View source for Beartooth Highway

{{use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{short description|Scenic road in Montana and Wyoming, United States}}
{{Infobox road
|state=MT
|type=NSB
|route=Beartooth Highway
|allocation={{jct|country=USA|US|212}}
|maint=[[National Park Service]]
|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Beartooth Highway}}}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Beartooth Highway highlighted in red
|length_mi=68.7
|length_round=
|length_ref=<ref name=byways>{{cite web |title=Beartooth Highway |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2281 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005090002/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2281 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |work=America's Byways |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]] |access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref>
|established={{start date and age|1936|6|4}}
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{jct|state=MT|US|212}} at the [[Northeast Entrance Station]] of [[Yellowstone National Park]]
|junction={{jct|state=WY|WY|296}} near Beartooth Lake

|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=MT|US|212|MT|78}} in [[Red Lodge, Montana|Red Lodge]]
|embedded={{Infobox mountain pass
| child = yes
| name = Beartooth Pass
| photo = BeartoothHwy near BeartoothPass.jpg
| photo_caption = Approaching '''Beartooth Pass''' from the east<!-- along the Beartooth Highway-->
| elevation_ft = 10947
| elevation_ref = 
| traversed = {{jct|country=USA|US|212}}
| location = [[Wyoming]], [[United States]]
| range = [[Beartooth Mountains]]
| coordinates = {{coord|44|58.1|N|109|27.9|W|type:pass}}
| topo = 
| map               = USA#Wyoming
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = Location in the United States##Location in Wyoming
| map_relief        = y
| map_size          = 280
}}
}}
The '''Beartooth Highway''' is an [[National Scenic Byway|All-American Road]] in the [[Western United States|western]] [[United States]] on a section of [[U.S. Route 212]] in [[Montana]] and [[Wyoming]] between [[Red Lodge, MT|Red Lodge]] and the Northeast entrance of [[Yellowstone National Park]]. It&nbsp;crests at Beartooth Pass in Wyoming at {{convert|10,947|ft}} above [[sea level]], and was called "the most beautiful drive in America," by late [[CBS News]] correspondent [[Charles Kuralt]].<ref name="public_roads">{{cite journal |url=http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/06jul/03.htm |title=An Orphaned Highway |date=July–August 2006 |author=Kulbacki, Michael |author2=McCauley, Bert |author3=Moler, Steve |name-list-style=amp |access-date=2008-08-14 |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |journal=Public Roads |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917202554/http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/06jul/03.htm |archive-date=2008-09-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open for about five months per year, from mid-May to mid-October, weather conditions permitting.<ref name="Beartooth_Highway_Brochure">[http://www.redlodge.com/downloads/BTHighway.pdf Beartooth Highway Points of Interest], Red Lodge Montana Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2010-08-25.</ref>

==Route description==
The Beartooth Highway is the section of [[U.S. Route 212]] between [[Red Lodge, Montana|Red Lodge]] and [[Cooke City, Montana|Cooke City]], Montana. It&nbsp;traces a series of steep zigzags and [[hairpin turn|switchback]]s, along the Montana–Wyoming border ([[45th parallel north|45th parallel]]) to the {{convert|10947|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} Beartooth Pass in Wyoming. The approximate elevation rise is from {{convert|5200|ft|-1|abbr=on}} to {{convert|10947|ft|abbr=on}} in {{convert|12|mi|spell=in}} in the most daring landscapes.

When driving east to west, the highest parts of the Beartooth Highway level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, then descend to the junction with [[Wyoming Highway 296]] (Chief Joseph Scenic Byway) near Cooke City, the northeast gateway to [[Yellowstone National Park]]. On the way one passes numerous lakes typical of the [[Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness]] which borders the highway along much of its route.

The highway officially opened June 14, 1936.<ref name=BTHighway>{{cite web|url=http://beartoothhighway.com/beartooth-communities/|title=Beartooth Highway’s Wild Wild West|website=beartoothhighway.com|access-date=2020-10-18}}</ref>

At this elevation and latitude, 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 {{convert|69|mi|adj=on}} trip from Red Lodge to Cooke City, and it is advised to check with the Red Lodge Chamber of Commerce or the Beartooth Ranger District beforehand in case of road closures.<ref name="Beartooth_Highway_Brochure" /> Montana Traveler Information<ref name="Montana_Traveler_Information">{{cite web|url=http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/|title=Montana Traveler Information|publisher=Montana Department of Transportation|access-date=2020-10-18}}</ref> and Wyoming Travel Information Service<ref name="Wyoming_Travel_Information Service">{{cite web|url=http://www.wyoroad.info/|title=Wyoming Travel Information Service|publisher=Wyoming Department of Transportation|access-date=2020-10-18}}</ref> both provide online information on Beartooth Highway travel conditions for their respective portions of the highway. [[Altitude sickness]] is also a risk for susceptible individuals going to this altitude with such a rapid increase in elevation.

The Beartooth Highway passes through portions of [[Custer National Forest|Custer]], [[Shoshone National Forest|Shoshone]], and [[Gallatin National Forest|Gallatin]] national forests, and near the Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness.

Despite this, and the [[U.S. highway]] number, and also connecting to state highway 296, it is not maintained by the [[Wyoming Department of Transportation]] or even the [[U.S. Forest Service]], with WYDOT stating it does not meet standards for [[Wyoming state highways]]. It&nbsp;is instead maintained by the [[National Park Service]], despite not being part of the park (like the [[Foothills Parkway]] or [[Skyline Drive]]) or being its own unit (like the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] and [[Natchez Trace Parkway]]). The [[Montana Department of Transportation]] does maintain its portions in Custer and Gallatin national forests at the east and west ends of the highway, respectively.  

Neither MDT nor NPS perform [[snow removal]] except for once in the spring, typically in May, but sometimes not until June if there has been heavy snowfall.  Once the road opens, [[Beartooth Basin Ski Area]] opens near the state line at Beartooth Pass, for a short summer-only season that lasts until July.

==History==

In August 1872, the pass was crossed by [[American Civil War|Civil War]] General [[Philip Sheridan]] and 120 men returning from an inspection tour of [[Yellowstone National Park]]. Rather than take the long detour down the [[Clarks Fork Yellowstone River]] to return to [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], Sheridan took the advice of an old hunter named Shuki 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.

===2005 closure===
During the spring of 2005, several large [[mudslide]]s and [[rockslide]]s on May 19–20 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; however, the highway did not reopen for a year.
An estimated {{convert|100000|cuyd|-2}} of rock was removed from a {{convert|0.5|mi|km|1|adj=mid|-long}} 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.

==Major intersections==
{{Jcttop|state_col=state|length_ref=<ref name=byways />|destination_ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/45.0045726,-110.0103958/44.9299993,-109.7260787/44.9497912,-109.4874877/45.0549579,-109.4083195/45.1740741,-109.2501437/45.1948457,-109.2466242/@45.0582288,-109.9087465,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en|website=[[Google Maps]]|publisher=[[Google, Inc.]]|title=Overview of Beartooth Highway|access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref>}}
{{Jctint
|state=MT
|sspan=1
|county=Park
|location_special=[[Yellowstone National Park]]
|type=toll
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=MT|US|212|dir1=west|name1=Northeast Entrance Road}}
|notes=[[Northeast Entrance Station]]; western end of US&nbsp;212 concurrency; continuation beyond western terminus
}}
{{WYint
|sspan=2
|county=Park
|cspan=2
|location=none
|mile=17.7
|road={{jctname|state=WY|name1=Chief Joseph Scenic Byway|WY|296|noshield=yes}}
|notes=Western terminus of Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
}}
{{jctplace
|location=none
|mile=32.8
|place=Winter closure gate
}}
{{jctgap|text=Stretch of road closed Columbus Day to Memorial Day<ref>{{cite web|author1=FBaar|date=August 30, 2013|url=http://beartoothhighway.com/beartooth-highway-seasons-end/|title=Beartooth Highway – Season’s End|website=Beartooth Highway|publisher=Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref>}}
{{jctplace
|state=MT
|sspan=3
|county=Carbon
|cspan=3
|location_special=[[Wyoming Creek]]
|mile=54.9
|place=Winter closure gate at bridge
}}
{{MTint
|location=Red Lodge
|lspan=2
|mile=67.1
|road={{jct|state=MT|Sec|308|dir1=east|city1=Belfry}}
|notes=Western terminus of S-308
}}
{{MTint
|type=concur
|mile=68.7
|road={{jct|state=MT|US|212|dir1=east|name1=Broadway Avenue|MT|78|dir2=north|name2=Third Street|city1=Absarokee|city2=Columbus}}
|notes=Eastern end of US&nbsp;212 concurrency; eastern terminus; [[roundabout]]
}}
{{Jctbtm|col=7|keys=concur,toll}}

==Gallery==
{{gallery|title=Beartooth Highway|width=300|height=250|align=center
|File:BeartoothSign.jpg|alt1=Beartooth Highway sign|The sign marking the beginning of Beartooth Highway at the exit to [[Yellowstone National Park]]
|File:Beartooth Highway Showing Switchbacks.jpg|alt2=Switchbacks on Beartooth Highway|Beartooth Highway weaving its way through the [[Beartooth Mountains]]
|File:Beartooth Highway After Spring Plow.jpg|The Beartooth Highway after the snow is plowed in the spring.
|File:Beartooth Highway Summer.JPG|A summertime view from the Beartooth Highway.}}

==References==

{{portal|Montana}}
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/beartooth/ Current Conditions]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100430144620/http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-scenic-drives-red-lodge-cooke-city-montana-sidwcmdev_052607.html Montana Scenic Byway: Beartooth Highway]
*[http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2281/ National Scenic Byways Project: Beartooth Highway], US Department of Transportation: National Scenic Highways Program.

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
{{Commons category|Beartooth Highway}}
*[http://www.beartoothhighway.com/ Beartooth Highway website]
*[[Historic American Engineering Record]] (HAER) documentation, filed under Cody vicinity, Park County, WY:
**{{HAER |survey=WY-92 |id=wy0518 |title=Beartooth Highway, Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=WY-92-A |id=wy0519 |title=Beartooth Highway, Beartooth Lake Bridge, Spanning Beartooth Lake outlet on U.S. Highway 212 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=WY-92-B |id=wy0520 |title=Beartooth Highway, Little Bear Creek Bridge No. 1, Spanning Little Bear Creek on U.S. Highway 212 at Milepost 28.2 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=WY-92-C |id=wy0521 |title=Beartooth Highway, Little Bear Creek Bridge No. 2, Spanning Little Bear Creek on U.S. Highway 212 at Milepost 29.0 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=WY-92-D |id=wy0522 |title=Beartooth Highway, Long Lake Bridge, Spanning Long Lake outlet on U.S. Highway 212 at Milepost 31.2 |link=no}}

{{Tower Roosevelt}}
{{Montana}}

[[Category:All-American Roads]]
[[Category:Shoshone National Forest]]
[[Category:National Forest Scenic Byways]]
[[Category:Transportation in Carbon County, Montana]]
[[Category:Transportation in Park County, Montana]]
[[Category:Transportation in Park County, Wyoming]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Montana]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Wyoming]]