Knockout views and alpine wonders on the legendary Beartooth Highway
TOUCH THE BIG SKY
The Beartooth Highway is one of those storied routes: about 68 miles of Highway 212 that carry travelers up, up and up to almost 11,000 feet above sea level. Typically open from May to October, the road connects Red Lodge, MT, with Yellowstone National Park, zagging through northern Wyoming. RVers seeking Good Sam campgrounds could base to the north at the Mountain Range RV Park in Columbus, MT, or to the west, at Sun Outdoors Yellowstone North in the park gateway town of Gardiner, MT.
THE DRIVE
The subject of much conversation, thanks to switchbacks, steep grades and high altitudes. Comfort levels will vary; those who drive Class As or larger trailers may want to unhook the tow rig or deploy the dinghy vehicle. Famed among motorcyclists, the Beartooth winds past National Forest campgrounds and summer-only ski area Beartooth Basin.
HIGH COUNTRY HISTORY
Like so much now-treasured outdoor infrastructure, the Beartooth is a legacy of the New Deal era. When it opened in 1936, the Billings Gazette waxed eloquent: “Longcherished dreams will become reality as motorists ... speed over an oil-surfaced highway in the clouds. ... It offers rest and quietude for the weary; content for the hard-pressed. Its vast panoramas will stir the blood of the picture-hunter.” Obviously, we couldn't agree more.
