Beartooth Scenic Byway

Red Lodge Montana

Listing Type: Scenic Highway
City: Red Lodge Montana
Region: Yellowstone Country
406-446-1718
http://www.byways.org/travel/byway.html'CX_BYWAY=2134

Designated a National Scenic Byway, the Beartooth Highway has been described by former CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt as 'the most beautiful drive in America'. Reaching heights of nearly 11,000 feet, this 53.7-mile, 3 hour drive offers skytop views of snowcapped peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes and plateaus. Seasonal.

Since its completion in 1936, the Highway has provided millions of visitors a rare opportunity to see the transition from a lush forest ecosystem to alpine tundra in the space of a few miles. The Beartooths are one of the highest elevation and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks over 12,000 feet in elevation. Glaciers are found on the north flank of nearly every mountain peak over 11,500 feet in these mountains.

Recreation opportunities are abundant in the area traversed by the Byway. Visitors can cross-country ski in June and July; hike across the broad plateaus; view and photograph wildlife (Rocky Mountain goat, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, marmots, mule deer); take a guided horseback trip; fish for trout in the streams and lakes adjacent to the Byway; and camp in the twelve National Forest campgrounds in the area. Even when the Highway is formally closed to automobiles, snowmobilers may travel the route and enjoy a spectacular winter wonderland.

Directions: Beartooth Highway is located in the southern portion of Montana. From its beginning at the border of the Custer National Forest to its terminus near the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) offers travelers the ultimate high country experience as it travels through the Custer, Shoshone and Gallatin National Forests. The pass is opened on a seasonal basis.

Beartooth Scenic Byway
, Red Lodge, MT 59068

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