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Had I known in September 2019, when I drove the Beartooth Highway from Billings Montana, on my way to Yellowstone National Park days before it would close for the season due to snow at high elevations, that America would be ravaged by a pandemic when it reopened in May 2020, I’m not sure I would have done anything differently. Except perhaps savor a little longer the engineering that made such a road possible, the glorious lookouts, and baron beauty of the plateau the Bear Tooth conquers, before diving towards the valley and entrance to Yellowstone.
The fact that as a Canadian this experience would be denied just 6 months later by a closed border would have been unthinkable. Fortunately those times are now behind us.
The Beartooth Highway
Driving the Beartooth highway to Yellowstone across the Beartooth Pass, Montana is a spectacular road trip. If you’re in the early planning stages for your trip to Yellowstone, I’d definitely recommend getting the Lonely Planet guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
Revisiting the Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone for this post is somewhat poignant, in that it’s as much a guide of what to see and how to do it, as it is a reframed appreciation for freedom and serendipity behind the wheel, grasping opportunities and wrestling them into memorable experiences. I was attending a conference in Billings, and determined to make the most of a two day visit to the park via this legendary highway, seeing sites, hiking, and racking up some serious miles on the rental car. (I used Alamo this trip and got a sweet deal out of Billings airport)
Driving the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone
The Beartooth Highway, constructed in 1932, is a 68-mile engineering feat that rivals the Grossglockner in the Austria Alps for an epic drive of twists, turns and switchbacks that climb to a 10,000-foot alpine plateau host to over 1000 little lakes. The road itself goes through Montana and Wyoming and crosses Custer Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooth Highway is only open in the summer season, with closure mid-October to May.
Beartooth Pass
While there are several look outs, the Beartooth Pass Summit, at 10,947ft is not to be missed, if for no other reason to snap a photo that you made it, and didn’t get blown away capturing it. Yes, the plateau is VERY windy. Red Lodge, a short strip of small-town amenities, is the last stop before the Bear Tooth begins, when heading west from Billings. Cooke City is the one-street town on the west side, just short of the North East entrance to Yellowstone. It’s a magnificent drive along the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone National Park in either direction, having driven both, with the views hardly a repeat, just magic from a different angle.
Beartooth Highway Map
Bison spotting
While I’m sure I appeared to the locals like an Australian who just saw their first squirrel in Stanley Park, my bison radar was shouting “stop the car” at the first site of these mammoth creatures’ roadside, not more than two miles after having entered the park.
The Yellowstone National Park
But I was soon to learn they love hanging out by the road, and frequently cause traffic jams with people either taking photos, or genuinely being blocked. Not much you can do to move a bison, except wait.
Yellowstone Scenic Drive
I took the Yellowstone Scenic Drive through the Lamar Valley, where there were many more bison and elk sightings too. At Tower-Roosevelt intersection by Tower Falls, I headed south along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, towards Canyon Village. The canyon itself is stunning with numerous day hike options and scenic pull offs in the offering.
Canyon Village to Lake Village and West Thumb
From Canyon Village I headed south towards Lake Village and West Thumb, which has the highway skirting Yellowstone Lake. The lake itself is vast, again with completely different scenery and recreation options with a boat kayaks or SUP to enjoy it. I could easily have spent a day hiking the canyon or out on the water if time had allowed.
West Thumb Grizzly spotting
Towards West Thumb cars were backing up along the road and a conservation officer with a radio was minding those that were stopped for a grizzly bear siting. Indeed, as I drove by, there was a grizzly just grazing a grassy field about 50ft from the road! Never was I so thankful for the barrier of a safe vehicle, but thrilled to be that close with the window down. Let’s just say I hope to never encounter one in the wild at that range. They are formidable. So along with bison, elk roaming fields, and a brown bear at a distance, I had added a grizzly to the wildlife spotting. It was barely after noon.
Geysers and thermal activity
From West Thumb, I was into geyser country with lots of boiling mud pools and thermal activity. It’s remarkable to witness just how active the earths bowls are in this region, serving a reminder of how not only the area was formed, but how it could be reclaimed in the future, should mother nature become angry.
Old Faithful
Since I had only planned to spend two days in the park, I made a few stops to hike around the thermal activity areas deemed safe, and then hit “Old Faithful” at 6pm, with it due to blow at 6:20.
Yellowstone National Park Map
Old Faithful is one of many geysers in the area, but she has earned her name, regularly erupting every 1.5 hours. Another 1.2-mile hike in the area, and it was off to Madison, then Norris and north the Mammoth Hot Springs, all still within Yellowstone park, and then down into Gardiner, a small valley town, outside the north entrance.
Gardiner and the North Entrance to Yellowstone
I had reserved a night at the Victorian Inn & Carriage House, a decently priced 15 room property just 10 minutes from the North Entrance to Yellowstone, which was lovely. While there I also met with guests staying at the Yellowstone Villa, right across the street, and they said it was awesome.
Both properties are centrally located, close to dining, and have readily available street parking. I gassed up the car in town for the next days adventures, then grabbed dinner and a beer at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill across the street, before retiring for the night. It was a huge day of driving and touring, and I was keen to be rested for a big hike the following day up Mt Washburn.
Accommodation outside Yellowstone National Park
(I love doing an initial search through VRBO and Booking.com, and often end up circling back to them after exhausting options through Hotels.com and Expedia as well. While there are often overlaps in listed offerings, remarkably deals squeak through, or you find a cool place you wouldn’t have otherwise stumbled upon. It pays to shop around!)
Day 2 in Yellowstone national park
The next morning I was on the road by 7am, heading back to the parks North Entrance. It was a glorious morning with the sun just starting to rise, coloring the mountainside red, with the setting full moon still in the sky over town.
Mammoth Hot Springs
I headed up to Mammoth Hot Springs, casually dodging deer and moose wandering through town, then to Tower-Roosevelt and then down to Canyon Village to rent ‘bear spray” which had been recommended by guide books. From her hut in the parking lot, the “bear spray lady” makes you watch a video and then demonstrate the “holster grab and spray test”. I passed, but was left hoping to never actually need my new-found skill.
Hiking Mt Washburn
Mt Washburn was a 15-minute drive up from Canyon Village. It had been recommended as “the hike not to miss” if you’re only going to do one, and promised to take 4hrs return. I did it in 2 3/4hrs easily with photo stops and 10 minutes at the top, so it’s evident that guide estimates vary by fitness level.
Arrive early!
Securing parking and hitting the trail by 9:30am, I noted a full lot upon return, so it would seem important to do this hike earlier in the day. I had the hike up largely to myself, except for a few other parties, but it definitely was more crowded coming down.
The trail is wide at most points, rocky and well used. It winds through switchbacks all the way to the Tower Summit at 10,243ft. Much of Yellowstone National Park and all bordering states – Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are visible from the summit.
Mt Washburn is all that remains of a volcano that erupted around 640,000 years ago forming the vast Yellowstone caldera. Grizzlies flock to the Mt Washburn eastern slopes in large numbers during August and September in search of ripening white bark pine nuts. Fortunately I didn’t have any encounters as a single hiker, but I was glad to have bear spray on my hip and a bear bell making noise on my backpack. You can pick up bear bells at the grocery in Canyon Village, along with bear spray.
I was off the mountain by 12:30 and on the road to Tower-Roosevelt again, this time to drop the rented bear spray at the gas station, a welcome option, so as to not need to circle back to Canyon Village again.
Driving the Beartooth Highway – again!
From there it was back towards the North East entrance, Cooke City and the Beartooth Highway round 2.0. Driving the Beartooth Highway in the eastern direction was equally beautiful, and a completely different experience.
Red Lodge: Gateway to the Beartooth Highway
I stopped in Red Lodge and checked out Bone Daddies Bike Shop to get a couple souvenir t-shirts from their annual motorbike rally that takes place the third week of July. Each year the event draws over 3,500 bikers to ride the Beartooth Highway. I got my husband a shirt with “Get your ass over the pass” which seemed a suitable keepsake for a guy who would have loved to make the drive on two wheels.
Montana and Wyoming were amazing states – open, wild and free, all attributes appreciated at the time, but even more so now, after a pandemic. Taking in the Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park could easily be a multiple week endeavor if you were camping, as many do in the park, but it was possible to cover a lot of ground and take much of it in, just in two, admittedly long and full, days.
Yellowstone is a national gem, and the Beartooth Highway is a must do driving experience, making the park, and highway to get there, an epic road trip.
GUIDE BOOKS
Lonely Plant publishes a great guidebook for the area called Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, which was what I used while exploring this area. It’s available through Chapters/Indigo. The guide above has been updated for 2021, but Amazon has the 2019 version here, and I’m sure will have the more recent guide available shortly. This Planning Map, also by Lonely Planet looks super useful.
If you have more time and really want to check out a variety of hikes in the park, the Falcon Guide to Hiking Yellowstone National Park looks worth checking out. It’s a guide to more than 100 great hikes in the area. If you are arriving via the Bear Tooth Mountain, and have time to hike in that area, Day Hikes in the Beartooth Mountains, looks like a great book to check out as well! Be sure to check get your guide listings for organized activities or tours in the area.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers, with coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
FLIGHTS
If you’re flying into Billings from Canada, be sure to check out CheapOair.ca, my favorite site for comparing flight deals, but they also help you search for car rental deals and accommodations. They have a sister site that does the same thing for my American friends at CheapOair.com too. Their When to Buy Flights Tool is handy for planning your flight purchase. Expedia and Trip Advisor are also viable options for making all of your arrangements from the same dashboard.
We’ve combed the internet for some great items for travelers – 8 useful, 4 cool and 2 inspirational, plus 2 more that you don’t really need – but will truly want!
If RV camping is your style, be sure the check out RV Share for available units to rent and drive. Nothing beats being a turtle with a shell and having all of the comforts with you while camping. They also have a 25% discount coupon available here for summer booking rentals.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
Is the Beartooth Pass open? What is the Beartooth Pass weather? When are Yellowstone National Park roads open? These are great questions, with responses apt to vary depending on when you’re reading this. Be sure to check the resources below for current health restrictions, as well as weather and travel conditions.
The Bear Tooth Mountain Highway (Hwy 212) conditions: https://wyoroad.info/pls/Browse/WRR.RoutesResults?SelectedRoute=US212
Current road conditions and notices for Yellowstone National Park: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm
Check out available accommodations in Gardiner and Cooke City, two small towns at the entrances of Yellowstone National Park through this map search link.
Or link here for camping information in US national parks, and how to obtain a reservation.
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This 2-day adventure through Yellowstone and the Beartooth Highway is a journey you’ll cherish forever. From the stunning mountain views to the geothermal marvels, every moment is a reminder of nature’s grandeur. So, gear up, embrace the open road, and let these spectacular landscapes leave a lasting impression.