Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
and follows the route taken by Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
as he led the Nez Perce Indians out of 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...
and into 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,...
in 1877 during their attempt to flee the U.S. Cavalry and escape into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Route description
Wyoming Highway 296 is a 45.96 miles (74 km) long scenic highway in northern Park County. Highway 296 begins its western end at U.S. Route 212 (Beartooth Highway) fourteen miles southeast of Cooke City, Montana. WYO 296 travels southeasterly as it winds through the Shoshone National ForestShoshone 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 through the Absaroka Mountains and then passes through Dead Indian Pass
Dead Indian Pass
Dead Indian Pass is a mountain pass in Wyoming traversed by Wyoming Highway 296. The pass is located along Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and crosses the Absaroka Range....
. After almost 46 miles, WYO 296 reaches its eastern end at Wyoming Highway 120
Wyoming Highway 120
Wyoming Highway 120 is a state highway in central Hot Springs and eastern Park County, Wyoming that travels northwest to Montana Highway 72 at the state line.-Route description:...
, 17 miles north of Cody
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
.