The Bearthooth Highway (US 212) provides the most spectacular entrance into (or exit from) Yellowstone. The 68 mile highway connects Red Lodge Montana to Yellowstone's northeast entrance at Cooke City Montana.

The alpine scenery along the highway is fantastic. The highway doesn't just cut through the Beartooth Mountains it goes right over the top of them. The alpine meadows and lakes near the 10,940' summit of Beartooth Pass are beautiful and the mountain scenery is unforgettable. There are very few roads that lead through this type of scenery.

This is not a highway for speed, for those afraid of dropoffs or for those pulling heavy loads. It is a highway for taking your time, making many stops and viewing the scenery. There are a number of view points along the road where you can pull off, or you may just see something you like and stop to explore for a while but whatever you do stop and look around. One side road and stop, I've enjoyed, is the well marked side road up to the fire lookout about 10 miles west of the summit. If time permits, you may also want to hike to one of the alpine lakes along the road. Just remember the elevation when making your hiking plans.

The Beartooth highway is not a road for speed. Plan on it taking at least two hours to drive the 68 miles from Yellowstone's northeast entrance to Red Lodge Montana. Even better, plan even more time so you can stop and do a little exploring.

The pass does not open until the end of May and closes in mid October. Of course, the opening and closing dates strongly depend on the weather. Yellowstone puts out a tentative opening and closing schedule but remember, it is only tentative.

Because of the elevation, snow storms are not uncommon on the pass even in August. If the weather looks bad, ask the locals or a park ranger for information. Snow closures are fairly common in June and October.

So, how scary is the road? If you are somewhat used to mountain driving, it is not a problem. Just take your time and on the long downhills remember to shift into a lower gear. Over the last few years, they have added guard rails to many of the bad sections so that should help with your comfort level. Personally, I don't think I would want to pull a trailer or take a large RV over the pass but a car, van or pickup is no problem.