Charles Kuralt called it "the most beautiful drive in America." The Beartooth Highway climbs to 10,947 feet through 20 switchbacks, passing alpine plateaus, glacial lakes, and snow-capped peaks on its way to Yellowstone.

Stops on This Tour (10)

1. 1
   Red Lodge, Montana A former coal mining town turned gateway to adventure. The highway begins its ascent from 5,500 feet through a dramatic canyon carved by Rock Creek.
2. 2
   Rock Creek Vista Point The first major overlook reveals the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness below — over one million acres of roadless terrain stretching to the horizon.
3. 3
   West Summit — 10,947 feet The highest point on the highway. Snow can fall any month of the year here. The Beartooth Plateau spreads out — a moonscape of alpine tundra above treeline.
4. 4
   Twin Lakes Glacially carved lakes sit in granite basins surrounded by permanent snowfields. In late summer, wildflower meadows paint the tundra in purples and yellows.
5. 5
   Beartooth Lake A turquoise gem at 8,900 feet beneath the Beartooth Butte, a lone sentinel of ancient sedimentary rock that somehow escaped glacial erasure.
6. 6
   Clay Butte Lookout Road A side road climbs to a fire lookout tower at 9,811 feet with views of the Absaroka Range and on clear days, the Tetons a hundred miles to the south.
7. 7
   Top of the World Store One of America's most remote general stores sits at 9,400 feet. Coffee, snacks, and gasoline — the essentials for travelers crossing the roof of Montana.
8. 8
   Pilot and Index Peaks Viewpoint Two dramatic volcanic spires — Pilot Peak at 11,708 feet and Index Peak at 11,313 feet — served as navigation landmarks for early explorers and fur traders.
9. 9
   Cooke City, Montana A tiny mountain hamlet of 75 year-round residents, snowbound for months each winter. Gold miners founded it in 1882 as a supply point for the New World Mining District.
10. 10
    Northeast Entrance — Yellowstone The highway delivers you to the least-visited entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The Lamar Valley ahead is known as the "Serengeti of North America" for its wildlife.

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