The Beartooth Highway – an orphaned All-American Road

“I go up and handout maps and muffins for all of the tourists,” said Sherry Weamer, executive director at the Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce.

As car horns honk in applause for the gate opening of the highway, many of the tourist have no idea what it takes to make it all happen. A month of planning and plowing takes place to make the highway accessible to the many guests that behold its wonderment.

“The Montana Department of Transportation plows all the way to its highest point at 10,947 feet,” said Weamer. “It’s dangerous, they often cannot see where the drop-off is and they are hanging off the edge. These drivers take great pride in their work and this highway.”

The Beartooth Highway begins in Montana, enters Wyoming and ends up back in Montana, making it unclaimable and by extension, orphaned. Thanks to Yellowstone National Park and the transportation plows of Montana and Wyoming, guests can take in views from what feels like the top of the world.

“It is one thing to stand at the bottom of a mountain and look up – but to drive up almost 11, 000 feet and watch how everything changes – the plant life, animals and scenery – it’s truly extraordinary,” said Weamer.

The highway is also deemed an “All American Road” by the United States Department of Transportation for its natural and picturesque topographies.

From Red Lodge to Cooke City, the 68 mile drive in Montana proves why the Beartooth Highway is more than just a road. With abundant wildlife, lakes, glaciers, snow-caped peaks, cloud-covered vistas and fields upon fields of wildflowers, it shows the enormity and beauty of a landscape that remains preserved in its element.

“I tell all tourists to take their time – stop and pull over. Have a picnic, walk around and just take it all in,” said Weamer.

The Beartooth Highway opens at 8 a.m., May 24.

For more information on the Beartooth Highway call Sherry Weamer at (406) 446-1718 or visit redlodge.com.