Discovering the Roads Less Traveled

Tomorrow marks one of our favorite days of the year here in Montana's Yellowstone Country, the opening of the Beartooth Highway! The late journalist Charles Kuralt dubbed it "the most beautiful roadway in America." We agree. Completed in 1936, this engineering feat rises to 10,947 feet above sea level, winding through lush lodgepole pine forests to an alpine tundra brimming with wildflowers. The Beartooth Mountains are home to 20 peaks above 12,000 feet, including Granite Peak, Montana's tallest at 12,799 feet.

In other words, the scenery is jaw-dropping.

Beartooth Basin Summer Ski Area also opens on May 28 (snow and weather depending). This rare skiing gem has two high-speed platter lifts serving 600 acres; let me tell you, it's steep! I haven't skied it myself, although I did manage to make some backcountry turns off the highway when I was in college, and it was thrilling.



The towns of Red Lodge, Cooke City and Silver Gate, bookend the trip, and we highly suggest staying a night on either end of the trip. Red Lodge is full of great dining, live music and ongoing community events, while Cooke City and Silver Gate offer a quieter experience. The Cooke City Store and Stop the Car Trading Post offer unique souvenirs and snacks! You'll want to allow a good three hours to explore the highway, more if you decide to stop at the lakes or take a short hike, so planning an overnight on either end gives you plenty of time to relax and take it all in.

The Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park is a stone’s throw from Silver Gate, and leads you through the Lamar Valley, an exceptional area for wildlife watching!

The highway is part of a set of larger itineraries through some of Montana's lesser-traveled areas, which we call Montana's Great Wide Open. Eight different options guide you through the Beartooths, badlands and breaks, three very distinct terrains all within a few hours of each other. Here, you can wander among rock formations where dinosaurs once roamed, fish or swim along the route Lewis and Clark explored, or marvel at the stunning mountain vistas.



It's a chance to immerse yourself in the vastness of Montana, where the pace is a little slower and the space between towns a little longer. Be sure to stop at Natural Bridge Falls (if you can make it in the spring when the runoff hits, it's spectacular!) If the timing works, you can eat at the Boulder River Roadkill Saloon just 15 miles south of Big Timber on US Hwy 298. The long-time establishment has new owners and a great pub menu! Their drinks range from Pabst to craft beer and feature spirits from area distilleries.

This weekend is the unofficial start to summer, and we're ready to hit the road!