this is Trout Peak of the Absaaroka range.
Trout Peak, if this is it, stands at 12,244 feet.

In 1877, Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce, led his people in an attempt to reach safety in Canada. Along the journey of over 1,000 miles, from eastern Oregon, the wily chief fought many rear-guard engagements against as many as 2,000 United States soldiers. Along the way, the native-Americans escaped the pursuing General O.O. Howard through this area. Finally, with winter setting in, and a mere forty miles from the Canadian border, Joseph was forced to surrender. He is famous for his final words, “Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.“

The next ten miles will tax your driving skills. Although the elevation rise is not as much as that on the eastern side of the Beartooth Highway, where you climb 5,747 feet out of the Rock Creek Valley in about twelve miles before topping out at 10,947 feet near Beartooth Pass, the view is still breathtaking and a little hard on the nerves of someone who is as afraid of heights as I am. The bridge over the Sunlight Creek gorge is at an elevation of approximately 6,100 feet. The sixteen minutes, according to google maps, that it will take to drive the 9.7 miles is full of sharp curves, switchbacks and even U-turns that can leave you a little breathless. Dead Indian Pass is at an elevation of 8,071 feet, which is a gain of almost 2,000 feet in ten miles. The views, though not as spectacular as those on the Beartooth Highway, are still astonishing. From this spot, it is around thirteen miles to the junction with Wyoming State Route 120, which takes you back to Billings, Montana.

The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, climbing out of the Sunlight Basin. Although the climb out of this valley is nowhere near as high, difficult nor spectacular as that along the Beartooth Highway, I do not believe there is any spot along the more northern route that you can view as many switchbacks as are seen here.
A view from the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Wyoming State Highway 296, otherwise known as the Chief Joseph Highway
Plaque tells how it became Dead Indian Pass.

I don’t remember where this was at, but it was along the climb out of the Sunlight Basin.

At Dead Indian Pass there were several posted signs like this one and the others below.

chief Joseph Scenic Byway sign at Dead Indian Pass
A sign at Dead Indian Pass
Just like the ones below the pass, these cutouf metal images of native-Americans was a nice addition along the side of the road.

A little over thirteen miles from Dead Indian Pass brought us to the final leg of this journey, the junction with Wyoming State Route 120. We turned left onto WY-120 and twenty-one miles later crossed the Montana state line. At this point, the road became Montana State Highway 72. Another twenty-one miles took us to the junction with US Highway 310. Turning left and following this artery, first to the small town named for famous mountain man Jim Bridger, and then the junction with US-212, was a journey of about eighteen miles. Along the way was a very nice rest area, complete with “real” toilets. The journey from Bridger to Laurel took half an hour, and from Laurel it took about twenty minutes to cover the fourteen miles back home.

Our journey was not a long one, but it did allow us to traverse two of the most scenic highways in America, and it took only a day to make those journeys.

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