Beartooth Highway

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Categories:

Things to See,  Things to Do,  Scenic Drives

Keywords:

• Beartooth Highway

General info

Author Charles Kurault described the Beartooth Scenic Highway as the most beautiful drive in America. In 1989, the highway received national recognition when it was designated a National Scenic Byway. Only 52 other drives in the country share this distinction. This spectacular 65-mile drive reaches the highest drivable points in both Wyoming and Montana. Leaving Red Lodge, U.S. Hwy. 212 climbs 11,000 feet to Beartooth Pass and drops down to the northeast entrance to Yellowstone Park.

After mine closings wrecked the economy of Red Lodge, J.C.F. Siegriedt, a Red Lodge physician, lobbied the U.S. Government to rebuild the old Black and White Trail which ran along Rock Creek south of Red Lodge. He and O.H.P. Shelby, the local newspaper publisher persuaded the congress to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to build approach highways to the national parks. Herbert Hoover signed the bill, and construction began in 1931. The highway, at a cost of $2.5 million, opened on June 14, 1936.

The 64-mile corridor provides a panoramic view at the 10,942 ft. summit of peaks, varied topography, glaciers, plateaus, alpine lakes, cascading streams, wildflowers, and wildlife. The Beartooth

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