The Sky-High Montana Highway That Hits 11,000 Feet Through Pure Alpine Beauty

Beartooth Highway, Montana

The Beartooth Highway opens for maybe four months a year if you’re lucky.

The rest of the time, it’s buried under snow that would make a polar bear shiver. When it does open, you get to drive the highest paved road in America through terrain that looks like the moon.

Here are some interesting facts about this extreme drive.

The Highway Through the Clouds

The Beartooth Highway runs 69 miles from Red Lodge to Yellowstone Park through Montana and Wyoming. CBS reporter Charles Kuralt called it “America’s most beautiful drive” back in 1979.

The road hits 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass, higher than any highway in both states. Engineers did what many thought impossible by building a road that climbs 5,200 feet in just twelve miles.

Drivers twist through tight turns along the state border, with new mountain views around every bend.

The Doctor Who Dreamed Big

When coal mining ruled in the 1920s, Dr. “Doc” Siegfriedt from Bearcreek saw a future in tourism instead.

He started in 1919 by cutting 13 switchbacks into Mount Maurice near Red Lodge, creating the Black and White Trail. Locals funded his work by paying in advance to use the future road.

Doc wanted to link Red Lodge to Cooke City as a new gateway to Yellowstone. Mining companies backed him too, needing a way to move ore without going through the park.

Jobs During Hard Times

President Hoover signed a bill funding park roads on January 31, 1931, creating work during the worst of the Great Depression.

Construction started that summer after bidding wrapped up in June. The $2.5 million project was huge money during those tough years. Crews from five states worked under federal supervisors.

About 150 men nicknamed “gippos” sweated on those mountainsides every day. These workers, desperate for any job, built what became one of America’s most amazing roads.

Breaking Mountains to Build a Road

BBuilding through the Beartooths meant fighting wilderness, cliffs, and brutal weather. Crews used machines where possible, but men with picks and shovels moved most of the rock.

The dangerous work killed workers. Glen Welch died in an explosion on September 2, 1933. A month later, a rock crusher killed Waino Timonen.

Teams tackled different sections at once, with some on the Red Lodge climb, others on western switchbacks. Workers faced summer heat and sudden snow, sometimes on the same day.

The Curve Named After a Movie Star

The “Mae West Curve” got its nickname from the famous curvy actress of the 1930s. This shapely switchback sits above Rock Creek Vista Point, giving drivers stunning views of the valley below.

This turn is part of the steep eastern climb rising 5,500 feet over just 12 miles.

The Day the Road Finally Opened

After five years of work, the Beartooth Highway officially opened on June 14, 1936. Parts of the road had already seen some traffic by summer 1935.

The new highway turned Red Lodge from a mining town into a tourist spot by creating a direct path to Yellowstone through Montana’s mountains.

Northern Pacific Railroad ran popular day tours until World War II stopped vacation travel. In 1960, Montana thought about fancy names like “Highway to the Clouds,” but kept the Beartooth name everyone already knew.

How a Rock Got Its Name

The highway is named after a rock spire shaped by ancient glaciers. The Bear’s Tooth sticks up from the mountains like a sharp canine tooth.

The Forest Service made this name official because the peak really does look like a tooth. To see this landmark yourself, stop at the Beartooth Loop Trail trailhead at 10,536 feet.

The mountain range was first named after Beartooth Butte, a large rock formation nearby, before the tooth-shaped peak became more famous.

Driving on Ancient Ground

You’ll be crossing the largest high plateau in America on this highway. It holds rocks over 4 billion years old, which are some of Earth’s oldest.

The Beartooth Mountains rise from this plateau with 20 peaks over 12,000 feet. Granite Peak—Montana’s highest at 12,799 feet—can be seen from parts of the road.

These mountains are so special that in 2022, they became one of just 100 “geological heritage sites” recognized worldwide.

Where Arctic Plants Grow in Montana

The highway passes more than 950 alpine lakes made by ancient glacier which mirror the mountains around them.

Trees stop growing above 9,500 feet, and the highway’s treeline marks where arctic-like tundra begins. During summer, this harsh land bursts with wildflowers like forget-me-nots, gentians, and avens in July and August.

This tough environment also supports 400+ plant species and one of the largest grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, and moose live here too.

Fighting Monster Snowdrifts Each Spring

Snow buries the Beartooth Highway seven months each year, which is why the road opens around Memorial Day and closes by mid-October.

Even in July, sudden snowstorms can close the road without warning.

Spring opening is a huge job. Crews battle snowdrifts up to 26 feet high with special equipment. Montana handles clearing from Red Lodge to Wyoming, while the Park Service clears the rest.

When the Floods Tore Through

In June 2022, massive floods washed away chunks of the Beartooth Highway. Engineers had to move parts of the road 80 feet away from Rock Creek to prevent future damage.

Crews worked around the clock to reopen by late July 2022, saving some tourist season for Red Lodge and Cooke City businesses. The worst spots had 100-foot gaps where water completely erased the roadbed.

More repairs are coming in 2025, including removing 29,000 cubic yards of soil to strengthen slopes along weak sections.

Driving the Beartooth Highway

The highway is open Memorial Day weekend through mid-October (typically closing October 15th), weather permitting.

Start in Red Lodge at US Highway 212 and allow 2-3 hours driving time. Check Montana DOT 511 or Wyoming DOT for current conditions.

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