Charles Kuralt called it “the most beautiful drive in America.” Sixty-eight miles of US-212 climbing to 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass, with snowbanks 20 to 26 feet deep in early summer, ending at Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance. The road opens Friday, May 22, 2026, weather permitting — and the right Beartooth Highway road trip takes advantage of a narrow window that closes by mid-October every year. This is one of the most spectacular underrated places to visit in the USA, and one of the few American drives where travelers can stand on alpine tundra ten minutes after leaving the car.
The Beartooth Highway is officially an All-American Road. It connects Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana via a high alpine plateau in northwest Wyoming. The route crosses two states three times. It tops out higher than any paved road in the Northern Rockies. And it dumps travelers directly into Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley — the most reliable wildlife corridor in the lower 48 — for travelers who want to extend the drive into a longer Yellowstone trip. For 2026 specifically, the Beartooth Highway road trip is one of the smartest scenic-drive plays in the country: free to drive, weather-dependent enough to filter casual tourists, and short enough to complete in a single day if pressed.
2026 Opening Date and Seasonal Window
The Beartooth Highway is closed to vehicles every winter from mid-October through late May. The 2026 target opening is Friday, May 22 — the Friday of Memorial Day weekend — but Montana DOT and Wyoming DOT only commit to that date if winter weather cooperates. The 2025 season was unusually short: the highway opened Memorial Day weekend and closed October 3 due to early winter storms, weeks earlier than the typical mid-October close.
The most reliable window for any Beartooth Highway road trip is mid-June through mid-September. July and August deliver the warmest weather and the alpine wildflower bloom. June can deliver bigger snowbanks and more dramatic photography but with cold temperatures and the occasional surprise closure for snow. September brings cooler air, smaller crowds, and increasing risk of early winter storms that can shut the pass on 24-hour notice.
Check Montana 511 and the WYDOT 511 site the morning of any planned drive. The Beartooth Highway Facebook page typically posts updates the day before any closure. Travelers planning Beartooth as the centerpiece of a Yellowstone trip should build at least one buffer day into the itinerary in case the pass is temporarily closed.
Best Direction to Drive the Beartooth Highway
The classic Beartooth Highway road trip runs north to south — Red Lodge to Cooke City — with the most dramatic switchbacks climbing out of Red Lodge. Travelers who start in Cooke City and finish in Red Lodge get the same scenery in reverse but end the drive in a larger town with more dinner options.
For travelers extending the drive into Yellowstone, the north-to-south direction is the obvious choice: end at the Northeast Entrance and continue into the park to spend the night in Mammoth Hot Springs or Canyon Village. For travelers doing the Beartooth as a stand-alone day trip, the round-trip from Red Lodge to Beartooth Pass and back (about three hours of driving plus stops) covers most of the highlights without committing to Yellowstone fees or shuttle scheduling.
Stops to Make on the Beartooth Highway Road Trip
The Beartooth Highway has a small handful of named pullouts, but the best stops are the unmarked ones where the view simply demands a pause. Below are the named stops in order, north to south.
Mile 0 to 12: Red Lodge to Vista Point
The first 12 miles climb from 5,500 feet in Red Lodge through ponderosa pine and aspen, then into subalpine fir. The road grade is steep but the switchbacks are well-engineered — far less white-knuckle than the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Rock Creek Vista Point at mile 12 is the first major pullout, with views back down Rock Creek Canyon toward the plains. Restrooms on site. Most travelers stop here for 10 minutes; the view earns more.
Between Vista Point and the pass, the highway passes a series of unnamed pullouts that are often more dramatic than the named ones. Travelers should drive slowly with windows open in this stretch — marmots whistle from boulder fields, and the air thins noticeably above 8,000 feet.
Mile 21: Beartooth Lake and Twin Lakes Overlook
The Twin Lakes Overlook, just before the highway crests Beartooth Pass, looks down at two glacial lakes nestled in a hanging cirque. Beartooth Lake itself sits just below the pass on the Wyoming side, with a small campground, picnic area, and trailhead for the high lakes country to the north.
Mile 28: Beartooth Pass (10,947 feet)
The pass itself is the highlight. The pullout at the high point has interpretive signs, parking for 20 cars, and a short walking path onto genuine alpine tundra. The ecosystem at this elevation — krummholz spruce, alpine forget-me-not, hoary marmots — matches what travelers would find in northern Alaska or above 11,000 feet in Colorado. Bring a jacket; temperatures at the pass can run 25 degrees colder than Red Lodge on the same day.
The pullout immediately below the pass on the Wyoming side is technically a separate vista with arguably better photography — Beartooth Butte rises directly in front of the viewer, and the Beartooth Plateau stretches south toward the Wind Rivers. Travelers should walk both pullouts. The total time at the pass complex can easily run an hour for travelers willing to explore the short walking paths.
Snowbanks at the pass can persist into mid-July most years. Photographers can walk along the highway shoulder for shots of the road carved between snowbanks taller than a car — one of the iconic Beartooth Highway road trip images. Watch for traffic; the pass is a popular pullout area and parked vehicles obstruct sightlines.
Mile 32: Top of the World Store
The Top of the World Store on the Wyoming side is a true high-altitude operation — gas, snacks, T-shirts, and a stamped passport book for travelers collecting scenic byway memorabilia. It’s the only fuel between Red Lodge and Cooke City. Stop here even if the tank is full; it may be the most photographed convenience store in the country.
Mile 38: Crazy Creek Falls
Crazy Creek Falls is a roadside cascade with a short walk to a viewing platform. The waterfall is most dramatic in June and early July during snowmelt. Picnic tables on site.
Mile 64: Yellowstone Northeast Entrance
The official end of the highway is the Yellowstone NE Entrance, just past Silver Gate and Cooke City. Yellowstone entrance is $35 per vehicle for seven days. For 2026, travelers should know that Yellowstone is on the new $100 per-person nonresident surcharge list — fees apply on top of the standard vehicle entry. Travelers ending the drive in Cooke City without entering Yellowstone pay nothing.
Side Trip: Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (Wyoming Highway 296) leaves the Beartooth at Crandall Junction (between Cooke City and the Top of the World Store) and runs 47 miles southeast to Cody, Wyoming. The byway is one of the most underrated scenic drives in the most underrated USA road trips — and travelers who combine Chief Joseph with the Beartooth Highway road trip get two All-American Roads in a single loop.
The drive crosses Dead Indian Hill at 8,071 feet with sweeping views across the Sunlight Basin and the Absaroka Mountains. Time required: about 90 minutes one-way without stops. Travelers extending into Cody can return to Red Lodge via US-212 the next morning to complete a 200-mile loop.
Where to Stay for a Beartooth Highway Road Trip
The Beartooth Highway has no lodging directly on the pass. Travelers stay in Red Lodge (north end), Cooke City and Silver Gate (south end), or push into Yellowstone for in-park lodging. Each option has trade-offs.
Red Lodge, Montana
Red Lodge is the largest town on the route with about 2,300 residents, a full main-street downtown, and the strongest hotel and restaurant inventory. The Pollard Hotel (built 1893) is the historic centerpiece, with original Victorian millwork and a serious in-house restaurant. The Yodeler Motel delivers great mid-century kitsch value within walking distance of Main Street. Rock Creek Resort sits on the southern edge of town with creek-side cabins and a full-service restaurant. Where to stay in Red Lodge depends on the priority: walkable downtown (Pollard, Yodeler) versus quiet creek-side cabins (Rock Creek Resort).
Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana
Cooke City has a winter population of about 75 people. The lodging is rustic, the restaurants are basic, and the wildlife is at the doorstep — Lamar Valley wolves and bears regularly travel through town. The Soda Butte Lodge has motel-style rooms with an attached restaurant. The Antlers Lodge offers cabins and lodge rooms with a saloon. The High Country Motel is the budget option. Where to stay in Cooke City is really a question of which property has rooms — book months ahead for July and August.
How to Get to the Beartooth Highway
The closest commercial airport is Billings Logan International (BIL), about 90 minutes northeast of Red Lodge via I-90 and US-212. Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN) is a longer 3-hour drive but offers more flight options and competitive rental car prices. Travelers can also fly into Cody Yellowstone Regional (COD) and approach the Beartooth Highway from the south via Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
Most travelers fly into BIL, rent a car in Billings, and drive south on US-212 to Red Lodge. The route is straightforward and well-signed. Travelers building a longer western road trip can fly into BZN, drive to Yellowstone, traverse the park to the Northeast Entrance, and exit via the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge before flying out of Billings — a strong one-way itinerary.
Combining the Beartooth Highway with Yellowstone
The Beartooth Highway Northeast Entrance drops travelers directly into Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley — the most reliable wildlife viewing area in the National Park System. Lamar Valley regularly hosts wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, bison herds in the thousands, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep. Dawn and dusk are prime viewing windows.
For 2026, Yellowstone is on the new $100 per-person nonresident surcharge list. The fee applies on top of the standard $35 per-vehicle entrance fee. Travelers from outside the United States planning a Yellowstone-Beartooth combination should budget accordingly. The Beartooth Highway itself remains free.
An efficient 4-day itinerary: Day 1 fly into Billings, drive to Red Lodge, dinner at the Pollard. Day 2 drive the Beartooth Highway, lunch at Top of the World Store, enter Yellowstone, overnight at Mammoth Hot Springs. Day 3 explore Lamar Valley at dawn, drive to Old Faithful, overnight inside the park. Day 4 drive to Bozeman, fly home from BZN.
Wildlife on the Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway runs through some of the most reliable wildlife habitat in the lower 48. Bighorn sheep are the most commonly photographed animals on the route — small herds graze on the alpine grasses near the pass throughout summer, sometimes within 50 feet of the road. Mountain goats appear less frequently but are sometimes visible on the steeper rock faces below the pass.
Black bears are common at lower elevations on both the Red Lodge and Cooke City sides. Grizzlies are present in the broader Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and occasionally cross US-212, especially in the Cooke City area where the highway meets Yellowstone’s wildlife corridor. Moose appear near Beartooth Lake and in the marshy areas of the Wyoming side. Mule deer and pronghorn are common at lower elevations.
The most reliable wildlife window on any Beartooth Highway road trip is dawn — between 5:30 and 7:30 AM in July and August. Travelers willing to start before sunrise are dramatically more likely to see large mammals than midday drivers. Carry bear spray if leaving the vehicle for short walks, and never approach wildlife. The 100-yard rule that applies in Yellowstone applies just as strongly here.
Photography Tips for the Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway delivers strong photography in every direction. The challenge is wind — alpine ridgelines above 10,000 feet routinely see 30 to 40 mph gusts even on calm days at lower elevations. A tripod is recommended for landscape work but must be weighted or staked.
The best light on the pass itself is early morning (6-8 AM) and the last hour before sunset. Midday at altitude delivers harsh shadows and washed-out blues. Polarizing filters help significantly at this elevation where UV haze can flatten distance shots. For travelers shooting astrophotography, the Beartooth Plateau is one of the darkest accessible night skies in the lower 48 — Beartooth Lake and Island Lake are both reachable late-night during the open season.
What to Pack for a Beartooth Highway Road Trip
Cell service is intermittent above 8,000 feet and nonexistent on long sections between Red Lodge and Cooke City. Download offline maps before the drive. Bring a jacket regardless of season; the pass can hit freezing in July overnight. Sunscreen is essential at altitude — UV exposure at 10,947 feet is roughly 60% stronger than at sea level.
Fuel up in Red Lodge or Cooke City before the drive. The Top of the World Store sells gas at high-altitude prices but it’s the only option in 32 miles. Travelers in low-clearance vehicles should know that some pullouts along the route have unpaved access — most are fine for any car, but a few favor higher clearance.
Wildlife is real on this drive. Black bears are common at lower elevations. Bighorn sheep often graze near the pass itself, and moose appear near Beartooth Lake. Drive slowly. Use pullouts to look — never stop in the travel lane.
Plan the 2026 Beartooth Highway Road Trip Now
The combination of a fixed seasonal window, an All-American Road designation, and zero entry fee makes the Beartooth Highway road trip one of the highest-value scenic drives in the country for 2026. Travelers who combine Beartooth with Chief Joseph Scenic Byway or with a Yellowstone extension get one of the best four-day western itineraries available — and one of the few that doesn’t require timed-entry reservations or surcharge payments to make work.
Planning a longer trip across multiple states? Check out the other underrated US destinations for 2026 for ideas on pairing the Beartooth Highway with underrated parks, cities, and scenic drives in the broader West.
