Beartooth Highway
Beartooth Highway All-American Road Overview

The Beartooth Highway is one of the most spectacular National Forest routes on this continent. Travel it yourself and see why Charles Kurault called it "America's most beautiful highway."

Start your journey at the border of Custer National Forest in Montana. You'll have the ultimate high-country experience as you drive through the Custer, Shoshone, and Gallatin National Forests to the Byway's end near the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. You'll see rugged mountains, icy glaciers, and alpine meadows full of wildflowers. Perhaps you'll even spot a moose or grizzly bear.

Since its completion in 1936, the Highway has provided millions of visitors a rare opportunity to see the transition from a lush forest ecosystem to alpine tundra in the space of just a few miles. The Beartooth area is one of the highest and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation. Glaciers grace the north flank of nearly every towering mountain peak.

The first recorded travel across the Beartooth Pass area occurred in 1882, when General Sheridan pioneered and marked a route across the mountains from Cooke City to Billings.

Looking for something to do? Look no further. Recreational opportunities are abundant here. In warmer months, hike across broad plateaus, and view and photograph wildlife like Rocky Mountain goats, moose, black bears, grizzly bears, marmots, and mule deer. Take a guided horseback trip, fish for trout in the streams and lakes adjacent to the Byway, and camp in the 12 National Forest campgrounds in the area.

Wintertime brings lots of snow and all the activities that come with it. Though the route is officially closed, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling is available from many trailheads. Red Lodge, Montana invites downhill skiers and snowboarders to spend the days on the slopes and the evenings in front of a fire while snow lightly falls outside.

For an experience in western heritage and stunning natural wonders, no drive delivers like the Beartooth Highway.

Photo Credits

Other Stories

  • Skiing through the Wild on the Beartooth Highway

    Although much of the road is closed during the winter, the Beartooth Highway still ranks among the West’s best winter recreation hotspots. Between the spouting geysers of Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park and the high elevation elegance of Red Lodge, Montana, you’ll find a wealth of...

  • Snowmobiling Adventures on the Beartooth Highway

    If you equate winter with snowmobiling adventures, then consider Beartooth Highway a gateway to bliss. Beginning at Red Lodge, Montana and running west toward Yellowstone National Park, a snowmobiling focus in its own right, Beartooth Highway meanders between the Montana and Wyoming borders,...

  • Camping Under the Stars

    People naturally think of camping out when they think of Montana and Wyoming. After all, the Big Sky Country invites visitors to lie on their backs and count the stars as they come out one by one. Far away from city lights, the Beartooth Highway provides plenty of opportunities for pitching a...