Beartooth Pass — 3,337 metres on the Montana–Wyoming line

The Beartooth is the highest paved road in the Northern Rockies, 3,337 metres (10,947 feet) on the Montana–Wyoming line. The road climbs onto the Beartooth Plateau, a high tundra of lakes, wildflowers, and ice that looks like a landscape from a different continent. Charles Kuralt called it "the most beautiful drive in America" on CBS in the 1990s, and nothing since has really challenged the claim.

History

The road was completed in 1936 as part of the Depression-era New Deal, the same period that produced the Grossglockner in Austria and the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier. It opens for about five months a year, and often closes temporarily in that window for summer snowstorms. The summit sits between Yellowstone's northeast corner and Red Lodge, Montana.

Riding it

From Red Lodge, the climb is 40 km with 1,800 metres of altitude gain, the last 20 km above 2,600 metres on open tundra. Weather is the variable: afternoon thunderstorms are common, and temperatures can drop twenty degrees in an hour. Most riders start early and carry a rain layer. The descent into Cooke City is one of the great American rides.

Along the way

• Top of the World Store — A remote general store near the summit plateau, one of the highest commercial buildings in Montana and a reliable stop for water and snacks.
• Beartooth Lake — A glacial lake just below the summit at 2,900 m, set against granite cliffs and accessible by a short walk from the highway pullout.
• Rock Creek Vista Point — A signed overlook on the Red Lodge side with views down the glacially carved Rock Creek canyon and across the Absaroka range.
• Cooke City — A tiny gateway town at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, with a handful of cafés and the only fuel stop for 100 km in either direction.
• Dead Indian Pass — The companion crossing on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, usually ridden as a same-day loop.
• Beartooth and Chief Joseph loop — The two-pass circuit from Cody or Red Lodge.