The Beartooth and Chief Joseph Scenic Highways Trip of 2020

The Beartooth Highway

On Friday, October 2, 2020, I opened my 2020 Fall Foliage Tour schedule, with a single-day jaunt up the Beartooth Highway, to Cooke City, Montana, and then back down the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, before returning home to Billings, Montana. The trip was nice, but due to the smoke from the California wildfires it was not as enjoyable as I wished. I could have taken some really great shots of Pilot and Index Peaks deep in the heart of the Absaroka Mountains, with some beautiful aspen trees in their bright yellow, fall bloom in the foreground. The trees were lovely, but the mountains had that smoky washed-out look.

It is a little less than sixty miles from my apartment, in Billings, to the town of Red Lodge, Montana. This charming little metropolis at the base of the Beartooth Mountains has a population of around 2,300 citizens. After stopping at a Wendy’s in Laurel, for breakfast, I headed south on US Highway 212 for my trek to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. I came to a rest area around mile marker 85, about thirty miles south of Laurel, near the tiny burg known as Roberts. Fifteen minutes later saw me pulling into Red Lodge. I have always loved this quaint little village on Rock Creek. In fact, I have often considered running a Bed and Breakfast there.

After leaving Red Lodge, you quickly pass the Beartooth Ranger District Office, always a good place to pick up useful information or even purchase maps of the surrounding areas. The first fifteen miles, of this scenic 68-mile journey, along God’s pathway to Yellowstone National Park was easy driving. In S.A. Snyder’s Scenic Driving MONTANA this is Scenic Drive #13 Beartooth Highway: Silver Gate to Red Lodge. So were the last four miles, from Colter Pass to the northeastern entrance of the grand dame of national parks. It’s the central portion, or “alpine” stretch of US 212, otherwise known as the Beartooth Highway, that is so spectacular. From here, the road enters the Custer Gallatin National Forest and climbs the switchbacks to the Montana/Wyoming state line. Famed CBS journalist Charles Kuralt, who spent a quarter of a century as Walter Cronkite’s On the Road reporter, once described the Beartooth Highway as “the most beautiful drive in America.”

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 awhile 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 importantly, are the magnificent views of Rock Creek Canyon. There is a paved walkway behind the restrooms that leads to a platform overlooking that 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! Once again, however, the gift that keeps on giving, smoke from the California wildfires, dampened my enthusiasm, as well as, my photo opportunities. Still, I never tire of gazing out upon this wonderful panorama.

At the Montana/Wyoming state line, visitors enter the Shoshone National Forest. I saw a group of mountain goats a couple miles past this point. That was a blessing. Seeing these, normally skittish creatures up close is very unusual.

After crossing the state line, into Wyoming, I came upon a group of mountain goats. Fortunately, I found a pull-off and was able to snap some pretty good pictures of these high-altitude, sure-footed, ungulates. Despite its name, this mammal has more in common with antelopes, gazelles and even cattle than they do with other “true” goats. This was only the third time I have viewed the remarkable creatures in their natural element. My first time was at the Logan Visitor Center parking lot in Glacier National Park on a vacation with my brother in 1997. In 2004, I spotted a mother, or “nannie” with her “kid” or baby goat at the 14,100 foot-high parking lot at the end of the Mt. Evans Scenic Highway, in Colorado, the highest paved road in North America.

A short mile from where I viewed the mountain goats, I came upon a pullout from which one can view down upon Gardner Lake. At this point you are 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 11,920-foot tall Bear’s Tooth, a pyramidal spire rock formation carved by glaciers and the namesake of the Beartooth All-American Road.

This trailhead is one of the highest in the Beartooth Mountains, at 10,550 feet above sea level, so take it easy. The trail 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 10 miles. Although most hikers start this trail at Hauser Lake, Gardner Lake is just as worthy of a starting point.

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 (less that 24 hours) highway closures. I can attest to this. When I crossed over the Beartooth Pass last year, in June (2019) I was trying to beat a thunderstorm which also included some snow. Fortunately, it did not prove to be 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.

About five and a half miles after coming down the western side of Beartooth Pass you see the picturesque little body of water known as Houser Lake. Another two miles brings you to Island Lake, where there is 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 brings you to 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.

Just past Island Lake is Top of the World. According to my trip meter, Top of the World is 101.5 miles from my home. At 9,400 feet, this scenic area, inhabited by a store and motel is only 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 come out as soon as the sun comes out. However, there finally comes a time when it’s just not worth the effort, and the Beartooth Highway is closed for the winter. During the winter, the only way to reach this mecca on US Highway 212 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. On October 2, however, there was road construction in the area, which obstructed this great vantage point. A little over two miles brings you 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. Notice the patches of yellow aspen co-mingled with the dark green of evergreen trees. The smoky haze, however, diminished the viewing pleasure on this trip.

About a mile past the Clark’s Fork Overlook is 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, I 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 as I can. This was one of them.

I left Billings about 9 am, and one hundred twenty-seven miles later, I pulled into the town of Cooke City, gateway to the northeastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Many of the businesses were closed for the year, but the Yellowstone Trading Post was open and I was able to purchase a couple of souvenirs. They have very reasonable prices. Last year, when I was there, I picked up three really nice “Yellowstone” t-shirts for a mere $9.99 each. There weren’t many eating options, but after a quick lunch I hit the road again, 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, I turned onto this southerly route, known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

Wyoming 296 is a 46-mile state route that connects WY 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.

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.

You’ll come to a nice scenic pull-out a little less than ten miles from the junction with US-212. Another fifteen miles will bring you to “my favorite spot on the Chief Joseph Highway. At mile marker 23, you cross a bridge over the Sunlight Creek gorge. Although the bridge 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. The only bridge I’ve ever driven over that instilled more fear was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that connects Maryland with Delaware. There is a parking area (with pit toilet) just after crossing the bridge. If you can handle heights, walk to the middle of the bridge and look down. I got some pretty good photos from there, but my stomach was more than a little queasy while I stood on the bridge. 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. The next ten miles will tax your driving skills. Although the elevation rise is not as much as that of 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 (by google maps standards) 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 a little less than 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 only a little over thirteen miles to the junction with Wyoming State Route 120, which will take you back to Billings, Montana.

A little over thirteen miles from Dead Indian Pass brings us to the final leg of my journey, the junction with Wyoming State Route 120. I turned left onto WY 120 and twenty-one miles later I was crossing the Montana state line. At this point, the road became Montana State Highway 72. Another twenty-one miles took me to the junction with US Highway 310. Turning left, I followed this artery, first to the small town named for famous mountain-man Jim Bridger, and then the junction with US 212, 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 about half an hour, and from Laurel it’s only a hop, skip and a jump back to Billings.

My journey was not a long one, but it did allow me to traverse two of the most scenic highways in America, and it only took a day to make those journeys. My next journey would be less than forty-eight hours away!