Beartooth Highway Is Now Open

Beartooth Highway is now open! At least partially. I spoke with the Montana Department of Transportation and they told me that the scenic highway is open from Red Lodge to Vista Point but poor weather is keeping the Wyoming side of the highway closed.



The Montana side opened Tuesday morning. Crews on the Wyoming side have been working to clear the snow drifts that accumulated over the weekend and are ready to open the highway from Vista Point to Yellowstone Park and soon as the weather lifts which will hopefully be in a day or two. Meanwhile Cooke City can be accessed via the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway and the western section of the Beartooth Highway.

If you have never been up the pass, it’s one of the most scenic drives in the United States. The National Scenic Byways All-American Road, features breathtaking views of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, and open high alpine plateaus dotted with countless glacial lakes, forested valleys, waterfalls and wildlife.

The Beartooth All-American Road sits in a million-plus acre wilderness. It is one of the highest and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation. The Road itself is the highest elevation highway in Wyoming and Montana and is the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies.