Beartooth Highway
Encyclopedia
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road
that has been called "the most beautiful drive in America," by late CBS
correspondent Charles Kuralt
. Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid May through mid October, weather conditions permitting.
and Cooke City, Montana
. It traces a series of steep zigzags and switchback
s, along the Montana
-Wyoming
border to the 10947 ft (3,336.6 m) high Beartooth Pass. The approximate elevation rise is from 5200 ft (1,585 m) to 8000 ft (2,438.4 m) in 12 mi (19.3 km) in the most daring landscapes.
When driving from the east to the west, the highest parts of the Beartooth Highway level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, and then descend to where the Beartooth Highway connects to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
near Cooke City, which forms the northeast gateway to Yellowstone National Park
. En route, one passes numerous lakes typical of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area which borders the highway along much of its route.
The highway officially opened June 14, 1936.
Because of the high altitudes, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer and the pass is also known for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. Drivers should plan on a driving time of at least two hours for the 69 miles (111 km) long trip from Red Lodge to Cooke City. It is a good idea to check with the Red Lodge Chamber of Commerce or the Beartooth Ranger District beforehand in case of road closures. Montana Traveler Information and Wyoming Travel Information Service both provide online information on Beartooth Highway travel conditions for their respective portions of the highway.
The Beartooth Highway passes through portions of Custer National Forest
, and Shoshone National Forest
and near the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
.
General Phillip Sheridan and 120 men returning from an inspection tour of Yellowstone. Rather than take the long detour down the Clarks Fork River to return to Billings
, Sheridan took the advice of an old hunter named Greer, who claimed intimate knowledge of the Beartooth Mountains
. When the road was opened in 1936, it essentially followed Sheridan's route over the pass.
s on May 19 and May 20, 2005 damaged or destroyed the Montana
side of the Beartooth Highway in a dozen places between mile markers 39 and 51. The road was closed for reconstruction, and a $20.4 million construction contract issued which stipulated an October 2005 completion date. Construction was completed ahead of schedule and the road was re-opened.
An estimated 100000 cubic yards (76,455.5 m³) of rock were removed from a half-mile (800 m) section of the highway near the top of the switchbacks, and construction crews drilled down to solid bedrock to create new supports for the road.
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
that has been called "the most beautiful drive in America," by late CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
correspondent Charles Kuralt
Charles Kuralt
Charles Kuralt was an American journalist. He was most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, and later as the first anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, a position he held for fifteen years.Kuralt's "On the Road"...
. Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid May through mid October, weather conditions permitting.
Route description
The Beartooth Highway is the section of U.S. Highway 212 between Red Lodge, MontanaRed Lodge, Montana
Red Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Cooke City, Montana
Cooke City-Silver Gate, Montana
Cooke City-Silver Gate is a census-designated place in Park County, Montana, United States. The population was 140 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cooke City-Silver Gate is located at ....
. It traces a series of steep zigzags and switchback
Hairpin turn
A hairpin turn , named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180° to continue on the road. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy...
s, along the Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
-Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
border to the 10947 ft (3,336.6 m) high Beartooth Pass. The approximate elevation rise is from 5200 ft (1,585 m) to 8000 ft (2,438.4 m) in 12 mi (19.3 km) in the most daring landscapes.
When driving from the east to the west, the highest parts of the Beartooth Highway level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, and then descend to where the Beartooth Highway connects to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Wyoming Highway 296 also known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway is in the U.S. state of Wyoming and follows the route taken by Chief Joseph as he led the Nez Perce Indians out of Yellowstone National Park and into Montana in 1877 during their attempt to flee the U.S...
near Cooke City, which forms the northeast gateway to Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. En route, one passes numerous lakes typical of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area which borders the highway along much of its route.
The highway officially opened June 14, 1936.
Because of the high altitudes, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer and the pass is also known for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. Drivers should plan on a driving time of at least two hours for the 69 miles (111 km) long trip from Red Lodge to Cooke City. It is a good idea to check with the Red Lodge Chamber of Commerce or the Beartooth Ranger District beforehand in case of road closures. Montana Traveler Information and Wyoming Travel Information Service both provide online information on Beartooth Highway travel conditions for their respective portions of the highway.
The Beartooth Highway passes through portions of Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres , the forest comprises over 10 separate sections...
, and Shoshone National Forest
Shoshone National Forest
Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2.5 million acres in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S....
and near the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness was created from existing National Forest lands in 1975 and is located in Montana and Wyoming, United States. The wilderness is partly in Gallatin, Custer and Shoshone National Forests and is composed of . The wilderness encompasses two distinct mountain ranges, namely...
.
History
In August 1872, the pass was crossed by Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General Phillip Sheridan and 120 men returning from an inspection tour of Yellowstone. Rather than take the long detour down the Clarks Fork River to return to Billings
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, Sheridan took the advice of an old hunter named Greer, who claimed intimate knowledge of the Beartooth Mountains
Beartooth Mountains
The Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana and northwest Wyoming, U.S. and are part of the 900,000 acre Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooths are the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,807 feet is the highest...
. When the road was opened in 1936, it essentially followed Sheridan's route over the pass.
2005 closure
Several large mudslides and rockslideRockslide
A rockslide is a type of landslide caused by rock failure in which part of the plane of failure passes through intact rock and where material collapses en masse and not in individual blocks.The mode of failure is different from that of a rock-fall....
s on May 19 and May 20, 2005 damaged or destroyed the Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
side of the Beartooth Highway in a dozen places between mile markers 39 and 51. The road was closed for reconstruction, and a $20.4 million construction contract issued which stipulated an October 2005 completion date. Construction was completed ahead of schedule and the road was re-opened.
An estimated 100000 cubic yards (76,455.5 m³) of rock were removed from a half-mile (800 m) section of the highway near the top of the switchbacks, and construction crews drilled down to solid bedrock to create new supports for the road.