The Beartooth Highway
Highway Tales - Favorite Drives
Article Date: February, 2013
Article and Photography by Mark Quasius
West Summit at 11,000'
I'm sure that every one of you has a favorite drive. I remember when I got my first "real" car, a '69 Camaro.
I would take it for spirited drives in our Kettle Moraine area with Steppenwolf blasting from the 8 track tape player doing my best
impression of Mario Andretti behind the wheel. Eventually I upgraded to a 1972 Javelin-AMX, which is still parked in my garage today,
and the drives continued.
Things change as we get older and mature, although there's always a part of everyone that never grows up. Instead
of blasting up a mountain road in a 500 HP sport compact my choices have changed. That mountain road is no traversed at a much lower speed
in a 45,000 lb motorhome dragging a Jeep behind.
Yet, the drive is still exciting. The challenge of seeing how fast we can take corners is now replaced by the
ability to just get up that mountain to see the awe inspiring scenery. Once we park at a campground or RV park, the Jeep takes over and
the new challenge is not to see how fast we can go but to see how far we can go.
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Yet, the drive is still exciting. The challenge of seeing how fast we can take corners is now replaced by the ability
to just get up that mountain to see the awe inspiring scenery. Once we park at a campground or RV park, the Jeep takes over and the new challenge
is not to see how fast we can go but to see how far we can go.
There are a number of favorite drives in everyone's repertoire but Leann and I have a few favorites that we always
try to work into our travels. It's important to have more than one because returning to do the same thing over and over again cause the
excitement and anticipation to wane. So we rotate our favorite travel areas to keep that excitement alive.
Undoubtedly, our first and best is the Beartooth Highway. US-212 leaves I-90 near Billings and proceeds south to
Red Lodge, MT. At that point it becomes the Beartooth Highway as it crosses the Beartooth Mountains on its way to Yellowstone National
Park's northeast entrance.
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Crazy Creek Falls
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The road begins as a scenic mountain drive through forested slopes. Eventually it reaches a series of switchbacks that
climb the north face of the mountains. This portion of the road is extreme and will tax the cooling systems and transmissions of many RVs so
those not in top shape are best off keeping the RV in camp and using the tow or towed vehicle to explore these mountains. For this reason I
only climb these switchbacks in a southerly direction. Heading north puts too much heat into the brakes, which can cause catastrophic brake
failure. For those drivers who don't wish to tackle these switchbacks an alternate route is available to access the mountains via the
Chief Joseph Highway.
Once you have reached the top of the switchbacks an overlook and parking area offer a nice view of Clark's Fork and
the valley below. From then on, the grades are more manageable as the road winds up and down and around across the top of the mountain.
Above the tree line is arctic tundra and areas of permafrost, where the ground never thaws. In June it's not uncommon
to see huge snow banks alongside the road and frozen mountain lakes. This scenery is unmatched on any other road in this country.
The Top of the World Store is always a popular stop. Situated in the middle of the Beartooths at 10,000' it's a great
location for exploring the many trails in the area. Side trips to Beartooth Lake, Crazy Creek Falls, and many scenic overlooks abound as the
road winds its way down to Cooke City just before reaching Yellowstone. Charles Kuralt traveled the country during his "On the Road" segments
for CBS and he labeled the Beartooth Highway as "The most scenic drive in America". I wholeheartedly agree.
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Snowdrift alongside road in late June.
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Moose in the meadow alongside the highway.
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A pond in the Beartooths.
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